More facts emerged yesterday on the reasons behind Wednesday’s designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru Islamic sects as Foreign Terrorist Organisations by the United States invoking section 219 of the National Immigration Act and section 1(b) of the Executive Order 13224, despite pressure from the Federal Government to do otherwise.
According to diplomatic sources, the US made the move because of Boko Haram’s threat to attack America, its recruitment of foreigners to plan its operation as well as funding from foreign partners.
Vanguard learnt that Washington wants to prepare itself to deal with potential and existential threats posed by the Nigerian based Islamic insurgent groups that recently threatened to attack America on its own soil as Boko Haram has effectively outsmarted the Nigerian security agencies and the offensive unleashed on it
in the North Eastern states.
Diplomatic sources told Vanguard yesterday, that Boko Haram and Ansaru are no longer seen as local insurgent groups whose activities are confined to North Eastern and North central parts of Nigeria, “but well internationalised terror groups that are affiliated to Al-Qaeda terror network where they draw funding, radicalise their members and plan their attacks with the help of foreigners, including citizens of Western nations that share their world views”.
The involvement of foreigners in the Westgate Mall attack in September has alarmed the United States and has compelled it to take seriously the threat of Boko Haram, whose late leader, Abubakar Shekau was among the prominent terrorists that America placed a prize tag of N1.1 billion earlier this year. The terrorist group said it wants to hit the US for precipitating the attack on Shekau, whom they released a video trying to assert that he is still alive.
Reacting to the designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as terrorist organisations, President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor said: “I am elated. I am excited. Honestly, I feel fulfilled. It shows that if you believe in something, stay focused on it, eventually it will come to pass. My joy is not about me. It’s about, first of all the families of those who lost dear ones in their thousands. This is good for them. It is about orphans. It is about widows. It is about businesses and churches destroyed. It is about people left hanging, who do not know what to do with their lives any more. So, when I say I feel excited, happy and fulfilled, it is not about me. It goes beyond me; it is this nation called Nigeria. This is good for us. Anybody who says it is not good needs his head examined. It is good for us.”
He added that the US action “sends positive message to the world and to Boko Haram itself because, the UK already did a similar thing, but when the United States declares an organization a foreign terrorist organization, FTO, it is a statement that the whole world receives and acts upon. The message itself is very positive and very good. Number two; what it also does is that the FBI, CIA and all relevant security agencies in the US and beyond will now legitimately be able to go after the money; who is financing Boko Haram? They will be able to, by law go after the sponsors of the sect. They will be able to find out those behind the activities of Boko Haram. They would be able to unearth where their financiers are coming from.”
