President Muhammadu Buhari says his regime has uncovered those fuelling separatist agitations around the country, threatening to deal with them.
Mr Buhari, in his nationwide broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 61st Independence Day anniversary on Friday in Abuja, warned that his regime would take decisive actions against secessionists Indigenous People of Biafra and Yoruba Nation agitators and their sponsors who threaten national security.
“The recent arrests of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo and the ongoing investigations being conducted have revealed certain high profile financiers behind these individuals. We are vigorously pursuing these financiers, including one identified as a serving member of the National Assembly.
“This is a clear example of how people abandon their national leadership positions for their selfish gains.
“Instead of preaching unity, they are funding and misleading our youth to conduct criminal acts that sometimes lead to unfortunate and unnecessary loss of lives and property.
“As the so-called leaders run abroad to hide, our innocent youths are misled and left in the streets to fight for their senseless and destructive causes,’’ Mr Buhari said.
Mr Buhari, however, did not mention his regime’s intention on Nigerians who have been identified as the financiers of the Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country since 2009.
On September 14, the United Arab Emirates published names of persons, including six Nigerians, designated as global financiers of terrorism.
Officials of the regime, including the Attorney General Abubarkar Malami, anti-graft agency boss Abdulrasheed Bawa and Mr Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina continue to maintain that the identified persons cannot be named and shamed publicly.
The president, however, said his government would continue, with greater level of peoples’ participation and in collaboration with international partners, improve the security architecture of the country.
He said the federal government would also reduce the enabling environment that allowed criminality to thrive and eliminate opportunities for terrorism financing in the country.
