A former Naval Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi (rtd) has accused those in the corridors of power of complicity in the prolonged insurgency in the North East, saying he suspected an agenda to impose a Taliban-like government in Nigeria.
He spoke against the backdrop of the recent attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in Afaka, Kaduna State on Tuesday.
Speaking on Channels Television ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Wednesday, Olawunmi said the “centre of gravity” of Nigeria’s security challenges is the sponsors of insurgents and bandits.
He said, “The centre of the gravity of Boko Haram and Insurgency in Nigeria are the sponsors of those programs because the job we need to do is Kinetic – to fight, destroy places, resolve issues, but we cannot resolve issues of the sponsors of Boko Haram that are in Buhari government and we know them.
“I was in the military intelligence and the Defence headquarter staff that I worked with, they know and that is why we couldn’t pursue that aspect that could have resolved that problem because you need to arrest people,” he said.
The military intelligence veteran, with 35 years of experience, said he was part of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Security and Intelligence Brief in 2016/2017, where he suggested that identifying and dealing with the sponsors was the solution.
“Recently, 400 people had gathered as sponsors of Boko Haram. Why is it that the Buhari government has refused to try them?
“If not that they are partisan and are part of the charade that is going on, why can’t they bring these people up for trial,” he said, in reference to the 400 Bureau de change operatives arrested for sponsoring terrorism in April 2021.
He said intelligence gathered from terrorists who were arrested and interrogated revealed that some of the governors, senators, and persons in the Presidential Villa are among identified sponsors of Boko Haram.
He said he was aware of this intelligence because he was a staff of DHQ intelligence at the time.
Commenting on the attack on the NDA, Olawunmi said there must have been an insider collaboration for attackers to have successfully executed the operation adding, “There are a lot of irresponsible people in Nigerian Military formations. This is well known”.
He further called on the Federal Government to have a policy change, apprehend the sponsors of the heinous crime and bring them to face the law.
