400 suspects to be arraigned for funding Boko Haram, bandits

About 400 suspects arrested for funding Boko Haram insurgents and bandits will soon face trial, it was learnt on Tuesday.

But, all courts across the country have been shut since April 6, owing to the nationwide strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) over financial autonomy for the judiciary.

The suspects were arrested in an operation coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

They were arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna and Zamfara in an operation said to have been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.

A list containing names of 957 suspects comprising bureau de change (BDC) operators, gold miners and sellers as well as other business persons is still being acted upon.

Some of the BDC operators arrested include Baba Usaini, Abubakar Yellow (Amfani), Yusuf Ali Yusuf (Babangida), Ibrahim Shani, Auwal Fagge and Muhammad Lawan Sani, a gold dealer.

Umar Gwandu, spokesperson to Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, on Monday, said criminal charges bordering on terrorism were already being prepared against the suspects while investigation continues.

Although the spokesperson declined to give further details, he said the prosecution of the suspects “will commence as quickly as possible”.

-The Nation