Nigerian Ex-naval chief, Kunle Olawunmi, has accused the Nigerian Defence authorities of knowing the sponsors of the Boko Haram and terrorist group which have been afflicting the nation, noting that some sponsors of terrorist groups are bent on turning Nigeria to a country where the Taliban will reign supreme.
Kunle Olawunmi said this on Wednesday when he appeared on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, discussing the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy NDA. He expressed regret that he convinced the United States government and American intelligence agencies to allow Muhammadu Buhari become Nigeria’s President in May 2015.
Olawunmi maintained that he was part of the top-ranking military officers from the Nigerian intelligence circle who met with their US counterparts in December 2014, in the build-up to the March 2015 presidential election. According to him, himself and his colleagues from the DSS, the NIA, amongst others, had convinced the US government that the only person that can come and put this country right is Buhari.
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He, however, lamented that Buhari had done unprecedented and monumental damage to the Nigerian people with his alleged nepotism, and unwillingness to deal decisively with sponsors of Boko Haram in his government. Recalling how some Boko Haram suspects, who were arrested by the military mentioned some of their sponsors, he added that the current governors and senators were among those financing terrorism in the country.
The retired Navy Commodore, who was reacting to the recent attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, said, he once interrogated Boko Haram terrorists, who mentioned names of current governors, senators and Aso Rock officials as sponsors during interrogation. He described as an aberration, Tuesday’s attack by bloodthirsty bandits on the Kaduna campus of Nigeria’s foremost military university (NDA), where two military officers were killed and another kidnapped.
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“It is an aberration; you don’t attack the Nigerian Defence Academy and get away with it,” he lamented, adding that the NDA, like other military environments in the country, carelessly opens its doors to everyone on Friday for Jumat prayer, thereby giving terrorists the opportunity to profile the military institution. “On Fridays, you are going to see the same thing happening across all military formations in the country.
“If you go to Defence Headquarters, I served at the Defence Headquarters as the Deputy Director, Defence Administration between 2015 and 2017, throughout my two years at the Defence Headquarters, I received visitors twice because of the strict security architecture there. But every Friday, the gate of the Defence Headquarters is thrown wide open for everybody to come in and observe Jumat. That is the time the terrorists have to profile our security environment. It has always been the case. I have served the military intelligence for the past 35 years. Our problem is religion and socio-cultural.”
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Noting that he was not afraid of death, Olawunmi stated that the President had demonstrated an unwillingness to go after the high-profile politicians for reasons best known to him despite the DSS and other agencies know them. “The DSS knows them (sponsors), the NIA knows them, the DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) knows them because it is the DIA that conducted the operations that arrested the (400) suspects”, he added.
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