Designate Buhari, Tinubu, El-Rufai sponsors of terrorism – Group tells US

A United States-based non-profit organisation, Global Advocates for Terrorism Eradication (GATE), on Friday urged President Joe Biden to designate President Muhammadu Buhari, former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and some officials of the Nigerian government as sponsors of terrorism in the country.

Also listed in the petition are former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, the Director-General of Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, his Information and Culture counterpart, Lai Mohammed and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

In a 26-page petition signed by GATE’s Principal Advocate, Robert Berry, and addressed to the US Secretary of State, Anthony J. Blinken, the group described the killings in several parts of the country as state-sponsored terrorism.”

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It also alleged that the Nigerian government officials were “sponsoring terrorism by carrying out terrorist activities including training, funding, financing, and recruitment of terrorists using their offices as a safe haven, transit and operational base for terrorists.”

The petition read: “The Nigerian government officials have deployed the instrumentality of power and are using the veil of sovereignty in knowingly consenting and with malicious intent allowing and promoting the use of Nigeria as a breeding ground and recruitment nursery for international terrorism activities contrary to foreign relations authorizations act fiscal years 1988 and 1989 (P.L.100 to 204:22 U.S.C 2656f), as amended.

“The current Nigerian Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari is executing a global Jihadist agenda that is comparable, if not more insidious, than that of the Taliban’s of Afghanistan.

“It is even more dangerous because it is mixed with genocidal tendencies. It is in the best interest of the United States and all the democratic countries of the world to identify this threat early and address it now.

“This is to prevent the further spread of the global jihadist agenda of the Buhari government and to arrest an imminent ethnic and religious genocide.”

The group also gave Washington a two-month notice to act on its petition, saying it would be forced to head to the US Federal Court to apply for a Writ of Mandamus to compel Biden and Blinken to issue the designation in line with the provisions of law.”