UK Telegraph according to report has claimed that Nigeria has diverted hundreds of millions of pounds of the British foreign aid which was meant to help the country fight Boko Haram insurgents into witch-hunting against opposition politicians.
The UK Telegraph defence editor, Con Coughlin, in a publication on Tuesday said Britain committed to spending £860 million in foreign aid to Nigeria in order to help support its fight against Boko Haram Insurgents who have been responsible for catastrophic happenings in the country leading to massive loss of lives and properties.
“But Western officials are now raising concerns that the government of the country’s recently elected leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, is misusing the funds to persecute political opponents.
“Since Mr Buhari came to power last July, a number of prominent members of the former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have been arrested and imprisoned without charge. Among those detained was the party’s official spokesperson.
“Most of the arrests have been sanctioned by the government-controlled Economic and Financial Crime Commission, which was set up to tackle corruption and receives funding from the Department for International Development.
“But while Mr Buhari’s government continues to use British aid money to target his political opponents, it is proving less effective at tackling the Islamist-run Boko Haram terrorist group.
“Much of the aid Britain provides to Nigeria is aimed at helping the country’s security forces to become more effective at tackling Boko Haram, which boasts of its links with Islamic State (ISIL) and achieved international notoriety two years ago after kidnapping 276 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria two years ago”, it read.
The UK Telegraph defence editor added that although a number of British military personnel, including members of the Special Forces were based in Nigeria and helping in the training of Nigeria’s troop in the fight against the terrorism group, the Western officials are beginning show growing concerns that the Nigerian Military troop was failing to take effective action to end the terrorists.
Con Coughlin added that the lack of effective strategy and implementation has led to Boko Haram being regards as the world’s deadliest terrorist organisation.
He added that: “There is no doubt the growing strength of Boko Haram is because President Buhari is far more interested in settling scores with his political opponents that concentrating his energy on defeating terrorists.
“The result is that Nigeria is starting to look more and more like a police state while Boko Haram just goes from strength to strength.”
The defence editor quoted another western diplomat thus: “If Buhari was serious about fighting corruption he would be focusing all of his efforts on targeting corruption that is impeding Nigeria’s ability to focus its efforts on tackling Boko Haram.”
In the publication, Con Coughlin added that Western officials are also beginning to find Buhari’s autocratic mode of leadership distasteful.
“Now political opponents claim he is returning to his old dictatorial ways, abusing British aid meant to improve Nigeria’s ability to tackle Boko Haram to consolidate his hold on power.
“Mr Buhari’s claim that he is winning the war against Boko Haram – (recently claimed the group no longer poses a serious threat) – has been undermined by recent revelations that the Nigerian authorities have tried to cover up the fact that hundreds of more schoolchildren have been abducted by Boko Haram.
“Human rights activists have confirmed that around 400 women and children were abducted last year by militants from the Nigerian town of Damasak.
“It is now believed that some of these children may have been trained as suicide bombers. U.S. counter-terrorism experts say at least 105 women and girls trained by Boko Haram have taken part in suicide attacks since June 2014,”