Femi Fani-Kayode
An activist and Nigeria’s former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has described the allegation by a former Head of Intelligence of Mali, San Lous Keita that the Ishaq Akintola-led Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) is funded by the Islamic State for West Africa Province, (ISWAP) as “grave” and called on the country’s Federal Government to urgently investigate the matter. He recommended that not only should the Muslim Rights Concern be declared a terrorist organisation, but should also be banned forthwith in addition to the arrest and prosecution of its leaders and members who he said should be publicly hanged if found guilty.
Keita, a member of the Sahara Strategy Group, (SSG) had asked the Nigeria’s Federal Government to probe reports that some organisations in Nigeria like the MURIC is receiving funds from the ISWAP which has recently been operating in the country’s North West.
Ishaq Akintola
Speaking at a conference in held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Friday, Keita a former Intelligence Chief, said reports available to the intelligence community in West Africa listed MURIC as one of the groups that has received funds from ISWAP in the last two years.
While speaking on the theme: “Terrorism and Failing States in Africa”, Keita said MURIC was said to have received some 250, 000 dollars from ISWAP in the past months adding that the funds were meant for MURIC to recruit and train local people in the South West that would provide the logistics needed for ISWAP proposed stronghold on Southern Nigeria.
“In Mali, we have a list of groups listed to be working for ISWAP. There is a particular group, MURIC which is based in Nigeria and led by a University Professor, Ishaq Akintolar (sic)Intelligence report shows ISWAP has been holding series of meetings with ISWAP. The group has been funded recently to the tune of 250,000 dollars brought in cash by ISWAP main agent in Nigeria who is a Lebanese working in Nigeria,” he told the conference.
Keita said reports indicated that ISWAP asked MURIC to concentrate on recruiting young Fulani men living in Southern Nigeria.
“ISWAP knows it will be difficult to recruit people of Southern origin so MURIC was asked to concentrate on Fulani who live in the South West. This information was passed on to the Nigerian authorities. We believe they will do diligent investigation and nip in the bud plans by extremists to infiltrated West Africa.
He urged countries in West Africa to take serious the United States warning about ISIS and ISWAP plans to unleash terror on Southern Nigeria and other West African States.
