This may or may not come as a shock to many. A senator has been named as one of the financier of the terrorist group. Read full details after the cut.
An operative of State Security Service (SSS), Mr Abdulfaruk Dauda, told a Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday that former spokesman of Boko Haram, Kudunga Abdul, allegedly named Sen. Ali Ndume as a financier of the group.
Abdul was summarily sentenced to three years in prison after he confessed to being the spokesman of the group.
Dauda, who was cross-examined by, counsel to Ndume, Mr Rickey Tarfa (SAN), said the accused was interrogated by four sub-committees and a panel in order to test the veracity of the allegation.
The witness said that a total of four statements obtained from the accused were filed as exhibits.
Dauda said the statements did not negate the records of contacts the accused had with the group, ``which shows clearly from the statements that Ndume was communicating with this group’’.
``It is my mandate to investigate the issues raised in the statements because I was not told to do so.
``I am an expert in statement taking and I did take the final statement of the accused person handled by the panel, and truly he has some issues to answer and that is why we are here My Lord,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ndume was arraigned on Dec. 12, 2011 on a four-court charge of having links with Boko Haram.
He had denied the allegation on the grounds that the prosecution did not establish evidence linking him with the terror group.
Ndume, a serving senator from Borno State, said that he only made contact with the group while serving as a member of the Presidential Committee set up to help quell the hostilities in the North East.
He said the transactions with some select members of the group were lawful and targeted at resolving the security challenges.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole adjourned the matter to July 10 for continuation of the trial.
source: Leadership
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