Prison officials collect money from Boko Haram, says Chief of Defense Staff

By Lateef Kole Ajayi

Detained members of Boko Haram have the habit of paying huge sums of money to prison officials in exchange for some level of freedom that ensures they sustain their terrorist network from the prisons, the Chief of Defense Staff, CDS Gen Chris Musa has said.

He spoke in Abuja during a meeting with members of the National Assembly on Thursday in what has raised serious questions about the possible link of officials with the various prison invasion in some parts of the country.

The CDS said in various interrogation with the Boko Haram members, they confessed they pay huge sums of funds to accounts provided by some corrupt prison officials.

Some of the funds included those raised from kidnapping, violent robbery or even human rituals, another source told Irohinoodua on Friday.

Gen. Musa said “the issue of correctional facilities in the North-East, when we were debriefing some of the arrested Boko Haram, they were able to tell us how, from the prison, they could plan operations out in the field. They pass funds across.”

Speaking further he said the terrorists use some of the warders there. We are not saying all of them are corrupt. They use their accounts and the deal is that anyone whose account is used, they share it 50-50. Those are the challenges.”

In his own reaction, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Ojo in a statement made available to Irohinoodua directed the Comptroller General of Prison to fish out the bad eggs

The release signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde said any collaborator found would be exposed and prosecuted.

The Minister called for a speedy investigation into the matter and that any officer culpable or complicit of sabotaging the Government efforts will face the wrath of the law.

“The era of talks but no action is over. The Renewed Hope administration will not entertain a breach from any officer. We have the interest of the state to protect, and it is above anyone’s interest,”he said