Terrorism Financiers Known; Government Knows Why Names Are Not Public — Buratai

A former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has stated that he should not be blamed for the failure to publicly identify individuals allegedly financing terrorism in Nigeria, adding that those responsible are known to relevant authorities but have not been named for undisclosed reasons.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s programme *Politics Today* on Friday, Buratai said the issue of naming suspected sponsors of terrorism lies with the agencies handling intelligence and security operations, not the military leadership.

He maintained that while the identities of alleged financiers are known within official circles, the decision not to disclose them publicly is deliberate and guided by considerations beyond his mandate.

“It’s not just about mentioning names; those agencies know why the names are not released,” he said. “Action should be taken; these individuals are still within society today, and they are known.”

Buratai also clarified that the rehabilitation of surrendered members of Boko Haram was a policy decision of the federal government rather than the military. According to him, the armed forces’ role was limited to accepting the surrender of fighters who turned themselves in and handing them over to appropriate civilian agencies for processing and rehabilitation.

He explained that the military had issued a surrender window in 2016, after which those who complied were given safe passage and transferred to relevant authorities for further handling.

Buratai, who has also served as an ambassador, called for stronger intelligence operations to address ongoing security challenges and suggested increased recruitment into the country’s security services to improve capacity.

His comments come amid continued public debate over the non-disclosure of individuals and entities suspected of financing terrorism. The federal government had previously indicated that it had identified such actors, while the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit has in past disclosures reported tracking financial flows linked to extremist activities.

Despite these claims, authorities have not released names, a situation that has drawn criticism from civil society groups and security analysts who argue that transparency is necessary to support accountability and strengthen counterterrorism efforts.

Nigeria has faced sustained insurgency in the northeast for more than a decade, with Boko Haram and related groups responsible for widespread casualties and displacement across affected regions.