Boko Haram is sponsored by many people across the world - Zulum

Governor of Borno state, Babagana Umara Zulum, has revealed that the notorious Boko Haram terrorising the north is been sponsored by people across the world.

He said that contrary to the popular belief, some members of Boko Haram are Christians, white men, Asians, Africans and Muslims.

“I’m from Borno state, and many of our children are into Boko Haram. I’m not denying the fact. But again, they are being sponsored by many people across the world. Among Boko Haram, we have white men, Asians, Africans, Muslims and Christians.

Mr Zulum said this during the 17th Gani Fawehinmi’s lecture organised by the Ikeja branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held on Friday, January 15, in Lagos.

During his speech, he charged citizens not to see the Boko Haram insurgency as a problem for the north alone rather of the entire country.

"We must stop seeing this insurgency as a problem of the north. The distance between Borno state and Lagos state is about 1,700km, but mind you if Borno state is not peaceful, other parts of the nation will never be peaceful."

"We have to unite and fight these insurgents," he said. adding that "peacebuilding and social cohesion are very important in strengthening the resilience of our communities."

He noted that the country will progress if Nigerians "get rid of nepotism, tribalism and exploitation of religion".

Governor Zulum assured the people of the state that his government will reform the Almajiri system to provide the children with literacy and numeracy skills.