Northerners, Boko Haram, and Nigeria’s Insecurity: Fact and Commentary
By Femi Orebe
Recent commentary in Nigerian media has sparked renewed debate over the roots of insecurity in the country. An opinion article widely shared online claims that “some northerners are beginning to sing about how they led Nigeria to its insecurity cul-de-sac.”
In 2019, six Nigerians were convicted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for transferring about $782,000 from Dubai to Boko Haram, the terrorist group responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria’s Northeast.
Two of the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment, while four others received ten-year sentences followed by deportation.
The case was confirmed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which placed the individuals on its sanctions list for financing terrorism.
These convictions are real and remain one of the most high-profile international cases linking Nigerian citizens to terrorist financing.
While the convictions are documented, some commentators have used the case to argue that certain political elites in Northern Nigeria “imported terrorism” into the country or failed to curb its growth.
Analysts, however, warn against generalizing the actions of six individuals to an entire region or political class. They note that terrorism in Nigeria is a complex problem tied to poverty, governance failures, and international extremist networks.
Security experts emphasize that while local actors may play roles in terrorism financing, Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be reduced to one region or political group. Instead, it requires coordinated counter-terrorism, better intelligence sharing, and stronger socio-economic policies.
The UAE convictions are factual and highlight the international dimensions of Boko Haram’s funding. However, the broader claims that “northerners” or “northern politicians” deliberately led Nigeria into insecurity remain political opinions, not established evidence.
