CDS reveals how warders help Boko Haram plan operations, move money from prison

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, made a startling revelation during a sectoral debate with Service Chiefs organized by the House of Representatives in Abuja on Tuesday. General Musa disclosed that some prison warders are aiding Boko Haram members in their criminal activities, including the movement of funds.

He stated:“They passed funds across, and we asked how. They told us they use some of the warders. We are not saying all of them are bad, but they use some of the warders’ accounts to transfer money, and the deal is anybody whose account it is transferred, shared it 50-50. Those are the challenges.”

This revelation came to light during debriefing sessions with captured Boko Haram members in the North-East, where they confessed to using prison warders to plan operations and transfer funds. General Musa emphasized that not all prison warders are complicit but acknowledged the significant challenge posed by those involved.

In addition to the issue of prison warders aiding insurgents, General Musa also lamented the impact of the high dollar rate on the procurement of essential equipment for national security. He highlighted the financial constraints faced by the military, stating:

“We don’t produce what we need in Nigeria, and if you do not produce what you need, that means you are at the beck and call of the people that produce these items… One precision missile for our drone costs $5,000. So imagine how many we would be able to use and how many we can procure. So, those are the challenges.”

General Musa revealed that despite funds allocated for defence procurement, the high cost of foreign-made equipment, especially in dollars, limits the military’s ability to acquire the necessary resources to address security challenges effectively.