Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - "These revelations are not surprising. We have been saying for some time that there are politicians who, seeing that they were losing their importance, have chosen to support violent groups like Boko Haram. If you look at the growing sophistication of the bomb attacks carried out by this group, it is evident that someone was investing money in their actions", says to Fides His Exc. Mgr. Oliver Dash Doeme, Bishop of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State in north East Nigeria, commenting on the revelations of a prominent member of the Boko Haram sect concerning the involvement of Nigerian politicians to sponsor the group's activities.
According to Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, aka Usman Al-Zawahiri, among the sponsors of the sect there is a senator and an ambassador (now deceased). The Boko Haram sect has carried out several bombings and attacks in Maiduguri and other parts of Nigeria, causing hundreds of deaths. Among the targets hit, there are several churches. Among the most serious attacks are the car bomb exploded at the headquarters of the federal police and the UN headquarters in Nigeria. Both attacks occurred in the federal capital, Abuja.
"Religion has been exploited for the selfish interests of some politicians, in order to cause chaos in our society and discredit the government of Nigeria to the international community, especially as regards to its capacity to ensure security", said Mgr. Doeme .
"The involvement of some politicians in the sect is significant since its foundation. At first it was a group created to defend the interests of certain politicians, then it turned into a violent sect, but the political connections have always been present", continued the Bishop of Maiduguri.
Mgr. Doeme does not exclude that the sect is undergoing a new evolution, by getting in touch with foreign terrorist groups. "We cannot exclude the possibility that they have become affiliated with foreign extremist groups like Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb" says the Bishop of Maiduguri. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/11/2011)
