Boko Haram Receives “Mega Sponsorship” From Local and Foreign Sources, Retired General Says

– Retired Maj-Gen Anthony Atolagbe told Arise TV that Boko Haram’s funding network extends beyond Nigeria’s borders.
– He cited the group’s use of Starlink for communication as evidence the equipment may be procured and supplied from outside the country.
– Atolagbe called for broader UN, AU, and ECOWAS collaboration to tackle what he described as a transnational terror financing problem.

Former Operation Safe Haven Sector Commander, Maj-Gen Anthony Atolagbe (rtd), has raised fresh concerns about the scale of financial and logistical backing sustaining Boko Haram’s insurgency, insisting the group’s support structure is both domestic and international.

Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ program on Wednesday, Atolagbe argued that the sophistication of the group’s operations points to funding far larger than what is visible within Nigeria.

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“There is a mega sponsorship for Boko Haram from within and outside Nigeria,” Atolagbe said. “If we are to now digress and go into that particular area, we should now be thinking about where they are being funded.”

The retired general pointed to the insurgents’ use of Starlink technology for communication as a key example. He suggested the satellite internet units are likely sourced abroad before being moved into the country and distributed to fighters.

“They might not even have been procured in Nigeria, but brought in from outside and then distributed to them so that they can use them for communication,” he stated.

Atolagbe stressed that the fight against terrorism and banditry cannot be handled by Nigeria alone because the networks fueling the violence cross multiple borders.

“A lot of people have been identified, okay, and we now see a mega kind of sponsorship that is being carried out by these people,” he added. “So, they are not only in Nigeria.”

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He called for coordinated action at the global and regional levels to disrupt the financing channels.

“What actually is happening is that it actually goes beyond what is within the Nigerian enclave alone,” Atolagbe explained. “We are talking about a counter-terror action that is being led by the UN, keyed into by AU, by ECOWAS, and all the other countries that are finding themselves under this kind of terror situation also have to key in so that everyone can work in collaboration, and then you can find a lasting solution to the problem.”

Atolagbe’s comments come amid ongoing efforts by Nigerian security forces to curb insurgent activity in the North East and rising calls for international intelligence sharing to trace terror financing networks.