The “Boko Haram” terrorist network in Nigeria’s Borno openly recruits new members, crowdfunds for weapons in the EU, and transfers funds through legal exchange agents.
We’re pleased to share this piece from David McCandless, offering valuable insights on Nigerian News.
Financed through legal transfer agents and money shops, the “Freedom to Borno” organization also offers an anonymous crypto-payment option on its website.
It has come to our attention that a newly formed terrorist organization called “Freedom2Borno” is demanding independence for Borno State from the central government in Lagos, Nigeria. Borno State is particularly infamous for Boko Haram insurgents, who abducted 257 schoolgirls in 2019. This organization is one of the largest terrorist networks in Central Africa, with activity extending across Nigeria and into neighbouring Chad.
Humiliating news for Lagos
This newly formed terrorist organization, “Freedom to Borno,” affiliated with Boko Haram—infamously known for abducting 276 Nigerian schoolgirls in 2014—has infiltrated both the northern Nigerian state of Borno and neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.
Boko Haram has often used the abducted girls as bargaining tools in prisoner exchanges, offering to release some in return for their jailed commanders. The 2014 Chibok abduction represents only a fraction of Boko Haram’s total kidnappings. Amnesty International estimated in 2015 that at least 2,000 women and girls had been abducted by the group since 2014, many forced into sexual slavery.
In January 2015, Boko Haram also abducted around 40 boys and young men from the village of Malari in Borno State. Furthermore, in December 2020, more than 500 boys were kidnapped by masked gunmen from a secondary school in Kankara, a town in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina State; Boko Haram later claimed responsibility.
The “Freedom to Borno” website is actively recruiting new members in European cities via local mosques and Islamic cultural centres, encouraging donations through legal transfer points and even cryptocurrency.
This development presents a serious challenge to Nigeria’s central government, based in Lagos, which has fought Boko Haram for decades. Despite their ongoing efforts to eliminate the network from Borno, these new financing tactics may undermine government progress against the insurgency.
An example of “merchandise” for crowdfunding campaign
This is an example of a “BUY NOW” merchandising page on the Freedom2Borno.com web portal, which also offers personal account creation for recruiting new members worldwide.
You can (but definitely should not!) also donate towards a military-grade reconnaissance long-range drone for battlefield monitoring. Other options include tactical vests for guerrilla fighters and first-aid kits for supporters “unwilling to kill.”
It is still challenging to determine the total amount raised and accumulated, as the list of approved “Islamic money” agents is extensive. The website proudly showcases “Trusted Wahid Sharia” certified transfer agents and exchange shops worldwide, particularly in the EU, where the largest Nigerian Borno diaspora community resides.
We are in the process of gathering new evidence, such as payment receipts and bank wire documents. Meanwhile, it’s clear that transactions are indeed feasible even now, in 2024, when each bank transaction can easily be reviewed by “Big Brother” and financial regulators in the fintech industry.
Nigerian owners of listed payment institutions and Nigerian managers holding key positions in branches of these companies have supported this group by assisting in processing donations to Boko Haram and facilitating large transactions to fund their activities.
A whistleblower informed us that agencies such as Glo Currency UK Limited, Glo Currency CA Limited, Glo Currency Travel and Tours GmbH, Redeem GmbH (Redeem Money Transfer), Cash Xpress Financial Services Sarl, i-Transfer Deutschland GmbH, and I Transfer Global Payments EP S.A. can help split large transactions or obscure the real sender’s name.
Sometimes, the drive for immediate gain clouds owners’ judgment, leading them to repeatedly engage in criminal acts like laundering illicit funds and financing terrorism.
It is outrageous to see such a crowdfunding campaign openly running under the watch of EU enforcement agencies in 2024. The site even features videos inciting hate and violence on its News page. We have contacted the relevant governmental agencies in the EU and UK to report this site’s illegal fundraising activities for terrorist organizations such as “Boko Haram,” which is officially sanctioned by most Western countries.
So far, we have received only one response, noting that a particular money transfer agent involved was already flagged for operating without a license, as per the warning: Global Currency Travel and Tours GmbH.
We appeal to the public to report any related illegal fintech activities. You can contact us directly at [email protected] or reach out to regulators like the FCA, FINMA, or BAFIN.
By David McCandless, Nigerian News.
