Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has called on security agencies to investigate the reports of Boko Haram recruitment in Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps in the Northeast.
The former Kwara State Governor made this known in a statement by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu,on Wednesday.
Saraki said such reports should be treated with all seriousness by the nation’s intelligence outfits taking into consideration that such recruitments by terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-shabab have been reported in refugee camps around the world.
“Seeing that ISIS has been recruiting members from European refugee camps, and the Kenyan government recently had to shut down the world’s largest refugee camp because Al-Shaabab was using the place to train and recruit young people as extremists, it is important that we take the rumours about Boko Haram recruiting from IDP camps seriously,” the statement read.
The Senate president also called for a more detailed probe into the alleged diversion of relief materials meant for the IDPs.
He commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for the arrest of a contractor, who allegedly diverted 60 trucks of grains, which the federal government had approved for IDPs in Borno state.
“I have been to the (Northeast) zone twice in the past 14 months and I have experienced firsthand that the IDPs need as much food and health supplies as they can get. It is utterly immoral for someone to withhold food – in an attempt to enrich himself – while women and children are starving,” he said.
Saraki said government must do its best to provide the enabling environment in order to encourage willing donors, especially from the international community.
“What is clear right now is that we cannot do this alone. This is why we need to ensure that we put everything that we can in place to ensure that the international community is involved at maximum capacity,” he said.
He also expressed optimism on the passage of the North East Development Commission, NEDC, bill, saying the senate will use the period of the recess to finalise work on the bill.