Intelligence agencies from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali are gearing up to unmask top Nigerian politicians accused of bankrolling militants ravaging the country, according to a bombshell report by German news agency DW.
The revelation, reported on September 29, 2025, signals a potential seismic shift in Nigeria’s long battle against insecurity, with cross-border probes uncovering alleged financiers and arms dealers.
Sources cited by DW indicate that these Sahel intelligence outfits already possess concrete evidence, including names of politicians purportedly channeling funds and weapons to bandit groups terrorizing Nigeria’s North-West. “These foreign intelligence agencies already have the names of the politicians financing militants and selling weapons to them and are preparing to expose their identities,” the report states. It further noted that some of these politicians have been arrested, with investigations into their illicit dealings now underway.
Nigeria’s insecurity woes, spanning decades, have long fueled suspicions of elite complicity in arming insurgents.
In May, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum publicly decried internal sabotage, stating, “We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, among politicians, and within the communities.” His comments highlighted alleged ties between politicians and Boko Haram.
Echoing these concerns, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, vowed in August to reveal terrorism backers. “I think the process is on. It has to do with a lot of legal issues, and because again, it has to do with international connections,” Musa said, acknowledging persistent calls for transparency amid legal hurdles.
The impending exposures, part of a regional crackdown on transnational crime, could dismantle networks linking Nigerian figures to Sahel bandit kingpins.