Nigeria has
asked a court to grant an extradition request for one of its citizens to the
United States over charges of aiding the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, court
documents seen by Reuters yesterday showed. US and Nigerian authorities
have accused Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi of travelling to Yemen with members of Al
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in 2010 and 2011 and receiving $8,600 in
order to return to Nigeria and recruit English-speaking radicals.
“Olaniyi …
is being indicted for conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist
organisation, provision and attempted provision of material support to a
foreign terrorist organisation, unlawful use of firearms,” the application from
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Mohammd Belo Adoke, dated July 23
2013 said. Babafemi, 32, nicknamed “Ayatollah Mustapha”, was in the United
States for some of the time that he and AQAP were plotting together.
He returned
to Nigeria last year, whereupon the country’s secret service detained him. He
faces at least 10 years in jail in the US if convicted. Nigeria, which is
suffering its own Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram, is closely watched by the
United States and other Western powers, which fear al-Qaeda-linked militants
are seeking to use the West African nation as a springboard for attacks.
Source: Peoples Daily
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