H.E. Mr. Felix Yusufu Pwol:

I understand those issues were investigated. I know there was an internal inquiry but, so long as that is not made public, I cannot comment on what actually happened. From media reports, I know there was an investigation into the circumstances in which he died.

The Senator's question has brought another dimension to the religious issue concerning these radical groups. We have to be careful in that some of these groups give the impression they are working for a particular religion. Initially, as the Senator said, they were attacking churches, but it was not much longer before they started attacking mosques. Sometimes they do these things to confuse people. Even mainstream religious people do not understand what is happening. The challenge for the international community is to try to understand this issue properly. My own personal view, from studying the issue, is that I do not believe we will learn clearly where this came from and where it is going to. The complication has been the link to al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab. The average person in Nigeria does not see a link, but it is becoming clear that this is a very sophisticated group. This is a new phenomenon in Nigeria, where we have never seen any group of this type.

They have machine guns and vehicles. Many of them are well trained. There was a briefing by defence headquarters last year. Another important question is where are they getting all of their support, and it would be good to establish this. It is becoming increasingly clear that it is international. Wherever it comes from, we can see from the consequences on the ground that it is not just a ragtag bunch perpetrating all of this.

I do not know whether the 10 million Nigerians can be considered refugees. Yes, they were internally displaced, and this has happened in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the eastern part of Nigeria. No doubt they had no choice but to move, because these people are simply callous and do not spare women, children or the elderly. The Nigerian national emergency agency is examining it. A team from the United States came to assist with logistics and the national emergency agency is working hard to address this question. When they visited they assured us they were looking into the matter of displaced people across the borders with Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

With regard to support from the UN and Western countries, if people are not aware of a danger they can fall into a trap. An important step this committee and other European parliamentarians can take is to help the public understand the seriousness of the matter. It is important that people are aware. When people are aware they will understand the serious danger we are in. As I have mentioned several times, it is not a battle for one or several countries; it should be worldwide, because it is sophisticated and involves money-laundering, drug trafficking, trafficking small arms and human trafficking. Nigeria has established a body to address the matter of human trafficking.

A major challenge in Nigeria is that we need logistical assistance such as intelligence support. Approximately 20,000 troops are involved in the operation in three states. A new division was created. Previously we had four divisions but a special division was created to address the problem in the three states I mentioned. We are looking to countries with better experience than us, particularly with regard to intelligence.

Something introduced in the west African subdivision which might be helpful is the early warning system. We discovered that part of the problem which led to political conflicts was a slow response. Issues started with disputes over electoral votes and other such mundane things but before one knew it, it had escalated into very serious violence. It is important to examine certain indicators which tend to show this is what is likely to happen. We must also work hard to see what mechanisms to put in place to address this matter. The strategy must change to meet the challenges of the times in which we live now.