Who is arming Boko Haram?

[parentheses]

In Britain the trial of Gary Hyde, an arms dealer, has just collapsed.

He had been charged with organising a huge importation of AK 47s and other weapons into Nigeria in 2007.

Given Nigeria's current instability, one must ask where are the weapons coming from and who is organising the imports?

As Nigerians were on the street protesting over fuel subsidy removal, a British based man was being arraigned in UK over the shipping of 80,000 rifles and pistols and 32 million rounds of ammunition to Nigeria. The shipment included 40,000 AK47 assault rifles, 30,000 rifles and 10,000 9mm pistols.

According to a report by the BBC, the man whose name is Gary Hyde, shipped these huge arm cache without receiving permission from the relevant government department in the UK.

It is also interesting that since this story broke out in the British media, the Nigerian government has not come out with any specific statement on it. Were these weapons imported by the Nigerian government? If they were not imported by the Nigerian government, have they made any efforts to trace the importers of these large numbers of weapons into the country?

The Observer also quotes a Wiki leaks release of confidential US embassy cables which shows that in 2008 York Guns, where Gary Hyde is a director, tried to ship 130,000 of the assault rifles to Libya.

The concern becomes even more real considering the fact that at the same time Gary Hyde was being arraigned in UK, the Ghanaian authorities intercepted a truck loaded with arms and ammunition heading to Nigeria. The ammunition included pump action rifles and live rounds.

The West and Others: Who is sending the guns to Nigeria?

[NewDawn1]

id say they prob got quite a lot from libya. people trying to practice pure islam around the world uniting in violence

[Druidess]

Very interesting. Book Haram however are not the only armed group in Nigeria, they all have no problem whatsoever accessing weapons. Africa is awash with weapons and people willing to use them.

[Tawdy]

id say they prob got quite a lot from libya. people trying to practice pure islam around the world uniting in violence

Can you provide links/proof of that statement please?

[Paddy Sarkozy]

Boko Haram?
Isn't that the band that did Whiter Shade of Pale back in the Sixties?
Or am I mixing em up with someone else?

[Trampas]

Boko Haram?
Isn't that the band that did Whiter Shade of Pale back in the Sixties?

Yes.......but the crowd called out for more.

[Clanrickard]

Yes.......but the crowd called out for more.

The love of virgins unites them.

[Bill]

Nicolas Cage?

[Bren Boru]

Boko Haram?
Isn't that the band that did Whiter Shade of Pale back in the Sixties?
Or am I mixing em up with someone else?

Wasn't that Bertie's favourite song? Maybe he's arming them.
If there's a Nigerian equivalent of Peter Berry, someone needs to give him a call.

[Druidess]

In the context of the recent sectarian murders in Nigeria, the death toll is anything between 500 to 1,000 since last October, businessmen making money out of arranging weapons to be sent there is quite disturbing.

BBC News - York arms dealer defends Nigeria weapons shipment

He doesn't deny that he imported them, just that he kept to the regulations. No scruples. None. - "Mr Solley told the court: "You will hear from Mr Hyde in due course that he arranged his life so that the negotiations, so that the critical dealings with the Chinese, all took place outside the jurisdictio