At this time when countries the world over have recognised the central role that vibrant and active civil society organisations play in broader counterterrorism strategies and the popular support needed, which could only be built and sustained with the support and cooperation of civil society, the undersigned civil society organisations are deeply concerned about the inflammatory claims by an unnamed former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the Nigerian Air Force published in the Vanguard Newspapers of Jan 16, 2025under the headline "Why Boko Haram, bandits thrive: How NGOs, others aid terrorists — Former generals, commanders." recklessly accusing NGOs in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions of providing covert sponsorship and funding to terrorists.

We strongly condemn this act of stigmatizing, smearing, defaming and targeting the NGO sector which is inconsistent with meaningfully attending to the genuine threats of terrorism in our country. Rather than confronting the systemic failures that have allowed terrorism to thrive in Nigeria, these claims attempt to shift blame onto the very organizations that have stepped into the void to support communities abandoned by the Nigerian state.

It is a known fact that a civilian-led approach, engaging civil society and communities, is the most effective way to prevent violent extremism demonstrating the necessity of the role of civil society in channelling discontent and allowing for constructive engagement with States, and in directly undermining the factors leading individuals to be drawn to terrorism and violent extremism.

For nearly two decades, NGOs operating in the North-East have played an indispensable role in mitigating the devastating impact of insurgency and banditry. They provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, education, healthcare, and psychosocial support to millions of displaced and vulnerable Nigerians. These activities are carried out without any intention of gaining pecuniary benefit and they operate under the supervision of strict regulatory frameworks, including rigorous anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws enforced by the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

In its resolution 72/284, the United Nations General Assembly urged States to ensure that counter-terrorism measures did not impede humanitarian activities or engagement. Humanitarian exemptions are critical in protecting civil society actors operating in challenging environments where terrorist groups are active from sanctions regimes and counter-terrorism measures. Acts prohibiting or otherwise impeding humanitarian services violate the obligation of States to respect the right to life. Any death linked to such prohibition would constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life.

One of the most fundamental norms of international humanitarian law is the need to protect the provision of impartial medical care to all wounded and sick persons, including members of adversarial parties and the population under its control. This is a norm that must be factored into any counter-terrorism strategy. To abide by these norms is not a sign of weakness, it is an obligation of civilized Nation States.

It is unconscionable to malign NGOs that work tirelessly, often at great personal risk, to bring hope and relief to conflict-affected communities. These accusations, devoid of proof, serve only to erode public trust, distract from the real issues, and undermine the critical work being done in some of the country's most challenging environments.

As we mark another Armed Forces Remembrance Day and honour the sacrifices of Nigeria’s armed forces, there can be little doubt that Nigeria needs leadership, unity, and aggressive actions to overcome the challenges of insecurity, NGOs across the country have risen to the crises our nation is enduring. They are stretching beyond all reasonable measures and continue to advance their missions despite unfathomable challenges and coordinated attacks on the sector as evidenced in this Vanguard Newspaper article. This pattern of baseless accusations is a disservice to Nigerians and undermines the very principles of accountability and justice that we all seek to uphold.

The cost of stifling civil society to prevent any perceived threat of terrorism far outweighs its benefits. Any effective counter-terrorism strategy needs to strengthen, not weaken, civil society. There is growing evidence that the instrumentalisation of agendas to counter-terrorism and to prevent and counter violent extremism is leading to a lack of trust in State authorities.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee recognized that the right to life should not be interpreted narrowly, noting that it places not only negative obligations on States (e.g. to not kill), but also positive obligations (e.g. to protect life), to ensure access to the basic conditions necessary to sustain life

It is on this premise that we demand:

1. The Nigerian government and military leadership address the real reasons terrorism persists, including but not limited to rampant poverty and inequality, porous borders, corruption and inefficiency in defence spending.
2. The Nigerian Security Apparatus should focus its efforts and manpower on disrupting terrorist funding and logistics networks rather than scapegoating civil society. It must also enhance intelligence gathering and operational capacity to secure lives and properties.
3. The government must engage constructively with NGOs to address the root causes of insecurity and alleviate the suffering of affected communities understanding that civil society can meaningfully generate peace and development, including implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and can clearly articulate the sources of grievances identified as factors leading to terrorist and extremist violence.
The undersigned calls for caution as inflammatory statements such as this news article attributed to an unnamed former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the Nigerian Air Force could lead to attacks on humanitarian actors further deepening the crisis we are aiming to solve.

Signed:
1. 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative
2. Abuja School of Social and Political Thought
3. Accountability Lab, Nigeria
4. Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
5. African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD)
6. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
7. Amnesty International Nigeria
8. Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP)
9. BudgIT Foundation
10. Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity
11. Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
12. Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding - Kaduna
13. Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT)
14. Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights
15. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
16. Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
17. Centre LSD
18. Centre for Social Centre for Justice Reform
19. Centre for Transparency Watch
20. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)
21. CLEEN Foundation
22. Community Life Project (CLP)
23. Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
24. Connected Development (CODE)
25. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
26. EIE Nigeria
27. Elixir Trust Foundation
28. Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability
29. Environmental Rights Action
30. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA)
31. Falana and Falana’s Chambers
32. Global Rights
33. Good Governance Team
34. Goodluck Jonathan Foundation
35. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
36. Hope Behind Bars Africa
37. Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre)
38. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation
39. INVICTUS AFRICA
40. Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre
41. Lawyers Alert
42. Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI)
43. Media Rights Agenda
44. Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre)
45. Nigeria Network of NGOs
46. Open Society on Justice Reform Project
47. Order Paper
48. Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN)
49. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria
50. Partners West Africa
51. Policy Alert
52. Praxis
53. Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA)
54. Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative
55. Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC)
56. Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED)
57. RULAAC - Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre
58. Say NO Campaign – Nigeria
59. Say No Campaign
60. Sesor Empowerment Foundation
61. Social Action
62. Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre
63. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)
64. State of the Union (SOTU)
65. Tax Justice and Governance Platform
66. Transition Monitoring Group (TMG)
67. West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCSOF)
68. Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC)
69. Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM)
70. Women in Mining, Nigeria
71. World Impact Development Foundation
72. Yiaga Africa
73. Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC) 74. Fix Politics