GOVERNORS of Nigeria's 19 northern states have inaugurated a committee to identify the sponsors of Boko Haram with a view to prosecuting them for crimes associated with the terrorist sect's six year reign of terror.

 Since 2009, Boko Haram has been waging a brutal and bloody war against the Nigerian state in which over 15,000 people are believed to have died. It is believed that the sect has several rich sponsors who not only give it cash but also link it up with other terrorists groups worldwide and provide it with the services of lawyers.

 Yesterday, the Northern Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NNGF) met in Kaduna to review the matter and resolved to unmask all of the sect's sponsors. NNGFB chairman Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State inaugurated the committee at the General Hassan Katsina House in Kaduna, where he pointed out that Boko Haram's days were numbered considering the current bombardment it is getting from the Nigerian troops.

 Governor Shettima added that with the superior firepower of the Nigerian troops, the insurgents had been dislodged from their strongholds in the north eastern parts of the country. He said the committee, which would be under the aegis of Committee of Attorneys-General and Commissioners of Justice of the 19 northern states, also had the mandate to review the criminal justice system in northern Nigeria.

 According to the governor, the inauguration of the committee had become necessary in view of the complex problems of insurgency, cattle rustling, armed robbery, inciting preaching and kidnapping currently confronting the 19 states of northern Nigeria. He added that the committee was given two months to carry out its assignment.

Governor Shettima said: “The committee should also look at the condemnable activities of the so called sponsors of the insurgency and come up with legally pragmatic, appropriate and proportionate punishment. The committee should also focus specifically on parents, who, because of some pittance, sacrifice their children as suicide bombers.

"Such parents must be made to face the full wrath of the law. The committee also has the mandate to carry out careful analysis of the various emergent security challenges confronting the northern states and determine how best to incorporate them into the penal code for proper and effective administration of justice.”

 He, however, cautioned the committee against making recommendations that would conflict with the 1999 constitution, urging its members to use their expertise and professional wealth of experience to find lasting solutions to problems that had retarded the growth of the region over the years. Despite Nigeria's economic growth in recent years, the north of the country has lagged behind as a result of the crisis.