I RECRUIT NIGERIANS FOR AL- QUAEDA BABAFEMI CONFESSES IN US

Olaniyi Lawal-Babafemi, a 33 year old Nigerian extradited to the United States on terrorism related crime has confessed that he recruited English speaking Nigerians for al-quaeda.

Babafemi who coordinated media operations for the terrorist including publication of its magazine, “Inspire,” was paid almost $9,000 to recruit Nigerians, prosecutors told a US court. Babafemi, also known as “Ayatollah Mustapha,” was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to AQAP and use of firearms. He faces life in prison if convicted on firearms charges and up to 15 years in prison on the material support charges.

Reuters reported that the U.S. District Judge John Gleeson on Friday ordered Babafemi held without bail. In August, a Nigerian court granted a U.S. request for Babafemi’s extradition.

“The defendant threw his efforts behind al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s media, recruitment, and weapons training campaigns in an effort to strengthen the terrorist group’s grip on the region and extend its reach throughout the world,” Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement on Friday.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to combat al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in a manner consistent with our laws,” Lynch said.