Babcock University Denies Alleged Epstein-Barak Nigerian Spy Tech Deals Link

Babcock University, on Thursday, refuted the allegations published by Aljazeera that it procured biometric equipment from Israel.

In a statement on Thursday by the Associate Vice-President, Communication, Media and Branding, Dr Johnson Akintayo, the university stated that it never purchased any equipment from Israel, nor engaged in counter-terrorism, surveillance, intelligence, or related security operations of any kind or nature, as implied in the publication.

The statement read, “Immediately following the report, the university initiated a comprehensive internal review of its procurement, financial, and administrative records.

“This review confirmed that the claims referencing the institution are entirely unfounded, spurious, baseless and false.

“As a faith-based institution grounded in academic excellence, ethical governance, and regulatory compliance, the university operates under clearly defined procurement procedures aligned with national laws and internationally recognised accountability standards.

“All acquisitions are subject to structured approval processes, documentation protocols, and institutional oversight.

“The university strongly dissociates itself from any insinuation that contradicts its mission, values, governance framework, or operational mandate.”

The institution said it remained steadfast in its commitment to integrity, transparency, responsible leadership, and the trust reposed in it by students, parents, alumni, partners, regulatory bodies, and the wider public.”

The rebuttal followed the report by Aljazeera that convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak collaborated for more than a decade to profit from instability in Nigeria, marketing surveillance technology honed in the occupied Palestinian territory to gain access to the country’s lucrative oil and logistics sectors, according to an investigation by Drop Site News.

A trove of emails originally released by the United States Department of Justice, the DSN investigation found, outlines how the late financier and the Israeli politician leveraged the Boko Haram rebellion to pitch “field-proven” security solutions to Nigerian officials.

A report by Aljazeera titled, ‘Tested on Palestinians: Epstein, Israel’s Barak pushed spy tech in Nigeria,’ said the correspondence indicated that the security deals were frequently utilised as a gateway for broader commercial interests, including infrastructure projects for an Emirati logistics firm, DP World and investments in the energy sector.

The revelations come days after Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resigned as chairman of the logistics giant DP World on February 13, amid fallout from the disclosure of his close ties to Epstein, who committed suicide in a cell in August 2019 ahead of his trial for sex trafficking and conspiracy.

According to the documents, Epstein and Barak viewed the escalating violence in West Africa not as a humanitarian crisis but as a business opportunity.

In a 2014 email regarding civil unrest in Syria, Libya, and Somalia, Epstein reportedly wrote to Barak, “Isn’t this perfect for you?”

Barak replied, “You’re right in a way. But not simple to transform it into a cash flow.”

‘Field-proven’ on Palestinians

The files detail how Israeli intelligence firms marketed their technology to Nigeria using euphemisms such as “field-proven,” a reference to systems deployed by the Israeli military against Palestinians under occupation.

In 2015, Barak and a business partner invested $15m in FST Biometrics, a firm founded by the former head of Israeli military intelligence, Aharon Ze’evi Farkash.

The company’s core technology, a biometric system known as Basel, was originally prototyped at the Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to control the movement of Palestinian workers.

While the Nigerian military battled Boko Haram, Barak allegedly facilitated the sale of similar biometric surveillance equipment to Babcock University in Nigeria.

Aljazeera reported that the university framed the equipment as a counterterrorism measure, with a press release at the time boasting that the technology would “filter away all unwanted persons.”

It added that the emails suggest this initial foothold allowed Barak to institutionalise Israeli cyber-expertise within the Nigerian state.

By 2020, the World Bank reportedly tapped the Israel National Cyber Directorate and a startup co-founded by Barak to shape Nigeria’s national cyber-infrastructure.

In the summer of 2018, Epstein was said to have brokered discussions between Jide Zeitlin, then-chair of Nigeria’s Sovereign Investment Authority, and bin Sulayem.

The documents show Epstein attempting to navigate United States’ sanctions on figures involved in the mining sector to facilitate these deals.

“I hope your pal’s sojourn in Tel Aviv … was more effective than his efforts on the African continent,” Zeitlin wrote to Epstein in September 2018, referring to the diplomatic normalisation Epstein and bin Sulayem were quietly cultivating between Israel and the United Arab Emirates years before the Abraham Accords.

‘Friends for Israel’

The correspondence was believed to highlight the immense access Epstein and Barak secured within the Nigerian government. In 2013, Barak attended a cybersecurity conference in Abuja, which organisers privately described as a cover to arrange meetings with then-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The dinner is one other excellent way … to meet with good Friends of Israel and make new friends for Israel as well,” the event organiser wrote to Barak.

Following these meetings, according to the report, Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems proceeded with a controversial internet surveillance project in Nigeria, despite opposition from the National Assembly.

The documents further reveal that Epstein coached Barak on how to parlay these security relationships into personal gain.

The ties between Epstein and Israel have come into sharp focus after the release of millions of documents.

The documents have revealed more details of Epstein’s interactions with members of the global elite, including Barak. But they also document his funding of Israeli groups, including Friends of the Israeli army, and the settler organisation the Jewish National Fund, as well as his ties to members of Israel’s overseas intelligence services, the Mossad.

Barak, who led Israel from 1999 to 2001, has expressed remorse over his lengthy relationship with Epstein. However, despite Epstein having been convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution in 2008 and spending about a year in prison during the course of their relationship, Barak, maintaining a close personal and business relationship, claimed he was unaware of the scope of Epstein’s crimes until a wider inquiry into him was opened in 2019.

The documents indicate that security cooperation was often a pretext for accessing Nigeria’s vast resource wealth. Epstein facilitated high-level talks for DP World, aiming to secure ownership of ports in Lagos and Badagry.