More stunning revelations on the relationship among Boko Haram, the government and the Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, may be unveiled by the sect’s leadership this week.
The move, according to a source close to the sect, is to put the record straight and clear the air on several controversial issues contained in the interview by the Australian to the media last week.
Vanguard source said last night that the leadership of Boko Haram was upset by most of the claims made by the negotiator and was set to make a categorical position on all the issues raised by Davis in the media.
“Nigerians will soon hear from the sect leadership concerning all the issues raised by the negotiator, who, in any case was not hired by the Federal Government to dialogue with the group.
“In fact, what the man has said has really infuriated the sect leadership and they are unhappy with him,” the Nigerian negotiator said.
“As far as the sect leadership is concerned, Davis is being used by some politicians to score some points and they are ready to clear the air on the issues.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing on Sunday threatened to label the All Progressives Congress an ‘anti-Igbo political party’ if it fails to apologise to former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, within 48 hours.
Boko Haram
The threat, which the Ohanaeze Youth Wing issued in a statement jointly signed by its National Secretary, Emmanuel Nnabuike, and Publicity Secretary, Obinna Adibe, followed the APC’s demand for Iherjika’s prosecution over alleged sponsorship of the Boko Haram sect.
The APC demanded Ijejirika’s prosecution in the wake of claims made by Australian negotiator, Mr. Stephen Davies.
In the statement titled, ‘Ongoing Attempts To Brand Gen. Ihejirika a Boko Haram Sponsor’, the Ohanaeze youths described the negotiator’s claims as “spurious”.
The group expressed regrets that the APC did not bother to ascertain the veracity of his allegations before calling for Ihejirika’s prosecution.
Ohanaeze youths noted that Ihejirika deserved an apology from the APC since the Department of State Security has now absolved him of any involvement with Boko Haram.
It said, “It is on record that the same people trying to frame up Gen. Ihejirika are the same people who claimed they would make Nigeria ungovernable for President Jonathan, in the aftermath of the 2011 presidential election.
“We view the call for Ihejirika’s trial by the APC through its spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, without bothering to confirm the authenticity of the statement, as malicious and premeditated.
“Now that the Director of State Security has officially absolved Ihejirika of any complicity in the matter, we ask the APC to issue an apology to Gen. Ihejirika and Ndigbo within 48 hours.
“If they fail to do so, the APC shall be formally labeled an anti-Igbo party and other sanctions shall follow.”
Continuing, the group described Davies as a “fraudulent character and mercenary”.
It said, “Security is too weighty a matter to be politicised. Therefore it is unpatriotic for political leaders to embark on character assassination based on unsubstantiated and misguided rumours.
“Dr Stephen Davies has shown himself to be a fraudulent character and a mercenary, whose stock in trade is the distortion of information in order to cause chaos, thereby creating more business for him.”
Ohanaeze youth wing added that Davies employed “cheap propaganda tactics” by naming Ihejirika alongside former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, who has been consistently linked with the emergence and sponsorship of Boko Haram as the sect’s sponsor in order to lend credence to his claims in the eyes of “gullible members of the public”.
The group noted that Davies did not provide any evidence or motivation for Ihejirika, a Christian and an Igbo from the South East, to sponsor Boko Haram.
Further casting doubt on his claims, the group noted that his allegation that the Central Bank of Nigeria official who handled the funding of Boko Haram was an uncle to three of the Nyanya bombing suspects was equally disproved by the DSS.
“It is uncharitable for Nigerians to reward someone who laid down his life in defence of his country by associating him with the sponsorship of the sect,” it said.
Amid the dust raised by his allegation linking a former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and an erstwhile Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, with the sponsorship of Boko Haram, an Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, at the weekend, gave insight into how Abubakar Shekau hijacked the Islamist group.
Boko Haram leader, Shekau
“The Boko Haram we see today is not the Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih Da’awa wal Jihad (JAS) that was operational under Yusuf – former JAS leader killed by the police in 2009”, Davis told Sunday Vanguard in an interview.
In the interview conducted online, the negotiator said: “Shekau formed Ansaru which he used for kidnapping and beheading victims. This behaviour was a major departure from the original mandate of the JAS which was to purify Islam and return it to the exemplary life of the Prophet. Many among the JAS leadership are no longer active and others have been killed. This has allowed Shekau to take the JAS to a more extreme action and expand the frontiers of kidnapping, bombing and slaughtering. The Boko Haram we have today is a much expanded Ansaru. What we see now is not the Yusufiya which wanted very much to settle a score with former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. It is Boko Haram as a partner to ISIS and Al Shabaab”.
Davis admitted that he came to Nigeria in April to facilitate the release of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram, but denied that he was engaged by any party and therefore had no obligation to report to anyone.
He claimed to have interacted with former commanders of JAS and others close to Boko Haram during his visit to Nigeria.
Davis didn’t speak with real Boko Haram leaders – Nigerian negotiator
Meanwhile, a Nigerian negotiator claimed, yesterday, that Sheriff and Ihejirika could not have been Boko Haram sponsors as the two men were actually sworn enemies of the Islamist group.
The negotiator, who didn’t want to be named for security reasons, told Sunday Vanguard that neither Sherrif nor Ihejirika was a sponsor of the sect.
The source, who has been assisting the government to find a lasting solution to the insurgency in the North-east, pointed out that Sheriff was even one of the three most wanted enemies of the sect. He did not say who the other two were.
“The statement credited to advise that Sherriff and Ihejirika are sponsors of Boko Haram is far from the truth because, as at today, the former Borno governor remains one of the three worst enemies of Boko Haram”, he stated.
“I can tell you that the group has not forgiven Sheriff over the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who was arrested and killed during his tenure as governor”.
Confirming the claim by Davis that he was not hired by the Nigerian government to broker peace with the sect, the source said that the Australian came on his own to secure the release of the Chibok girls.
He said that while in Nigeria, Davis never met the real commanders of Boko Haram but depended on information from a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Amnesty for information on the activities of the sect.
The source blamed what is now playing out on the issue of Boko Haram sponsorship on the information given to Davis by the member of the presidential committee.
He said,”We can say with all amount of seriousness that Davis did not meet the leadership and main commanders of Boko Haram during his visit to the North-east.
“If Davis insists that he met with any senior commander or leader of the sect, we challenge him to mention their names and ranks”.
Ndigbo Lagos, a socio-political group, has condemned the statement credited to Stephen Davies, an Australian negotiator between Boko Haram insurgents and the Federal Government, alleging that former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirija (retd) was among those sponsoring the sect.
Lt.-Gen. Ihejirika
In a press release, the group described the allegation as frivolous and a defamation of Ihejirika’s character. It said Davies did not deduce or suggest any piece of evidence to support his accusation and warned against tarnishing Ihejirika’s image.
The statement read in part: “The apparently procured and orchestrated interview on Arise Television, where Ihejirika was alleged to be a sponsor of Boko Haram is in bad taste. Given the lack of evidence, the nature of delivery of the allegation and the character of the accused General, we believe that Ihejirika’s traducers are playing dirty politics.
“General Ihejirika will be remembered for being one of the most outstanding commanders Nigeria has had. He is not only an accomplished tactician but also a strategic leader of a fighting force. In his time, he not only decimated the fighting capability of Boko Haram, but also built enduring military institutions to permanently checkmate insurgency in Nigeria.”
“When Ihejirika retired from the army, the same self-centered northern bigots wanted him tried by the World Court for being ‘overzealous’ in crushing Boko Haram. Eight months down the road, he is accused of being a sponsor.”
We, therefore, call on the Federal Government to institute a high powered enquiry to address this obnoxious allegation and lay it to rest.”
The Federal Government has denied hiring Australia’s Stephen Davis as a Boko Haram negotiator.
The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mike Omeri, who disclosed government’s position on the issue in Abuja on Friday, said the government has no plan of prosecuting any Nigerian for now following the allegations made by the Australian.
Ali Sheriff
Davis has insisted that former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika are Boko Haram sponsors.
He also mentioned an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria and an Egypt-based man as those funding the sect.
Davis, who refused to disclose the identity of the CBN official, said his allegations were informed by discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders.
But Omeri insisted that government has not hired anybody to negotiate on its behalf with the Boko Haram.
“For now nobody has been hired by the government to negotiate on its behalf with Boko Haram. Anytime the government decides to do so, it will make it known to the public.
“The government is still investigating the allegations made by the alleged negotiator. However, the government has no plan to question anybody because of those allegations made by the Australian,” he stated.
Photo: Boko Haram: FG denies hiring Davis as negotiator Posted by: Bukola Amusan, Abuja The Federal Government has denied hiring Australia’s Stephen Davis as a Boko Haram negotiator. The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mike Omeri, who disclosed government’s position on the issue in Abuja on Friday, said the government has no plan of prosecuting any Nigerian for now following the allegations made by the Australian.
Davis has insisted that former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika are Boko Haram sponsors. He also mentioned an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria and an Egypt-based man as those funding the sect.
Davis, who refused to disclose the identity of the CBN official, said his allegations were informed by discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders. But Omeri insisted that government has not hired anybody to negotiate on its behalf with the Boko Haram. “For now nobody has been hired by the government to negotiate on its behalf with Boko Haram. Anytime the government decides to do so, it will make it known to the public. “The government is still investigating the allegations made by the alleged negotiator.
However, the government has no plan to question anybody because of those allegations made by the Australian,” he stated.
NATIONAL leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday alleged that National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the leadership of the party and the party structure were frustrating efforts by the Federal Government to contain the lingering cases of Boko Haram insurgency with many killed regularly and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
Olisah Metuh
In a statement yesterday by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP also accused the APC of being a party made up of desperate politicians who support violence in all its ramifications.
Metuh described the statement by the leadership of APC on statement made by Australian, Dr. Stephen Davis as completely lacking in validity, character and intellectual content befitting the chairman of a political party.
The PDP spokesman said:
“The Peoples Democratic Party has noted yet another failed image laundering stunt by the APC wherein its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun cheapened his office and person by attempting to use an unempirical statement by Australian Dr. Stephen Davis, to absolve his party of blames for promoting insurgency in the country.
“Whilst we recognize the right of citizens to hold and canvass opinions in a democratic setting such as guaranteed under the PDP-led administration, we hold, and strongly too that such rights must be properly and respectably exercised.
“It is therefore shocking and worrisome that the APC National Chairman, Oyegun, in a frenzied effort to extricate his party, rather than exonerate the APC has reinforced and underscored its true identity as a party of desperate politicians supportive of violence and disunity through their utterances and body language, a fact that is already well known to all Nigerians.
“In trying to stand the truth on its head, Oyegun has succeeded in further exposing the desperation of the APC to launder its image through renewed propaganda and blackmail, a project which has already failed.
“If not to achieve the self-serving purpose of exonerating the APC, why would Oyegun’s statement choose to be silent on the revelation by Davis that some people opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan used their connections with Boko Haram to frustrate his efforts?
“We also wonder why the APC has chosen to ignore some of the revealing aspects of Dr. Davis’ interview concerning Boko Haram’s funding and sponsorship. Is it because they are not favourable to them?
“While not holding brief for anybody, it is clear to every discerning mind that Oyegun’s statement, with all intent and purpose is yet another decoy to frustrate genuine efforts at finding solutions to the security challenges we face as a nation to the advantage of the APC whose penchant to use the promotion of violence as tool to achieve political control is well known to all.
“Nigerians may recall the frenzy with which the APC fought against moves by the British Parliament to investigate its involvement with terrorist elements as well as to divert attention from their meetings outside the shores of our country in their bid to promote insurgency in Nigeria.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to restate that we stand by our statements that the APC as a party with a Janjaweed ideology has been promoting insurgency and acts of terrorism through the actions and utterances of its leaders. Indeed, no amount of blackmail or propaganda can erase this truth.
“Nigerians have since noted the pattern and timing of violent attacks against our people which betray a trend tailored against the PDP and the Federal Government and provide impetus for the APC to find a voice and thrive. They know that it has become a recurring decimal that whenever the PDP or the Federal Government records or is about to record a major milestone, insurgents launch attacks on the people.
“Oyegun must understand that Nigerians know the APC for what it truly is and can no longer be hoodwinked by propaganda, blackmail and tactical misrepresentation. He should therefore stop debasing his office by struggling for media space with his National Publicity Secretary.
“It is indeed disheartening that the APC National Chairman has continued to disparage his office and age by making series of unguarded and inflammatory utterances and issuing statements laced with fabrications and wild allegations while leading his party like a frustrated rebel group desperate for political control; and whose understanding of opposition is crass unruliness and a culture of irresponsibility.
“Chief Oyegun has only succeeded in disappointing many Nigerians who thought his coming to office will result in a more responsible and constructive opposition. Instead, the reprehensible image of APC as a party that has nothing good to offer has worsened under him.”
Being the text of the World Press Conference by Former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff over link with Boko Haram.
Gentlemen of the Press, I am constrained to address you today happenings in some sections of the media, so as to correct the erroneous and mischievous impressions being created about my person. I have restrained myself from joining issues with those making uncomplimentary comments about me regarding the Boko Haram crisis because I know that all right thinking Nigerians can see through the plot being employed to divert attention from the real issues at stake and to denigrate me in the eyes of the public. As you are aware, my name is being mentioned for obvious political reasons as a culprit over the unfortunate happenings in Borno State and some parts of the country, especially from the 2009 Boko Haram episode to date. I must say that I have been utterly embarrassed by some of the negative comments, insinuations and unfounded accusations, which were clearly misdirected, narrow and mischievous From the time I left office in 2011, I had been unfairly accused of so many things in connection with the Boko Haram sect.
Ali Modu Sheriff
Firstly, I was accused of entering into an agreement with the sect to implement Sharia Law in the State so as to support my candidacy during the gubernatorial election in 2003 and that I broke that promise, which was why they resorted to armed struggle as a strategy to implement it. Secondly, I was accused of having linkage with the sect and thirdly, my Administration was also accused of not acting on security reports related to their activities, which was believed to have given the group the space to operate and cause the mayhem experienced. I wish to correct the misconception tenaciously held by some people that linked me to the sect even when several evidences point to the contrary. Ordinarily, I would have continued in my silence, but the smear campaign seems to be assuming a life of its own with the recent purported interview granted by a’ supposed Australian, Stephen Davis, whose identity remains suspect,.
Davis claimed to be working for the Federal Government but could not even avail the same Government which hired him the report of his findings, or speak to the Nigerian media, but rather sneaked out to purportedly speak to a third rate television station, ARISE.
The posers here are; why was the face of the said Davis not shown in all three interviews he granted? It is rather curious that the said interview was available only to,THISDAY newspapers both of which owned by the same person.
Why couldn’t other viewers in London have access to the controversial interview? Of what particular interest is the said Davis in the politics of Nigeria that he rose in defence of prominent APC leaders? Is the Australian a negotiator, an investigator, an anti graft agent, a reporter, a judge or a mere gadfly?
I also take particular exception to remarks credited to the national Chairman of the APC, John Odegie Oyegun, in his press conference of Tuesday 2nd September, 2014. As much as I do not consider changing ones’ political party as an anathema, I am particularly concerned that, my defection from the APC into the PDP seems to further galvanize my detractors who have converted the matter into a political weapon .. Even as the brain behind the whole charade, the All Progressive Party, APC, in its seeming desperation to retain my membership went rather too far in its political mudslinging. I consider it most uncharitable for the party, to use me as an alibi for the obvious culpability of some of its members.
As much as I do not want to politicize such a various serious issue like security, I am compelled to correct Chief Oyegun’s faulty generalizations, and judgmental attitude in acting out this well rehearsed script, conceived, written and directed by the APC. It has never been a secret that one of the most disturbing developments to the APC of late, is the massive departure of very prominent members, including my humble self. But this is not enough to warrant the callous campaigns against me or any person for that matter.
After due reflection over the dimensions the whole issue seems to be taking and saddened by the persistent misrepresentation and misinformation in some quarters, particularly the recent castigation by the APC, it has become imperative upon me to set the records straight as they relate my person.
Let me place it on record that since the inception of the current dispensation from 1999, I have been in the opposition party to the PDP. I have at every election caused the defeat of the PDP in my state. It will sound infantile for anybody to believe the accusation as being a mole of the same party that I have been causing its defeat in every election. And if I have been a problem to the APC, even as one of its founding fathers, what stops the party from exposing me or sanctioning me all the while. or are they accessories? Then how do we justify such an “accusation when some members of the same APC are being prosecuted for alleged offences related to Boko Haram activities?
It may not be necessary to bother you with the long history of the metamorphosis of Boko Haram as a sect, as several reports have published their genesis, spanning over twenty five years. The incident preceding the 2009 was in Kanama of Yobe State in 2002, long before I became the Governor of Borno state. It is on record that my Administration in 2009 took exceptional bold steps in handling the Boko Haram insurgency.
Given the seriousness of the issue, I feel it is highly uncharitable to try and trivialize the issue of terrorism on the alter of political rivalry. I believe very strongly that some of those linking me with the sect are doing so either because of absolute ignorance of the group, its history and development or are clearly being mischievous. Hence my decision to speak on the issue and make certain clarifications for the benefit of the unsuspecting general public becomes necessary.
It may interest you to know that it was the Government of my predecessor in office, the late Alhaji Mala Kachallah (May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace) that introduced Sharia Law in the State in the year 2000 through the ‘Borno State Sharia Administration of Justice Law 2000′. As a matter of fact, late Mala Kachallah signed the Bill into Law at an elaborate ceremony at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri and appointed the Borno State Sharia Law Implementation Committee in February, 2001 under the Chairmanship of Professor Abubakar Mustapha, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri. Interestingly, the late Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the Boko Haram sect was a member of the Committee among other Islamic scholars.’
If indeed there was an agreement between the sect and my predecessor on the issue of Sharia Implementation, I am not aware of it, as I was neither in Government then. nor was I a party to it. And since the law precedes my Administration I may not be in a position to speak on how it was conceived, promulgated and implemented. I present to you a copy of the ‘Borno State Sharia administration of justice Law 2000′ and the letter of appointment of the Chairman and members of the Borno State Sharia Law Implementation Committee for your peru al.
Let me state categorically at this point that I do not share the ideology of the Boko Haram sect, which is against western education, western culture and modern science or any other sect with similar ideology. From my background, it could be easily seen that we are completely opposed to one another in terms of our viewpoints and convictions. By my nature and upbringing, I have neither associated myself with nor shared the beliefs of religious fundamentalists such as the Boko Haram sect or any other sect for that matter.
With all sense of modesty, I wish to state that I have been a successful international businessman before joining politics. In 1992, I was elected a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria under the National Republican Convention (NRC) to represent Borno Central Senatorial District. I was a member of the defunct Constitutional Conference between 1994 to 1995, Chairman of the African-American Summit in Dakar, Senegal in 1995. I was appointed by the Federal Govemment as a member of the Commonwealth delegation that undertook a diplomatic reconciliation mission to the United States and United Kingdom when the country “was at its most trying times in its international relations. I was again elected a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) 1998 representing Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State. With Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, I was elected for the third time as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the platform of All Peoples Party (APP). I become the Minority Leader and Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence among others. Again, in 2003, I was elected the fourth Executive Governor of Borno State and re-elected for the second time in 2007. I served my people until 29th May, 2011 when I handed over to a successor. As a committed and consistent politician, I was at various times elected the national treasurer of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and has served as the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). ‘I was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the two Political Parties.
I remained the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party the ANPP before the current merr.er into the APC. Let me seize this opportunity to once again thank the good people of the State for giving me these rare privileges to serve them. I remain grateful and indebted to the people of Borno. It is instructive to point out that I had been one of the greatest victims of the atrocities of the Boko Haram sect. As the Executive Governor of the State at that time, I had not abdicated my responsibilities of protecting the- lives and property of the people and did not give them any breathing space to operate outside the law of the land. Because of this, they were driven by a desire for vengeance against me, my family and my political associates. From the number of casualties amongst my relations and political associates it is evident that I suffered considerable personal loss from the crisis.
Amongst those killed in cold blood were my younger brother, late Alhaji Goni Mustapha Sheriff, the defunct ANPP State Chairman and my brother in-law, late Alhaji Awana Ngala, the gubernatorial Candidate of our party in the 2011 elections, late Engr, Modu Fannami Gubio, my bossom friends Alhaji Mustapha Fulawama.: Bukar Goni Kols, and a host of other close political associates.
May their gentle souls rest in peace. Available records show that the Boko Haram sect predates my governance. As for the events of June 2009, Lmust state that there was collaboration between the Federal and the state Government in trying to contain the situation. For record purposes, on the 11th of June, 2009, there was a report of shooting of seventeen (17) members of the sect by members of the “Operation Flush”( a combined security outfit against crime). They were reported to have attempted to forcefully seize the weapon of a soldier at a check point in Maiduguri metropolis, while on a procession to bury some of their members that died in a motor accident. The injured persons were taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment and the authorities of the hospital requested for protection because of the influx of unwanted visitors to the victims, which did not go down well with members of the sect. The following day, late Mohammed Yusuf held an open sermon, which he tagged an “open letter”.
In that sermon, late Yusuf called the names of the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, late Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua (May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace), the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General A. Dambazzau, the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Onovo, the former Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS), Mr. Afakriya Gadzama and my humble self and threatened to deal with us and those that refused to share their doctrine. He called these leaders unprintable names and vowed to revenge what happened to their members. The recordings of the sermon were widely circulated in the State and some parts of the country. There were also reports that the group were stockpiling arms and ammunitions, which was discussed at the Security Council and appropriate decisions taken on the issue.
The former Presidents and Commanders-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Olusegun Obasanjo and late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua were accordingly briefed on the activities of the Boko Haram sect at various times and the threat posed by the group to national security. On the 23rd of July, 2009, there was a report of arrest of nine (9) members of the sect with bomb making devices and chemicals in Biu town. There was also a report of bomb explosion in the house of one of the members of the sect who later died from the explosion. Unbelievably, on the same 23rd July, 2009, the group had planned and had attacked the residence of a Deputy Commandant of the Mobile Police (Mopol) in the GRA and killed his guards and burnt his house. The group also went to the Police Headquarters in Maiduguri and indiscriminately and gruesomely killed Police Officers and personnel and members of their families. There is no doubt that the almost one week period (Sunday 26th July – Friday 31st July, 2009) during which the Boko Haram sect unleashed terror on Maiduguri and its environs would forever remain the traumatic and darkest part of the history’ of the State. In the five days during which the Boko Haram war climaxed, no fewer than a thousand innocent people, including policemen were brutally killed. An even higher number of their relatives were brutally killed by the sect when they attacked the Police College in Maiduguri, Bauchi, Yobe and Taraba States. Five Police Stations in the city of Maiduguri were set ablaze and several vehicles used by the force were burnt; arms and ammunition carted away; and so on.
Details of the casualties are available with the relevant authorities. Within one week, the atrocities of the sect escalated beyond proportion.
The State Government immediately drew the attention of the then President when the situation was getting out of hand and clearly beyond the capacity of the Police alone. Following that, the President and Commander- In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua accordingly gave the Military directives for action to be taken against the sect. On his way to Brazil on an official engagement, late President Yar’Adua addressed the Press promising that the ” Talibans ” as he called them “would be fished out, and dealt with decisively and promptly”.
It was at this point that the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, Major General Saleh Maina, now retired, led the operation and successfully dislodged the sect after about five (5) days of fierce battle that rocked the State. As the Chief Security Officer, the Governor only provided logistics in terms of funds for the operation, since it was purely a Military Affair; the Military drew and managed its operational orders. This also applied to the Nigeria Police Force, which was led by a Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police, John Hamza Ahmodu, now deceased.
Reports indicated that eventually, some of the sect members were killed in the gun battle and their leader, late Mohammed Yusuf was captured by the Military and handed over to the Police for prosecution. Understandably, the circumstances of the death of some of the sect leaders and their sponsors attracted wide publicity and condemnation worldwide, which prompted the Federal Government to appoint a “High-Powered Post-Mortem Committee on the Sectarian Crisis in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno States”, charged with the responsibility of investigating the matter generally.
The Committee, which was headed by the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike with membership that cut across the various security agencies in the country, visited the affected areas and met with stakeholders. The Committee had submitted its report. In fact, the issue regarding the death of the sect leader and others is currently in the court of law in Abuja where some Police officers are facing trial. On its part, the Borno State Government appointed a High- Powered Administrative Committee of Inquiry into the Boko Haram insurgency headed by Ambassador Gaji Galtimari and the Committee made far reaching recommendations, most of which were considered and implemented. Government later converted the Committee into an Implementation Committee, which implemented the Government White-Paper on the matter.
Sequel to the recommendation of the High-powered Committee and pursuant to the powers vested in the office of the Executive Governor of the State by Section 97 A of the Penal Code Law, CAP 102 Laws of Borno State, the sect commonly known as Boko Haram and alternatively as Yusufiyya was declared as a society dangerous to the good government of Borno State and therefore banned. This Order was cited as the Boko Haram or Yusufiyya Sect (Society Dangerous to Government of Borno State) (Declaration) Order, 2010. They said Order was made on the s” Day of May 2010. The movement in reaction to the order changed its nomenclature to Jama’atul Ahlis-Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad.
Unfortunately, in spite all of the above, the sect continued to wreck havoc in Bauchi, Yobe, Taraba, Borno, Kano States, including the Federal Capital Abuja. The group, had resurfaced with a renewed strategy and in a more dangerous and determined manner since the Jail Break in Bauchi sometime ago. The wave of assassinations by Boko Haram sect in Borno State clearly suggested that the group went back to the drawing board after their encounter with the Military in 2009 assessed it methods and developed new ones. In the last three years, an alarming number of members of the rank and file of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies had been killed by sect, in addition to other innocent Nigerians.
Equally, scores of known high-profile individuals (traditional rulers, Islamic clerics as well as politicians) have been murdered in cold blood for providing information to security agencies or preaching against a retrogressive Boko Haram ideology. From the pattern of these killings, it was not difficult to conclude that the sect had also become captive of some political forces bent on settling political score with the followers of our party that have ruled the State since 1999.Most of these assassinations were no doubt politically motivated.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, it is necessary to state that security of lives and property received the highest priority of Government throughout the period I was the Executive Governor because I believed that any government that failed to protect its people loses its essence. The Borno State Government under my leadership had spent a colossal amount of money on security matters because of the porous borders the State shares with three (3) countries. The geographical location of Borno State significantly contributed to the huge security challenge faced by Government. In addition, the relatively poor socio-economic status of our neighbouring countries largely made Borno State a haven for most of the dissidents that were engaged in fighting in Chad since the 1980s. It is also important to state that as the Chief Security Officer of the State, I had limitations as to the directives I could possibly issue out to the Military and Police Force because these are Federal Agencies that got their orders from their chain of commands, where the ultimate responsibility for their action reside. It is instructive to also point out that the State Government sought for approval to engage these organisations in adhoc assignments like the Operation Flush. The State Security Council frequently deliberated on the security challenges in the State and decisive actions were always taken on issues brought before it. It is pertinent to re-emphasize the fact that throughout the period of my business life even before joining politics and political activities since 1990, I have not associated myself with any religious group.
As a matter of fact, I did not know the late Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of the Boko Haram sect or any of his followers throughout my life. I saw late Yusuf for the very first and last time when he was captured by the Military after the fierce battle they had with the sect in 2009 before he was handed to the Police. As the Chief Security Officer, the Military invited me to see him in their custody.
Commissioner in my cabinet.
As a matter of fact, late Foi was a Local Government Chairman in Kaga Local Government during the regime of my predecessor, late Alhaji Mala Kachallah (May his soul rest in perfect peace) in 1999. When I became the Governor of the State in 2003, I adopted a participatory system of Governance where major stakeholders in the Local Governments chose those to be appointed into political offices, including Commissioners. It was the stakeholders in Kaga Local Government that submitted the name of late Foi for appointment into the State Executive Council to which I obliged. Perhaps, it is important to stress the fact that the Boko Haram sect did not start when I took over the mantle of leadership in the State in 2003 but existed before my assumption as the Governor.
As a matter of fact also, the members of the sect dangerously believed that their mission is divinely directed, which makes it difficult to change them and this explained why they were ready to die in the cause they were pursuing. They also have a lot of disdain for politicians and hate democracy with passion as you perhaps know by now.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as a three-time elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a two-time Executive Governor of Borno State, I wish to state with all sense of responsibility and modesty that all our actions were guided by the need to improve the wellbeing of our people and take our State to greater heights. For the avoidance of doubt, as a Muslim, I believe in the sanctity of human life and as a true democrat endorse all the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I also believe in the observance of Fundamental Human Rights of all citizens and following due process in dealing with any violation of the law.
Permit me to highly commend the President and Commander-In Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, for his good sense of purpose in handling the issue and his commitment to restoring peace in the dear country. I also commend the Military and other security agencies for their sacrifice and patriotism in tackling this major security challenge in our dear country. They are patriots whose names will be individually and collectively written in gold in the annals of the history of our beloved country. It is rather curious that the campaign against me is becoming more stringent at the time I decided to take Borno into mainstream national politics by joining the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Much as I am saddened, I must say I am not deterred in my resolve to save Borno and indeed Nigeria from the threats of this mindless sect and its true sponsors. This address will be incomplete without expressing my heart- felt sympathy and condolences to the families whose loved ones had been killed during the unfortunate crises across the country. I share their pains and grief and pray that God gives them the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses. I equally pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured in these disturbances.
Ladies and Gentlemen, having placed before you the true in these disturbances. Ladies and Gentlemen, having placed before you the true story, as moulders of public opinion, I leave for Nigerians to judge, whether it has become a crime in .our land to do good to all manner of men as a leader. Nigerians are in a better position to juxtapose my story against the fabricated allegations being orchestrated by some mischief makers. It is rather unfortunate that those who benefitted most from all the actions we took to position Borno state in the face of our challenges are today in the forefront of the smear campaign. Beyond everything else, God Almighty is the ultimate judge of all men. May HIS wrath visit those who kill, only to turn around and accuse others. Thank you for your attention.
Senator (Dr.) Ali Modu Sheriff Immediate-Past Executive Governor of Borno State (2003- 2011)
I read, in the August 29 edition of Thisday Newspaper, the grave allegations made by an Australian by the name of Mr. Stephen Davis about those that he believes are behind Boko Haram.
He made some very serious allegations; he mentioned names and I would be interested in seeing the hard evidence that he claims to have.
Femi Fani-Kayode
I have always said that I believe that anyone, no matter which political party that person belongs to and no matter how highly placed or powerful that person may be, that is involved with Boko Haram ought to be captured, caged, flogged and brought to justice because I regard such people as nothing but bloodthirsty beasts.
I have also always said that I believe that some of the leading members of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, are secret sponsors and supporters of Boko Haram and I am glad that Mr. Davis appears to share this view and that he has indeed confirmed my worst fears in his celebrated interview with Arise TV.
Similar concerns have been raised and allegations made about the suspicious nexus, the direct link and the questionable relationship between APC and Boko Haram by senior Members of Parliament in the British House of Commons together with a number of leading Russian and American civil and religious institutions, organisations, commentators and political figures.
It is therefore good news that Mr. Davis has confirmed some of our collective suspicions and fears and that he has decided to come out and tell us what he knows given the role that he played in the negotiations to broker a deal to get the Chibok girls released from Boko Haram. I have little doubt that, on the allegation that the APC and Boko Haram are linked, Mr.Davis is absolutely right.
I am not however convinced on the culpability of one or two of the other people that he has fingered. No one should be spared if the evidence is really there but I must say that I find the allegation that, for example, the former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika, is somehow involved with Boko Haram a little far-fetched.
I say this because firstly, the man spent so much of his time, energy, career and resources fighting that same terrorist organisation that he is now being accused of being part of.
Secondly, I say it because that terrorist organisation has killed and continues to kill so many of his own officers and men. And thirdly, I say it because the man is not a Muslim but a Christian and I have never heard of a Christian helping or assisting an Islamist terrorist organisation in their quest to establish an Islamic fundamentalist state or ”new world caliphate” in his country.
This is especially so when that terrorist organisation is committed to wiping out the Christian faith itself and killing every Christian, every secularist and every moderate Muslim in the country. It seems to me that this is an absurd notion and that it really doesn’t make any sense but if the Australian has any hard evidence let us see or hear it.
Again, I disagree strongly with the leading figures in the opposition that have said that the Federal Government and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are the ones behind Boko Haram. I say this because those individuals know very well that the APC as a party have far more sympathy for Boko Haram and far many more of their leaders and members have spoken up for and in defence of Boko Haram than anyone else.
On Friday, August 29, in Thisday Newspaper, one of those leaders said that the Senator from Borno State that was facing terrorism charges was ”a PDP member”. This is not true. The Senator that he was referring to is Senator Ndume and he is in the APC and not the PDP.
Quite apart from that, certain things need to be noted. Let me remind those that are pointing fingers at the PDP today that it was not a member of the PDP or the Federal Government that, some time in 2013, said Boko Haram should not be proscribed as an organisation, even after they had slaughtered no less than 15,000 innocent Nigerians in cold blood. It was rather the official spokesman of the APC, Lai Mohammed, who said so.
It was not the PDP or any member of the Federal Government that told the world, only in 2013, that they were against the declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, that an attack on Boko Haram was an attack on the north and that Boko Haram members ought not to be killed but rather they ought to be pampered, granted amnesty and treated in a gentle manner like the Niger Delta militants. It was the leading Presidential aspirant and one of the two co-owners of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, that said so.
It was the same General Buhari who has openly identified with and publiclly endorsed a number of the core objectives of Boko Haram when, as far back as 2001, he told the world that he wanted to ”spread sharia all over the country”, when he said that ”Muslims should only vote for those that would protect their interest”, when he asked ”why should it concern Christians when Muslims chop off the limbs of one another” in accordance with their divine law and when he said, in 2013, that there would be violence and that ”the blood of the dog and the baboon would both flow” if the coming elections were rigged.
It was not the PDP or a member of the Federal Government that told the world three years ago that if President Goodluck Jonathan or any southerner emerged as President in 2011 that ”we would make the country ungovernable”. It was Alhaji Lawal Kaita, a leading member of the APC, that said so.
It was not the PDP or any member of the Federal Government that guaranteed the security of the Chibok girls and insisted that they should go ahead and do their exams at Chibok and that he would provide the necessary security, even after WAEC and the Federal Ministry of Education had written him a letter and warned him that it would be dangerous to do so and that he must not go ahead.
It was the Governor of Borno State, who is a leading member of the APC, that did that. Not only did he not provide the promised security but he also abandoned the girls and left them in the lurch because only one adult, the school gateman, spent the night in the school with those girls despite all the obvious dangers.
Worst still, there was no electricity and no generator functioning at the school throughout the night and neither was there one adult, teacher or supervisor with the girls at the school.
Even more suspicious was the fact that not one of the daughters of any of the staff and teachers that attended that school spent the night with the other girls at the school that night. They were all in the safety of their homes. One wonders why? Was it just a coincidence or did they have prior notice of the impending doom?
The whole Chibok episode is still clouded in mystery but given the fact that the Governor of Borno State is now one of the leading members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign I wonder why he allowed all these lapses to take place and why he behaved in this way?
Was his motive for not taking all reasonable measures to protect those girls political? Is there not more to his actions and inactions than meets the eye? I repeat my constant assertion that Boko Haram is the military wing of the APC and that the APC is the political wing of Boko Haram.
I make this grave and very serious allegation partly because of the aforementioned public utterances and actions of these leading APC members and partly because of a number of other things that I will not say publiclly because Nigerians would be utterly traumatised if they heard them.
There would be an uproar in this country if some of us were to say all that we know about the irresponsible and insidious religious agenda that the APC has and the hideous and shameful things that they are doing and saying behind closed doors.
The suggestion that they never had a plan to have a Muslim/Muslim ticket is a lie from the pit of hell. They may have dropped that plan now due to the fact that ii has generated a good deal of public uproar and outrage but that was their original plan and many of them were hell bent on it and probably still are.
The suggestion that they have not used religion as a political tool is another dirty lie. That is what they have been doing from day one and they are still doing it now. The suggestion that they cannot be equated with or compared to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt or the Sudanese Janjaweed is another lie from the pit of hell.
If anyone has any doubts about that they should just scrutinise the religious composition of both their old and defunct Interim National Executive Commitee and the new one and they will see that it is virtually an all Muslim affair spiced with a few token christians lurking in the shadows and acting as fronts.
Nigeria is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic secular state and it is exceptionally dangerous to introduce religion into politics and seek to use it to gain political power as the APC are shamelessly doing.
The suggestion that some of their more notable leaders often make that the PDP is linked to Boko Haram in any shape or form or that President Goodluck Jonathan, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) or the High Command of the Nigerian Military, Securiy Agencies and Intelligence Services are sponsoring or supporting Boko Haram is another lie from the pit of hell.
For anyone in the APC to make such an allegation is not only absurd but it is like the pot calling the kettle black. It was rather elements in the APC, and none of those in PDP or any of those organisations that worked day and night to ensure that America did not label Boko Haram a terrorist organisation throughout last year and up until early this year.
This is after the terrorists had killed and abducted so many young and innocent Nigerians. Now the question has to be asked, why was this so? If the APC were not behind Boko Haram why did they not want them to be labelled as terrorists by the Americans and the international community?
Why did they complain morning day and night that the Nigerian military were killing ”innocent northerners” and ”violating human rights” simply because our brave soldiers were risking their lives on the war front and battlefield fighting terror, trying to protect our people and trying to wipe out the enemy.
Some have cited the former National Security Advisor, General Patrick Azazi’s comments as evidence of PDP’s so-called involvement with Boko Haram. They conveniently forget that the elements that Azazi was referring to at that time have now all left the PDP and have now joined the APC.
We do not need any more lessons, finger-pointing or self-serving statements from leaders of the APC or their party about Boko Haram. What we need and what we want from them is for them to stop supporting and encouraging the terrorists and to stop bringing religion into politics.
They should also apologise to the Nigerian people for the shameful things that they have said which has done nothing but encourage the terrorists and the enemies of our people. May God grant them the grace and humility to do so.
Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode’s stout defence of an alleged Boko Haram sponsor, as identified by the Jonathan Administration-appointed negotiator Stephen Davis, and his attempt to continue pointing accusing fingers at my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is hasty, indecent and unconscionable.
Dino Melaye
The last time I checked, Mr. Fani-Kayode was not a duly-constituted independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the allegations by the Negotiator. One therefore wonders how he could so quickly exonerate any of those who were fingered by Dr. Davis purely on the basis of sheer sentiments, as well as unbridled hatred for the APC
What Mr. Fani-Kayode’s desperate moves have shown is that the earth-shaking revelation by President Jonathan’s Negotiator has unnerved his party, the PDP, and the Administration. It has shown the veracity of the saying that when you point one finger at someone, four others are pointing at you.
The sponsors of Boko Haram are right within the PDP, as alleged by Dr. Davis, who named former Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and ”a former Chief of Army Staff who retired in January, rightly sacked by the President.” This has corroborated what the President had said that Boko Haram is right within his own Administration.
What one would expect from a government that is keen on finding the true sponsors of Boko Haram and ending the insurgency – instead of playing politics with it – is to support an independent inquiry into the allegation, instead of rushing to shoot it down and casting aspersion on the man who made the revelation on international television.
In the rush to discredit Dr. Davis, the Jonathan Administration and its attack dogs have forgotten that President Jonathan himself appointed the Australian to negotiate the release of the Chibok girls, who were abducted by Boko Haram. They have forgotten that if at all the Negotiator has any sympathy, it will be for President Jonathan who appointed him.
I am glad that the truth about Boko Haram’s sponsors has finally come out. I advise the Jonathan Administration to look inwards instead of unleashing attack dogs on Dr. Davis and sending spin doctors, some of whom will do anything to evade justice over the allegation they face on their own, to the media to try to change the narratives.
Those who planted Modu Sheriff in the APC so they can label the party a Boko Haram sponsor knew what they were doing. They knew his antecedents. And when the APC decided to frustrate Modu Sheriff and his likes out of the party, they should simply have embraced him and accept that they have finally been hoisted by their own petard.
Enough of the distracting finger-pointing by the likes of the loquacious and truth-twisting Mr. Fani-Kayode. The cat has been let out of the bag!
Stephen Davis, an Australian hostage negotiator who spent some time in Nigeria trying to secure the release of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Borno State, told SaharaReporters that he stands by his widely reported allegations that former Governor Modu Sherriff of Borno State and a former Chief of Army staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika (ret.), were among the top sponsors of the Islamist insurgents who have massacred thousands of Nigerians and foreigners and made the northeast part of Nigeria a highly militarized zone.
Ali Sheriff
In an extensive telephone interview with SaharaReporters yesterday, Dr. Davis also accused an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as a man based in Cairo, Egypt whom he claimed operates as Boko Haram’s bagman. He said both men, in addition to Mr. Sheriff and former General Ihejirika, were major players in the funding and continued existence of the deadly Islamist sect.
Dr. Davis told SaharaReporters that he did not want to name the CBN official as this may prejudice investigation by Nigeria’s security services. Both accused men have reacted furiously to Mr. Davis’ allegation, with the former Borno governor threatening to travel to Australia to sue his accuser while Mr. Ihejirika accused former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El Rufai, of being a “commander” of Boko Haram. Three days ago, Mr. El Rufai had posted transcripts and video of Mr. Davis’ accusations of the former governor and ex-Army chief on social media.
Asked whether Mr. El Rufai and former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, had a hand in funding or sponsoring Boko Haram, Dr. Davis said their names have not been mentioned to him by any Boko Haram connections.
Also, asked to explain why Mr. Ihejirika, a non-Muslim who hails from the predominantly Christian southeastern part of Nigeria, became a Boko Haram “sponsor,” Mr. Davis said, “Boko Haram commanders and some connected with them told me on several occasions Ihejirika was one of their sponsors.”
He also disclosed that Mr. Sheriff always had the best military protection in Nigeria’s violence-plagued northeast, a protection he claimed the ex-governor enjoyed after he left office.
Dr. Davis reiterated that his allegations were informed by discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders over a long period of time. Asked if President Goodluck Jonathan was aware of the insurgents’ sponsors and their specific roles, Dr. Davis said he was unsure of the extent of information currently before President Jonathan. He added that Mr. Jonathan had been weakened by lack of military loyalty and a history of security negligence. He gave the example of repeated attempts to bring the growth of Al Qa’eda associated cells to the attention of NSA’s since 2006 only to have them dismiss such reports as baseless. “By the time Goodluck Jonathan became president Boko Haram had become a potent weapon with a command structure embedded in 16 northern states fanned by support from corrupt politicians.”
He further gave the example of Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Aliyu Gusau, whom he accused of basically leaving Mr. Jonathan to carry his can without taking any responsibility for his work.
The Australian negotiator also revealed that his years working with Nigerian presidents on matters of terrorism had shown that, even when some prominent individuals are known to be involved in criminality, the presidents are simply too afraid to take them on. He cited the example of the Niger Delta region. He told SaharaReporters that he and former President Olusegun Obasanjo found out that Abiye Sekibo, who was then Mr. Obasanjo’s Transport Minister, had contracted the assassins who killed a prominent politician, Harry Marshall. He said he tried to persuade Mr. Obasanjo to prosecute Mr. Sekibo, but the then president declined, stating that such a trial could bring down his government.
Dr. Davis touched on several aspects of Boko Haram activities, showing that he was quite knowledgeable about the sect’s actions. He told SaharaReporters that Boko Haram runs about six major camps in the northeast and neighboring countries, adding that 700 fighters inhabited each camp. In addition there are a range of smaller camps within Borno State, which are often temporary and to which kidnapped girls are taken to be used by the insurgents.
The Australian revealed that earlier this year Boko Haram was a loose coalition of three Islamist militant groups that worked with one another, claiming that, since four months ago, the sects had merged into one single entity, become more cohesive, strategically effective and powerful. “They are now linking with other terrorist group in the region and will soon be very difficult to dismantle. If these political sponsors think they can turn these groups off after the 2015 elections they are going to be surprised to find it is out of their control.”
On why he had chosen to speak out publicly at this time, Dr. Davis stated that, from experience, any terrorist group that has lasted more than eight years after its formation would likely exist for another 20 or more years before it can be dismantled. It thus becomes embedded for a generation and the likelihood of dismantling it was very low. “If we don’t do our utmost now to dismantle Boko Haram then we may not be able to do so for another generation. That is a very gloomy scenario for Nigeria.”
He touched on former National Security Adviser, Owoye Andrew Azazi, whom he described as utterly corrupt. He said Mr. Azazi, who was a retired Army general, was planning to buy into the Hilton hotel chain in London to the tune of $100 million before he died in a helicopter crash on December 15, 2012.
Dr. Davis painted a portrait of Nigeria’s various intelligence units as operating in silos that refuse to share information that could tame terrorist groups. To illustrate his point, the Australian cited the example of the State Security Services. According to him, months after the SSS won the extradition from the Sudan of Aminu Ogwuche, a suspected terror mastermind who reportedly planned the deadly bombing of an Abuja bus station, the intelligence agency had yet to interrogate Mr. Ogwuche about his links with the three young men he reportedly contracted to carry out the bombing.
Dr. Davis said the young men were three in number and that they lived in the home of a CBN official who also carried out banking transactions for Boko Haram through the CBN. He said two other young collaborators in the Nyanya Motor Park bombing remain on the run.
The Australian hostage negotiator vowed to make more revelations about Boko Haram’s sponsors, adding that he believed the sect could only be dismantled if their sponsors were exposed and prosecuted. In particular, he said he could not see why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not already moved on Sheriff for his extensive looting of public funds when he was the Borno State governor, and for leaving the roads in Borno State in a terrible shape that has enabled Boko Haram to ambush Nigeria troops and massacre them mercilessly. He also added that the former governor should face the ultimate trial for financing the recruitment of young men to the Islamist sect.
Dr. Davis dismissed Mr. Sheriff’s threat to travel to Australia to sue him for his statements as grandstanding and seeking to divert attention from the real issue of Mr. Sheriff’s involvement with Boko Haram. He added that he would be pleased to meet the former governor at the airport whenever he developed the courage to come to Australia.
The move, according to a source close to the sect, is to put the record straight and clear the air on several controversial issues contained in the interview by the Australian to the media last week.
