OpinionOPINION: FRESH FACTS: SEN. SHERIFF, IDRIS DEBY OF CHAD BEHIND BOKO HARAM...

OPINION: FRESH FACTS: SEN. SHERIFF, IDRIS DEBY OF CHAD BEHIND BOKO HARAM TO PROTECT BUSINESS INTEREST

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New facts showing stronger links between former governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Boko Haram sect have emerged, further fuelling suggestions the ex-governor is a major financier of the terrorist sect. Intelligence insights obtained by newsmen in Maiduguri, Damaturu, and Abuja have shown dated communications between field officers and the velvet ranks of Nigeria’s military chronicling Mr. Sheriff’s involvement in promoting the growth of the sect.

The communications painted an obvious picture of what appears to be a powerful regional support structure involving the Chadian president, Nigerian officials and Niger Republic, and spearheaded by Mr. Sheriff whom the intelligence presents as a powerful figure within this circle. Strong evidence indicates that the Nigerian government had received official actionable intelligence about Mr. Sheriff’s links to Boko Haram as far back as 2011 but has, curiously, ignored all warnings and nudges to act to stop the Boko Haram call for his interrogation.

Mr. Sheriff has long been suspected of masterminding the Boko Haram sect, but the documents sighted by this news magazine offers deeper understanding into how Mr. Sheriff allegedly finances the deadly sect and his probable motivations.

When Sheriff visits Abeche:
Nourished by deep and impeccable sources from members of the Chadian Army, Nigerian intelligence experts had arrived at fairly certain conclusions that Sen. Sheriff was actively involved in the recruitment, training and deployment of Boko Haram members. “…members of Boko Haram sect are sometimes kept in Abeche region in Chad and trained before being dispersed. This happens usually when Sen. Sheriff visits Abeche,” a 2011 memo from field officers in N’djamena, the capital of Chad, read.

When Mr. Sheriff visits Abeche for these activities, he lodges in Chadian Presidential Guest House in Abeche, and is provided security by the Chadian government, the intelligence communications claim. Sen. Sheriff is a close friend of the Chadian president, Idris Deby. In 2011, during the Chadian presidential elections, Mr. Sheriff supported the Chadian president with 35 vehicles, for security, and is believed to have bankrolled Mr. Deby’s re-election. These evidences go a long was to support the reason why Senator Sheriff was conspicuously seen in Chad with President Jonathan during his recent visit to the country. Although, Nigerians had raised dust over this issue but was played-down by the politics of the opposition witch-hunting Sheriff for decamping from APC to PDP, the ruling party.

Nigerian defence and intelligence community members typically describe Mr. Sheriff as a gun runner in their many communications, and they often speak in conviction that his weapons find their way into Nigeria through Niger Republic into Yobe state. Yobe is Boko Haram’s stronghold and has suffered heavy casualties in magnitudes only second to Borno.

Money, Politics and Power:
Back in August 2011, intelligence officials were characterising Mr. Sheriff’s motivations for sponsoring Boko Haram as similar to a certain “3rd generation South South governor,” with the aim of covering up financial irregularities he might have committed as governor of Borno state, as well as propagate a stay-put in office strategy by suppressing the opposition. But contrary to this, it was alleged that Gov. Sheriff could have done that because he left behind about N63billion in the government treasury while leaving the office in 2011. Other officials suggested that Sen. Sheriff may not have created the sect but had actively used the “monster” to suppress and attack his political opponents and could also be sponsoring the sect as a way of protecting himself from the sect members who were “calling for his head” at the time. He was alleged to have given them so much money to wade-off their attack on him and his family. Till date his Maiduguri mansion is still the target of both the angry youth and the sect members.

“One way of reclaiming the lost loyalty of the sect therefore, was sponsorship of their cause,” intelligence officials had told their principals. Sen. Sheriff was not reachable for his comments. A former commissioner under his administration as governor of Borno state who also speaks for him, Inuwa Bwala, told some newsmen that Mr. Sheriff was outside the country and could not respond to enquiries. Both the Nigerian defence headquarters and the Nigerian government also declined to comment on this intelligence. Phone calls were not answered, and text messages were not replied to.

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has been accused before of links to the terrorist group, Boko Haram. An April 2, 2012 report by a Cameroonian daily, L’Oriel du Sahel, said the former governor, now a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was arrested in 2012 upon entering Cameroon from Chad on his way to meeting the governor of that country’s northern region who has been his friend and business partner. The report said Cameroonian police authorities questioned Sheriff for hours and only released him later following pressure from senior government officials in that country.

It is reliably gathered that Sen. Sheriff has large business concerns and interests in Chad and Cameroun far higher that what he has in this country. He is also alleged that for the eight years Sheriff spent in office as the state governor, he invited the Chadian, Camerounian and Nigerien government officials to Democracy Day Celebrations in Maiduguri yearly including the daughter’s wedding ceremony in 2011 which was largely dominated by foreigners, mostly from those neighbouring countries including Sudan.

An Ambassador Usman Galtimari Panel, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the genesis of the insurgency in the North East, had also blamed Sheriff for the growth of Boko Haram in a report.

Chadian President Connection:
An Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, recently named Mr. Sheriff, alongside former Nigerian Army Chief, Azubuike Ihejirika, as sponsors of the Boko Haram sect, quoting the sect’s leadership. Nigeria’s defence intelligence was silent on the role of Mr. Ihejirika in promoting the deadly sect whose bloody campaign have killed up to 5000 Nigerians and left many homeless, broken and internally displaced, but names the Chadian president, Mr. Deby, as a new dimension to the Boko Haram sponsorship dynamics. Even though Davis’ claims could not be taken seriously, but there are other evidences to prove that Sheriff had in the past sponsored the sect.

In 2011, a strong Boko Haram army was also beneficial to the Chadian president, as it provided a “ready army and possible refuge” for a president that was facing growing distrust from his legitimate army made possible by the Ali Modu Sheriff strategic arrangement, Nigerian intelligence officials claimed. The Chadian government support for the sect was made majorly through his friendship with Sen. Sheriff whose company is the major oil explorer in the region, and at the expense of his country’s relationship with Nigeria, the report said.

Lets for once critically consider and chronicle some of the events and incidences that cumulated in the rise and rise of Boko Haram insurgence in Borno State.

– During the 2003 election, the Boko Haram leadership and followership voted for Ali Sheriff massively, because he was supportive of them and had greatly financed their cause.

– In 2005 even after the Kanamma and Gwazo incidence that indicted the Boko Haram sect, Ali Sheriff arrogantly went ahead against all useful counsel of the elders of Borno State and appointed Boko Haram high profile leader and member (Hon Buji Foi) as commissioner for religious affairs by way of financing their terrorism indirectly through his allowances and remuneration. We reliably learnt that every kobo Hon. Buji Foi had earned from the government, he gave to the sect for the furtherance of their mission. Sheriff also allegedly donated generously to the building of their Mosque at the railway line home of late Mohammed Yusuf.

– All security reports that were addressed to the governor in those days by the Izalas and the Tarikas against the Boko Haram movement under top secrecy were all smuggled out and revealed to the leadership of the Boko Haram by government officials. Thereby making the IZALAS & TARIKAS sect members targets and vulnerable to attacks by the Boko Haram Sect.

– Such double-standard of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff administration coerced the people of Borno to stop sharing intelligence report writing or giving any useful information against the Boko Haram.

– Sheriff allegedly ordered the killing of the leader of the Boko Haram, (Mohammed Yusuf) who was arrested alive but fearing that he might reveal relevant informations as to who their sponsors were, and the level of involvement of Sheriff, was extra-judiciarily and summarily killed in the hands of the Nigerian Police.

– High profile members of Boko Haram like; Baba Fugu Mohammed and Hon Buji Foi were all killed with the directive from Sheriff to avoid further revelation during investigation that could eventually indict him!

– Almost all of Sheriff’s political thugs- the ‘ECOMOGS’ allegedly participated in the war siding with Boko Haram eg Babale otherwise known as Baleriya and his men participated and this is a general knowledge. But was won back to the fold and allowed to help Sheriff’s party out in the 2011 general election. The likes of Dan Kwar, Bako, and Guarantee, Dan Asabe were also allegedly mentioned as Boko Haram foot soldiers whom Sheriff used and dumped.

– After the 2009 fight against the insurgents, there was relative peace in the state all through the election period in 2011. But crisis was to re-surface after the elections were over, because Sheriff lost his bid to go to the senate and Kashim after his victory refused to be loyal to Sheriff any further.

– Sheriff Single handedly resurrected the insurgence after loosing the Senatorial seat and realizing that he had no place in Borno politics anymore.

– Sometime in 2010, it was alleged that the Borno people woke up one morning to find Boko Haram flags hoisted everywhere in the city of Maiduguri, in the premises of federal and state departments including police stations and court.

– in the cause of investigation some youth- the ‘ECOMOGS’ (SAS’s political thugs) were arrested with those flags and they confessed that it was a university lecturer who was then the SSA to Sheriff on media – Shehu Liberty that gave them the flags to hoist at strategic locations like the police stations and court premises. Today Shehu Liberty realizing how abandoned he has been by SAS, has also left his camp to join Gov. Kashim Shettima where he now benefits.

– Shehu Liberty was arrested by the police, but Sheriff managed to extenuate him. But after that what was his reward?
– It will be recalled that those flags were exactly the same with the ones used by the original Boko Haram sects during the 2009 insurgents attack on Maiduguri.

– However, in the same year, both the Borno State Chairman and State Secretary of the ANPP were arrested with the kind of riffles used by the Boko Haram fighters during the 2009 war.

– It was gathered that Sheriff managed to extenuate them all unchallenged by the Borno people.

– In 2012, Gen Monguno’s panel also alleged arrested all the ECOMOGS members in Borno state, where they alleged confessed that Sheriff ordered them to kill (uniform officers) soldiers, police, customs immigrations and prison service by way of posing as Boko Haram.

– Due to the alleged interest of the federal government in the terrorism, Gen Monguno was said to have lost his position as the Director of Defence Intelligence and unduly retired while Sheriff was exonerated.

– May be that’s why the federal government have regarded all Sheriff’s enemies in the Borno State PDP as it own enemies and blindly witch-hunted Sheriff’s arch enemies such as Ali Ndume and Ahmed Zannah and even denied them lucrative appointments such as ministerial and heads of parastatals.

– If one mey ask, Why does the Federal Government need to consult with Ali Modu Sheriff, a then opposition leader in the past before offering appointments to any of the Borno State PDP members? Does his interest outweigh that of the people’s interest to the FG?

– The truth is irrepressible and will always standout! The emergence of the youth volunteer group, popularly known as the civilian JTF, who are not politicians but concerned citizens of Borno has revealed that almost all the Boko Haram members arrested and questioned have all confessed that it was either Sheriff or some ANPP stalwart and people very close to Sheriff that gave them guns, money and list of people to kill.

– It is also reliably gathered that, the former Borno state ANPP chairman Mala Atuman a childhood friend and cultist-ally of Sheriff was arrested because of his alleged involvement in some of this cases.

– Others who fled the town in fear of the civilian JTF include Alh Abiso, Sheriff’s driver. Abdulqadiri Rahis the former MMC Chairman who use to be the leader of the ‘ECOMOGS’ (thugs) and a very close and long time stooge and member of Sheriff’s political cultism. He has now become a sworn enemy of SAS while his elder brother Mallam Baba who lost everything to following SAS is now living in Kano with his family.

– Others included Mamman Imam who is said to be responsible for the first bomb blast in Maiduguri i.e on the day of the 2011 National Assembly election after he had woefully lost the election at his own ward- Shehuri North, he allegedly detonated a bomb at the collation centre to cause chaos. Mohammed Imam is said to be gearing up to take over from Kashim, but how that will happen is yet to be seen in the days ahead.

– The current deputy Governor, Zannah Umar Mustapha was once also allegedly indicted for recruiting & sponsoring Boko Haram in Borno south. He is still in office with divided loyalty both to SAS, and to Governor Kashim.

– Today national wide, it is common knowledge that Sheriff is the sponsor, financier, alpha and omega of Boko Haram but President Jonathan has decided to turn the other way from acting promptly. Only the 2015 elections will test the weight of his trust and his allegiance to Sheriff.

– When the stronghold of Boko Haram, the Garannam shrine was destroyed by the combined efforts of the youth volunteer and the JTF, the youth arrested confessed to the fact that it was Sheriff that mounted them in those places and they were working for him. Discovery of human parts and bloods were made in large quantities. But till date, the Federal Government and security agents have refused to act on the reports.

– The members of the neighbouring community have also confirmed that they had seen Sheriff visiting the shrine in time past. But the Lilly-livered Jonathan has refused to act, more so now that Sheriff has decamped to join his party.

– In the shrine alone, over seven thousand AK 47 assault rifles were recovered, but not public report has been made.

– Sometime in 2012, Sheriff went to his home town Gamboru-Ngala and he told them publicly that he was responsible for all that was happening to them as a punishment for their desertion and no one could challenge or arrest him. He even challenged them to get Senator Zannah whom they preferred to him to come to their rescue.

– The Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had once revealed that Sheriff was arming thugs for political gains, and nobody took the matter serious. But today it is an open secret known to every Nigerian.

– The Former FCT Minister, J. T. Useni, a staunch member of Sheriff’s former party; ANPP also stated with evidences in 2011 that Sheriff was the real sponsor of Boko Haram, and it was taken as one of those political statements made against opponents.

– In fact over fifty thousand (50,000.00) AK47 riffles have been recovered in Maiduguri alone by the combined efforts of the youth volunteer and the JTF, and the QUESTION has been who is that most influential person that can smuggle in such large cache of ammunitions without being discovered at the security check-points? If not Sheriff, who else could that be?

– The cost of one AK47 riffle is nearly N1m and over 50, 000 of them have been found in Maiduguri, and each and every person found with those riffles had additional money ranging from N2m to N10m and above with him. What is the source of all these money? Of course none of the Islamic organizations in Nigeria has such a huge amount of money and none of the PDP members in Borno can afford such amount. Sheriff is found to be funding them using his relationship with the border towns and their traditional rulers to bring them in. while still his international business connection is also useful in the funding of Boko Haram. He is alleged to have business interest in the crude oil in Chad and has every reason to cause chaos in the region to divert people’s attention from Chad.

– It was alleged that the last time Sheriff visited Maiduguri, the Federal Government provided him with military uniform and military escort and he was able to get to his house without being recognized by the civilian JTF. He returned to Abuja before the news of his visit got to so many people.

– Both the republic of Cameroun and Chad had previously banned him from entering their country because of his involvement in terrorist activities but the Nigerian Government extenuates him, while he is busy hobnobbing with President Jonathan and his party (PDP). Report reaching us has also confirmed that ahead of Jonathan’s recent visit to Niger, Senator Sheriff had gone to facilitate the meeting.

SO THE QUESTION NOW REMIANS:
IS THE PRESIDENCY USING THE DREADED SENATOR ALI MODU TO DESTROY THE INDOMITABLE OLD BORNO EMPIRE?

Written by Goni Abdullahi.

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