NEWS AND POLITICS

BOKO HARAM SAGA, SECRET AND STORY FORMER GOVERNOR TELL US MORE.

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.
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.
Ali Modu Sherrif at the conference
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)