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Boko Haram sect threatens to kill more •Targets NCC, telecoms outfits •12 killed in gunfire exchange between sect and JTF •I’m not a sponsor of Boko Haram -IBB •Sharing of N41m caused mistrust among us -Boko Haram’s spokesman
Written by Taiwo Adisa, James Bwala and Adelowo Oladipo Monday, 13 February 2012
This came as the sect, on Sunday night, exchanged fire with the Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order in Borno State that left a number of people dead in Maiduguri, the state capital, as well as in Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.
The new spokesperson for Boko Haram, who also adopted the name Abul Qaqa, told newsmen in a telephone interview in Maiduguri, on Monday, that the deadly activities of their group had Allah’s backing and that the group was sure of victory at the end of the day.
He also threatened to carry out more bomb attacks in the country, especially on telecommunications outfits and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
According to him, the inclusion of the telecommunications firms was to discourage them from aiding the NCC and intelligence operatives in tracking targeted members of the sect through their phone lines.
“We need not warn them, because they would not take us seriously but an attack will give them the idea of what we mean by our threats,” he said.
He alleged that Boko Haram killed 12 members of the JTF in the Sunday attack, although the spokesperson for the JTF was not available to confirm the claim by Qaqa.
Speaking on the recent arrest of the two prominent members of the group by security agencies, Qaqa described it as a trial for the nabbed leaders from Allah himself, adding that Allah would create an avenue for them to escape from custody again.
Meanwhile, Qaqa, who is undergoing interrogation at the headquarters of the State Security Service (SSS), was said to have confirmed that a huge crack has set into the operations of the sect.
Qaqa, who was arrested in Kaduna by a combined team of the SSS and the military, was said to have confirmed that the sharing formula applied in distributing the N41 million stolen from a bank caused distrust among members.
He was also said to have confirmed that while the sect had five laid down ways of sharing such loot, the leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau, changed the rules and largely confiscated the loot.
He was also said to have painted a picture of internal discontent among members, adding that the leaders were dictatorial.
He also disclosed that while the funds raised by sect members were supposed to be shared into five parts, including the underprivileged, widows of those that died in the Jihad, Zakat for those that brought in the money, and the last to the leadership to be used in prosecuting the Jihad, the leaders often confiscated part of the share meant for the foot soldiers.
He was also quoted as telling his interrogators that one other source of discontent among members was the decision of the leader, Shekau, to marry out wives of deceased members, and sometimes take over wives of members who got killed during operations.
He was quoted as saying that even one of the wives of Mohammed Yusuf was so married by Shakau.
A source quoted him as saying that “A major source of distrust and acrimony in the group was the N41million got from bank robbery that was not accounted for.”
He added that usually, the money was supposed to be shared along the five known formula adopted by the sect.
He said that members were unhappy that they were being treated anyhow by the leadership.
Another source further quoted him as saying: “We don’t know how this money (N41 million) was spent and nobody dare asked questions for fear of death. Even those that took part in the robberies are also always compelled to pay Zakat on their share to the leadership. The leader (Shakau) appropriates what goes to the widows, less privileged, Zakat and leadership.”
The Boko Haram spokesman was also said to have told his interrogators that the leader of the sect often gave out wives of those killed the way he wanted and that “he is married to one of Mohammed Yusuf’s wives.”
Meanwhile, while speaking on the shootout between members of the sect and the JTF, spokesman for the JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Hassan Moha-mmed, told newsmen in Maiduguri that contrary to the claims of victory by the sect member over the JTF in Sunday night’s battle, the JTF had actually succeeded in killing 12 members of the Boko Haram sect, while two soldiers sustained injury.
According to him, the sect members ambushed and attacked soldiers around Budun area of the metropolis, but were unsuccessful as the soldiers returned fire, killing 12 members of the sect.
He said JTF noted that some people around the area were allowing the use of their residents by members of the sect to attack men of the JTF and, therefore, warned that such act would not be taken lightly.
In a telephone interaction, some of the residents of Bundun Ward area cordoned off by JTF operatives told the Nigerian Tribune that the soldiers were driving recklessly when their vehicle hit an electric pole, leading to the death of some of them.
They said they saw six vehicles loaded with soldiers, shortly after the accident, firing sporadically into the air in the area and making people to take to their heels.
Several calls to the telephone of the JTF spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammed and the Field Operations Officer, Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, did not go through.
In another development, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has debunked the news in the social media as regards the assertion of one Sheik Sani Haliru, alleging that was one of the financiers/sponsors of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, stating that the allegation was spurious and unfounded.
Social media, especially Facebook, has been inundated with a purported interview granted by the sheik, who named Babangida as one of the sponsors of Boko Haram sect.
In a statement posted on the Facebook wall of the former military president on Monday, his media assistant, Mr Kazeem Afegbua, said “we have read and assimilated the effusions of a deluded mind by name Sheik Sani Haliru, who, for want of very cheap relevance, decided to mention the highly respected name of IBB as one of the ‘sponsors’ of what he called Boko Haram. From our first reading, we felt it would amount to giving undue relevance to a confused mind if we volunteer a response, but for our teeming supporters, associates and friends of IBB, and for the price we owe history, we decided to offer this disclaimer.”
The statement said Babangida could not remember such names that claimed to know him, whether as almajiri or a jihadist, but said that “reading through the interview, one is easily confronted with a number of inconsistencies and well orchestrated conclusions that are spuriously out of place.”
According to the statement, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Minna, Niger State capital, on Monday, one of the inconsistencies of the said interview was the claim that Dele Giwa was killed by suicide bombing, saying that it was a common knowledge that Dele Giwa died of a parcel bomb.
“We have every cause to believe that the interview was carefully scripted to convey the message intended and not one conducted under a question and answer basis. The responses of the said Sani Haliru attest to this fact. From that premise, therefore, it will be safe to conclude that the interview was structured by certain agents of government to satisfy pre-determined position,” the statement added.
He said the questions by the interviewer were also leading questions, tending to achieve the predetermined end of the initiators of the interview, while adding that the motive was to mislead people on agenda clearly set out to achieve.
“He talked about his fear of going to jail, why will a man of God be afraid of incarceration or jail if the cause he is pursuing is truly altruistic? How could someone with facts about Boko Haram be saying that he is afraid the SSS will arrest him if he ventured those facts, when the whole wide world is patiently waiting to get a road map out of the Boko Haram pogrom? There are also instances where third person narrative tenor is given to Sheik Sani Haliru, thus making the whole exercise curiously misleading and utterly unconscionable to warrant any serious recognition.
“We are, therefore, at sea to reconcile any of the claims as truly reflective of any sound mind, save that we have every reason to believe that this is purely a well-scripted interview to give our revered IBB a bad name. What the real motive of the interview is remains to us very worrisome, because we cannot in any way rationalise the immediate or remote intentions of the interviewee and the interviewer.
“For purposes of record, General IBB wishes to disclaim whoever that might have granted such interview and wish to emphatically state that there is no iota of truth in whatever the interviewee must have put down. There is no connection whatsoever between himself and the so-called Sheik Sani Haliru.
“It will serve good purpose if the said Sani Haliru could disclose his age in 1985, 1987 and 1992, because his claim of 44 years of Boko Haram activities could be self-contradicting if we are able to know his real age. 1985 till date is a record 27 years. By the time we subtract that age from 44, the guess is as good as mine.
“One couldn’t possibly know what feat a 17-year-old boy would perform in 1985 to warrant any linkage with IBB. It will also be of good use if he could disclose the instances where IBB is directly and indirectly connected or linked to his activities, how much money he was given, who gave the money and what period of time?
“We, therefore, wish to inform the public to disregard and ignore whoever might be the face behind that name called Sheik Haliru and the message of doom that he seems desperate to propagate,” Afegbua said.
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- ‘ Cases of rape rise to 84% in Nigeria’
- Dana air crash update: 23 aircrash victims’ families yet to receive compensation
- Mimiko inaugurates new Mother & Child hospital today
- N4.56b pension scam: Female accused hospitalised,trial stalled
- Construction workers hail FG’s decision on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
- Senate adjourns plenary for 1 week, dissolves to Appropriation committee.
- Blackout looms as Egbin power plant breaks down
- FMBN, NEXIM, BOA, IB lose N47bn in 6 months - CBN
- FirstBank wins Nigerian Bank of the Year award
- PDP tackles ACN over Tukur’s comments
- Electricity workers threaten strike over Wamakko
- ‘NDIC prosecuted 55 directors, staff of micro finance banks in 2011’
- Judgment in Oni’s appeal stalled, re-fixed for Jan 8
- Slain banker: Deceased had only 3 wounds -Accused’s father
- Appointments: S/West not marginalised —FCC
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