The cracks within the ranks of dreaded Boko Haram sect is largely on the modus operandi and the plot to terminate the life of former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, sources said at the weekend.

It was gathered that the division among the faithful of the sect was on the need to keep the death list compiled by the group.

Informed sources said at the weekend that the sect had placed some top Nigerians  on it's death list and that notwithstanding the decision of some of the targets to publicly apologise, the group was still in search of the targets.

But sources said that following the public apologies, some members of the sect decided to forgive the targets and remove the death sentence on them.

It was, however, gathered that some diehards members of the sect refused to abide by the plan to pardon the targeted politicians, leading to division in the fold.

Sources said that a lot of arguments went on as regards the main target, former Governor Sheriff.

While some members of the sect said the man should be continuously trailed and made to pay for his sins, others believed that the man should no longer be executed as planned.

It was learnt that the division on ex-Governor Sheriff led to the publicised crack reported within the Boko Haram sect during the week.

"Right now, the former governor is living with his heart in his mouth because the diehards are insisting they want to get him," the source said.

It was further learnt that the former governor actually told the security operatives during his visit to the headquarters of the State Security Services(SSS) that he once helped some persons linked to the sect in the past and that he discontinued his friendship and assistance on security reasons.

The sect was said to have placed Sheriff, a number of his former colleagues and some Emirs on death list, allegedly for their failure to allow it's members freely operate in the state. While it seems like normalcy is gradually returning to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, continued shooting between sect members and Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order in Borno as well as bomb blasts particularly that of Thursday morning at London Chiki and another in the evening at Gwange ward of the metropolis seemed to tell returnees that all was not yet over.

However, many who returned said they did so because they perceived that peace is gradually returning to the city.

According to them, both the JTF and Borno state government have assured the people of their safety, noting that their main fear was the presence of both the Boko Haram members and soldiers. “The Boko Haram have their targets but most times, innocent people are being killed whenever they hunt for their targets. The soldiers, we learnt were also killing innocent citizens, so we have to run before they come to our area,” a returnee had said.

One of the returnees, Alhaji Iliyasu Ibrahim, told Saturday Tribune that, though he fled to Damaturu but he had to come back and open his shop since the city was now experiencing nomalcy.

He prayed that peace should return to the state so that business activities will pick up again, adding that though they fled to Damaturu, yet they found it difficult to feed themselves as they only spent what they had without getting a single kobo.

Another returnee, Mr. Paul Marcus, said that he had to run to his home town as a result of the crisis, but had to return based on assurances by government, of people’s safety. He added that the burden was too much on their relatives at home.

Speaking on the faction within the sect, Marcus told Saturday Tribune that it was good to know that the sect is divided, noting that it was natural that a house diveided against itself would not stand.

In another development, one suspected Boko Haram member was killed on Thursday in a shoot out between members of the sect and the JTF.

Confirming the incident to newsmen in Maiduguri, the spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed said that the sect member was killed in a shootout in Gwange after the sect members threw a bomb in a primary school.

He said the bomb exploded at about 6:00 p.m. but no casualty on the side of the JTF, adding that a stray bullet hit one civilian and injured him.
He said the victim was currently responding to treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

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