By Goni Abdullahi
New facts showing stronger links between former governor of Bornor state, Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Boko Haram sect have emerged, further fueling suggestions the ex-governor is a major financier of the terrorist sect. intelligence insights obtained by National WAVES allegedly Mr. Sheriff involvement in promoting the growth of the sect. The communications painted obvious pictures of what appears to be a powerful regional support structure involving Chadian president, Nigerian officials and Niger Republic, and spearhead by Mr. Sheriff whom the intelligence presents as a powerful figure within this circle. Strong evidence indicates that the Nigerian government 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’s call for his interrogation. Mr. Sheriff has long been suspected of masterminding the Boko Haram sect, but the documents sighted by this news magazines offer deeper understanding how Mr. Sherif allegedly finances the deadly sect and his probable motivations.
When Sheriff visited Abeche:
Nourished by deep and impeccable sources from members of Chadian Army, Nigerian intelligence experts had arrived at fairly certain conclusions that Sen. Sheriff was allegedly actively involved in the recruitment, training and deployment of Boko Haram members; …members of Boko Haram sect are sometimes kept in Abeche region 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 believed to have bankrolled Mr . Deby’s re –election. These evidences go a long way to support the reason Senator Sheriff was allegedly seen in Chad with President Jonathan during his recent visit to the country . Although , Nigerians raised dust with this issue but played –down by the politics of the opposition witch-hunting Sheriff for decamping from APC to PDP, the ruling party. The presidency denied the speculation that the former Borno State governor accompanied President Jonathan to see the Chadian President. 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 allegedly 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 characterizing 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 the office strategy by suppressing the opposition. But contrary to this, it was alleged that Gov. Sheriff left behind about N6.3billion in the government treasury while leaving the office in 2011. The officials suggested that Sen. Sheriff may not have created the sect but had actively used the “monster” and could 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. 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 comments. A former commissioner under his administration as governor of Borno state who also speak for him, Inuwa Bwala, told our corresspondent that Mr . Sheriff was outside the country and could not respond to enquires.
Senator Ali Modu Sherrif 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 concern and interest in the Chad and Cameroun far higher than what he has in this country. He is also alleged that for the eight years Sheriff spent in the office as the state governor , he invited the Chadian, Camerounian and Nigerian government officials to Democracy day celebration 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 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 the sponsor of Boko Haram sect, quoting the sect’s leadership. Although Mr. Ihejirika has denied ever been a sponsor of the deadly sect whose bloody campaign have killed up to 5000 Nigerians and left many homeless, broken and internally displaced.
During the 2003 election, the Boko Haram leadership and followership voted for Ali sheriff massively, because he was supportive of them and greatly financed their cause.. In 2005 after the Kanamma and Gwazo incidence that indicted the Boko Haram sect, Ali Sheriff arrogantly went ahead against all useful counsel of the elders and appointed Boko Haram high profile leaders and member(Hon Buji Foi) as commissioner for religious affairs by the way of financing their terrorism indirectly through his allowance 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 railway line home of late Mohammed Yusuf. –All security reports that were addressed to the governor in those days by Izalas and the Tarikas against the Boko Haram Movement under top secrecy were all smuggled out and revealed to the leadership of Boko Haram by government officials. Thereby making the IZALAS &TARIKAS sect.
Such double- standard of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff administration coerced the people of Borno to stop sharing intelligence report writing or reporting any useful information against Boko Haram.
A top government official ordered the killing of the leader of the Boko Haram, (Mohammed Yusuf) who was arrested alive but fearing that he might reveal relevant information as to who sponsors were, and the level of involvement of Sheriff, was extra-judiciary and summarily killed in the hands of Nigerian police.
High profile members of Boko Haram like; Baba Fugu Mohammed and Hon Buji Foi were all killed. with the directive from Sheriff’s political thugs-the ECOMOGS’ allegedly participated in the war siding with Boko Hara meg Babale otherwise known as Baleriya and his men participated and this is general knowledge. But was won back to the fold and allowed to come and Sheriff’s party 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 dumped.
After the 2009 fight against the insurgents , there was relative peace in the state all through the election period in 2011. But was to re –surface after the elections were over , Sheriff lost his bid to go to the senate and Kashim refused to be loyal to Sheriff any further.
-But Sheriff allegedly single handedly resurrected the insurgence after loosing the senatorial seat and realizing that he had no place in Borno politics anymore.
Ssometimes in 2010, 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 and SSA to Sheriff on media-Shehu liberty that gave them the flags to hoist at strategic locations police and court premises. Today, Shehu liberty realizing how SAS abandoned him,, has left his camp to join Gov. Kashim Shettima where he now benefits.
Shehu liberty was arrested by 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 allegedly arrested with the kind of riffles used by Boko Haram fighters during the 2009 war.
In 2012, Gen Monguno’s panel arrested all the ECOMOGS members in Borno state, they allegedly 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 alleged interest of the federal government in the terrorism, Gen Monguno lost his position as Director to Defence intelligent unduly retired and Sheriff was extenuated..
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 tortured have all confessed that it was either Sheriff or some ANPP stalwart and people very close Sheriff that gave them the guns , money and list of people to kill.
-It is also a general knowledge that , the former Borno state ANPP chairman Mala Atuman a childhood of Sheriff was arrested because of such 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 tdo be the leader of 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 is now living in Kano with his family.
Others included Mamman Imam who was allegedly responsible for the first bomb blast in Maiduguri i.e on the day of 2011 National Assemble election after he had woefully lost the election at his own ward- Shehuri North, heallegeedldy detonated a bomb at the collation centre to cause chaos . Mohammed Imam is gearing up to take over from Kashim..
The current deputy Governor, Zannah Umar Mustapha was once also allegedly indicted for recruiting & sponsoring Boko Haram in Borno south. He is still in the office with divided mind ; one SAS, the other with Kashim.
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, allegedly 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..
The members of the neighbouring community have also confirmed that they had seen Sheriff visiting the shrine in the time past.
In the shrine alone, over seven thousand AK 47 assault rifles were allegedly recovered
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 as a punishment for their desertion and no one could challenge or arrest him. He even requested 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 on of those political statements made against opponents.
In fact, over fifty thousand (50,000.00) AK 47 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?
The cost of one AK 47 riffle is nearly N1m and over 50,000 of them have been found in Maiduguri , and each and every person found with those riffles has additional money ranging from N2m to N10m and above with. 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.
