NewsRescue– Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka is famed to have described the Nigeria ruling political party, PDP as a “nest of killers”. He also clearly in April, proclaimed that PDP was responsible for Boko Haram terrorism. Current events have proven the professor, highly accurate in his assessment of this threat that has defied logic and consumed lives of innocent Nigerians of all creeds and works of life, in the hundreds.
It is unfortunate, but as we wrote a while ago, democracy does not work for Africa. The multiparty(and even 2 party) system of western democracy, simply leads to and foments inter-ethnic hate, violence and organized terror.
MEND (Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta) was very well documented to have evolved from thugs, armed an utilized by the then governor of Port Harcourt, Peter Odili, for his political campaigns. In like fashion, the Boko Haram terrorists were reportedly armed by the then governor of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff, who allegedly used them as thugs in his political campaigns.
For starters, Asari Dokubo, the self-styled ‘mujahedin’ leader of MEND was no more than thug who had been closely associated with Peter Odili and played a pivotal role in seeing to it that the 2003 elections produced the ‘right’ result for Odili and his PDP cronies. It was only a falling out between these two hyenas that led Dokubo to ‘discover’ the plight of his oppressed people and take up arms on their behalf. Never mind that by rigging elections, he had deprived them of any say in how they were to be ruled. Read more…
Wole Soyinka understood the dynamics of Boko Haram, as he explained earlier this year. There are extremists, who if armed are ready to kill anyone of another religion, or even anyone of same faith, who they are convinced does not abide by their extreme versions of religion. These extremists have been armed by the Kanuri political institutes of North East Nigeria and utilized to further their non specific and every day goals in regional and national political games.
Recent revelations from arrested Senator Ndume’s court proceedings, and an exchange between the Senator in whose domain, a Boko Haram kingpin was arrested and the ex-governor of Borno, Modu Sheriff, have brought these fundamental, strategic aspects of Boko Haram, a mere political thug menace to light.
Clips from the two stories follow:
Senator Ndume gave AGF’s mobile number to Boko Haram – SSS
Mr. Ineh, who was the Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel, SIP, set up to investigate Mr. Ndume, said that a former spokesman of Boko Haram, Ali Konduga, revealed the information to the panel. He said Mr. Konduga informed the panel that the senator provided him with the telephone number of Mr. Adoke.
The witness allegedly told the panel that the number was used to bargain a governorship petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Borno state.
Mr. Ineh said that the former Boko Haram spokesman testified that the calls to Mr. Adoke were threats to spur him to influence the Governorship Election Tribunal members to cede the state’s election victory to PDP or risk mayhem in the State.
He explained that the name of the Attorney General was dragged into the panel report submitted on November 25, 2011 on the grounds that his GSM number was found in Mr. Konduga’s telephone set.
Mr. Ineh, in his testimony, further said that the items found in the senator’s telephone were indicative of his close connection with the dreaded group.
“The fact that Konduga was tried and convicted of terrorism acts is enough to show that the accused is also liable,’’ he said. Read more…
The second piece, a Sheriff granted BBC interview, is part of the ongoing tirade between Sheriff and Zanna:
Borno PDP Behind Boko Haram; Zanna is a Gun Runner- Ali Modu Sheriff
It is laughable that instead of defending his obvious involvement with Boko Haram, given his past antecedence where people finger him as illegal importer of arms via his Hajj-by-road fame, Senator Zanna is desperately looking somebody to hang for his sins.
It is common knowledge in Borno state that Senator Zanna takes along some hapless Nigerians on a seeming religious voyage by road only to put some of the them into terrorist activity and illegal arms importation. Some of the so-called pilgrims by road have been traced to terrorists’ camps in Afghanistan and Syria, and not Saudi Arabia, their preferred destination. It is very much on record that 27 of such pilgrims are still missing uptill date.
Senator Zanna’s inconsistencies in trying to defend himself are clear indication of a sinking man’s desperate attempt to hang himself on anything available in order to save his neck. If not so, what would his nephew be doing in the so-called house of Senator Ali Sheriff, the man he said is his political rival?
Contrary to his claims in the media that he had parted ways with the suspect, we can authoritatively confirm that his nephew, Shuaibu, was still his associate up to the time of his arrest.
It is an act in futility for him to try to name Ali Sheriff as an accomplice in his nefarious activity with Boko Haram, knowing fully well that the wild allegations being leveled by him will never amount to an acquittal of his guilt.
The one million dollar question is why has Senator Zanna never spoken against the atrocities being committed by Boko Haram, rather he has been calling for the declaration of state of emergency or the disbandment of the JTF which he knew are antithetical to the quest for peace.
Again being the second senator fingered, as having links with Boko Haram, it is a confirmation of the wildly believed theory that the PDP in Borno state is the engine room behind Boko Haram.
At his age and with the position he holds as a senator of the Federal Republic we felt it is the height of un-patrioticism and irresponsibility for Senator Ahmed Zanna to not only fuel the crisis in Borno, but to attempt to drag the names of descent citizens, like Ali Sheriff in the mud.
We know that since his inauguration Senator Ahmed Zanna has never visited Borno nor his constituency even for once can afford to play politics with the serious issue at stake by sponsoring terrorism against his own people.
On this note, we want to call on the relevant security authorities to fully investigate the incident and senator Zanna’s possible links with Boko Haram, and also his Hajj-by-road activities for which he was suspected to have used as a façade for the importation of arms and window for the training of terrorists.
-Alhaji Modu Sheriff is the former Borno State governorRead more…
Sadly, from these two pieces and other welling up evidence, it becomes clear that Boko Haram are thugs for the hire, like pit bull dogs, available to be used by various political interests in the Kanuri North East, and other crazies willing to pay their dues.
Boko Haram is not what they claim to be, a Muslim radical group with interests in de-westernizing Nigeria. That is simply a front they put up. They, in harassing the Attorney General, to impose a certain political party in the democratic, dare I say, western democratic dispensation, prove that they are mere hooligans for the hire.
Now, we must consider that the Attorney General did not concede to their threatening demands. The PDP candidate did not win the elections as governor Kassim Shettima of the ANPP was confirmed governor. The PDP candidate in the April 2011 governorship election, Alhaji Muhammadu Goni had filed a petition challenging the victory of the ANPP candidate, Alhaji Kashim Shettima. This was resolved with tough battles and tribunal proceedings. We can imagine that chaos we witness in Borno and environs is the fulfillment of this promise in response to the the failure of PDP candidate, Mohammed Goni’s being declared winner.
ANPP contestant, Kashim Shetima succeeded his former ANPP boss, Modu Sheriff. This 2010 pre-election article gives a lot of insight into the ethnic, historical and political tension and war that Borno is composed of.
Automatically Mohammed Goni, who was the first civilian governor of Borno state, from 1979-1983, enters our list of Boko Haram suspected sponsors. After all it was to install him as governor in the contested April 26th elections that Boko Haram called the AGF and promised to unleash terror in the state. It is very unfortunate that individuals have lost their humanity and are wiling to support, sponsor and arm people and hold states and the entire nation hostage for their personal gain.
Democracy simply does not work in Africa. From Ivory coast to Sierra Leone, to Nigeria, the multiparty democratic system has built the worst types of intolerance and ethnic hate and division-ism and sectarian strife imaginable. With long lasting effects.
While many Nigerians were carried away by former president Buhari’s loud remarks, that ‘Nigeria will be ungovernable’ if the North did not reclaim sway. The silent direct threat to president Goodluck Jonathan, by the Kanuri exgovernor, the person of Mohammed Goni was not given much media and social thought.
Mohammed Goni
GONI TO JONATHAN, BE WISE
Tuesday June 1st 2010
Second Republic politician, Alhaji Mohammed Goni, has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan to be wise about the pressure being mounted on him by some people to contest the presidential election in 2011. The governor of old Borno State advised the President not to be carried away by such calls. He told Daily Sun in Maiduguri: We should first admit that it was God that brought Jonathan to power. He has to be wise in responding to the calls of some people for him to contest.
Excerpts:
President Goodluck Jonathan and 2011
“I appreciate all the comments of the people about this particular issue. When the security, peace and unity of the nation is threatened, good voices ought to come out to intervene. This rotational thing started during the Abacha constitution review exercise but we never knew Abacha was out to stay put. Again, there is this northern team which usually analyses political situation and offers credible suggestion that would protect the interest of the region even the mid-belt share from such arrangement.
“One thing I have found out in all constitution reviews is that people have never asked to be separated from the country but Nigerians have always been for fair treatment of their people. This, to me means that it has become unanimous for Nigerians to stay together where the South and the North will feel they are part of it.
“We should first admit that it was God that brought Dr Goodluck Jonathan to power. He has to be wise in responding to the calls of some people for him to contest. I am saying this not because I am a northerner. I’m also aware that there was a gentleman agreement by the PDP leadership years back about rotation of the Presidency. Interestingly, I am a member of PDP now. It doesn’t matter to me who occupies the office. It should be given to the region whose turn it is to produce the president, though it has only taken a single term of the two terms agreement reached during the Obasanjo era. I think it is good for the unity of the country and that of the party.” Read more…
It is easy to conclude what Boko Haram is and why it remains, despite the great success being achieved by the son of Dasuki, NSA(National Security Adviser). As long as Nigerian federal government does not put down a hard hand on these Kanuri politicians, who have gone out of control, Boko Haram terror will continue to spread from the Kanem-Borno empire to the rest of Nigeria.
The state has been led by politicians who are clearly affiliated with Boko Haram and used them for thuggery within the state and in ‘bullying’ the entire nation. How dare a state political party have Boko Haram terrorists call the Nigerian government and threaten to unleash mayhem in the state if their candidate does not win? It is not surprising that Nigerians are not reacting in most strong fashion to this revolting information release. The country has gotten completely complacent.
At this stage, military rule can be invited over the Kanemi empire till order is re-established and control restored. It is not likely that the civilian governorship of Kashim Shetima and the current enforcement of law, including the JTF(Joint task Force) presence can deal properly with these bigwigs, who continue to train, utilize and have Boko Haram ready for hire in all types of intimidation by crazy politicians, secessionists and other psychopaths in Nigeria and even abroad. To know more about Boko Haram and its regional, especially Kanuri based affiliation, see our prior article: NewsRescue–Decoding Boko Haram: The Regional Ambitions and Permutations
The United States foreign intelligence council, CFR, said this of the Kanuri based Boko Haram terror group earlier this year:
Nigeria’s Boko Haram and MEND Similar?
Stratfor, the global intelligence company based in Austin, Texas, has published a thoughtful analysis that is well-worth reading, though I disagree with its fundamental premise. The starting point is a possible deal between President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and the Delta militant leader Henry Okah, now imprisoned in South Africa (at Nigeria’s behest) for alleged terrorism. Okah has long been thought a senior leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) that carried out extensive attacks on the oil industry in the Niger Delta between 2005 and 2009. The article places MEND in the context of national politics and posits that a deal with Okah could be part of an effort to secure MEND’s cooperation in the run-up to the 2015 presidential elections, and the struggle for ruling party leadership, which, is suggested to be already underway. It directly ties MEND’s successes from 2005 to 2009 to its protection by the delta region’s governors and security officials. MEND’s activities largely stopped as the result of a national amnesty that included a massive payoff of MEND warlords and the region’s political leaders.
The article suggests that Boko Haram may be “The North’s answer to MEND.” That Boko Haram, like MEND, is protected by political insiders. The North has no oil, but Boko Haram has successful undermined public confidence in Jonathan’s ability to govern. So long as Boko Haram limits its operations to internal–not international–targets, it will survive.
Implicit in the argument is that Jonathan could end, or at least significantly decrease, Boko Haram’s activities by buying-off its leaders and according its sponsors with greater political influence. Read more…
Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser (NSA) boss, General Owoye Azazi had earlier in April recognized the connection of the PDP with Boko Haram.
Gen. Azazi
NSA blames PDP for Boko Haram crisis
“How come the extent of violence did not increase in Nigeria until the public declaration of the people that were going to contest election by the PDP? And I would also like to say this, though the PDP people will not agree with me, they would like to attack me, but I hope they do it in private.
“PDP got it wrong from the beginning by saying Mr. A can go and Mr. B cannot go and these decisions were made without looking at the constitution.”
Azazi submitted that there was a strong link between the resurgence of violence in the northern region and the last set of elections that were held in the country
He added, “I believe there is a strong element of politicisation of the crisis, where some people were assured that they would win 80 per cent and they did not win.
“Is it not amazing that after the elections the Boko Haram became better trained, better armed and better funded. But I can assure you that Boko Haram could not have that kind of sophistication without a backing.”
According to the army General, arresting the leaders of the sect would not completely erase the group because their activities had given birth to other branches of violence, which would continue to raise their heads.
“Today, if you arrest all the leaders of Boko Haram, I don’t think the problem would end, because the situation that created the sect has not been tackled e.g. poverty and the desire (of some people) to rule Nigeria. These issues cannot be isolated unless they are handled comprehensively. Read More from Punch…
Gen. Azazi was pursued from his post shortly after he made these revelations.
Understanding these facts about Boko Haram, it’s being a regional, politics embedded revolutionary machine, gives insight into why the US refuses to list them as a global terror organization. The GEJ government must attack the regional caucus involved, brutally and firmly, once and for all. Meanwhile on tactical levels, it is believed that Boko Haram has moved most of its ops to Niger republic, due to JTF clamping down. Nigeria must answer and work with the Niger government to address the cross-border terrorism.
