The pan-northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa
Consultative Forum, on Thursday, advised government not to sweep recent allegations by a former
Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor,
Dr Obadia Mailafia, under the carpet.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe,
in an interview with Punch, said the allegation by Mailafia that a northern
governor was a Boko Haram leader was weighty and should be “screened.”
The former CBN deputy governor, in an interview with a radio station, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, had said some repentant terrorists revealed to him that a serving northern governor was a Boko Haram commander.
He said, “Some of us also have our intelligence networks. I have
met with some of the bandits. We have
met with some of their high commanders, one or two who have repented. They have
sat down with us not once, not twice.
“They told us that one of the northern governors was the commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram and the bandits are one and the same.”
Mailafia was on Wednesday quizzed for several hours by the
Department of State Services in Jos. After leaving the DSS office, the
ex-deputy governor of the CBN said he would not retract the statement he made.
In the interview with Punch, the ACF spokesman, Yawe,
said the allegations coming from a former CBN deputy governor were weighty and
should be “screened.”
According to him, Nigeria cannot afford to sweep such
allegations under the carpets. He hailed the DSS for inviting Mailafia.
The ACF spokesman said, “Given his status as former deputy
governor (of the CBN) and the weight of the allegations he raised, the DSS did
the correct thing in inviting Obadia Mailafia.
“He owes it to the country to shed more light on these
allegations. We cannot afford to sweep such allegations under the carpet.
“Boko Haram has killed many people, destroyed the lives of
many Nigerians, foreigners and Nigeria’s image in the comity of nations. The
allegation that a governor who swore by the constitution and the holy book to
defend the lives and property of the citizenry is behind such a satanic group
is repugnant and must be properly screened.
“Additionally, we fought a costly civil war in terms of
human lives and materials between 1967 and 1970. If there is any information
that a group is planning a civil war, we should do all we can to verify such
information and abort the plan. We cannot afford a second civil war.”
Name gov leading
B’Haram, northern coalition advises
Mailafia
On its part, the Coalition of Northern Groups, challenged Mailafia to go ahead and name the northern governor who was the commander of Boko Haram.
According to the CNGs,
the fact that Mailafia is sticking to his guns even after his arrest
called government to question.
He stated, “For instance, he should disclose the name of the
northern governor and the extent of involvement of government as he claimed.”
Spokesperson for the CNGs, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, stated
these in an interview with one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Thursday.
The CNGs said, “We look at the Mailafia saga from two
perspectives. One is the direct accusation of the involvement of government and
in particular, a serving northern governor with the unceasing insecurity and
other disturbances in the region. The fact that Mailafia is sticking to his
guns even after the arrest has certainly called government to question”.
“The man has made a serious commitment by claiming that he
has reliable intelligence of the existence of such dangerous plot. The
authorities should get him to prove his claims,
perhaps he can even assist the government.”
Middle Belt youths
laud Mailafia for insisting on allegations
But the Middle Belt Youth Council condemned the DSS for
inviting Mailafia.
The National President of the Middle Belt Youth Council
,Emma Zopmal, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Jos on Thursday, said
the Middle Belt people were happy that Mailafia
did not retract his statement.
He stated, “ We in Middle Belt are happy that the former CBN
deputy governor did not retract his statement despite the invitation meant to
intimidate him by the DSS because what
he said was nothing but the truth. And we are not surprised by his statement at
all”
On his part, a member
of the eighth National Assembly, Senator
Shehu Sani, warned the Federal
Government and state governors against harassing the former CBN deputy governor.
Sani stated in an interview with journalists on Thursday
after receiving the ‘Africa’s Legend of Human Rights,’ award from the Human
Rights Writers Association in Abuja.
He stated that government should not make Mailafia a
scapegoat after failing to stop Boko Haram insurgency and violence in the
northern part of Nigeria.
At the event, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel
Onwubiko, stressed that the government had no right to harass Mailafia.
He urged the media to stand in solidarity with Nigeria Info
99.3FM and protest the N5m slammed on the radio station by the National
Broadcasting Commission for airing the programme for which Mailafia was
invited.
Sani said, “This is a democracy, people in the position of
power must learn to respect the fundamental rights of citizens as guaranteed by
the constitution of this country.
“We shouldn’t use Mailafia as a scapegoat or an excuse.
Mailafia is not responsible for the insurgency and the violence, he is only
expressing his opinion and that should be respected.”
Don’t make hero out of Mailafia, Borno Concerned Elders dean
advises govt
But the Dean of Borno
Concerned Elders, Prof Khalifa
Dikwa, in an interview with one of our
correspondents, said the DSS could decipher
Mailafia’s statement as that of a politician preparing for the 2023
presidency.
Dikwa stated, “His (Mailafia) outburst may have been made
after he was shown some deceitful theatrics by a political interest or foreign
troublemaking intelligence which chose a
dramatis personae to act like real repentant Boko Haram, planning to invade a
region for a false propaganda to take over the media space as if it is real.”
“We are dealing with some bad political actors who are
readily willing to heat the polity with ethno-religious sentiments, rather than
wait for 2023 elections because they cannot galvanise votes in a democracy
where numbers matter.”
He advised government not t make a hero out of Mailafia.
Dikwa recalled that a former President while in office once alleged that there
were Boko Haram members in his cabinet.
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