Boko Haram: Sherrif should be held responsible

What started as a one man problem has now metamorphosed into a national catastrophe. Few saw it this way. The Boko Haram crises started as a minor problem of a state Governor, who used them to achieve his political objectives, when he was through with them he tried to discard them. Ali Modu Sherrif should be held responsible for the boko haram crises in Borno State. He started it and therefore he should come and partake in solving the problem. In Nigeria we are fond of cover-ups. One singular incidence that led to the escalation of the Boko Haram violence in Maiduguri and now to other places in Nigeria was the extra-judicial killing of its leader, Mallam Muhammadu Yusuf last year. Confirming this killing, the spokesperson of the Police, Isa Azare proudly told news men in Maiduguri, sometimes in July 2009 “He has been killed”. He was even inviting reporters to follow him and see the police ‘heroic’ job. “You can come and see his body at the state police command headquarters”.
This national embarrassment in 2009 was what led to the sporadic violence, including the recent bombing of the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Nigerian leaders are poor students of history; in fact, no one wants to recall what happened yesterday, talk less of last year or what happened in last 10-20 years. In all discussions and debate of the Boko Haram phenomenon, few cared to mention the role Ali Modu Sherriff played in escalating the recent crises. In a serious country, Sherrif would have been a special guest of the Nigerian Security Agencies to answer questions on the role he played in the 2009 crises. But today, Modu Sherrif, who is a star witness to the crises, is nowhere to be found. In fact, no one is even bringing to the picture.
Modu Sherrif was alleged to have been the person who ordered the summary execution of Muhammad Yusuf, the late leader of the group, Alhaji Buji Foi, the group’s alleged financier and Yusuf’s in-law, who handed himself to the police and assassinated while in detention. The former Governor was also accused of having links with the group, some commentators went further to say that Yusuf and Foi supported Sherrif to become the Governor in 2003 and 2007. Was it the reason why Sherrif appointed Foi as Commissioner of Religious affairs before resigning the position and became strong opposition to Sherrif’s style of leadership in the State? These are some of the allegation that the security operatives should have taking seriously.
The boko haram was a Maiduguri problem or rightly put Sherrif’s problem, which was as a result of fall out between himself and the people who supported him to come to power in 2003 and 2007. He knows quite sure that he can’t afford to fight them because of his dismal failure on the way he ruled the state in his last 8 years. Sherrif drag the whole nation into it and today, boko haram, which started as a one state or one city problem has become an international problem. Yours sincerely believes that the only person that will be made to answer questions concerning the boko haram crises is Ali Modu Sherrif. He engineered it, supported and financed it and when he realized the group was becoming too powerful he used state machinery at his disposal at the time to muzzle them.
Therefore instead of looking at the root cause of the crises, we narrow our attention to the terror associated with the crises. The media’s attention was to report a selling story, and from the headlines the intention is very clear. No mention of Sheriff or the role he played during and after the crises. The President should as a matter of urgency direct the security agencies not only to investigate the boko haram crises, but also to what led to the crises. He should also direct the security agencies to issue a warrant of arrest on the former Governor. Since Muhammadu Yusuf, his in-law, and the alleged group’s financier, Modu Sheriff should be held responsible and serve as star witness. Considering the condition of Maiduguri, the escalation of the violence, it is time for civil society organizations, human right groups, the media and the Nigerian Bar Association to put pressure on the Attorney General of Federation to issue an arrest warrant on Sheriff.
Nigeria cannot afford to continue allowing some people, just because they are politically powerful to threaten the unity of the nation and get away with it. Sheriff started boko haram, and since he ordered the execution of the group leaders, he should come forward and explain what happened. This in my view will help in the on-going peace initiatives and also address some of the group grievances.

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