READERS of the Nigerian Tribune’s The Friday Edition of last week should be familiar with the macabre details of how Boko Haram killer, Kabir Sokoto, was released by the police at Abaji on January 16.

But then, how is Boko Haram funded? Who funds it? I assume that the sponsors of Boko Haram can be grouped into four major types: politicians, businessmen/women, traditional rulers and uniformed men. If Boko Haram did not enjoy the support of these groups, it would not have come this far in its campaign of terror.

Boko Haram obviously enjoys the backing of some forces among the security agencies. The ‘escape’ of Kabir Sokoto, for instance, leads to no other conclusion. How did the youths who attacked the Sokoto interrogators know that he would be taken to Abaji on January 16? How did they recognise the vehicle in which he was being held; how did they recognise that Sokoto was already in town?

What did the Ona of Abaji, Adamu Baba, in whose palace the attack was launched, know about the criminals who perpetrated the act? Did His Majesty not recognise at least one of the youths who invaded his palace? Were there palace guards? What did they do during the attack? How was the attack launched on the policemen and what weapons were used? In which vehicle was Sokoto taken away, and how did the supposedly handcuffed killer escape? Immediately the police team was “overpowered”, did they inform the Abaji police division? Was there a search conducted on the roads or did Sokoto’s friends have an easy escape, distributing N20 notes to police men at checkpoints on that day? Is there a Boko Haram hideout in Abaji to where Sokoto’s friends took him and unchained him?

Who are the relations of Sokoto and have they been taken in for questioning?

Why did the Abaji team proceed to the palace of the Ona of Abaji without recourse to the police division within the town? Or was there a recourse and the public is just being taken for a ride?

And when a signal finally came, what did the Abaji police station do? What does the Abaji DPO know about this saga? And again, what was the team doing in the palace in the first place? Is it the practice to inform traditional rulers before taking away any of their subjects? Did Sokoto mention the palace? Are there Boko Haram killers harboured in the palace and if yes, what are their names? The traditional rulers behind Boko Haram think that they are having a swell time, but the bubble will soon burst when questions of money lead to betrayal and the books are opened. Notice that I am not indicting the Ona of Abaji. His Majesty is presumed innocent.

One day, these questions would be entirely unnecessary; if there was a war between  North and South, rigged population censuses which allocate stupendous figures to the North would be useless then. It is a warning, and Nigeria can only postpone the evil day.

What is the difference between Boko Haram and the youths who unleashed violence when Buhari was not announced president? The political parties should tell us the Boko Haram sponsors in their midst. This is not a matter of any party claiming superiority over the other.

ANPP, ACN, PDP, ANPP, CPC  presumably all have Boko Haram sponsors; any party that rigs elections can plant bombs. Na lie? For the avoidance of doubt, all parties in Nigeria rig elections. Politicians are definitely behind Boko Haram.

The Borno government has been distributing money shamelessly about, claiming that it was obeying a court order, as if it could not appeal the order. Can you imagine a decent governor asking the Federal Government to negotiate with the faceless Boko Haram? The N100 million given to Mohammed Yusuf’s in law ‘s family members could have been used to fight Boko Haram, and let no one deceive the nation by merely mouthing “obedience to court order” and other legalese. If the court asks you to sleep with your own mother, will you obey? You appeal the order. You will not be thinking of any law when Boko Haram wipes out the North. The judges sit in their courts, speaking grammar, pretending to be above everyone else, and forgetting that grammar is only possible when you have not been bombed.

Till this moment, former Governor Modu Sheriff , who was indicted together with Senator Ali Ndume, has not been invited by the police for questioning. Is anybody hiding anything here?

Ndume has since been charged to court. That Boko Haram says it wants to kill Sheriff should not confer any immunity on him; he should be invited to tell the nation what he knew about Boko Haram as governor and what he did to tame it. Sheriff could be innocent, but let that be proved before the law.

Lawrence Anini once terrorised this land; he was caught. The Boko Haram criminals will come to a similar end because, as the Yoruba say, the lala which goes up, it is to the ground that it will fall. The day comes, said Ngugi Wa Thiong’ O, when the hunter becomes the hunted.

Awolaja is on the staff of the Nigerian Tribune.

Comments (1)

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boko harm
written by Zara Howe, February 01, 2012

Yes the reign of boko haram will definitely come
to and end.
You have said the whole truth about insecurity in Nigeria
A lot of us get upset when Nigerians criticise and pour
insults on the President regarding boko haram
It is impossible to preside over a country where
the second in command, security service, police,navy
army, polititians etc are fighting war behind a veil called
boko haram. I ask those instigating the killing of innocent
people what will you gain. It is very difficult to work
with your enemies. But God who delivered Daniel from the lion
den must surely judge these people

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