I n SaharaReporters Interview, Australian Negotiator Insists Modu
Sherriff, Ihejirika Sponsor Boko Haram, Exonerates Buhari, El-Rufai.
Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, and Boko Haram
commanders in 2013 after BH reportedly agreed to dialogue
Stephen Davis, an Australian hostage negotiator who spent some
time in Nigeria trying to secure the release of more than 200
Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in Chibok,
Borno State, told SaharaReporters that he stands by his widely
reported allegations that former Governor Modu Sherriff of Borno
State and a former Chief of Army staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika
(ret.), were among the top sponsors of the Islamist insurgents who
have massacred thousands of Nigerians and foreigners and made
the northeast part of Nigeria a highly militarized zone.
In an extensive telephone interview with SaharaReporters yesterday,
Dr. Davis also accused an unnamed senior official of the Central
Bank of Nigeria as well as a man based in Cairo, Egypt whom he
claimed operates as Boko Haram’s bagman. He said both men, in
addition to Mr. Sheriff and former General Ihejirika, were major
players in the funding and continued existence of the deadly Islamist
sect.
Dr. Davis told SaharaReporters that he did not want to name the
CBN official as this may prejudice investigation by Nigeria’s security
services. Both accused men have reacted furiously to Mr. Davis’
allegation, with the former Borno governor threatening to travel to
Australia to sue his accuser while Mr. Ihejirika accused former
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El Rufai, of being a
“commander” of Boko Haram. Three days ago, Mr. El Rufai had
posted transcripts and video of Mr. Davis’ accusations of the former
governor and ex-Army chief on social media.
Asked whether Mr. El Rufai and former military ruler, Muhammadu
Buhari, had a hand in funding or sponsoring Boko Haram, Dr. Davis
said their names have not been mentioned to him by any Boko
Haram connections.
Also, asked to explain why Mr. Ihejirika, a non-Muslim who hails
from the predominantly Christian southeastern part of Nigeria,
became a Boko Haram “sponsor,” Mr. Davis said, “Boko Haram
commanders and some connected with them told me on several
occasions Ihejirika was one of their sponsors.”
He also disclosed that Mr. Sheriff always had the best military
protection in Nigeria’s violence-plagued northeast, a protection he
claimed the ex-governor enjoyed after he left office.
Dr. Davis reiterated that his allegations were informed by
discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders
over a long period of time. Asked if President Goodluck Jonathan
was aware of the insurgents’ sponsors and their specific roles, Dr.
Davis said he was unsure of the extent of information currently
before President Jonathan. He added that Mr. Jonathan had been
weakened by lack of military loyalty and a history of security
negligence. He gave the example of repeated attempts to bring the
growth of Al Qa’eda associated cells to the attention of NSA’s since
2006 only to have them dismiss such reports as baseless. “By the
time Goodluck Jonathan became president Boko Haram had
become a potent weapon with a command structure embedded in 16
northern states fanned by support from corrupt politicians.”
He further gave the example of Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Aliyu
Gusau, whom he accused of basically leaving Mr. Jonathan to carry
his can without taking any responsibility for his work.
The Australian negotiator also revealed that his years working with
Nigerian presidents on matters of terrorism had shown that, even
when some prominent individuals are known to be involved in
criminality, the presidents are simply too afraid to take them on. He
cited the example of the Niger Delta region. He told SaharaReporters
that he and former President Olusegun Obasanjo found out that
Abiye Sekibo, who was then Mr. Obasanjo’s Transport Minister, had
contracted the assassins who killed a prominent politician, Harry
Marshall. He said he tried to persuade Mr. Obasanjo to prosecute
Mr. Sekibo, but the then president declined, stating that such a trial
could bring down his government.
Dr. Davis touched on several aspects of Boko Haram activities,
showing that he was quite knowledgeable about the sect’s actions.
He told SaharaReporters that Boko Haram runs about six major
camps in the northeast and neighboring countries, adding that 700
fighters inhabited each camp. In addition there are a range of
smaller camps within Borno State, which are often temporary and to
which kidnapped girls are taken to be used by the insurgents.
The Australian revealed that earlier this year Boko Haram was a
loose coalition of three Islamist militant groups that worked with
one another, claiming that, since four months ago, the sects had
merged into one single entity, become more cohesive, strategically
effective and powerful. “They are now linking with other terrorist
group in the region and will soon be very difficult to dismantle. If
these political sponsors think they can turn these groups off after
the 2015 elections they are going to be surprised to find it is out of
their control.”
On why he had chosen to speak out publicly at this time, Dr. Davis
stated that, from experience, any terrorist group that has lasted
more than eight years after its formation would likely exist for
another 20 or more years before it can be dismantled. It thus
becomes embedded for a generation and the likelihood of
dismantling it was very low. “If we don’t do our utmost now to
dismantle Boko Haram then we may not be able to do so for
another generation. That is a very gloomy scenario for Nigeria.”
He touched on former National Security Adviser, Owoye Andrew
Azazi, whom he described as utterly corrupt. He said Mr. Azazi, who
was a retired Army general, was planning to buy into the Hilton
hotel chain in London to the tune of $100 million before he died in a
helicopter crash on December 15, 2012.
Dr. Davis painted a portrait of Nigeria’s various intelligence units as
operating in silos that refuse to share information that could tame
terrorist groups. To illustrate his point, the Australian cited the
example of the State Security Services. According to him, months
after the SSS won the extradition from the Sudan of Aminu
Ogwuche, a suspected terror mastermind who reportedly planned
the deadly bombing of an Abuja bus station, the intelligence agency
had yet to interrogate Mr. Ogwuche about his links with the three
young men he reportedly contracted to carry out the bombing.
Dr. Davis said the young men were three in number and that they
lived in the home of a CBN official who also carried out banking
transactions for Boko Haram through the CBN. He said two other
young collaborators in the Nyanya Motor Park bombing remain on
the run.
The Australian hostage negotiator vowed to make more revelations
about Boko Haram’s sponsors, adding that he believed the sect
could only be dismantled if their sponsors were exposed and
prosecuted. In particular, he said he could not see why the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not already
moved on Sheriff for his extensive looting of public funds when he
was the Borno State governor, and for leaving the roads in Borno
State in a terrible shape that has enabled Boko Haram to ambush
Nigeria troops and massacre them mercilessly. He also added that
the former governor should face the ultimate trial for financing the
recruitment of young men to the Islamist sect.
Dr. Davis dismissed Mr. Sheriff’s threat to travel to Australia to sue
him for his statements as grandstanding and seeking to divert
attention from the real issue of Mr. Sheriff’s involvement with Boko
Haram. He added that he would be pleased to meet the former
governor at the airport whenever he developed the courage to come
to Australia.
SOURCE:
SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK
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