THE Federal Government seems to have penetrated the leadership of the destructive Boko Haram sect as its agencies hinted yesterday that their offensive against the group in six states had paid off.
An official of the State Security Services (SSS) disclosed yesterday that the agency has arrested over 100 “cell commanders” of the terror group in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
The agency, however, declined to comment on what transpired between it and former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, who it arrested last week in Abuja, as it simply said “the issue ended on a good note.”
SSS Assistant Director of Public Affairs, Marilyn Ogar, who briefed journalists yesterday in Abuja on the organisation’s activities, said “details of those arrested will remain classified as they are still undergoing the process of de-radicalisation, perception management and also try to win their confidence back to the society.”
She further explained the decision not to disclose the identity of those detained for “strategic operational reasons.
“At the end of the exercise, we know what to adopt. They are Nigerians, and we have to talk to them to drop their reasons.
“We have arrested key commanders of the cell, and you know we are still grappling with the killing of Mohammed Yusuf, so we cannot charge anyone to court for now,” she said.
Specifically, the SSS spokesperson stated that between May 2011, the agency had demobilised eight Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) concealed in small and medium size tins beneath a staircase in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Council of Kaduna State.
Meanwhile, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, has linked the festering violence in some states to the social injustice and economic inequality prevailing in the country.
He noted that the Boko Haram attacks and other similar ones might not be unconnected with disenchantment by Nigerians, who are frustrated by the maladministration by their leaders.
He spoke yesterday at the swearing-in of a newly appointed Judge, Mrs. Kudirat Morayo Akano.
In his speech titled: “Where would we have been without justice,” the governor said frustrations caused by lack of justice and widening economic gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged might be responsible for the insecurity in Nigeria.
He said those in power must govern with the fear of God and embark on programmes that would alleviate the suffering of the citizens.
“To bring it home, we are witnessing instability and insurrection, bomb blasts and targeted killings, especially of law enforcement agents. These are terrorist acts condemnable in all ramifications.
“The appropriate authorities have responded with a resolve to crush the monster and even their sponsors in order to restore peace to the affected communities but we would need to do more by addressing the root causes of the problems,” he said.
Also, former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and the Secretary of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council and Hamman Bachama, Homun Asaph Zadok, have admonished politicians to galvanise Nigerians towards the nation’s unity. They said the political class should be held responsible for the recent post-election violence in some northern states.
The two leaders spoke at the first Kaduna chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Roundtable Discussion with the theme, “Post-election violence: The way forward.” It was held at the Arewa House, Kaduna.
Makarfi, who was special guest at the occasion, noted that Nigerians went into the April general elections with divisive minds rather than unity.
He pointed out that rather than for politicians to anchor their programmes on “issues” that would unite the country, they went into the race with disunity and divisive minds.
The development, he explained, was a clear recipe for the post-election violence that rocked some parts of the North.
Makarfi also carpeted the sixth National Assembly for not passing the Electoral Offences Bill, which would have taken care of the unfortunate crisis.
According to him, the conduct of politicians even before and after the April elections left a lot to be desired as some of them practically bragged that “because they are in power that the election outcome must represent what they desired.”
The former governor and senator also blamed security agents for failing to analyse the situation before the elections, stressing that such move would have prepared state governors to nip the post-election violence in the bud.
On his part, Bachama said a revolution was looming in the country and that Nigerians and their leaders must not pretend about it, adding that with all the comforts in the Arab world, there was still protest in that part of the world.
Zadok, identified institutional decay as being responsible for most of the myriads of problems in the country just as he explained that “unless we get out of the culture of rubbishing the integrity of institutions, we will not get it right.”
Earlier, NUJ Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Idris, said violence in any form would never be a solution to any problem, rather “the aftermath of it has always been regrets on the part of the perpetrators and agony on the part of the affected.”-guardian
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