Bold Statement: Spare nobody with Boko Haram links, even my child – Shettima
*Nigerians want Governors Fayose, Wike, others to make same bold statement as Shettima
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has urged security agencies to ensure that anyone found with Boko Haram links face justice, even his own child.
The governor made the remarks in a seven-minute video clip released yesterday in Maiduguri where he noted that any citizen who chooses to affiliate with insurgents had committed a crime against humanity and must be made to face justice no matter who the person might be.
He spoke just as some of The DEFENDER’s respondents, giving kudos to what they called a bold statement by the governor, called on governors of some other flash point-states in the country to do same.
They particularly called on Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, to make similar bold statement that security agencies should spare no one found in making violence in their respective states including their sons, relations or aides.
A lawyer, who spoke to The DEFENDER, said Fayose had been found making himself counted in anything anti-government and anti-State including travelling all the way from Ekiti to China for singular reason of going there to obstruct an official mission of President of his country, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, who was in Beiging facilitating an economic development programme for Nigeria. Fayose was also demanded to make a bold statement like Shettima did being that he was said to have been behind many backward activities to the detriment of Nigeria including his support for Niger Delta militants that sent the country to ground zero due to their destruction of oil installations in the Niger Delta, his support for Biafra agitators and Tuface when he heard that he was going to stage an anti-government protest.
On the part of Governor Wike of Rivers, his defence for many of the criminal and violent activities in Rivers State particularly the recent recent rerun election violence that saw many dead including DSP Mohammed Alkali, who was beheaded, his orderly and other police officers. Wike was particularly slammed into making a bold statement like Governor Shettima did because, “He had the boldness to pray a court of the Federal Republic to stop the Inspector-General of Police from continuing with his investigation of the violence and killings that greeted the last rerun elections in Rivers State.
“If he wants us to believe like he has wanted to make us do that he knows nothing about the killings despite the obvious that his phone conversations involving Governor Fayose and others have revealed, he must also make such bold statement as made by Governor Shettima. Then, we will now begin to push the security agencies to work on the statement,” said the lawyer who spoke under strict condition of anonymity. He added that most of the security problems in Nigeria were caused at state level and that the problems would be removed only when each of the governors of the country began to remove their hands from sponsoring or encouraging violence in fulfillment of the oath of office that they swore to.
Governor Shettima of Borno State said: “This is why I strongly say to security agencies, that anyone factually suspected of despicable links with the Boko Haram and other criminals should face justice even if that person happens to be one of my three biological children.”
He said some insurgents living outside battle fronts and those supporting them concealed their identities, making it impossible for innocent citizens to identify them and associate with them innocently.
The governor lamented renewed attacks by Boko Haram terrorists who use children as young as seven years.
Shettima who reminded the people of the state that the capture of Sambisa forest does not mean an end to terrorism, noted that the insurgents are now attacking soft targets such as schools, places of worship and markets which he described as signs of weakness.
