Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Security,DSS hitherto and still popularly called SSS has defended former Chief of Army State,Lt Gen Azubuike Ihejirika who was recently named as one of the sponsors of Boko Haram sect by Dr Stephen Davis,an Australian negotiator.Davis said Boko Haram field Commanders named former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and Ihejirika as their sponsors.Both men have denied the allegations.
Also addressing newsmen in Abuja,Spokesperson of the SSS,Ms Marilyn Ogar dismissed the inclusion of Ihejirika’s name on the list of Boko Haram sponsors as wicked. “I want to say here that it is absolutely uncharitable for us as Nigerians to reward like that somebody who laid down his life in pursuing the same people”Ogar said
She said further ,“For us to accept that he is associated with the same sect whose activities he, together with this Service, succeeded in bringing to a halt in Kano, Okene and other places, pursuing them down to the Sambisa Forest.
According to the SSS spokesperson,“And to accept that the same man was sponsoring Boko Haram is wicked and uncharitable. We should not allow people to use our liberal nature to perpetrate all sort of evils in our society.”
She however said the service has invited Sheriff once again for questioning “He had been invited here twice in the past. The Service has invited him again. There is nothing that this service has done in investigation in the past that we have not informed the public.”
Ogar’s assertion that the service had earlier invited Sheriff “twice” for questioning contradicts the former governor’s claims all along on the issue .Sheriff has consistently insisted that he went to the SSS on his own volition and that his visit had nothing to do with Boko Haram.
Ogar also responded to Davis’ claims that a “CBN official who handles the funding is an uncle to three of those arrested in connection with the Nyanya bombings. The three boys lived with him. They were arrested by the SSS after the bombings but they do not seem to have been interrogated about their uncle in CBN. Or if they have given up information about their uncle then the SSS has not moved against him.”
In her response Ogar said, “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state that of the six (6) suspects in our custody, none is related to another by blood.
“In other words, none is a cousin or nephew to any other, and only two (2) suspects namely Yau SAIDU and AnasI SAH have ever lived together at the makeshift clinic called ‘Kishi Clinic” operated by Rufai Abubakr TSIGA, a co-mastermind of the bomb blast who is still at large.
“It may also be recalled that on 12th May, 2014, this Service paraded the following suspects in connection with the bombing of Nyanya Motor Park: Ahmed Rufai ABUBAKAR (a.k.a. Abu IBRAHIM/Maiturare);Muhammadu SaniI SHAQ; Yau SAIDU (a.k.a. Kotar Rama); AnasI SAH; and Adamu YUSUF.
“Aminu Sadiq OGWUCHE; and Rufai AbubakarTSIGA were subsequently declared wanted. “OGWUCHEwas later arrested in Sudan and extradited to Nigeria on 14th July, 2014.Further interrogation of suspects in our custody has also revealed that none lived with or has any relationship with any staff of the CBN.
“This statement is imperative to clarify some information in the media to the contrary. We wish to categorically state that this Service is not the source of the information credited to DAVIS”,Ogar said while giving assurances that probe into Nyanya bombings continues.
Follow Us On WhatsApp