Says the group still keen on ceasefire, dialogue- Warns journalist over ‘spurious’ allegations’
By Olayemisi Abdul
A seeming factional group of Boko Haram has today denied their group’s involvement in last week’s abduction of seven French nationals in Cameroon.
The group made this known in a press conference granted to journalists in Maiduguri, the birth place of the Boko Haram ideology.
Sheikh Abu Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez who spoke on behalf of the sect leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau, also absolved the sect from the renewed hostility within and around Maiduguri in which at least 30 persons including security personnel and three Korean medical expatriates were killed in the past three weeks.
‘We have been hearing, of late, how people are linking us with the kidnap of the seven French nationals in Cameroon. We have nothing to do with the French people or their abductors’, he said.
‘The security or whoever that is trying to rescue the kidnapped French nationals should better look elsewhere, because it would amount to waste of time if they continue assuming we are involved’.
Ibn Abdulazeez who was accompanied by four other hooded members that declined identifying themselves throughout the 30 minutes long press conference held secretly in a TV broadcast house.
He said their leader Imam Shekau is still committed to the ceasefire deal with the government of Nigeria. He dissociated their leader from the recently circulated leaflets in some parts of Maiduguri in which a seeming splinter group of the sect, said the leader had not discussed any truce deal with government.
Similarly, Ibn Abdulazeez said the sect may go out of its way to deal with media organisation that publishes falsehood about their group. He specifically warned The Sun newspaper a report that they demanded N26.6 billion at the meeting that preceded the ceasefire declaration.
‘We take exception to that and also want to tell the world that we have never and will never make such demand from anyone.
