How Borno LG Chairman and His Father Shield Fleeing Boko Haram Terrorists - Army Makes Shocking Claim

7 years ago

How Borno LG Chairman and His Father Shield Fleeing Boko Haram Terrorists - Army Makes Shocking Claim

The Nigerian Army, yesterday, gave account of how a local government chairman in Borno State and his father used their house as a shield for fleeing Boko Haram fighters during period of battle against the insurgents in the North East , Vanguard reports.

The Army said Alhaji Shettima Lawan, Caretaker Chairman of Mafa Local Government Area of the state and his father whose name was not disclosed were sympathizers of the dreaded Islamist extremist sect whose activities had led to loss of thousands of lives and destruction of several property in the North East.

The Army which said the council chairman was already in its custody after his arrest for alleged link with sect, however, said the apprehended Borno council boss would be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution, since according to it, it lacked power to prosecute.

Speaking during a live televised press conference, held at the 7 Division Headquarters of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, monitored in Abuja, Major General Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, insisted that the chairman was an ardent sympathizer of the sect. He, however, did not state whether the chairman’s accomplice father was also arrested and being held.

“The chairman was in the habit of accommodating people that had fled from the bush.

”We heard that he harboured Boko Haram members along with his father. He said he kept the Boko Haram members because the father begged him to do so. All I can say is that the chairman is a big supporter of Boko Haram,” he said .

Irabor also disclosed that the army also arrested the Vice Chairman of Kaga Local Government Area of the state, over alleged link with the sect, saying he was undergoing interrogation.

Although, Irabor said the detained council chairman had been valuable in the fight against the sect, he, however, said such does not preclude him from interrogation based on intelligence gathered.

“At some point, he has been valuable to us being with the Civilian JTF to fight Boko Haram; but that does not mean we cannot investigate him for a crime like this.” he added.

Recall that two days ago, the Borno State Government, in a widely publicized statement, said it was worried that the council chairman, which it said had been harboring people fleeing from the crisis area, could be linked to such act even as it said it was not holding brief for the detained chairman.

Speaking through a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Usman Zanna, the Borno State Government insisted that it was worried over the development.

“The Chairman is also known to champion the course of citizens fleeing from communities after attacks by insurgents. From information available to the military, the Chairman recently got involved in assisting some citizens trapped in a village within his local government area and he is believed to have Internally Displaced Persons living in his residence at 505 estate like most adults in Maiduguri, Jere and parts of Konduga do have fleeing relatives and friends living with them.

“There is an information that a certain suspected member of the Boko Haram might have joined some of the citizens he helped last week but whether he knew the identity of the suspect and deliberately hid him and for whatever purpose is what we look forward to being determined by the military,” he said

"While we do not intend to question the intelligence gathering, judgment and authority of the military, to us at the Ministry for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, the whole development is a worrisome twist.

“It is a twist because, for years, the caretaker chairman has been known for his courage in joining hunters to go into front lines to battle Boko Haram fighters. His commitment in the fight against insurgents is known to different Army commanders that served in Mafa Local Government Area in the last two years," the statement had read.