Boko Haram leaders not from Borno–Shehu of Borno

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai, has said that none of the leaders of the Boko Haram insurgents is from Borno State. A statement today by the spokesman of the presidential fact-finding committee on the rescue of the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok, Kingsley Osadolor, quoted the Shehu as saying this yesterday when the committee […]

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai, has said that none of the leaders of the Boko Haram insurgents is from Borno State.

A statement today by the spokesman of the presidential fact-finding committee on the rescue of the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok, Kingsley Osadolor, quoted the Shehu as saying this yesterday when the committee paid his a courtesy visit.

The monarch was also quoted as saying that the insurgency was new to his domain and that the problem was brought to there from elsewhere.

Ibn-Garbai, who described the schoolgirls’ abduction as unfortunate, said the Kanem Borno Empire had been in existence for some 1,200 years, adding that his people were peace-loving.

“What is happening now is unfortunate. It is entirely new to us. None of the leaders of Boko Haram is from Borno. They cannot claim to be from here. The problem was brought to us from elsewhere,” the Shehu was quoted to have said.

According to the statement, the chairman of the committee, Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), had earlier told Shehu of Borno that Maiduguri was historically a famous centre in the Trans-Sahara Trade, but that the city and the state had suffered severe socio-economic dislocation as a result of insurgency in recent years.

Sabo noted that the committee had entered a crucial phase of its assignment, saying: “We are now in the main theatre where the Chibok schoolgirls were taken away against their will. The whole world is mobilised against the abduction, and we cannot be happy while our daughters remain in captivity. We are not here with preconceived notions. We are here to find facts that will lead to a resolution of the current hostage crisis involving the schoolgirls”.

He also said that while in Borno State, his committee would engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, to enable it have a holistic appreciation of the abduction and advise the Federal Government accordingly.

Sabo, the statement added, called for the cooperation of all the stakeholders.

It said the committee arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State Capital, Sunday evening aboard an Air Force plan and was received at Maiduguri Airport by the Acting General Officer Commanding the 7th Division of Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. M. Y. Ibrahim and Borno State officials.

The statement said apart from having interacted with Defence Minister Aliyu Gusau and the service chiefs in the past week, the committee also met with the newly-appointed United Nations Secretary General Special Representative on the Chibok Abduction as well as foreign experts and officials supporting
the Federal Government’s efforts towards rescuing the abducted schoolgirls.