Ihejirika, Sheriff, Oritsejafor… who’s next?

The genuine Muslims have consistently argued that Boko Haram cannot be part of them, but the errands of the devil. Many members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), nursing a secret agenda, thought otherwise. Many of them, including their president, Ayo Oritsejafor, even asked government to deal ruthlessly with anyone involved in the insurgency, […]

The genuine Muslims have consistently argued that Boko Haram cannot be part of them, but the errands of the devil. Many members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), nursing a secret agenda, thought otherwise. Many of them, including their president, Ayo Oritsejafor, even asked government to deal ruthlessly with anyone involved in the insurgency, concluding that Islam and Muslims were to blame.
Today providence has forced CAN to admit, with the arrest of Oritsejafor’s private jet in South Africa on charges of being on a mission to purchase arms, that there is more to what has been going on than they are being told. Mr Oritsejafor whose association with guns is threatening his relationship with God is the one who ‘blessed’ President Goodluck Jonathan in a Church in Abuja, with the image of a kneeling president sending shockwaves across the country.
The former governor of Borno State, Modu Ali Sherriff may be Jonathan’s friend; but he is also among the most prominent names associated with Boko Haram. Sheriff had frequented the Villa since his exit from Government House Maiduguri, and many people believe he is the architect of Jonathan’s north east policy, with all the problems we are witnessing today.
And there is General Azubile Ihejirika, who may have cracked the records when he became the first post-war Chief of Army Staff from the Igbo stock but his reign but negative traits have trailed him from home and abroad. Ihejirika is being mentioned in connection with N40bn meant for the acquisition of ammunition for the Nigerian Armed Forces. He has denied accusations of misappropriating the money.
 The allegations surrounding these men in regard to the insurgency are weighty, and any country by that fact would have made a public questioning of them a priority.
Despite its clinical approach to the value of proof in any allegation, the United States itself has named Ihejirika as a being part of the problem in executing the war against insurgency in the country; but Nigerian government is looking the other way. His colleague in the army, Maj Gen Cecil Ehekhaigbe whose last posting was as Nigeria Defence Adviser in London had petitioned the presidency accusing Ihejirika of dipping his hands in defence funds soon after insurgency emerged but the government did not listen. Instead, Gen Ehekhaigbe was sacked and brought back to Nigeria in chains for daring to blow the whistle against the COAS. Government apparently did not even take into cognizance the closeness of Cecil to the COAS, which helped provide proof that the London soldier had no other justification than his patriotism to make those weighty allegations against his powerful friend, knowing the consequences of his actions,
The basis of which government continues to behave as if the whole country is wrong and the negligible number in power is right is not only erroneous but suspect.  Nigeria is looking more comfortable and more welcoming to criminals than a foreign jail for hardened criminals. Those who are close to government can do no wrong and this impunity is crossing the limits of mere political patronage and all other barriers of friendship to a kind of occultism which has no value for human life.
As a press release issued by Senator George Akume explained in the case of Oritsejafor, following his denial of complicity in the illegal arms deal which was detected by the South African authorities, the chain of ethical liability in his case is unbroken and makes prosecution inevitable. If the government is impervious to the death of men of its faith, the people themselves must begin to stop chasing shadows and scrutinize the true agents of death in the north east region and not be hoodwinked by the sepulchre of a shorthanded Boko Haram.
There is compelling reason to interrogate Sherriff, Ihejirika and Oritsejafor. It is a norm of civilization that all men are innocent until proven guilty; but it is a misnomer to allow people who are publicly accused of crimes involving loss of lives and breach of national security to continue to walk free simply because they are close to people in power. Government officials had time and again to dissociate themselves from these men or to exculpate them of blame but the harder it tries, the more grease they get on their sleeves.
The question arises: is Jonathan hiding something from the people?

Valmo wrote from Abuja