Date Published: 09/07/11

Boko Haram: Jonathan moves to end Secret deal between SSS and Northern Traditional Leaders
…Buhari, Atiku, Ciroma, Northern Political Leaders, Traditional Rulers Under Surveillance
…Rejects Pressure To Release Suspects
…To Overhaul SSS, State Directors To Move

President Goodluck Jonathan	Abubakar Atiku	Adamu Ciroma

There are strong indications that President Goodluck Jonathan may order a total overhaul of the department of State Security Services ( SSS), sequel to the a revelation by Internet whistle blower, Wikileaks,  that some traditional rulers of northern stock reached an agreement with the SSS on the release of several Boko Haram's militants.

Jonathan, who has dumped the stick and carrot approach, has also rebuffed some northern elements who want him to release some Boko Haram suspects, in a bid de radicalize the group and ensure suspects cooperation.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that a high level meeting held at the presidential villa Tuesday night that lasted into the wee hours of Wednesday deliberated on sundry security issues, as it affects the intelligence units and the activities of Boko Haram.

However, it was gathered that Monday's announcement by the SSS that six Boko Haram suspects would soon be arraigned for sundry crimes, was a face saving move, few days after it inadvertently admitted that a "precise intelligence" did not stop the attack on the UN building.

The SSS, it was learnt, decided to go ahead with prosecution sequel to a directive from Jonathan that no suspect should be spared.

Said our source" we looked at all the issues. It's like 100 days in office, with the Independence Day around the corner, there is nothing to celebrate. So the President has decided to dump the carrot and stick approach and ensure every suspect has his day in court. There are even pressures from some high quarters in the north to release some of these suspects. Most of these people showing veiled sympathy for Boko Haram will be put under surveillance; they include politicians and traditional rulers. Don't forget some of these guys who masterminded the UN building blast were released to them in 2007"

A recent report by a foreign wire service revealed that the militant SSS claimed masterminded the blast at the UN Building in Abuja, Mamman Nur, and two others, were arrested in 2007 but released by the SSS as part of the deal brokered by the service .

The overhaul, it was learnt, may cut across the state and all ranks, especially those officers who had been in the service when this deal was brokered.

Pointblanknews.com also learnt that the head of the SSS boss, Ita Ekpeyong may be on the chopping block for a statement, few months ago by his spokesperson, Marylyn Ogar.

Shortly after the blast at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, the SSS arrested 100 suspected Boko Haram militants. But few days later Ogar announced to the world that they would not be prosecuted because the service was adopting a "de- radicalization ". She said it was in line with Jonathan's “stick and carrot approach"

But sources close to the President maintain that the whole approach was sold to the President by the security agencies. According to our source "they claim that if they do not prosecute these guys, they may get vital information from them is bogus. Doesn't make sense, because jihad is a way of life for these guys.  And the case of the United States comes to mind. All those high profile suspects arrested shortly after 9/11, were water boarded until the FBI and CIA got vital information, they were not set free"

Also Pointblanknews.com sources hinted that some high ranking emirs and chiefs in the north may be put under surveillance to unravel possible complicity in the strings of mayhem unleashed by Boko Haram.

Our source also disclosed that some influential northern politicians including General Muhammadu , and Abubakar Atiku may also fall under the radar for their inciting  remarks before and after the presidential elections.

At a stake holders conference organized by Adamu Ciroma, Atiku had said“Before I end this short address, let me send a message to our great party the PDP: if the PDP does not reform, it stands the risk of making itself irrelevant. Let me again send another message to the leadership of this nation, particularly the political leadership that those who make peaceful changes impossible make violent changes inevitable.”

Said our source "the president is not taking anything for granted. If you look at the statements by the Sultan of Sokoto, and some Governors, and politicians in the north, you will understand that the Boko Haram nightmare is bigger than we assumed"

The cable reveals that the State Security Service and the Northern traditional system reached an understanding for the secretive release and non-trial of terrorism suspects from the region. The deal provided that terrorism suspects from the region would be released to a carefully selected group of traditional rulers and Imams shortly after their arrest.

Sanders wrote that that the deal was part of a SSS program called “Perception Management,” which aimed to reform terrorism suspects and promote the notion that religious extremists in the region had no foreign affiliations. Among other conditions, terrorism suspects who benefitted from the programme agreed to submit to routine monitoring by the SSS, report regularly to the SSS and abandon extremism.

The cable says the SSS programme was “aimed at de-radicalising and reforming Muslims, who have espoused or otherwise participated in extremist-cum-terrorist activities. Under this plan, individuals are released from police or SSS custody and entrusted to “sureties,” most of whom are imams or respected traditional leaders in the North.

“In late January, the Sultan of Sokoto (Nigeria’s preeminent traditional ruler and communal leader of Nigeria’s 70 million Muslims) told PolOff (political officer) (that) the Sultanate in concert with the 13 emirates of the North is “quietly” working to leverage influence on the region’s Islamic leadership to combat rising extremism and radicalisation of Muslim youth.

“A member of the Sultan’s inner circle told PolOff the SSS Director (General) reportedly gave the Sultan his assurance that the SSS would not legally pursue the suspects if the North agreed to take custody of them and “reform their ways.”

The cable says that in some cases suspects were released despite been caught with explosives, arms and ammunition, or linked to the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. It says 12 suspects arrested and detained by the SSS in October 2007 for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks were released at different times in January and February 2008. Another US government cable says some of the suspects were later implicated in bombings and attacks claimed by Boko Haram.

The cable says despite what an SSS agent described to an American official as “overwhelming” and “undeniable” evidence, at least one suspect arraigned in court was cleverly left off by the SSS who did not provide evidence that could nail him.

The SSS, according to the former US ambassador, claimed the suspect’s release was facilitated because his health had failed. But Sanders countered that the suspect “did not appear to PolOff in ill health, but rather in good spirits and fully coherent.” The cable claims that the SSS went to a great length to ensure that terrorism suspects from the North did not end up in jail. Some of the desperate actions taken by the SSS included persuading Imams to take the suspects under their wings.

The cable says, “The PolOff (political officer) spoke January 21, and again March 16, with Kaduna- and Kano-based imams, who had been contacted by the SSS and entreated to serve as “sureties” for the 12 individuals noted above.”

However, Sanders noted that while the SSS pushed on with the plan, some of the imams “contended that the so-called de-radicalisation efforts of the SSS were not only ill-conceived, but also ineffective, counter-productive, and unimpressive.”

“The release of the 12 individuals suspected of AQIM links and to planning terrorist attacks in Nigeria may be connected to overtures made by the SSS to northern traditional and Islamic leaders. While several imams have been reticent to concede that extremism (or terrorism) may obtain in the North, several others have told PolOff that they (and not the Government of Nigeria) are far more capable of dealing with extremism, contending that the matter must be dealt with internally, given local sensitivities and customs.

“In addition, the Sultan’s many public statements, remarking that al-Qaeda and terrorists do not exist in the North, may concern the North’s desire to protect its image. In any case, the Sultan has no special access to information to determine if terrorists indeed have inflitrated the country or not, or whether individuals are being actively recruited for terrorist activities. All the while, it remains important to note that while terrorism represents a salient issue for the USG, neither the GON nor the Islamic leaders we have talked with necessarily give it as much prominence as we would like or expect.”