{"id":30844,"date":"2014-09-03T19:23:16","date_gmt":"2014-09-03T18:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=30844"},"modified":"2014-09-04T16:56:09","modified_gmt":"2014-09-04T15:56:09","slug":"ali-modu-sheriff-opens-boko-haram-linkage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/ali-modu-sheriff-opens-boko-haram-linkage\/","title":{"rendered":"Ali Modu Sheriff Opens Up On His Boko Haram Linkage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being the text of the World Press Conference by Former Borno State<\/span>
Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff over link with Boko Haram.<\/span>

Gentlemen of the Press, I am constrained to address you today happenings<\/span>
in some sections of the media, so as to correct the erroneous and<\/span>
mischievous impressions being created about my person. I have restrained<\/span>
myself from joining issues with those making uncomplimentary comments<\/span>
about me regarding the Boko Haram crisis because I know that all right<\/span>
thinking Nigerians can see through the plot being employed to divert<\/span>
attention from the real issues at stake and to denigrate me in the eyes of<\/span>
the public. As you are aware, my name is being mentioned for obvious<\/span>
political reasons as a culprit over the unfortunate happenings in Borno<\/span>
State and some parts of the country, especially from the 2009 Boko Haram<\/span>
episode to date. I must say that I have been utterly embarrassed by some<\/span>
of the negative comments, insinuations and unfounded accusations, which<\/span>
were clearly misdirected, narrow and mischievous From the time I left<\/span>
office in 2011, I had been unfairly accused of so many things in<\/span>
connection with the Boko Haram sect.<\/span>

Firstly, I was accused of entering into an agreement with the sect to<\/span>
implement Sharia Law in the State so as to support my candidacy during the<\/span>
gubernatorial election in 2003 and that I broke that promise, which was<\/span>
why they resorted to armed struggle as a strategy to implement it.<\/span>
Secondly, I was accused of having linkage with the sect and thirdly, my<\/span>
Administration was also accused of not acting on security reports related<\/span>
to their activities, which was believed to have given the group the space<\/span>
to operate and cause the mayhem experienced. I wish to correct the<\/span>
misconception tenaciously held by some people that linked me to the sect<\/span>
even when several evidences point to the contrary. Ordinarily, I would<\/span>
have continued in my silence, but the smear campaign seems to be assuming<\/span>
a life of its own with the recent purported interview granted by a\u2019<\/span>
supposed Australian, Stephen Davis, whose identity remains suspect.<\/span>

Davis claimed to be working for the Federal Government but could not even<\/span>
avail the same Government which hired him the report of his findings, or<\/span>
speak to the Nigerian media, but rather sneaked out to purportedly speak<\/span>
to a third rate television station, ARISE.<\/span>
The posers here are; why was the face of the said Davis not shown in all<\/span>
three interviews he granted? It is rather curious that the said interview<\/span>
was available only to,THISDAY newspapers both of which owned by the same<\/span>
person. Why couldn\u2019t other viewers in London have access to the<\/span>
controversial interview? Of what particular interest is the said Davis in<\/span>
the politics of Nigeria that he rose in defence of prominent APC leaders?<\/span>
Is the Australian a negotiator, an investigator, an anti graft agent, a<\/span>
reporter, a judge or a mere gadfly?<\/span>

I also take particular exception to remarks credited to the national<\/span>
Chairman of the APC, John Odegie Oyegun, in his press conference of<\/span>
Tuesday 2nd September, 2014. As much as I do not consider changing ones\u2019<\/span>
political party as an anathema, I am particularly concerned that, my<\/span>
defection from the APC into the PDP seems to further galvanize my<\/span>
detractors who have converted the matter into a political weapon .. Even<\/span>
as the brain behind the whole charade, the All Progressive Party, APC, in<\/span>
its seeming desperation to retain my membership went rather too far in its<\/span>
political mudslinging. I consider it most uncharitable for the party, to<\/span>
use me as an alibi for the obvious culpability of some of its members.<\/span>

As much as I do not want to politicize such a various serious issue like<\/span>
security, I am compelled to correct Chief Oyegun\u2019s faulty generalizations,<\/span>
and judgmental attitude in acting out this well rehearsed script,<\/span>
conceived, written and directed by the APC. It has never been a secret<\/span>
that one of the most disturbing developments to the APC of late, is the<\/span>
massive departure of very prominent members, including my humble self. But<\/span>
this is not enough to warrant the callous campaigns against me or any<\/span>
person for that matter.<\/span>

After due reflection over the dimensions the whole issue seems to be<\/span>
taking and saddened by the persistent misrepresentation and misinformation<\/span>
in some quarters, particularly the recent castigation by the APC, it has<\/span>
become imperative upon me to set the records straight as they relate my<\/span>
person.<\/span>
Let me place it on record that since the inception of the current<\/span>
dispensation from 1999, I have been in the opposition party to the PDP. I<\/span>
have at every election caused the defeat of the PDP in my state. It will<\/span>
sound infantile for anybody to believe the accusation as being a mole of<\/span>
the same party that I have been causing its defeat in every election. And<\/span>
if I have been a problem to the APC, even as one of its founding fathers,<\/span>
what stops the party from exposing me or sanctioning me all the while. or<\/span>
are they accessories? Then how do we justify such an \u201caccusation when some<\/span>
members of the same APC are being prosecuted for alleged offences related<\/span>
to Boko Haram activities?<\/span>

It may not be necessary to bother you with the long history of the<\/span>
metamorphosis of Boko Haram as a sect, as several reports have published<\/span>
their genesis, spanning over twenty five years. The incident preceding the<\/span>
2009 was in Kanama of Yobe State in 2002, long before I became the<\/span>
Governor of Borno state. It is on record that my Administration in 2009<\/span>
took exceptional bold steps in handling the Boko Haram insurgency.<\/span>

Given the seriousness of the issue, I feel it is highly uncharitable to<\/span>
try and trivialize the issue of terrorism on the alter of political<\/span>
rivalry. I believe very strongly that some of those linking me with the<\/span>
sect are doing so either because of absolute ignorance of the group, its<\/span>
history and development or are clearly being mischievous. Hence my<\/span>
decision to speak on the issue and make certain clarifications for the<\/span>
benefit of the unsuspecting general public becomes necessary.<\/span>

It may interest you to know that it was the Government of my predecessor<\/span>
in office, the late Alhaji Mala Kachallah (May his gentle soul rest in<\/span>
perfect peace) that introduced Sharia Law in the State in the year 2000<\/span>
through the \u2018Borno State Sharia Administration of Justice Law 2000\u2032.<\/span>
As a matter of fact, late Mala Kachallah signed the Bill into Law at an<\/span>
elaborate ceremony at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri and appointed the<\/span>
Borno State Sharia Law Implementation Committee in February, 2001 under<\/span>
the Chairmanship of Professor Abubakar Mustapha, the former<\/span>
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri. Interestingly, the late<\/span>
Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the Boko Haram sect was a member of the<\/span>
Committee among other Islamic scholars.\u2019<\/span>
If indeed there was an agreement between the sect and my predecessor on<\/span>
the issue of Sharia Implementation, I am not aware of it, as I was neither<\/span>
in Government then. nor was I a party to it. And since the law precedes my<\/span>
Administration I may not be in a position to speak on how it was<\/span>
conceived, promulgated and implemented. I present to you a copy of the<\/span>
\u2018Borno State Sharia administration of justice Law 2000\u2032 and the<\/span>
letter of appointment of the Chairman and members of the Borno State<\/span>
Sharia Law Implementation Committee for your peru al.<\/span>

Let me state categorically at this point that I do not share the ideology<\/span>
of the Boko Haram sect, which is against western education, western<\/span>
culture and modern science or any other sect with similar ideology. From<\/span>
my background, it could be easily seen that we are completely opposed to<\/span>
one another in terms of our viewpoints and convictions. By my nature and<\/span>
upbringing, I have neither associated myself with nor shared the beliefs<\/span>
of religious fundamentalists such as the Boko Haram sect or any other sect<\/span>
for that matter.<\/span>

With all sense of modesty, I wish to state that I have been a successful<\/span>
international businessman before joining politics. In 1992, I was elected<\/span>
a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria under the National Republican<\/span>
Convention (NRC) to represent Borno Central Senatorial District. I was a<\/span>
member of the defunct Constitutional Conference between 1994 to 1995,<\/span>
Chairman of the African-American Summit in Dakar, Senegal in 1995. I was<\/span>
appointed by the Federal Govemment as a member of the Commonwealth<\/span>
delegation that undertook a diplomatic reconciliation mission to the<\/span>
United States and United Kingdom when the country \u201cwas at its most trying<\/span>
times in its international relations. I was again elected a Senator of the<\/span>
Federal Republic of Nigeria under the platform of the United Nigeria<\/span>
Congress Party (UNCP) 1998 representing Borno Central Senatorial District<\/span>
of Borno State. With Nigeria\u2019s return to democracy in 1999, I was elected<\/span>
for the third time as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under<\/span>
the platform of All Peoples Party (APP). I become the Minority Leader and<\/span>
Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence among others. Again, in<\/span>
2003, I was elected the fourth Executive Governor of Borno State and<\/span>
re-elected for the second time in 2007. I served my people until 29th May,<\/span>
2011 when I handed over to a successor. As a committed and consistent<\/span>
politician, I was at various times elected the national treasurer of the<\/span>
United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and has served as the National<\/span>
Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). \u2018I was also a member of<\/span>
the Board of Trustees of the two Political Parties.<\/span>

I remained the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of our great party the<\/span>
ANPP before the current merr.er into the APC. Let me seize this<\/span>
opportunity to once again thank the good people of the State for giving me<\/span>
these rare privileges to serve them. I remain grateful and indebted to the<\/span>
people of Borno. It is instructive to point out that I had been one of the<\/span>
greatest victims of the atrocities of the Boko Haram sect. As the<\/span>
Executive Governor of the State at that time, I had not abdicated my<\/span>
responsibilities of protecting the- lives and property of the people and<\/span>
did not give them any breathing space to operate outside the law of the<\/span>
land. Because of this, they were driven by a desire for vengeance against<\/span>
me, my family and my political associates. From the number of casualties<\/span>
amongst my relations and political associates it is evident that I<\/span>
suffered considerable personal loss from the crisis. Amongst those killed<\/span>
in cold blood were my younger brother, late Alhaji Goni Mustapha Sheriff,<\/span>
the defunct ANPP State Chairman and my brother in-law, late Alhaji Awana<\/span>
Ngala, the gubernatorial Candidate of our party in the 2011 elections,<\/span>
late Engr, Modu Fannami Gubio, my bossom friends Alhaji Mustapha<\/span>
Fulawama.: Bukar Goni Kols, and a host of other close political<\/span>
associates.<\/span>

May their gentle souls rest in peace. Available records show that the Boko<\/span>
Haram sect predates my governance. As for the events of June 2009, Lmust<\/span>
state that there was collaboration between the Federal and the state<\/span>
Government in trying to contain the situation. For record purposes, on the<\/span>
11th of June, 2009, there was a report of shooting of seventeen (17)<\/span>
members of the sect by members of the \u201cOperation Flush\u201d( a combined<\/span>
security outfit against crime). They were reported to have attempted to<\/span>
forcefully seize the weapon of a soldier at a check point in Maiduguri<\/span>
metropolis, while on a procession to bury some of their members that died<\/span>
in a motor accident. The injured persons were taken to the University of<\/span>
Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment and the authorities of the<\/span>
hospital requested for protection because of the influx of unwanted<\/span>
visitors to the victims, which did not go down well with members of the<\/span>
sect. The following day, late Mohammed Yusuf held an open sermon, which he<\/span>
tagged an \u201copen letter\u201d.<\/span>

In that sermon, late Yusuf called the names of the former President of the<\/span>
Federal Republic of Nigeria, late Umaru Musa Yar\u2019 Adua (May his gentle<\/span>
soul rest in perfect peace), the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air<\/span>
Marshal Paul Dike, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General A.<\/span>
Dambazzau, the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Onovo, the former<\/span>
Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS), Mr. Afakriya<\/span>
Gadzama and my humble self and threatened to deal with us and those that<\/span>
refused to share their doctrine. He called these leaders unprintable names<\/span>
and vowed to revenge what happened to their members. The recordings of the<\/span>
sermon were widely circulated in the State and some parts of the country.<\/span>
There were also reports that the group were stockpiling arms and<\/span>
ammunitions, which was discussed at the Security Council and appropriate<\/span>
decisions taken on the issue.<\/span>
The former Presidents and Commanders-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the<\/span>
Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Olusegun Obasanjo and late President<\/span>
Umaru Musa Yar\u2019 Adua were accordingly briefed on the activities of the<\/span>
Boko Haram sect at various times and the threat posed by the group to<\/span>
national security. On the 23rd of July, 2009, there was a report of arrest<\/span>
of nine (9) members of the sect with bomb making devices and chemicals in<\/span>
Biu town. There was also a report of bomb explosion in the house of one of<\/span>
the members of the sect who later died from the explosion. Unbelievably,<\/span>
on the same 23rd July, 2009, the group had planned and had attacked the<\/span>
residence of a Deputy Commandant of the Mobile Police (Mopol) in the GRA<\/span>
and killed his guards and burnt his house. The group also went to the<\/span>
Police Headquarters in Maiduguri and indiscriminately and gruesomely<\/span>
killed Police Officers and personnel and members of their families. There<\/span>
is no doubt that the almost one week period (Sunday 26th July \u2013 Friday<\/span>
31st July, 2009) during which the Boko Haram sect unleashed terror on<\/span>
Maiduguri and its environs would forever remain the traumatic and darkest<\/span>
part of the history\u2019 of the State. In the five days during which the Boko<\/span>
Haram war climaxed, no fewer than a thousand innocent people, including<\/span>
policemen were brutally killed. An even higher number of their relatives<\/span>
were brutally killed by the sect when they attacked the Police College in<\/span>
Maiduguri, Bauchi, Yobe and Taraba States. Five Police Stations in the<\/span>
city of Maiduguri were set ablaze and several vehicles used by the force<\/span>
were burnt; arms and ammunition carted away; and so on.<\/span>

Details of the casualties are available with the relevant authorities.<\/span>
Within one week, the atrocities of the sect escalated beyond proportion.<\/span>
The State Government immediately drew the attention of the then President<\/span>
when the situation was getting out of hand and clearly beyond the capacity<\/span>
of the Police alone. Following that, the President and Commander- In-Chief<\/span>
of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the late Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua accordingly<\/span>
gave the Military directives for action to be taken against the sect. On<\/span>
his way to Brazil on an official engagement, late President Yar\u2019Adua<\/span>
addressed the Press promising that the \u201d Talibans \u201d as he called them<\/span>
\u201cwould be fished out, and dealt with decisively and promptly\u201d.<\/span>

It was at this point that the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Armoured<\/span>
Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, Major General Saleh Maina, now<\/span>
retired, led the operation and successfully dislodged the sect after about<\/span>
five (5) days of fierce battle that rocked the State. As the Chief<\/span>
Security Officer, the Governor only provided logistics in terms of funds<\/span>
for the operation, since it was purely a Military Affair; the Military<\/span>
drew and managed its operational orders. This also applied to the Nigeria<\/span>
Police Force, which was led by a Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police,<\/span>
John Hamza Ahmodu, now deceased.<\/span>

Reports indicated that eventually, some of the sect members were killed in<\/span>
the gun battle and their leader, late Mohammed Yusuf was captured by the<\/span>
Military and handed over to the Police for prosecution. Understandably,<\/span>
the circumstances of the death of some of the sect leaders and their<\/span>
sponsors attracted wide publicity and condemnation worldwide, which<\/span>
prompted the Federal Government to appoint a \u201cHigh-Powered Post-Mortem<\/span>
Committee on the Sectarian Crisis in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno<\/span>
States\u201d, charged with the responsibility of investigating the matter<\/span>
generally.<\/span>

The Committee, which was headed by the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air<\/span>
Marshal Paul Dike with membership that cut across the various security<\/span>
agencies in the country, visited the affected areas and met with<\/span>
stakeholders. The Committee had submitted its report. In fact, the issue<\/span>
regarding the death of the sect leader and others is currently in the<\/span>
court of law in Abuja where some Police officers are facing trial. On its<\/span>
part, the Borno State Government appointed a High- Powered Administrative<\/span>
Committee of Inquiry into the Boko Haram insurgency headed by Ambassador<\/span>
Gaji Galtimari and the Committee made far reaching recommendations, most<\/span>
of which were considered and implemented. Government later converted the<\/span>
Committee into an Implementation Committee, which implemented the<\/span>
Government White-Paper on the matter.<\/span>

Sequel to the recommendation of the High-powered Committee and pursuant to<\/span>
the powers vested in the office of the Executive Governor of the State by<\/span>
Section 97 A of the Penal Code Law, CAP 102 Laws of Borno State, the sect<\/span>
commonly known as Boko Haram and alternatively as Yusufiyya was declared<\/span>
as a society dangerous to the good government of Borno State and therefore<\/span>
banned. This Order was cited as the Boko Haram or Yusufiyya Sect (Society<\/span>
Dangerous to Government of Borno State) (Declaration) Order, 2010. They<\/span>
said Order was made on the s\u201d Day of May 2010. The movement in reaction to<\/span>
the order changed its nomenclature to Jama\u2019atul Ahlis-Sunnah Lidda\u2019awati<\/span>
Wal Jihad.<\/span>

Unfortunately, in spite all of the above, the sect continued to wreck<\/span>
havoc in Bauchi, Yobe, Taraba, Borno, Kano States, including the Federal<\/span>
Capital Abuja. The group, had resurfaced with a renewed strategy and in a<\/span>
more dangerous and determined manner since the Jail Break in Bauchi<\/span>
sometime ago. The wave of assassinations by Boko Haram sect in Borno State<\/span>
clearly suggested that the group went back to the drawing board after<\/span>
their encounter with the Military in 2009 assessed it methods and<\/span>
developed new ones. In the last three years, an alarming number of members<\/span>
of the rank and file of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies had<\/span>
been killed by sect, in addition to other innocent Nigerians.<\/span>

Equally, scores of known high-profile individuals (traditional rulers,<\/span>
Islamic clerics as well as politicians) have been murdered in cold blood<\/span>
for providing information to security agencies or preaching against a<\/span>
retrogressive Boko Haram ideology. From the pattern of these killings, it<\/span>
was not difficult to conclude that the sect had also become captive of<\/span>
some political forces bent on settling political score with the followers<\/span>
of our party that have ruled the State since 1999.Most of these<\/span>
assassinations were no doubt politically motivated.<\/span>


CONCLUSIONS<\/span>

In conclusion, it is necessary to state that security of lives and<\/span>
property received the highest priority of Government throughout the period<\/span>
I was the Executive Governor because I believed that any government that<\/span>
failed to protect its people loses its essence. The Borno State Government<\/span>
under my leadership had spent a colossal amount of money on security<\/span>
matters because of the porous borders the State shares with three (3)<\/span>
countries. The geographical location of Borno State significantly<\/span>
contributed to the huge security challenge faced by Government. In<\/span>
addition, the relatively poor socio-economic status of our neighbouring<\/span>
countries largely made Borno State a haven for most of the dissidents that<\/span>
were engaged in fighting in Chad since the 1980s. It is also important to<\/span>
state that as the Chief Security Officer of the State, I had limitations<\/span>
as to the directives I could possibly issue out to the Military and Police<\/span>
Force because these are Federal Agencies that got their orders from their<\/span>
chain of commands, where the ultimate responsibility for their action<\/span>
reside. It is instructive to also point out that the State Government<\/span>
sought for approval to engage these organisations in adhoc assignments<\/span>
like the Operation Flush. The State Security Council frequently<\/span>
deliberated on the security challenges in the State and decisive actions<\/span>
were always taken on issues brought before it. It is pertinent to<\/span>
re-emphasize the fact that throughout the period of my business life even<\/span>
before joining politics and political activities since 1990, I have not<\/span>
associated myself with any religious group.<\/span>
As a matter of fact, I did not know the late Mohammed Yusuf, the leader of<\/span>
the Boko Haram sect or any of his followers throughout my life. I saw late<\/span>
Yusuf for the very first and last time when he was captured by the<\/span>
Military after the fierce battle they had with the sect in 2009 before he<\/span>
was handed to the Police. As the Chief Security Officer, the Military<\/span>
invited me to see him in their custody.<\/span>


Commissioner in my cabinet.<\/span>

As a matter of fact, late Foi was a Local Government Chairman in Kaga<\/span>
Local Government during the regime of my predecessor, late Alhaji Mala<\/span>
Kachallah (May his soul rest in perfect peace) in 1999. When I became the<\/span>
Governor of the State in 2003, I adopted a participatory system of<\/span>
Governance where major stakeholders in the Local Governments chose those<\/span>
to be appointed into political offices, including Commissioners. It was<\/span>
the stakeholders in Kaga Local Government that submitted the name of late<\/span>
Foi for appointment into the State Executive Council to which I obliged.<\/span>
Perhaps, it is important to stress the fact that the Boko Haram sect did<\/span>
not start when I took over the mantle of leadership in the State in 2003<\/span>
but existed before my assumption as the Governor.<\/span>

As a matter of fact also, the members of the sect dangerously believed<\/span>
that their mission is divinely directed, which makes it difficult to<\/span>
change them and this explained why they were ready to die in the cause<\/span>
they were pursuing. They also have a lot of disdain for politicians and<\/span>
hate democracy with passion as you perhaps know by now.<\/span>

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as a three-time elected Senator of the<\/span>
Federal Republic of Nigeria and a two-time Executive Governor of Borno<\/span>
State, I wish to state with all sense of responsibility and modesty that<\/span>
all our actions were guided by the need to improve the wellbeing of our<\/span>
people and take our State to greater heights. For the avoidance of doubt,<\/span>
as a Muslim, I believe in the sanctity of human life and as a true<\/span>
democrat endorse all the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the<\/span>
Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter and the Universal<\/span>
Declaration of Human Rights. I also believe in the observance of<\/span>
Fundamental Human Rights of all citizens and following due process in<\/span>
dealing with any violation of the law.<\/span>

Permit me to highly commend the President and Commander-In Chief of the<\/span>
Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr.<\/span>
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, for his good sense of purpose in handling<\/span>
the issue and his commitment to restoring peace in the dear country. I<\/span>
also commend the Military and other security agencies for their sacrifice<\/span>
and patriotism in tackling this major security challenge in our dear<\/span>
country. They are patriots whose names will be individually and<\/span>
collectively written in gold in the annals of the history of our beloved<\/span>
country. It is rather curious that the campaign against me is becoming<\/span>
more stringent at the time I decided to take Borno into mainstream<\/span>
national politics by joining the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.<\/span>

Much as I am saddened, I must say I am not deterred in my resolve to save<\/span>
Borno and indeed Nigeria from the threats of this mindless sect and its<\/span>
true sponsors. This address will be incomplete without expressing my<\/span>
heart- felt sympathy and condolences to the families whose loved ones had<\/span>
been killed during the unfortunate crises across the country. I share<\/span>
their pains and grief and pray that God gives them the fortitude to bear<\/span>
the irreparable losses. I equally pray for the speedy recovery of those<\/span>
who were injured in these disturbances.<\/span>

Ladies and Gentlemen, having placed before you the true in these<\/span>
disturbances. Ladies and Gentlemen, having placed before you the true<\/span>
story, as moulders of public opinion, I leave for Nigerians to judge,<\/span>
whether it has become a crime in .our land to do good to all manner of men<\/span>
as a leader. Nigerians are in a better position to juxtapose my story<\/span>
against the fabricated allegations being orchestrated by some mischief<\/span>
makers. It is rather unfortunate that those who benefitted most from all<\/span>
the actions we took to position Borno state in the face of our challenges<\/span>
are today in the forefront of the smear campaign. Beyond everything else,<\/span>
God Almighty is the ultimate judge of all men. May HIS wrath visit those<\/span>
who kill, only to turn around and accuse others. Thank you for your<\/span>
attention.<\/span>

Senator (Dr.) Ali Modu Sheriff Immediate-Past Executive Governor of Borno<\/span>
State (2003- 2011)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being the text of the World Press Conference by Former Borno StateGovernor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff over link with Boko Haram.Gentlemen of the Press, I am constrained to address you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nAli Modu Sheriff Opens Up On His Boko Haram Linkage - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/ali-modu-sheriff-opens-boko-haram-linkage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ali Modu Sheriff Opens Up On His Boko Haram Linkage - 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