The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has criticized Mr. Phrank Shuaibu, an aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for saying that Vice President Kashim Shettima helped Boko Haram rebels when he was governor of Borno.
Shuaibu had said on September 8 that Shettima helped and supported the rebels when he was governor of Borno. He told him directly that he had helped take the Chibok girls.
But Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Executive Director of MURIC, said in a statement released on Monday in Abuja that the accusations were false, malicious, vile, and sneaky.
“We don’t know what to make of these accusations, especially since they are made against a vice president who is still in office. They are not true, mean, disgusting, or sneaky. They are nothing but lies from Jahannam.
“Someone must have locked Shaibu’s medulla oblongata and thrown away the key, or he wouldn’t have just turned the pages of history upside down. How could anyone in their right mind say that VP Shettima helped Boko Haram?
“It is on record that former President Goodluck Jonathan threatened to pull federal troops out of Borno when Shettima, as governor of the state, said that the federal government was not doing enough to stop Boko Haram.
He asked if Shettima could stay in the government house if he pulled out the federal troops.
Akintola added, “Jonathan’s exact words were, ‘I will pull them out for one month to see if he (Shettima) will stay in that government house.” But if he thinks what he said is true, I’ll pull the military out for a month.
“Shettima told the visiting president that Boko Haram was getting the upper hand in the area because Nigerian troops didn’t have enough weapons. But Jonathan, who was angry, gave him the cold answer above.
”It wasn’t just an answer. It was an attack. It was like, “Act right, or I’ll let them loose on you.”
“We are sure that Shettima’s complaint was meant to get Nigerian soldiers better tools so they could fight Boko Haram fighters more effectively,” they said.
We think that a governor who is helping the insurgents would not make such a request. Instead, he would have joined the group of people who stole money meant to buy weapons for Nigerian troops. So, Shaibu’s claim about VP Shettima is pointless, naughty, and milky.
“Of course, later events showed that Shettima was right. Reports from the investigation into the $2.1 million arms fund showed that Nigerian troops were robbed of their weapons and that the money meant to buy them was split among Jonathan’s party members.
“Shuaibu’s claim that Shettima helped take the Chibok girls is just as upsetting to us. There is proof that former President Jonathan didn’t do anything for 19 days after the girls were taken.
”So, for Atiku’s aide to say that Shettima was involved in the ugly event is the height of mischief.
“It’s impossible to ignore officials who lie. For example, when 110 girls were taken from Dapchi, the governor of Yobe at the time said that forces had been pulled out a week before the attack.
“Muric tells Shuaibu that she should look elsewhere for the people who did wrong in the attack on the Chibok girls. We’re sure he doesn’t have to look very far, maybe just behind his back.”
NAN