Boko Haram Has Nothing To Do With Jonathan - Gov Shettima

The governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the insurgency was aimed at disrupting President Jonathan's administration, saying Boko Haram attacks started under the administration of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Gov. Shettima
Shettima who disclosed this in his speech at a two-day conference on security and human rights, organised by the Centre for Historical Documentation and Research, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, said the sect started to fully attack Nigeria when Mohammed Yusuf, its leader was killed during the administration of Yar’Adua who was a Northerner.

"There is the unfortunate saying that Boko Haram is an agenda to stop a southern President from doing his job.

"Of all the attacks by Boko Haram from 2002, their major attacks were in 2009 when Mohammed Yusuf was killed under a northern President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. The attacks snowballed in 2011 till date. So, what are we talking about?" he questioned.

According to him, the insurgents had done so much harm to Islam, wrecking havoc across the country, killing thousands and destroying properties worth millions.

He said the state government has spent over N10 billion to curb the insurgency since it began, while also lamenting the misunderstanding of the Boko Haram crisis by those who should be in a position to proffer solution to the crisis.

He described as unfortunate, the blindness of the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku to the real crisis behind Boko Haram.

Shettima had earlier warned that the Boko Haram insurgency would probably extend to the South if they succeeded in overrunning the North-East.

Meanwhile, the APC and PDP have been playing the blame game, accusing each other of being the one responsible for the insurgency.