Shehu Sani :Arrest of Ndume may fuel more

attacks, faults sack of Farida Waziri

Newsdiaryonline Mon Nov 28,2011

Shehu Sani

Malam Shehu Sani, president of Civil Rights Congress (CRC) said today that the recent arrest and detention of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, over Boko Haram, was a  diversionary tactics by the State Security Services (SSS), meant justify government’s huge financial investment on security.

The CRC president  while speaking during an interview in Kaduna yesterday, also faulted President Goodluck Jonathan’s  decision of to sack the erstwhile Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri.

In his view , Jonathan should have instead sacked security chiefs for their alleged incompetence to handle the current security challenges in the country.

He  noted that, from the operational method of the Boko Haram Muslim sect, the group cannot possibly accept monetary contributions contribution from Ndume who is belongs to the establishment which the group is against.

Sani said  the man arrested by the SSS who implicated Ndume, was never a member of the main stream Boko Haram.

“The arrest and detention of Senator Ndume is diversionary and only meant to justify the huge expenditure of the government on security.

“Even though one cannot deny the fact that there are some politicians who might be sponsoring militant activities and the activities of the Boko Haram, it is evident to say that Ndume is seen as a member of the establishment that the Boko Haram group is fighting against. So, there is no way that they will collect money from him.

“The man they arrested who is making confessional statements is not a member of the main stream Boko Haram group.

“Even though he was a fringe member of the group, he was expelled long before the agitation went to this level.

“Let me say that none of the leaders of the Boko Haram has been arrested and no member of their council called the Shura has been arrested.

“As someone who has initiated peace dialogue with them, I know the way the Bokop Haram group operates and the arrest and detention of Ndume would only anger them the more and push them into more violence.

“The government should rather concentrate on measures that will end the violence in the north eastern part of the country.

“I believe that Ndume is just being used as a scapegoat and that will definitely not solve the problem. Instead, it will aggravate the situation.

“So, I think we should be more careful how we handle this thing. Be that as it may, I think it is a failure on the part of the security agents who now want to justify the billions of tax payers’ money being invested on them by the government”.

“I also believe that the sacking of Farida Waziri as the EFCC Chairman is diversionary. It does not attract my sympathy or condemnation.

“I believe that if Waziri has any principles, she should have resigned when she discovered that things were not going the way they ought to go. But she waited to be sacked because she is part of the establishment.

“However, I believe that it is not Waziri that should have been sacked. In view of the security situation in the country today and the failure of the security agents to bring things under control, the President should have sacked the service Chiefs and not the anti-corruption chief.”

Sani also spoke on the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, noting that, “Ojukwu was a patriot who fought for his people.

“Even though he led the civil war that led to the death of several people, let me say that many developed nations of the world also fought civil wars and are better for it today.

“The only way to immortalize him is to ensure that an Igbo President emerged in this country.

“The issues that led to the war have not been addressed. If they were addressed, we will not be in the situation we are in this country today.”