Senator Khaliffa Zanna, severally fingered for having links with Boko haram at the weekend hinted that about twenty-four out of the 27 local government areas in the state are under the effective control of the insurgents.
In October 2012, the State Security Service (SSS) had invited Khalifa Zanna, in connection with the arrest of a suspected Boko Haram Commander, Shuaib Mohammed Bama.
But the Senator said although the suspect is his nephew, he had no link with the sect in any way.
He said the house where the suspect was arrested belonged to a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Modu Ali Sheriff, whom he defeated to win Borno Central Senatorial seat in the Senate.
He said: “Since my house was searched and the JTF made the announcement, I have not been contacted by security agencies. But it was only this morning (Sunday), I saw a text that the SSS DG will want to see me on Monday. I will honour the invitation .What I am suspecting is that they want to frame me up.”
On his relationship with the Boko Haram suspect, Zanna said: “Yes, he is my sister’s son.
“As for his behaviour, he is a … He beats up my children; he abuses my friends. He came to my house, so I sent him away. That was about a year ago. And for whatever reason I don’t know, he came to my house last week and I said he should leave the house.
“Sometime ago, he even threatened to kill his mother. So, the mother was not even feeling comfortable living with him. And he narrated that to me. That is why I also do not want him to be near me.
“I don’t know him to be a Boko Haram member. Never, never, I do not know him to be a member of Boko Haram.”
The Senator who represents Bono Central spoke on Sahara Reporters Television during which he also pointed out that about two thousand, (2,000) members of the original religious sect are camped in Sambisa.
Sambisa, according to him is located about 25 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
The lawmaker who categorized the sect into three major groups which he gave as the “real, criminal and political” Boko Harams explained that whereas the real Boko Haram was formed based on Islamic religious ideology, the criminal elements of the insurgents goes about extorting money, kidnapping and threatening the local people.
On the political Boko Haram, he said it is comprised of insurgents who are targeting others for political motives.
Responding to a question, he said the leader of the ‘real Boko Haram’, Ibrahim Shekau must be reached by the government in order to fashion out a workable plan to disarm the group just as he condemned the approach used by the Joint Task Force, JTF, in keeping peace in the affected areas.
While noting that the age bracket of the insurgents is largely between 20-25 years, he maintained that the current approach to end violence in the area has made the youths to be more determined to join the sect in order to challenge the JTF.
Zanna expressed fear that the political will needed to drive amnesty for the group is lacking insisting that, the Federal Government must first and foremost prosecute those who extra-judiciary executed the initial Boko Haram leader, Yusuf Mohammed. He also wants the federal government to help in releasing those detained for such activities as well as rehabilitate the affected communities.
Senator Zanna who is currently residing in the United Kingdom due to what he described as the fear for his life said the notion that the sect wanted to Islamise the country was a grand design to get sympathy from the Muslim population.
He enjoined his constituents to “cooperate fully with the security agents” and give useful information that will help in bringing the bloodshed to an end.
Source: Pointblank News
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