A former Governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, was yesterday quizzed by the State Security Service (SSS) over alleged ties with the Boko Haram sect.
Some unnamed members of the sect claimed that they were on the payroll of Shekarau and the Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda.
They claimed that the stoppage of their monthly stipends accounted for the upsurge in the sect’s insurgency.
The former governor and Yuguda denied the allegations. But the SSS said there was no way it could gloss over such “weighty allegations”.
A source in the security agency said: “Based on the claim of Boko Haram, we invited the ex-governor to ascertain the extent of his relationship with the sect.
“We have been tracking his movement in the past few weeks but I think he was out of the country.
“The violence in the past two weeks in Kano where over 185 people died made the invitation of Shekarau necessary.
“He appeared before the SSS to answer some specific issues we highlighted for him and he denied any link with the sect.
“After preliminary questioning of the ex-governor, we have asked him to go, pending the time we may have cause to re-invite him – if necessary at all.”
Another source, who spoke in confidence, said security agencies were worried that the Kano incident coincided with Shekarau’s trip abroad. They worked on the speculation that there might have been a foreknowledge of the Boko Haram attacks.
“We are looking at all theories but we still presume the ex-governor guilty, until we reach a convenient bend of a prima facie case against him if any at all,” said the source.
Shekarau, who has since left Abuja for Kano, is the fourth highly-placed Northerner to be accused and quizzed over Boko Haram.
The SSS accused Senator Ali Ndume and the late Ambassador Saidu Pindar of being backers of the sect that has claimed responsibility for the spate of bombings in the North, including the Christmas Day explosion which killed 44 at a Catholic church in Madalla, Niger State.
Besides, a judge with the Kano State judiciary was retired from service, following his alleged romance with the sect.
The judge, who has since been placed under security surveillance, may face prosecution, if a prima facie case is eventually established against him.
The judge, who was a member of the Borno State Election Petitions Tribunal, allegedly fostered a relationship with some Boko Haram members upon arrival in Maiduguri.
According to a recent survey by a national newspaper, Nigeria has witnessed over 30 explosions with more than 300 people killed.