Nigeria: Exclusive - Secret Intelligence Report Links Ex-Governor Sheriff, Chad President to Boko Haram Sponsorship

New facts showing stronger links between former governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Boko Haram sect have emerged, further fuelling suggestions the ex-governor is a major financier of the terrorist sect.
Intelligence insights obtained by PREMIUM TIMES in Maiduguri, Damaturu, and Abuja show dated communications between field officers and the velvet ranks of Nigeria's military chronicling Mr. Sheriff's involvement in promoting the growth of the sect.
The communications painted a picture of what appears to be a powerful regional support structure involving the Chadian president, Nigerian officials and Niger Republic, and spearheaded by Mr. Sheriff whom the intelligence presents as a powerful figure within this circle.
Strong evidence indicates that the Nigerian government received official actionable intelligence about Mr. Sheriff's links to Boko Haram as far back as 2011 but has, curiously, ignored all warnings and nudges to act to stop the Boko Haram call him in for interrogation.
Mr. Sheriff has long been suspected of masterminding the Boko Haram sect, but the documents sighted by this newspaper offers deeper understanding into how Mr. Sheriff allegedly finances the deadly sect and his probable motivations.
When Sheriff visits Abeche
Nourished by deep and impeccable sources from members of the Chadian Army, Nigerian intelligence experts had arrived at fairly certain conclusions that Mr. Sheriff was actively involved in the recruitment, training and deployment of Boko Haram members.
"... members of Boko Haram sect are sometimes kept in Abeche region in Chad and trained before being dispersed. This happens usually when Mr. Sheriff visits Abeche," a 2011 memo from field officers in N'djamena,the capital of Chad, read.
When Mr. Sheriff visits Abeche for these activities, he lodges in Chadian Presidential Guest House in Abeche, and is provided security by the Chadian government, the intelligence communications claim.
Mr. Sheriff is a close friend of the Chadian president, Idris Deby.
In 2011, during the Chadian presidential elections, Mr. Sheriff supported the Chadian president with 35 vehicles, for security, and is believed to have bankrolled Mr. Deby's re-election.
Nigerian defence and intelligence community members typically describe Mr. Sheriff as a gun runner in their many communications, and they often speak in conviction that his weapons find their way into Nigeria through Niger Republic into Yobe state. Yobe is Boko Haram's stronghold and has suffered heavy casualties in magnitudes only second to Borno.
Money, Politics and Power
Back in August 2011, intelligence officials were characterising Mr. Sheriff's motivations for sponsoring Boko Haram as similar to a certain "3rd generation South South governor," with the aim of covering up financial irregularities he might have committed as governor of Borno state, as well as propagate a stay-put in office strategy by suppressing the opposition.
The officials suggest that Mr. Sheriff did not create the sect but was actively using the "monster" and could be sponsoring the sect as a way of protecting himself from the sect members who were "calling for his head" at the time.
"One way of reclaiming the lost loyalty of the sect therefore, was sponsorship of their cause," intelligence officials were telling their principals.
Mr. Sheriff was not reachable for his comments. A former commissioner under his administration as governor of Borno state who also speaks for him, Inuwa Bwala, told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Sheriff was outside the country and could not respond to enquiries.
Both the Nigerian defence headquarters and the Nigerian government also declined to comment on this intelligence. Phone calls were not answered, and text messages were not replied to.
Mr. Sheriff has been accused before of links to the terrorist group, Boko Haram. He denies any links.
An April 2, 2012 report by a Cameroonian daily, L'Oriel du Sahel, said the former governor, now a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was arrested in 2012 upon entering Cameroon from Chad on his way to meeting the governor of that country's northern region.
The report said Cameroonian police authorities questioned Mr. Sheriff for hours and only released him later following pressure from senior government officials in that country.
An Ambassador Usman Galtimari Panel, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the genesis of the insurgency in the North East, had also blamed Mr. Sheriff for the growth of Boko Haram in a report.
Chadian President Connection
An Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, recently named Mr. Sheriff, alongside former Nigerian Army Chief, Azubuike Ihejirika, as sponsors of the Boko Haram sect, quoting the sect's leadership.
Nigeria's defence intelligence was silent on the role of Mr. Ihejirika in promoting the deadly sect whose bloody campaign have killed up to 5000 Nigerians and left many homeless, broken and internally displaced, but names the Chadian president, Mr. Deby, as a new dimension to the Boko Haram sponsorship dynamics.
In 2011, a strong Boko Haram army was also beneficial to the Chadian president, as it provided a "ready army and possible refuge" for a president that was facing growing distrust from his legitimate army, Nigerian intelligence officials claimed.
The Chadian government support for the sect was made majorly through his friendship with Mr. Sheriff and at the expense of his country's relationship with Nigeria, the report said.
Transformed sect
Violence by the Boko Haram sect, which had only religious interest in the past, is traceable to the five days of clashes in July 2009, between the group and members of the security forces in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano states that left more than 800 people dead, including at least 30 police officers.
The police summarily executed the captured Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, along with several dozen of his followers in front of the police headquarters in Maiduguri. Dozens of its members were also arrested.
Boko Haram frequently said its attacks on the government, especially the police, are in revenge for these killings and an attempt to set free members incarcerated by the police.
Recently, the ideology behind Boko Haram attacks got more confusing with increasing attacks on schools, media houses and almost any soft target with wide media reach. The group has gotten bolder by the day and has shown interest in capturing and occupying cities it calls its Caliphates.
The sect has overrun towns and villages, including Mubi, Michika, Bazza, Gulak, Gwoza, Bama, Gamboru and Ngala in Adamawa and Borno states. Ngala is the home place Mr. Sheriff.

Nigeria: Army Moves to Turn Tide Against Boko Haram, Kills 100 in Konduga

 
By Michael Olugbode, Senator Iroegbu and Omololu Ogunmade
Determined to turn the tide against the terrorists Boko Haram, the Nigerian Army yesterday inflicted heavy casualty on the sect fighters who attempted to capture Konduga, a strategic town just about 35km to Maiduguri, killing over 100 and halting their match to Maiduguri.
The positive report from Konduga came on a day the President of the Senate, David Mark, challenged the Nigerian armed forces to brace up against the rampaging activities of Boko Haram and reclaim the communities taken over by the terrorists in the North-east.
A statement signed by Col. Timothy Atingha for the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), said the terrorists' bid to overrun Konduga was met with a fierce response from Nigerian troops.
"At about 5.30am today, Boko Haram terrorists launched a massive attack on Konduga town, about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri. After about three hours of fierce fighting, Nigerian troops routed the Boko Haram killing over a 100 terrorists," Atingha said.
He added that a lot of equipment were also recovered from the terrorist: "Three Hilux and one Buffalo vehicles with mounted Anti-aircraft guns, three General Purpose Machine guns, over 30 AK 47 rifles and two global positioning systems have been recovered.
He also confirmed that four Nigerian soldiers were wounded during the battle. Atingha assured: "The morale of troops remain very high, while the entire area is still being combed for terrorists who may have escaped with bullet wounds."
He also said that the photographs taken at the scene of the battle were being expected and would be forwarded as soon as they are received.
Youth vigilante groups were also said to have helped the military to repel the attack on Konduga. A member of the local vigilante group, Kolobe Abdullahi told journalists on telephone: "We couldn't sleep yesterday as we all kept vigil in Konduga since we got hints that insurgents intend to attack us."
He said they cooperated with the military by keeping vigil while awaiting the terrorists: "People sighted them when they were coming and they were seriously dealt with. As I am talking to you, more than 100 of them were killed and several others sustained injuries."
Kolobe added: "We destroyed all their utility vehicles, some cars and motorcycles. We also seized some arms and vehicles." A military source within the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri also confirmed on telephone that the insurgents were dealt heavy blow.
A resident of Konduga, Abba Ali told journalists that what could have been a sad day for the people of the town was reverted as "we are now celebrating the killing of scores of Boko Haram."
Ali added: "I think today is the happiest in my life. Boko Haram killed two of my brothers in their recent attack on Konduga but today, many of their bodies were all scattered on the streets. I salute the courage of our gallant soldiers and members of civilians JTF. We are ready for them. "Our people and the civilian JTF climbed trees and telecom mast to sight them in the morning and behold they were coming, hundreds in number, in Hilux vans and motorcycles and cars. The soldiers waited for them and when they came, they attacked them immediately. Alhamudllahi, we are so happy today."
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had on Thursday debunked the assertions by the Borno Elders' Forum (BEF) that Maiduguri was under siege and had been surrounded by Boko Haram terrorists, thereby causing panic amongst the residents some of whom were alleged to have fled the city.
The military also assured Nigerians that the ongoing offensive through sustained aerial bombardment and complementary ground assault had helped to halt the terrorists' advance with most of their structures and strongholds destroyed in North-east towns like Gwoza, Bama, Michika and others.
The forum had decried the horror, death, destruction and misery that had been visited on North-eastern Nigeria and particularly Borno State by Boko Haram, warning that the sect had strategised and completely surrounded the city of Maiduguri.
BEF further warned that it was apparent that the sect's imminent target was to take the city of Maiduguri, noting that almost half of the population of Borno now resides in Maiduguri. However, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-General Chris Olukolade, dismissed such statements as a design to create a sense of insecurity in the city. "The statement on Maiduguri was clearly intended to cause panic in the city and the nation," Olukolade said.
He assured Nigerians that "all facets of the security arrangements for the defence of Maiduguri have been upgraded to handle any planned attack or attempt to disrupt the prevailing peace in the city and its environs".
Mark Tasks Military to Reclaim Lost Territory... Mark tasked the military on Boko Haram during the graduation ceremony of the 61 Regular Course of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna. He said the nation was facing a critical moment in which "our peaceful and corporate existence is threatened by insurgency, terrorism and sheer criminality." The President of the Senate, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, lamented that the war against terrorism was already having severe effects on the lives, finance and economy of the nation, regretting that "huge resources that would have been used for national development are now being diverted to fight insurgency and terrorism."
He added: "We will never relent in keeping this country one. Ethnic, political, sectional and religious problems have complicated issues in Nigeria. The situation demands that all hands should be on deck to tackle the problem."
Mark cautioned politicians against playing politics with the nation's security and unity, noting that "politicians irrespective of ideological or party affiliation should remember that politics can only be played when Nigeria exists as a corporate entity and in peace."
He berated those he said were fanning the embers of war and disunity, arguing, "Nigeria is not an accident. It has pleased the Almighty God to put us together as one and it is our solemn duty to nurture Nigeria to her full potentials.
"The future still holds greater promise if only we could put our differences behind us and work together as one people. With greater commitment and resolve, I have no doubt in my mind that Nigeria will be one of the world's super powers."
He was also said to have assured the gathering that the National Assembly would continue to provide necessary support for the military in the war against terrorism just as he urged Nigerians to cooperate with the Armed Forces in the protracted war.