Boko Haram Sponsorship: Modu Sheriff Fires Back At Soyinka

Former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has fired back at Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, for referring to him as a sponsor of the Boko Haram sect in his recent article, 'The Wages of Impunity'.

"Of the complicity of ex-Governor Sheriff in the parturition of Boko Haram, I have no doubt whatsoever, and I believe that the evidence is overwhelming", Soyinka said in the article, which also faulted President Goodluck Jonathan for being found in company of the ex-governor during his recent state visit to N'djamena, Chad.

But in his reaction yesterday, Sheriff said Soyinka was only entertaining Nigerians with his mastery of the English language.

Speaking through Mr. Inuwa Bwala, the Commissioner of Information and Home Affairs under his administration, Sheriff said:

"As the 'cultist' we know him (Soyinka) to be, being the founder of a confraternity for which the world is still waiting for answers from him, he is the least morally qualified to speak on the alleged involvement of any Nigerian in whatever crime.

"We challenge him to name this person he says he knows as a sponsor of Boko Haram in the Central Bank, if he is as patriotic as he claims to be. We also challenge him to prove to Nigerians that he is not the cultist we have always known him to be.

"No security agency anywhere or an individual who claims to have investigated this matter independently can dictate to Nigerians or our security personnel what to do about this Boko Haram menace. Therefore, this needless diversion is unwelcome".