While Goodluck Jonathan was acting as president of Nigeria, in
October 2010 shortly before the Presidential elections, there was a
large bomb blast during independence celebrations in Abuja. Immediately
after the attack, before an investigation was ever conducted by
Nigeria’s security services, the President suddenly categorically
exonerated MEND terrorists of involvement. This was a SERIOUS and
dangerous submission, within hours after a bomb attack and before any
evidence could have been fully investigated. This suggested prior
knowledge of the attack and prompted questions of why if it was known by
the President, the people were not protected and given advanced
warning. Jonathan blamed northern elements for this bombing, seeking to
utilize it to his advantage for political gains. The bombing appeared to
‘favor’ him.
Nigeria was given its second shock shortly after this terror blast when
MEND terrorist, Henry Okah submitted that the then Acting President of
Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan ordered the Abuja bomb blast ‘to lay
blame on his political adversaries, in hope of tarnishing them and
securing his victory.’ This was a powerful accusation, most especially
since the relationships of Goodluck Jonathan with Niger Delta militants
who were engaged in similar acts of terrorism had been clearly
established. Terror which had been significantly quelled by the Yar’Adua
regime, with his NSA Sarki Mukhtar, was returning to Nigeria as a
political instrument.
The above were not the first linkages of the President of Nigeria
with terrorism. During his rule as governor of Bayelsa, a post that fell
on his lap with the arrest and prosecution of the corrupt governor he
had served as deputy to, Alamesigha, Goodluck Jonathan was noted to not
only be rabidly corrupt, but also to finance militant terrorists as
detailed in Wikileaks US intelligence cables among other sources.
From the start to date of the Goodluck Jonathan regime, it has been
marked by continuous, unabated terror and deaths. Terror has returned to
the creeks, with high sea piracy, kidnapping and episodes of pipe-line
vandalism and sabotage. The north east and entire north and middle belt
of the nation has been riddled by intractable extremist terrorism.
Terrorists have operated with impunity, battles have been bloody,
unabated and chronic between Fulani herdsmen and farmers. Nigeria is
practically becoming a free war zone where anyone can possess any grade
of deadly weaponry. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and the
nation has become torn up in religious and tribal, political inspired
fracas.
The question can no longer be avoided. Is the rising state of anarchy
and free terrorism in Nigeria an accident or the result of the nation
being under terrorist rule; by which terror will be officially endorsed
and sired on the nation with government assistance?
On March 9th, 2011, the President of Nigeria announced that he knew
the sponsors of terror and he has given the order for them to be
apprehended. This never happened. Terrorist sponsors remain to date,
protected by the President.
In April of 2012, the then NSA Andrew Owoye Azazi made a compelling
submission that internal workings of the President’s political party
were responsible for Boko Haram terrorism. He was fired not long after
and died of a helicopter explosion under very mysterious conditions
December 15th of the same year.
In a publication in the Punch of May 16th, 2012, the chairman of the
ruling PDP party, Bamanga Tukur said, “Boko Haram is fighting for
justice; Boko Haram is another name for justice.” The president of
Nigeria fought to keep him as the chairman of the party for another 2
years, finally letting go, only to immediately re-appoint this terror
suspect as the chairman of Nigeria’s railway corp.
As published in PremiumTimes of April 28, 2013, a White paper report
chaired by Interior Minister Abba Moro indicted several prominent Borno
politicians in the metamorphosis of Boko Haram from its ‘Ecomog’ baby.
President Jonathan ‘directed’ his NSA Dasuki to act on this paper.
Today, after thousands more deaths, the nation is still terrorized,
innocent poor are dying and not a single sponsor of terror has been
brought to book, rather they are embraced and funded in evil political
desperation.
In July of 2013, to the shock of most Nigerians and in what has been
described as political motivated betrayal of the nation, Hamza
Al-Mustapha, charged with the murder of Kudirat Abiola among other
crimes, was released from prison under the Jonathan regime. This
terrorist was embraced by the president and flown around the nation as
part of an executive presidential campaign team and think-tank.
Unrepentant terrorists like Mujahid Dokubo Asari and Tompolo are part
of the president of Nigeria’s inner circle. Billions of naira is given
to these agents to ‘secure’ the Niger Delta that is today in such a
state of insecurity, even the President’s adopted father is not safe
from the terror reign. Note- By not signing the amnesty agreement, these
persons are still active terrorists engaged in terrorism against the
state.
Linked to Boko Haram and also to a Hezbollah arms cache discovered in
Kano, serial coupist NSA Aliyu Mohammed Gusau was astonishingly
appointed by the President of Nigeria to head the nations defense
ministry… also for cheap political assistance. Mohammed Gusau is a
remnant of Nigeria’s worst regime, the Babangida-Abacha dictatorships.
He is also a three-time NSA and the NSA under whose watch MEND terror
and Boko Haram comfortably came into being, unchecked and unabated.
Gusau has also been described as a foreign spy in Nigeria. All of these
security risks were attractive to the President who begged and bowed to
private conditions to get this retired soldier into his government.
This February, a sudden attack of Boko Haram at a school in Yobe,
killing 59 students and concurrent attacks in Borno, as well as earlier
attacks have again been found to coincide with pressing matters of
government incompetency that threaten the Jonathan regime. The reports
of sudden withdrawal of troops ahead of the attacks raised suspicion of
government hand in the attacks. With the Reno Omokri–Wendel Simlin
“Sanusi-Boko Haram Saga document,’ a possible motive was suddenly
revealed.
If the Presidents circle can cook up such a treacherous plan to take
advantage of recent Boko Haram carnage to tarnish the image of their
current worst ‘adversary,’ is it too far to ask whether they could have
gone as far as setting up/staging the attack to utilize for a diversion
and to slander the person of the CBN governor? These are questions
Nigerians are asking today. There are several more cases of political
terrorism that are coincident with political meanderings of the current
regime. Eg, the March 18th bombing of a bus-stop at Sabon Gari, Kano,
which coincided with the APC merger and registration battle.
If this government is not responsible for these political attacks,
the onus is on them to either apprehend those who are or to resign in
the interest of life of the citizens and progress of the nation.
Finally, the case of the missing billions of dollars, which is
estimated as between $56.4 billion and $127 billion over the four years
of the Jonathan administration is a great global security concern. Where
is this money? This money could have been utilized for social and
security programs that would have made terrorism a thing of the foregone
past. Rather the money is being used to finance terror. Experts say the
missing billions of US dollars is being traced to terrorism, not just
in Nigeria but across the world. This is a tall sum of money to go
missing. This type of money typically sponsors terrorism. Terrorism
today is an intercontinental network. Money from the billions ‘missing’
under the Jonathan administration gets into the hands of AQIM (Al-Qaeda
in the Maghreb) through their Boko Haram partners in Nigeria and from
there these billions easily travel all the way to al-Qaeda’s
headquarters to support terrorism across the world.
Nigeria and the entire free world is at grave risk and urgent, severe
action is necessary to protect and secure life and hope. We need to
act.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah
