The bomb blast that rocked Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, yesterday, was not from the Boko Haram sect but an act of arson targeted at former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, his aide said last night.
Chairman, SAS campaign organisation in Borno State, Malam Bako Bunu, said in a statement that the fact that Sheriffs’ property at the old UTC was also targeted was a clear indication that the former governor was the prime target.
He said the fact that there had been no bomb incident in Maiduguri for the past 11 months until the former governor visited also gives the impression that the sustained opposition against his visit was a calculated move to stop him.
“It is sad that vehicles bearing Ali Sheriff’s posters were either vandalised or burnt which further points to the fact that Sheriff was the actual target,” Bunu said.
According to Malam Bunu, the bomb which killed about 19 people was the handiwork of a former chairman of the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and another highly placed official of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) who has always been suspected to be the brains behind violent activities in Maiduguri.
“It is an open secret that out of desperation to gain political control of Borno state and out of fear of the growing relevance of Ali Sheriff politically, a group of people has been hiding behind the current insecurity in the state to stop his visit.
“We are aware that the Boko Haram incident was used as an alibi for some people to perpetrate mayhem and distract the attention of the security operatives,” Bunu noted.
Source: The Nation
