Contrary to widely-reported claims by Stephen Davis that Ali Sheriff and former Army Chief Azubuike Ihejirika were major sponsors of the Boko Haran sect, the former Borno State governor yesterday debunked the allegations, saying he never had any dealings with the sect.
Stating this at a news conference in Abuja, Sheriff said he was ready to face any investigation to prove his innocence, adding that the allegation was aimed at denigrating him.
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| Ali Sheriff at a press briefing |
"Let me state categorically at this point that I do not share the ideology of the Boko Haram sect, which is against western education, western culture and modern science or any other sect with similar ideology," he said.
"From my background, it could be easily seen that we are completely opposed to one another in terms of our viewpoints and convictions. By my nature and upbringing, I have neither associated myself with nor shared the beliefs of religious fundamentalists such as the Boko Haram sect or any other sect for that matter."
Sheriff added that he was being accused of having terrorist links in Borno State and other parts of the country since the 2009, even when the sect had been around much earlier.
"It may not be necessary to bother you with the long history of the metamorphosis of Boko Haram as a sect, as several reports have published their genesis, spanning over twenty five years," he said.
"The incident preceding the 2009 was in Kanama of Yobe State in 2002, long before I became the Governor of Borno state. It is on record that my Administration in 2009 took exceptional bold steps in handling the Boko Haram insurgency."
The ex governor said that his defection from the All Progressives Congress to the PDP seemed to further galvanize his detractors to "convert the matter into a political weapon".
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