Tinubu Denies Supporting Boko Haram And Offers Antidote To Solving The Menace

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday denied sponsoring the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, saying his belief in the sanctity of human life would not have allowed him to support such mindless killings of human beings in the name of religion.

Tinubu, who spoke to journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos,
at about 7pm, however, advised the Federal Government to find reasons behind the agitations of the radical group.

He said, “The allegation that I am sponsoring Boko Haram is a very serious allegation that is very malicious and damaging. It is a very serious rumour, I cannot be involved in such a heinous act, because I believe in the secularity of Nigeria, remember my wife is a deaconess, so, I cannot be involved in such evil act.

“I cannot be involved in sponsoring Boko Haram, I believe in the rule of law, in all the battles I have confronted, I know how I am committed to the rule of law, I always headed for the court. I am convinced that it is politically motivated, from those who have failed to deliver good governance to Nigeria. I believe this country must strive for freedom, liberty and the inalienable right of individuals.”

He added, “If you talk about Boko Haram, you cannot examine one side alone. Government must look at all the sides, and ask, what is the genesis of Boko Haram? How did it start?

“Government has to find the cause of the Boko Haram crisis by addressing all the anger in the society, and examine all grievances and engage leadership at all levels, in particular prominent leaders to find a way to appeal to the promoters of Boko Haram, and investigate the theory that Al-Qaeda infiltrated Boko Haram, and also examine ourselves again.”

Tinubu challenged the government to investigate the circumstances behind the “summary execution” of the former leader of Boko Haram leader.

He explained that if the root cause of the Boko Haram crisis was unravelled, more extremist groups could spring up which will become a difficult nut for the government to crack.

He said, “The leadership of Nigeria did not handle this matter properly from the beginning, Did it just spring like locust, it all started gradually , what happened to the leader of Boko Haram, that was arrested, handed over to the police, but he was summarily executed.”