The Boko Haram is gradually moving down south
to Lagos, Ogun, and Rivers a state, following the extensive military onslaught
against it in the North-East geo-political zone, Senator Babafemi Ojodu (ACN
Ekiti) has disclosed.
The senator spoke at a lecture organized to
commemorate the 70th birthday of Ropo Sekoni, a retired Professor of
Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, in Lagos, yesterday
Ojodu said that during a visit by the
Senate Committee on Defense, Army and Intelligence to the North-East, military
authorities informed them that documents recovered from the dreaded Islamist
insurgents revealed that they still have about 6,000 fighters ready to fight to
the finish.
Some of the members are hiding at the Sambisa
forest far away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“We were told by the military that the sect
members are moving into Ogere in Ogun State, Lagos and Port Harcourt,” Ojudu
said. “The military said they are trying to flush them out, but we don’t know
how much they have succeeded.”
The senator added, “The Boko Haram issue is
the biggest problem before us but we are not tackling it with urgency. We are
busy talking about 2015.”
Ojodu stated that his team’s five-day official
assignment ended abruptly on the third day because the atmosphere in the area
was “not conducive.”
The military, according to Ojudu, showed
the visiting senators several video clips, including how members of the dreaded
sect butchered the 10 traders from Bodija market, Ibadan, who had travelled to
the North to buy beans.
The documents recovered from the sect also
revealed that members had vowed that they would fight to the finish, Ojodu,
representing Ekiti Central, added.
On Monday, the International Criminal Court
(ICC) indicted the extremist Boko Haram sect for crime against humanity for its
widespread and systematic murder and persecution of civilians since 2009.
The report titled, “Situation in Nigeria” says
there is reasonable basis that since July 2009, the group that aims to spread
radical Islam in Northern Nigeria has committed crime against humanity.
The report highlights various attacks on
civilian population by the sect. It also described these attacks as systematic
and widespread spanning over the entire North-Eastern region, as well as
Plateau, Kogi, Kano, Bauchi and Kaduna states.
The birthday lecture in honour of Prof.
Sekoni, entitled ‘Make or Break: The Imperative of Cultural Democracy in
Nigeria’ was delivered by Femi Folorunso, writer and author. Mr. Folorunso was
a student of Prof Sekoni at the then University of Ife.
Source:
Leadership
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