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The Atiku Abubakar camp, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has recalled the 2012 arrest of convicted Boko Haram member, Kabiru Sokoto, at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide, raised the Sokoto issue on Thursday, a day after VP Shettima criticized Atiku during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Abuja.
Shettima slammed Atiku over his repeated attempts to become president and his calling President Bola Tinubu by his first name.
In response, Ibe drew attention to an incident during Shettima’s time as governor of Borno State, questioning how a man later convicted of the deadly 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Madalla gained access to the governor’s official residence.
In his post on
Sokoto was arrested at the Borno Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, in January 2012, following an investigation into the bombing of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Theresa in Madalla, Niger State, on December 25, 2011. The attack killed at least 37 people and injured dozens more. Sokoto was found guilty of the bombing in December 2013 and sentenced to life in prison.
Highlighting the circumstances of the arrest, Ibe wrote: “Read it again. A man later convicted for his involvement in one of Nigeria’s most horrific terrorist attacks was arrested in the governor’s office of the state that is the epicenter of the bloody Boko Haram insurgency.”
The Borno government denied knowing that Sokoto was at the lodge, and described his presence as a serious security breach.
However, Ibe believes that this explanation does not eliminate the need for further questions about how the incident occurred and what happened next.
“Official denials do not eliminate the legitimate questions raised by these extraordinary events,” he wrote.
Speaking directly to the Vice President, Ibe added: “Mr Vice President, public office does not provide immunity from difficult questions.”
