The Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, on Saturday replied former President Goodluck over statements credited to him on the kidnapped Chibok girl by his Media Office, describing it as irresponsible.
Jonathan had in a statement by his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze, on Friday lambasted Shettima for for saying that the ex-president believed he kidnapped the Chibok girls when the incident happened.
Shettima said this on Thursday at the launch of a book written by a former Minister in the regime of Jonathan, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi.
Abdullahi is now the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress.
Responding to Jonathan on Saturday through a statement by the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo, Shettima challenged the ex-president to make public the report of a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee he constituted in the wake of the girls’ abduction, “if he has nothing to hide”.
Kubo also denied the allegation by Jonathan that the Principal of Chibok Secondary School at the time of the abduction was appointed commissioner by the Shettima administration.
He said no one contributed to the fight against Boko Haram than Shettima.
Kubo said: “Rather than direct spurious allegations against Governor Kashim Shettima on controversies surrounding the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, media aides should ask their principal, ex-President Jonathan, why he deliberately concealed the report of a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee he constituted and inaugurated on May 6, 2014 and which submitted the report of findings to him on June 20, 2014.
“For the purpose of records, Eze and his colleagues are pointing the wrong direction, they should ask their principal, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, why he deliberately refused to make public, the report of a committee he constituted, inaugurated and received their findings on facts surrounding the Chibok abduction and who is to blame for it.
“To refresh their minds, on May 6, 2014, President Jonathan had inaugurated multi-agency/stakeholder fact-finding committee under the chairmanship of Brig. General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), a one-time Director of Military Intelligence and secretary of the Committee was from the Niger Delta.
“President Jonathan single handedly selected all members of that committee which included representatives of the UN, ECOWAS, retired and serving security officers from the Army, DSS and the Police; representatives of the Chibok community, local and international civil rights organizations, representatives of the National Council of Women Societies, the Nigeria Union of Journalists and some of his highly trusted associates.
“For nearly two months, the committee undertook thorough investigation that included forensic assessment of all documents on the entire issues, held meetings with parents of the schoolgirls, visited Chibok, met with the then Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, the Director General of the DSS and the Inspector General of Police, all of whom were appointees of President Jonathan.
“The committee also met with officials of Borno Government including myself and the school principal. The committee held meetings with the heads of different security agencies in Borno State, including the security formations in charge of Chibok and after compiling their findings, the committee submitted its report directly to President Jonathan on June 20, 2014 in Aso Rock.
“The question anyone should ask is why President Jonathan deliberately refused to make that report public. What was he hiding from Nigerians? Here is another question, if the findings had indicted Governor Shettima or the Borno State Government in anyway, does anyone really thinks Jonathan would have concealed that report given his open hatred for Shettima and the fact that the Governor was in the opposition party?
“Also, the issue of saying the Principal of GSS Chibok was appointed a Commissioner is an irresponsible mischief because Governor Kashim Shettima is neither foolish nor is he a daft.”
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