A gang of gunmen suspected to be members
of the Boko Haram sect on Friday kidnapped an elder statesman, Alhaji
Shettima Monguno, at the Mafoni Jumaat Mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State,
shortly after he performed the jumat prayers.
The kidnappers, who have contacted the
family of the 92-year-old man, are demanding the release of some terror
suspects being detained by security agents.
The gunmen reportedly forced the former
Federal Minister of Petroleum into their car and sped away, shooting
into the air to scare away worshippers.
Monguno’s son, Rahma, told
Saharareporters on the telephone that the kidnappers had made a contact
with the family, demanding not money, but freedom for some of their
members being detained by the government.
The former minister, also the Chairman,
Borno Council of Elders, had called for amnesty for Boko Haram and urged
the Federal Government to have a dialogue with the group.
During a stakeholders’ meeting convened
by President Goodluck Jonathan in Maiduguri in March 2013, the
nonagenarian had challenged the government to identify members of the
sect and hold a dialogue with them.
“To be frank, Mr. President, but for
dialogue, you wouldn’t have become the President of this country today.
Our founding fathers, who got together and begged the British government
to hand over the reins of government, had to sit together and forget
their differences and agreed that we would live together in harmony,” he
had said.
In April 2012, Monguno said in an
interview that the demand of the Boko Haram to impose Shar’iah on many
states should not discourage the government from cajoling the group to
come to a roundtable.
Last week, the Joint Task Force in
Maiduguri announced that the dreaded sect had set up a new squad which
would engage in kidnapping.
Two weeks ago, the sect also reportedly made $3.5m from kidnapping a French family in Cameroun.
Force spokesman, Frank Mba, confirmed the incident, saying the police were searching for the elder statesman.
Meanwhile, the Borno State Executive Council convened an emergency security meeting after the abduction of Monguno on Friday.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the state governor, Kashim Shettima, who chaired the meeting, became emotional at a point.
He was quoted as wondering why “a
92-year-old man that has dedicated his life helping orphans, poor widows
and vulnerable children in the society, offering scholarships to
children for even Islamic education, building Islamic schools, feeding
the poor and even advocating for peaceful negotiation and amnesty for
the sect members will be so treated.”
A source at the meeting said Shettima
had just returned from Friday prayers and was scheduled to visit the
Borno State Radio and Television station.
He was to undertake an inspection of
facilities at the station as well as interact with the management and
staff as part of activities to mark the World Press Freedom Day.
The governor had to cancel the visit to chair the meeting, which was held amid tight security.
The source said before convening the
meeting, Shettima called members of the Monguno family and instructed
security agents to furnish him with details of what exactly transpired.
The meeting, which was held at the
Mungonos’ residence a few metres from the Borno State Government House,
was to ensure that the statesman is released unharmed.
Sources: The punch
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