Governor Shettima of Borno State

Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima has challenged the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to publish the report a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee he constituted to probe the 2014 abduction of over 20 in a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State if he has nothing to hide.

The challenge to Jonathan was the latest in the spats sparked off between the former President and Shettima by remarks made by the Governor at a book launch in Abuja last week.

The Governor had at the book launch among other things, complained that the former President mismanaged the abduction saga.

Shetimma said Jonathan allowed his aides to deceive him that he (the governor was behind the abduction and thus failed to take appropriate action.

But the former President had through a statement issued by one his aides denied the accusation, even as he claimed that the Borno State governor has failed to disclose everything he knew about the kidnap of the schoolgirls.

In a statement by Okechukwu Eze, his spokesperson, Jonathan also accused the Governor of failing to support the war against Boko Haram

Jonathan also claimed that the fact that the Principal of the Chibok school where the girls were kidnapped was appointed commissioner thereafter shows that the Governor may have a hand in the abduction.

But Shettima through a statement by the Borno State Commissioner of Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo, on Saturday denied allegation that the Principal of Chibok Secondary School at the time of the abduction was appointed commissioner by his Shettima administration, according to report in The Nation newspaper on Sunday.

The Governor also asked the former President why he failed to publish the report of a panel he set up to probe the abduction of the girls which absolve him and the Borno State Government of complicity in the abduction saga.

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,” the Commissioner stated.

Kubo said Governor Shetimma assisted Jonathan to  fight Boko Haram by  single-handedly funding of civilian JTF without any support from the Federal Government and funding security agencies and mobilizing community intelligence as publicly attested to by the then Director of Operations at the Defence Headquarters, Major General Lawrence Ndugbane.

The Commissioner noted that Jonathan was angry with Shettima  because the governor told the world that the Nigerian military wasn’t being equipped to fight Boko Haram in the height of the insurgency.

But he noted that the Governor’s claim has since been proved by former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and by the huge allegations on how funds means for arms were shared under Jonathan.