Chibok Girls: Shettima Dares Jonathan To Reveal Panel’s Report

The row between ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and the
Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, over the
abduction of the Chibok School girls in 2014 deepened
yesterday.
Shettima through a statement by the Borno State Commissioner
of Education, Musa Inuwa Kubo, has challenged the ex-
President to make public the report a Presidential Fact-Finding
Committee he constituted in the wake of the girls’ abduction,
‘if he has nothing to hide.’
The Commissioner, who denied allegation by Jonathan that the
Principal of Chibok Secondary School at the time of the
abduction was appointed commissioner by the Shettima
administration, insisted that no one contributed to the fight
against Boko Haram than Shettima.
The spat between Jonathan and Shettima followed remarks by
the Governor at a book launch in Abuja that the ex-President
had surrounded himself with persons who could not help him in
the art of governance, unlike former President Olusegun
Obasanjo whose administration was studded with very bright
personalities.
However, Jonathan, through a statement by his media aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, said Shettima should come clean on how the
Chibok girls were kidnapped on April 14, 2014.

But Kubo also called on Nigerians to ask Jonathan why he
concealed a report of his own fact-finding committee’ that
investigated the circumstances surrounding the kidnap of the
girls.
Borno State Governor Kashim 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.”
He also said there was never a time the Principal of
Government Secondary School, Chibok was considered for any
appointment, not to mention being a Commissioner.
He described the claim by Jonathan’s media team as an
irresponsible mischief.
He added: “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 any way, 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 if there was one Nigerian that assisted Jonathan in
the fight against Boko Haram it was Governor Shettima.
He said Shettima single-handedly approved the funding of
civilian JTF without any support from the Federal Government.
He said Jonathan himself repeatedly acknowledged the roles
played by Civilian JTF in whatever success his administration
recorded in fighting the insurgency.
He said the governor supported Jonathan by 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.
Kubo said Jonathan’s main anger with Shettima was when the
governor spoke out of frustration by telling the world that the
Nigerian military wasn’t being equipped.
He said the Governor’s claim has since been proved by former
Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and by the huge
allegations on how funds meant for arms were shared under
Jonathan.
The Commissioner noted that ex-President Jonathan’s decision
to constitute that committee was a miraculous intervention by
God to preserve the innocence of Governor Shettima and his
administration.
He noted that if Jonathan wasn’t the one that constituted a
fact-finding committee and received a report, no administration
on earth would have upheld Shettima’s innocence because
Jonathan’s men would have questioned the report of any other
fact-finding committee.
He called on the ex-President Jonathan’s media team to find
something more important to do with their time rather than
making baseless allegations in order to tarnish the image the
governor.