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AUSTRALIAN hostage negotiator Dr Stephen Davis has come out with further revelations of former Borno State governor Alhaji Modu Sheriff's dealings with Boko Haram saying he sponsored some members of the sect to go on pilgrimage to Mecca.
Dr Davis, who acted as a go-between when the Nigerian government was seeking to reach a deal with the Islamic militants, has always claimed that several high-ranking officials were behind the sect. He named Alhaji Sheriff and former chief of army staff Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika as two of Boko Haram's main sponsors.
Dropping another bombshell, Dr Davis said that the former governor sponsored many insurgents to Saudi Arabia, for the lesser hajj, where they are recruited and re-orientated by Boko Haram and sent for training in Mali. He also added that the real Abubakar Shekau was killed in June 2013 but pointed out that as the man standing in for him was killed last week, there is a chance for peace.
Dr Davis said: "Funds were provided to purchase weapons. This is sometimes transferred through the Central Bank of Nigeria to a person in Cairo who provides the weapons and also provides military uniforms.
"At other times vehicles are purchased in Benin for example and driven into Nigeria where they are sold for cash. They do not mind taking a loss on the sale price as by this method they can obtain cash in Nigeria without a direct link to the sponsor."
According to Dr Davis, the recipient of the terror money in Egypt is a Kanuri man, whose identity is known by DSS. He added that this recipient, whose details have been passed on to the State Security Service, has fought with Boko Haram and now associates with a network of jihadists.
"In effect they are recruited to Boko Haram and when they returned to Nigeria the recruits are then taken off for further reorientation by which they mean teaching and for training. Some of the training took place in Mali by Tuareg leaders but now more training is conducted locally," Dr Davis said.
He then went on to explain the kind of vehicles the Islamist sect purchased, adding that Volkswagen Golf was as a favourite because they could be sold very easily in Nigeria. He pointed out that Boko Haram kept keep some to use for suicide bombings and in one instance, a sponsor pledged six Hilux vehicles for the suicide bombers.
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CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY
.... The Forbidden Fruits After that day, the boys never went to the orange tree again and the story that it was a forbidden fruit was retold and everyone believed it, even the four boys. Though they knew it was not the forbidden fruits of the Bible but Mr. Jacob's forbidden fruits. Garba was angry when he learnt that it was Bawa who had told on him. They all began to avoid Bawa. But all these had been over thirty-five years ago. They grown and become men. Garba had turned out to be the star of them all, having excelled in school and had gone to Lagos and then to England. He returned to Dongongari and settled down. Now all the boys who went to the St. Aquinas now have children. But they all still sit together on weekends and talk of the past. Mr. Jacob and the forbidden fruits was always an exciting topic and they would laugh. "Only God know where the white master is today," Sule would say with nostalgia. "Perhaps long dead and buried," Tanko would say. "But he was a terror," Bawa reminded. He had succeeded. his father as the tobacco merchant in ,Jogongan even though he was once a banker. Garba would laugh. "Come to think of it, he was a good man. The lesson of the forbidden fruits was that of obedience. We ought to have obeyed him as our elder and teacher," he said: They all agreed with him. The End .... TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...JOIN US TOMORROW FOR MORE ON THIS FUNNY AND EXCITING STORY }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
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