Boko Haram: 2 senators and a former governor on police watchlist

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday revealed that two senators and a former governor are currently under surveillance over their possible connection with the dreaded Islamic terror group, Boko Haram.

According to the IG, the three men under surveillance are Senators Ahmed Zanna and Ali Ndume, and a former Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff.

“We are working to end terrorism in the country but we need support from the public; some of the senators are under watch, but we need evidences to build a strong case against them.

“We cannot take anybody to court without ample evidence. Investigators need evidence to pursue their cases.”

The Inspector General said this after declaring open a conference of sectional heads, zonal and state Criminal Investigation Departments.

Men of the Joint Military Task Force recently arrested Mohammed Bama, who was reported to be a member of the Boko Haram sect and also a cousin to Senator Ahmed Zanna.

According to the JTF, Bama was arrested in a house said to be belonging to the senator, but Zanna faulted the veracity of the claim saying that the Boko Haram suspect was found in  house Ali Modu Sheriff’s residence.

Zanna claimed he had been framed by the JTF over his hard stance on the illegal activities of the military men in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

A self-confessed former spokesman for Boko Haram, Ali Konduga, had named Ndume as a financier of the sect.

Ndume, a senator representing Borno South District, is currently facing trial prosecution at a Federal High Court in Abuja. He was arrested November 21, 2011. Curiously, he was at the time a member of a Presidential committee on how to curb the activities of Boko Haram.