Qaqa, Sokoto: Our Plan’s to Islamise Nigeria (The Nigeria You Own)

Posted by admin Boko Haram, Latest Politics Thursday, March 8th, 2012

By Ike Abonyi

Further revelations emerged Wednesday from the interrogation room of the State Security Service (SSS) when the two principal suspects of the Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa, who was the spokesman of the group, and his recaptured colleague, Kabiru Sokoto, gave insights into why the group attacked Muslims, Churches and schools.

The revelation also came on the heels of another attack by suspected gunmen believed to be members of the sect in Borno State, on a police station and local government secretariat, killing four persons in the process.

But Qaqa and Sokoto, THISDAY gathered, have been corroborating each other in the information given out to their interrogators. They stressed that the main target of the group was to Islamise Nigeria. Sokoto was believed to have masterminded the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State.

“We had a grand plan to Islamise Nigeria rightly starting with the North. We felt that a lot of Muslims were not practicing the religion faithfully as they should. Part of the plan was to reduce the powers of the Sultan to traditional rulership functions only while all religious authority would be vested with our leader (to be based in Yobe). We believed there were so many things wrong with the present arrangement of combining tradition with religion,” they stated.

Contrary to the view that the group attacked Churches and schools out of provocation, they said indeed attacking churches had been part of the original strategy of the group.

“The plans to attack churches and schools were not a reaction to any provocation. The plans had been there. You know why the churches had to go. Those schools for instance were not teaching the children according to ways of our faith. These were part of our initial plans of allowing only Islamic schools and wiping away the so-called secular schools. Though a lot of us who had gone to school saw this approach as too rigid since we could use the medium to propagate the faith faster, we were few and equally scared of being labelled traitors to face the ultimate consequence. We wanted to reform the schools to conform to our practice.

“On the traditional institution, any ruler that would have obstructed our plans would have regretted his action,” they stressed.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram on Tuesday night, carried out what appeared to be a premeditated and well coordinated attack killing three policemen, including a five-year-old boy, who were shot dead in Konduga, a neighbouring town to Maiduguri.

It was learnt from residents of the town that several gunmen went berserk and attacked a police station, local government secretariat and two churches in Konduga town, the headquarters of Konduga local government area of the state.

It was gathered that the incident happened shortly after the Magrib (6.30 p.m.) prayer when the assailants stormed the Konduga local government area secretariat and started shooting sporadically into the air which made many people scamper for safety.

Residents of the town revealed that there was sporadic gunfire from around 7p.m. to 10p.m. as the gunmen unleashed untold mayhem on the town. When THISDAY visited the town yesterday, a building inside the secretariat which was inaugurated by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in 2001, was completed razed down by the assailants.

About six vehicles, including a four runner were also burnt down inside the secretariat, while the divisional office of the Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC) inside the secretariat complex was also torched.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Samuel Tizhe, who confirmed the attack, however, denied the killing of any police officer, stating that the policemen affected in the attack were injured and were receiving treatment as at last night.

Meanwhile, the JTF through a statement signed by its spokesman, Lt Colonel Hassan Mohammed, on behalf of the commander, said some members of the public were violating curfew regulations in spite of several warnings.

“This is unacceptable as those caught breaking the curfew will face the consequences,” the task force stressed in strong worded statement,” he said.

It however advised people to disregard rumour of adjustment of curfew time, maintaining that the curfew still takes effect from 7p.m. to 6a. daily. “However, those on essential duties are advised to identify themselves to security agents,” it added.

It was also gathered that when gunmen stormed the Divisional Police Station in the town, policemen on duty offered no resistant but took to their heels as they cannot march with the gun power and numbers of the assailants.

Three policemen were said to have been shot dead while a five year old boy was killed by a stray bullet before the assailants burnt down the station.

Two churches, the EYN church and Catholic Church in the town was also razed down by the gunmen.
At the EYN Church the residential home of the pastor and the church auditorium were razed while at the Catholic the whole building was torched.

The secretary of the EYN, who simply identified himself as Jide narrated to journalists that the pastor of the church was in town when the incident happened around past 7pm.
“As the gunshot rented the air in the town he quickly came back home to moved his family to a village close to a river but when he went back to the church to go and pack their load the people have razed the fence with explosives and put the church building on fire,” he said.

As at Wednesday morning the entire town was deserted as shops and market places remained close.
Heavy troops were seen around the police station and secretariat where the attacked took place.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Samuel Tizhe, who confirmed the attack but, however, denied the killing of any police officer.

He said the policemen affected in the attack were injured and were receiving treatment as at last night.

Meanwhile, the JTF through a statement signed by its spokesman, Lt Colonel Hassan Mohammed, on behalf of the commander, said some members of the public were violating curfew regulations in spite of several warnings, adding that some equally solicit the assistance of the security agents to break the curfew laws. “This is unacceptable as those caught breaking the curfew will face the consequences,” the task force stressed in strong worded statement.

It however advised people to disregard rumour of adjustment of curfew time, maintaining that the curfew still takes effect from 7p.m. to 6a. daily. “However, those on essential duties are advised to identify themselves to security agents,” it added

-ThisDaywp_posts