The desire by the Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lidda Awati Wal Jihad, known in the local parlance as Boko Haram, to release their members, numbering about 100, from detention may be responsible for last Friday’s deadly attacks on Kano, Daily Sun, can authoritatively reveal.
About 166 people died in the multiple blasts.
The sect’s spkokesman, Abdul Qaqa yesterday explained why they struck in Kano. He told journalists on telephone that the state government should be blamed for the continued incarceration of its members and innocent citizens. According to him, the group gave the government ample time to free their members to no avail.
He said: “ You all saw on Al-Jazeera TV, how unarmed men, youths, women, cripple and even underaged were asked to lie on the ground and were shot on the head and chest by security agents. You all saw our leader, Mallam Muhammad Yussuf, in handcuffs and shot severally. You all saw how both Masjid and holy Quran were being destroyed,” Abdul Qaqa said.
Although, in Kano, the group rescued about 100 members, even in the midst of the multiple explosions that rocked the commercial nerve centre of the north, Daily Sun could not immediately ascertain whether or not it succeeded in rescuing any of its members, during yesterday’s Bauchi attack, in the early hours of yesterday. Security sources, confided in Daily Sun that “if you have followed the trend of their attacks on police formations and formations of other security agencies in the country, they only attack to rescue their members, and sometimes to acquire additional arms and ammunitions.
“Most people did not know, but I can confirm to you that the Damaturu attack last December by the group was principally to rescue one of their ring leaders, who was captured before the Damaturu attack. And they succeeded in rescuing him,” one of the sources added. The group had last August raised the alarm on the alleged indiscriminate arrest of its members and warned that it would strike if the trend continued.
Reacting to the development last August, after granting unconditional pardon to 20 prisoners in the state, Kano Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said that there was no justification for their continued detention, as they were not found committing any crime. While expressing shock at the report relating to their arrest, allegedly at the instance of the state government and the Emirate Council, the governor said that at no time did the state authorize any security agency to arrest or detain any member of any religious group, saying that “as a government, we consider all Islamic and Christian religious sects the same. It is the duty of government to embrace all religious groups toward peaceful co-existence among citizens.
“The state government was unaware of the alleged arrest of any member of any religious group; neither did the state government ordered the detention of members of the group. But if there is any member of the sect in detention, I am hereby calling on the security agencies to either release or charge such persons to court within the time stipulated by the Constitution.”
But five months later, precisely on December 18, 2011, the group again, through an e-mail to some journalists in the country, threatened to attack Kano. It sent words to the Emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero and Governor Musa Kwankwaso, requesting them to caution the security agencies in the state from further arrest of its members and to further prevail on them to release all those detained in Kano, without any further delay or risk being attacked by the group.
In the letter, which was signed by the leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, the group said: “The message here is that everybody knows that a lot of our people were killed in Kano State, especially in Wudil town. We had perfected plans to take revenge but some notable scholars intervened by pleading with us. They also assured that our members would never be persecuted again and we took them by their words.
“Unfortunately, however, about five months ago, security agencies began trailing and arresting our members, who are carrying out their legitimate businesses. They alleged that our members were thieves and armed robbers. Again, we perfected plans to attack the city of Kano but the scholars pleaded that we should not. They advised that we should write a formal letter of complaints to some notable people.“We agreed and sent letters to the Emir of Kano, Wamban Kano, Dan Masanin Kano and the governor of Kano State.
“We also posted the open letter on the internet but nothing was done to stop persecution of our members. Recently, security agencies have launched a fresh onslaught on some of our members in Kano city in which even women and children were not spared. Many houses were raided and a pregnant woman was manhandled. Some of our members were tortured with electricity. All these things happened in Kano, a city that we hold in high esteem.
“We have varied opinions about Kano, including the option of launching endless campaign of violence but the scholars that have been talking to us over and over are still persuading us to tarry a while. We are compelled to write this open letter so that the world will know what is happening.” Since then (December 18) however, there was no further correspondence from the group, until last Friday, when it sent out SMS messages in Kano, and its environs, while the attacks were going on, explaining why it had to attack Kano.
The group said: “In the name of God, the Most Beneficent and Merciful. We are the ones that they address with the prohibited name- Boko Haram, when our name is Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lidda Awati Wal Jihad (Congregation of Followers of the Prophet involved in the Call to Islam and Religious Struggle.)
“This message is to the people of Kano. You should know that the security (Police) in Kano are using tricks in arresting our people, that is they tell people in different neighborhoods that they are arresting thieves or armed robbers – you should know that it is our people that they are arresting. We do not have any intention of touching any people of this town if they do not touch us. Because our war is with the government that is fighting Islam with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that are killing Muslims even eating their flesh and those who helped them to fight us even if they are Muslims.
“Anyone who is instrumental to the arrest of our members is assured that their own is coming. Message from the leader of Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lidda Awati Wal Jihad, Imam Abubakar Muhammad Abubakar bin Mohammed (Shekau).”
Via Sunnewsonline
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