The allegations against General Ibrahim Babangida were made by Sheik Sani Haliru, a Boko Haram jihadist who is currently in the Niger Republic, in an interview that was posted on the social media.
He claims, among other things, that he had renounced violence and that he was only a foot soldier for Gen Babangida whom he says was a major sponsor of Boko Haram.
In a swift reaction, the former president dismissed Sheik Sani's claims as "the effusions of a deluded mind", blaming it on unnamed agents of President Goodluck Jonathan's government.
A statement issued by Gen Babangida's spokesman, Kassim Afegbua, reads: "We have every cause to believe that the interview was carefully scripted to convey the message intended and not one conducted under a question-and-answer basis.
"The responses of the said Sani Haliru attest to this fact. From that premise, therefore, it will be safe to conclude that the interview was structured by certain agents of government to satisfy a pre-determined position."
On more than one occasion, the State Security Service (SSS) has admitted in public statements knowledge of involvement of "prominent Nigerians" in the violence that has come to pose serious threats to national security.
The security arm, however, always balked at revealing the names. In the wake of arrests and rigorous interrogations of over 30 key members of the sect, the SSS is already hinting at shocking and substantial information gathered by forensic experts from "revealing call logs".
Whatever the SSS had to reveal to beleaguered Nigerians, the security apparatus appeared to have been beaten to it by Sheik Haliru, who is currently on the run.
The Boko Haram member -- who has travelled over the years to Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt and his native Niger Republic -- disclosed that he received training in Libya and Pakistan as an attack strategist.
He further revealed that as a young militant in May 1986, he was among the 36 jihadists who went on a rampage, attacking Christian students at the University of Sokoto.
He was also involved in razing the sculpture of Jesus Christ at the University of Ibadan.
The terrorist claimed he was untouchable in 2009 after Mohammed Yusuf, the Boko Haram founder, was killed.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202161489.html
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