August 5, 2009

Following the recent religious crisis in the North-eastern of Nigeria which resulted in the death of over 800 people, President Umaru musa Yar’Adua yesterday ordered his Chief Security Adviser to commence a probe into the death of religious sect ‘Boko Haram’ leader, Mohammed Yusuf, an incident that has raised questions of extra-judicial killing by security agents.
The order by the President also follows another revelation that comes from the security sources who alerted on the possible existence of a similar group opposed to Western education which according to the security has been traced to Niger State, another northern state. The state has shared boundary with the Nigeria’s capital Abuja.
The death of the Boko Haram sect leader, Yusuf was surrounded with controversy as there were conflicting reports regarding the circumstances that led to his death. While the police claimed he died in a shoot-out, a BBC photo of the sect leader in handcuffs proved he was taken alive and might have been slain by security agents. This was described by the Human Rights Groups as extra judicial killing and has already been condemned by many.
But President disclosed at the State House yesterday in Abuja that the National Security Adviser (NSA) had been directed to commence an investigation and submit the report before the end of the week, reiterating his government’s adherence to the Rule of Law. He hoped that the investigation will reveal the truth of the situation and expose the culprits.
“This is an incident that will be investigated together with all the events that have happened. Yesterday, I directed the NSA to carry out a post-mortem with the security agencies as a first step, so that we can have a full report of what happened during the crisis, including how the leader of Boko Haram was killed, the circumstances under which he was killed,” he added.
The president said the report would be examined and appropriate actions taken. Describing the incident as a “serious issue,” he stated that the report would determine if further investigation is needed.
Yar’Adua added: “I have been emphasizing since this administration came into power on our uncompromising stance on the rule of law. And everybody in this country, and all the officials, are aware, clearly and unambiguously of the stance of this administration on the rule of law and indeed my personal commitment and firm belief that it is rule of law that will anchor good governance and progress in this country.”
At the pick of the sectarian violence, President Yarádua went to Brazil on official trip. This move called for doubt from various quarters suspecting whether Yarádua is not serious about the country’s security. However, on his arrival back to the country, he met with all security agencies on the matter following which he ordered for the investigation. He stressed the importance of having the facts rather than acting impulsively.
Meanwhile, the name of the group that has been traced to Niger State cannot be immediately identified. However, a reliable security source disclosed that the joint security networks of the security agents are keeping tabs on members of this sect.