Garba Shehu: For the last govt, Boko Haram was a cash cow

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, has alleged that the government of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan used Boko Haram insurgency as an avenue to divert funds.

In an interview on Channels TV, Shehu accused the last administration of using Chibok’ kidnap “as a means to make money among themselves”.

He alleged that sincere efforts were not made to rescue the kidnapped schoolgirls.

“They just saw the issue as a means to make money and they stole all the money available using Boko Haram and Chibok girls as a pre-test,” he said.

“For the previous government, Boko Haram was a cash cow. They opened the vault for them. Investigations have revealed that US dollars were taken from the office of the NSA in the name of buying freedom for those girls from Boko Haram.

“Even at the highest level of the previous administration, some believed this was a conspiracy against Christianity, against a section of the country. But the most important thing for this was that the international community joined in the advocacy too.”

Shehu also dismissed concerns that the suspected Boko Haram members released in exchange for the girls pose a threat to the nation.

“There are risks on both sides but these are international practices that have happened elsewhere. So, we are not doing something others have not done before,” he said.

“We must also consider what the minister was saying yesterday, nobody can be more fastidious dealing with the terrorists than Israel. And the harmless five that were released, they will be tested when they go back to their community.

“The 82 (Chibok girls) will be talked to and some of the revelations will help the military a lot.”

He also claimed the sect had been degraded. by the soldiers fighting

“For the military, they are just doing a mop up job; cleaning up the place,” he said.