The camp of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has recalled the 2012 arrest of convicted Boko Haram member, Kabiru Sokoto, at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Paul Ibe, media aide to Atiku, raised the Sokoto issue on Thirsday, a day after VP Shettima criticised Atiku during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Abuja.
Shettima had taken a swipe at Atiku over his repeated attempts to become president and his references to President Bola Tinubu by his first name.
In response, Ibe drew attention to an incident from Shettima’s time as governor of Borno State, questioning how a man later convicted over the deadly 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Madalla gained access to the governor’s official residence.
In his post on X, Ibe wrote: “Shettima cannot escape questions about an extraordinary incident that occurred while he governed Borno between 2011 and 2019.”
Sokoto was arrested at the Borno Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, in January 2012, following investigations into the bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, on December 25, 2011. The attack killed at least 37 people and injured dozens of others. Sokoto was convicted over the bombing in December 2013 and sentenced to life.
Highlighting the circumstances of the arrest, Ibe wrote: “Read that again. A man subsequently convicted for his involvement in one of Nigeria’s most horrifying terrorist attacks was arrested at the official lodge of the governor of the state that was the epicentre of Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency.”
The Borno government denied knowing that Sokoto was at the lodge, describing his presence as a serious security breach.
However, Ibe argued that the explanation did not remove the need for further questions about how the incident happened and what followed.
“An official denial does not eliminate the legitimate questions arising from such an extraordinary incident,” he wrote.
Addressing the VP directly, Ibe added: “Mr Vice President, public office does not confer immunity from difficult questions.”
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