Boko Haram: Irate Youths Attempt to Raze Sheriff’s Residence in Maiduguri

                          

Convinced that some of the political elite in the state are behind the unending attacks by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, irate youths in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, yesterday attempted to raze the exquisite mansion of former governor of the state, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

He is being accused of complicity in the founding and funding of the dreaded sect.
The attempt on the mansion of the former governor, one of the best buildings in the town, came moments after the house of the state chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Mala Othman, was torched for the same reason.

 

The vigilante youth group, popularly called Civilian JTF, has been seeking to bring the party chairman to "justice" for his alleged complicity in the acts of terrorism for the last one week without success as he was believed to have fled his house.

Annoyed that the chairman could not be brought to "justice" the youths decided to block the road leading to Othman's house while chanting war songs thus causing a traffic snarl.

According to residents of the area, who spoke anonymously to journalists, the youths after confirming that the party’s chairman had sneaked into town, went after him to get him arrested and handed over to the JTF.

But on getting to his house at about 10.30 am they found out that he had been sneaked out by his security escort to an unknown destination.

Frustrated that their plan had been thwarted, the youths who were said to have been about 200 in number, vented their frustration on everyone found at the residence, eventually leading to the burning of the house.

A source said the youths on realising that the ANPP chairman had been smuggled out, set his house ablaze and proceeded to the house of "his boss", Sheriff, chanting “Saura Mai Gidan shi”, meaning it remains the house of his boss.

They compounded the traffic situation for over an hour in various parts of the town as they moved from Othman's house to the multi-million naira mansion of Sheriff to register their protest.

The youths, who trekked to Othman's house, according to sources, proceeded on foot chanting war songs as they marched a distance of about five kilometres to the house of Sheriff, the immediate past governor of Borno State.

As they marched through the streets, they were cheered by the people who commend the courage they have exhibited in dealing with the security menace in the state. On getting to Sheriff's house, the youths attempted to torch it but were prevented by the security men who shot sporadically into the air to disperse the rampaging youths.

Othman was elected during the tail end of Sheriff's tenure.