A former Borno governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, has denied a viral story that said he accused Vice-President Kashim Shettima of creating Boko Haram.
A post circulating on social media quoted Sheriff as saying, “It’s not me; it’s Shettima who created Boko Haram.”
That line first appeared online around 2016, and reappeared this week as a result of the warnings from the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, to Nigeria to end its security crisis that targets Christians.
Sheriff’s comments in the video have stirred anger and debate. However, the former governor of Borno State has called the report false and said he never gave any such interview.
The claim touched a nerve because Sheriff governed Borno from 2003 to 2011, during the start of the Boko Haram menace, and critics have long argued about who was responsible for the group’s early growth.
In a statement from his media office, Sheriff said the report was “a complete fabrication, devoid of truth, and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, malign the person of Senator Sheriff, and sow discord within the nation’s political landscape.”
He added that he had never spoken to any journalist about the matter.
Sheriff also said he has ordered his lawyers to find and take action against those who spread the story.
“Senator Sheriff has instructed his legal team to take immediate steps to identify all individuals, bloggers, or media outlets responsible for the dissemination of this defamatory material,” the statement read.
“Should the false publication not be retracted and taken down forthwith, the Senator will not hesitate to seek full legal redress under the law.”
