Abba Mohammed Dikwa
It is most devastating that someone who believes he possesses the qualities of a gadfly and parades himself as such in a highly civilized society like Nigeria does not possess a basic knowledge of the country’s constitution.
I am profoundly devastated that the publisher of the online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, does not know that the Nigerian Police Force, which operates with various instruments like the Crack Force, is an establishment of the Federal Government and is, therefore, an apparatus used for whatever purpose in the broad gamut security and law enforcement, by the apex government, not by any state government or any state governor.
He, today, Friday, August 22, alleged in a Facebook page that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State maintains a torture chamber operated by the Crack team, supposedly of the Nigerian Police Force to torture people.
Borno State Government established a state police outfit. The Civilian JTF is only a vigilante organization established to help the military in the Boko Haram war and is, therefore, unthinkable that it can operate a crack team. Any insurgent arrested by the CJTF is handed over to the military, who are constitutionally empowered to take custody of.
The state government owned CJTF cannot, dare, go near the vicinity of performing the functions of a crack team, in whatever form, and by whatever name, let alone maintain a torture chamber
Apart from the CJTF, the Borno State government does not operate any vigilante outfit, let alone any security outfit.
Only the NPF, therefore, operates a crack team performing functions referred to by Sowore. Only the NPF can say if it maintains a torture chamber.
It bewilders everyone with a normal portion of common sense why Sowore and his Sahara Reporters most-flagrantly disregard reason and logic in their posts and reportsge.
Sahara Reporters and Sowore are serial blackmailers who are intent on sabotaging the peace process in Borno State and the wider North East region.
An analysis of the outlet’s reporting reveals a persistent tendency to level spurious allegations whenever peace appears to be returning to the state, ostensibly under the pretext of highlighting human rights protections or abuses.
For example, when the military intensified its counter-insurgency operations, during the height of Boko Haram insurgency, Sahara Reporters published claims of extrajudicial killings, torture in detention facilities, rape, and mismanagement.
These reports, the consistently said, were based on unsubstantiated facts and constituted a deliberate attempt to demoralise troops.
Sowore and his platform have now employed umpteen tactics to discredit the unprecedented efforts of the Borno State Government, under the leadership of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, in the areas of resettlement, reconciliation, reconstruction, and infrastructural development.
It is a known fact that the people of Borno have begun to rebuild their lives, resuming large-scale farming activities and cross-border trade—progress with which Sowore and his co-travellers are not comfortable.
He now used the usual flag of human rights abuse to deliberately distract global attention from Borno’s model peace-building efforts.
The recent attempt by Sowore to alter the positive narrative about Borno on his social media channel within the last 24 hours had “failed, the prevailing positive narratives about governor Zulum have obliterated his false claims, outright falsehood, and blackmail, his tactics and those of his associates are now understood.
If you are not against the peace, progress, development, and positive livelihood of Borno, what has Sahara Reporters achieved with its post in the last 24 hours?”
A classical example of Sahara Reporters’ false claims
Sahara Reporters published a story on Monday, August 19, 2024, claiming that a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter on a combat mission had crashed in the Timbuktu Triangle area of Borno State.
The mission is to provide close air support for troops of the 21-Armored Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai, who were ambushed by terrorists. It claimed that the helicopter was reportedly hit by “heavy ground fire” from the terrorists, leading to a fire and subsequent crash.
However, Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, refuted the claim, stating that all its aircraft involved in the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the Northeast are “intact” and accounted for.
He labelled the Sahara Reporters story as “false and malicious,” aimed at creating panic and distrust.
It is most baffling that Sowore and Sahara Reporters savour joy in continuing to goof to the chagrin and ridicule of the entire Nigerian public.
Abba Mohammed Dikwa
abbamohammeddikwa@gmail.com
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