Memo: Address Nyako’s allegations, northern elders tell FG

The Prof. Ango Abdullahi-led Northern Elders’ Forum on Sunday advised the Federal Government to tackle the issues raised in the memo to the northern governors by Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, over the activities of insurgents in the North.

Abdullahi, who described as “nonsense” allegations that some northern elite were behind the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, noted that rather than condemning the memo, the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration should muster the courage to investigate the memo. The former Vice-Chancellor argued that if truly the Federal Government had no hidden agenda, the said memo did not call for condemnation but rather investigations. “Just condemning the governor’s memo without probing the allegations raised in the memo goes to show that the Federal Government probably has something to hide, if not it should come out and say the facts as they are,” he said. He said the governor, given his status in the society, wouldn’t have come out with such weighty allegations without evidence to back them up. The NEF’s Chairman, who spoke to newsmenon Sundayin Kaduna, said, “To me, as a Governor of Adamawa State, Nyako is in a position to have some privilege information that could have made him to make such statement he made. Rather than people addressing the serious allegations that the governor has raised, they have resulted to abusing and condemning him. And this goes to show that maybe they have something to hide, if not they should come out and say the facts as they are. “For a governor like Nyako to come out to raise the alarm, the mission is not one of condemnation or criticism. The serious issue is to investigate the allegations he has made; not to abuse him or criticise him. Those who want to criticise him should come out with evidence against him. He cannot be dreaming.”