Mailafia grilled, insists Northern governor is Boko Haram commander

Having been grilled by the Department of State Services (DSS), over a revelation that one of Nigeria’s Northern governor is a Boko Haram commander, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia insisted that he will not retract his statement.

The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria stated this on Wednesday in Jos, Plateau State capital after spending six hours in the DSS’s office.

Mailafia who was a Presidential candidate on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2019 general election granted an interview to Nigeria Info, an Abuja Radio station, where he revealed that a repentant Boko Haram fighter told him that a Northern governor is one of their commander.

He was subsequently invited by the DSS which he honoured on Wednesday.

After being grilled, a public peace advocate, Rev. Para-Mallam, signed for his release at the end of his encounter with the DSS.

Speaking further, Mailafia vowed not to keep silent in the face of the current security challenges facing the country. He said he was ready to sacrifice his life, while calling for an end to the killings in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the country.

He said, “If I retract anything, I won’t be able to leave this place. I am a man of peace, I am not a man of violence.

“I must never give up on Nigeria, if need be, I will die for Nigeria.”

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Mr. Simon Lalong has called for an investigation into the allegation made by Mailafiya.

In a statement on Wednesday which was made available to journalists in Jos Lalong who is the governor of Plateau State said the allegation is weighty that must be investigated.

The statement said: “We, as Northern governors, have met severally to discuss insecurity in the region and the nation at large where we did not only condemn the activities of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, bandits and other criminals, but also engaged the President and all heads of security agencies in finding solutions to the problem.

“To now say that one of our members is leading Boko Haram is a serious allegation that cannot be swept under the carpet. We demand immediate and thorough investigation.”