Former Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika (retd), has challenged former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to provide Nigerians with evidence of his alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram terrorists.
Mallam El-Rufai, had told an online medium, point blankness.com, that Gen. Ihejirika and former governor of Borno State, Alimodu Sheriff, were the sole sponsors of the insurgents. The former minister also alleged that the former COAS, and his counterpart, selected people to be killed by the terrorists group.
But in a swift reaction, the former army chief, who spoke to Daily Sun, from his village in Abia State, described the allegation, as diversionary and a deliberate attempt by the former minister to distract the attention of the international communities, government and the security agencies from focusing on the ways and means of curbing the activities of the terrorist group.
Gen. Ihejirika, who said he was not surprised that such comments were coming from the likes of El-Rufai, also stated that he was yet to understand what those sponsoring the terrorist group really wanted from Nigeria.
He said: “Those supporting the Boko Haram group, I am yet to understand, whether they are doing it for political reason or for what. But what I want to clear is that a lot of people have taken various steps, ways and means to support the Boko Haram group and scuttle genuine efforts to curb the problem and that is the issue.
“So, for me, the statement by El-Rufai, which he did not deny as far as I am concerned, is diversionary and a trick to distract the international communities, the nation, government and the security agencies from focusing on the ways and means of curbing the menace.
“And if you ask me, this way of distracting the security agencies from doing their job is not new by the Boko Haram supporters because, when the Boko Haram group struck in Adamawa and killed some Igbo traders and Yoruba businessmen, the version which some prominent politicians sold to Nigerians was that the traders were fighting over business and killed themselves.
“So, that is to tell you how these diversions come.” He, therefore, advised El-Rufai and his likes to stop deceiving Nigerians by diverting attention, saying that when Boko Haram started, their supporters like El-Rufai, said there was nothing like Boko Haram, and that the army was just killing innocent youths.
“Again, some of them, including El-Rufai, said I was revenging the killing of the Igbo during the Biafra war.
Apart from that, the likes of El-Rufai started the campaign of human rights abuses, in order to divert the international attention of the heinous crime being committed by these terrorists,” he said.
Gen. Ihejirika said he was not surprised that the allegations were coming from the likes of El-Rufai, who started the campaign that he took away N48 billion,  which is still in the coffers of the Ministry of Defence and could be verified by anybody.
He said that this is how the likes of el-rufai have been supporting Boko Haram, adding that this same group was what made the army not to get the requested equipment to deal with this menace once and for all, as they used their likes to tell the government that these equipment were not necessary.
Gen. Ihejirika, said that “At the onset of this crisis, I was the first person to declare that the country was at war, these same group of el-rufai disagreed, that it was not true”.
It is the same group of el-rufai that started the human right abuses, in order to block any international assistance and that gave Boko Haram respite to build up.
He revealed that when the United States was to declare Boko Haram, as a terrorist organization, the same groups of el-rufai mounted pressure on the international community, using human right abuses as campaign strategy to frustrate the move.