Boko Haram: FG probes sabotage of peace talks
• Kabiru Sokoto to be arraigned
From CHUKS AKUNNA, Abuja
Monday, April 09, 2012
The Federal Government is investigating how Presidency officials leaked to the media details of the activities of the Dr. Datti Ahmed panel set up to negotiate with Boko Haram. The probe comes amidst a disclosure by a high ranking official of the State Security Service (SSS) (names withheld) that the agency is set to arraign the re-arrested alleged mastermind of the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, Kabiru Umar (alias Kabiru Sokoto).

Ahmed, who is President, Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, had on March 18 withdrawn from the presidential panel hours after some media ran a story that he was involved in peace talks with leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau.
Ahmed had cited media reports on aspects of his peace talks with Shekau, saying he was no longer comfortable continuing with the talks.

A source in the Presidency told Daily Sun that President Goodluck Jonathan was particularly disturbed by the sabotage of the Ahmed panel. The leakage had been traced to a certain presidential aide said to be related to a media executive, the source added.

Shekau had personally nominated Ahmed and four other Muslim leaders as representatives of the federal government to dialogue with, and had reportedly threatened to pull out if any aspect of the “secret talks” leaked to the media.
“In fact, Sheik Ahmed had listed certain conditions before accepting to serve as the chief mediator. One of the conditions was that the activities of the panel would be top secret, so as to gain the confidence of Shekau, who does not hide his distrust for government,” a source told Daily Sun.

“Once the story leaked, it was certain distrust had set in. Dr. Ahmed had no choice than to quit. The most painful aspect is that the chief suspect is one principal aide we had thought could be trusted considering his age and experience. How wrong!,” he lamented. In a statement announcing his exit, Ahmed said: “This development has embarrassed us very much and has created strong doubts in our minds about the sincerity of the government’s side in our discussion, as the discussion is supposed to be very confidential to achieve any success.

“In view of this unfortunate and unhelpful development, we have no option but to withdraw from these early discussions,” he had added. Security sources told Daily Sun that the SSS had been interogating Kabiru since he was re-arrested on February 10, in Taraba State, after a messy escape from police custody in Madalla a month earlier.
“From all indications, we have finished using (interrogating) him. There is nothing more we think we can get from him. What is left is to produce him in court and this will be in the next few weeks,” the official told Daily Sun.

The official disclosed that the service was taking its time in docking Sokoto to avoid the kind of “embarrassment” the arraignment of Senator Ndume caused the service. “In the Ndume case, it is now obvious we put the cart before the horse. Better put, we jumped the gun. We rushed to the Press a little too early and the embarrasing result is that the man (Ndume) has even applied to the court to quash the charges against him,” he added.

culled from: http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/apr/09/national-09-04-2012-004.html