The Shehu of Bama Kingdom of Borno State, Shehu Kyari Ibn Umar El-Kanemi, has blamed the Federal Government of Nigeria for allowing Boko Haram enough space to operate.
He described the endless activities of the insurgent group as a mark of failure on the part of the Federal Government.
Speaking during the unveiling of the Ejike Chukwu Educational Foundation in Etekwuru Main home, Egbema in Ohaji Egbema Council in Imo State, yesterday, the monarch accused the federal government of not initially taking the issue of Boko Haram very seriously.
He said the development had led to the sect gaining more grounds with its attendant human losses and destruction of communities in the North-East.
He said: “Why I said Boko Haram is a creation of the federal government is that, at a time, the government of the day didn’t take it serious.
“They didn’t come in to arrest the situation at the beginning of the uprising. They became a law unto themselves. That’s why I said it was the failure of the state.
“They killed somebody like General Muhammed Shuwa, who was one of the excellent generals that fought to keep Nigeria as one, but up to date, nothing happened and nobody has been prosecuted.
“Though Boko Haram is now a shell of its former self, they need to be mopped up because they are still around, rampaging and attacking soft targets.
“Just yesterday, there was a bomb blast in Maiduguri where a number of people died. So, they need to be mopped up.”
