The spokesperson of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar at a press conference in Abuja exonerated Ihejirika of the allegations, but disclosed that Modu-Sheriff will be invited for more questioning on his involvement with the terrorist group.
According to Ogar: “I would want to say here that it is absolutely uncharitable for us as Nigerians to reward somebody who laid down his life in pursuing these same people, for us to accept that he can in anyway be associated as sponsoring the same sect.”
She also dismissed allegations against the Service by Stephen Davis, who had accused them of not investigating a purported Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official who handles the funding of Boko Haram activities.
Davis had noted that the SSS has in its custody three cousins arrested over planning April 14 Nyanya bombing whose Uncle in the CBN has not been investigated. Ogar, who described Davis as a self-styled negotiator, stated that of the six suspects in custody over the Nyanya bombing, none is related to another by blood.
Parading the suspects before journalists, they denied having any uncle or being related to each other. Fielding questions from Journalists for the first time, one of the alleged masterminds of the Nyanya bombing, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche denied being a Boko Haram member or being involved in the attack.
Ogwuche argued that he was away at school in Sudan when the attack happened and he denied jumping bail, asking why he was not arrested at the airport. He admitted to being detained by the police because he belonged to a banned group in the United Kingdom where he received jihadist lectures and participated in demonstrations.
Ogwuche also confessed to being friends with a Boko Haram member through whom he gave three thousand naira each to about 11 widowed wives of the sect’s members.
However one of the other suspects paraded alongside Ogwuche yesterday implicated him in the Nyanya bombing, when he confessed that Ogwuche was a visitor at the Utako Kishi Clinic where the attack was planned.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has denied hiring Australian Stephen Davis as a negotiator. It also said it is not clear yet on his alleged status acting as a Boko Haram negotiator on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri made this known in Abuja yesterday. He said government does not have any plan of prosecuting any Nigerian for now, following various allegations made by Davis.