Link with Boko Haram: We’re ready for probe – APC

All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday broke its silence over the attempt by the United Kingdom, UK Parliament to probe its alleged link with Boko Haram sect. In a formal response to the move, APC said it preferred an international inquiry to unravel both the sponsors of the terror group and its modus operandi.
The party, in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the inquiry should include intelligence experts from the United States, US, UK, France and Canada, as well as representatives of the United Nations, UN and Nigeria’s neighbours: Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
At the weekend, there were media reports that the UK Parliament was keen on probing the alleged link between APC leaders and Boko Haram.
Mohammed said APC believes in a comprehensive constitution of a high powered panel of inquiry for the above named countries and organisation to undertake the task.
He said: ‘’We hope the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government, which has led the incessant but baseless campaign to point accusing fingers at the opposition, especially our party the APC, will give its total support to the immediate constitution of this international panel of inquiry.
“We have no doubt that the international community will give its unalloyed support to this inquiry, in view of the trans-national nature of the insurgency and the threat posed by terrorism to global peace and security,’’ the party said.
Mohammed further said APC would support the inquiry anytime it was setup as he claimed that the continued link of the group to the party was diversionary as the insurgent group had been in existence before the formation of APC.
‘’On our part, we pledge our total support for this inquiry anytime it is launched, but hopefully very soon. Our party, which is barely one year old, has been at the receiving end of diversionary, carefully-choreographed and blatantly irresponsible pointblank accusations as well as insinuations of sponsoring Boko Haram, not minding that the group’s activities date as far back as 2002 when there was no APC.
‘’These accusations and insinuations have become so virulent and have indeed reached a level where one begins to wonder whether those behind the finger-pointing are actually trying to divert attention from their own culpability and whether they have even more sinister motives for their finger-pointing.
‘’Whatever their motives are, let the international inquiry we are seeking be launched urgently and let the findings be published for all Nigerians to see. Anyone opposed to this call for an international inquiry will have a lot of explanations to make to Nigerians as well as to the international community,” the party said.