Boko Haram: I Stand By My Word And I Am Ready To Die For Nigeria – Mailafia

Obadiah Mailafia, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has declared that he stands by his word on the leadership of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria.

Mailafia made the declaration after he was released by the Department of State Services (DSS) over a claim he made that a governor from the north is the leader of Boko Haram insurgents.

He had made the submission on Monday during an interview session with a radio station based in Abuja.

Naija News recalls the former CBN deputy governor after his statement was invited by the DSS and he was in their office on Wednesday where he was questioned for about six hours.

He was released from the Jos office of the DSS at about 6.30pm where he had been since about 12:30pm in the company of his lawyers – Pius Akubo (SAN) and Yakubu Bawa.

After his release, Mailafia stated that he stands by his word and if needed, he is ready to lay down his life for Nigeria just like Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

He said this while addressing his supporters who had thronged the DSS office with various placards and vowed not to leave the place till he was released.

Mailafia who disclosed that he was treated fairly and professionally by the DSS officials, however, said though some of his words from the interview might have been taken out of context, the truth remains the same.

“We had a lively and intense interview over a radio interview I granted. That interview which was meant for an FM radio station, some just picked the clip — a small section of the 55 minutes broadcast — and put it on social media and it went very very far all over the country, raising a lot of concerns,” he said as reported by The Cable.

He added that despite the controversy generated by his statement, he stands by his words explaining that he is sure of what he knows and there is no going back on what he said and claimed.

“What I want to say is that, yes, all of those words were made by me. You know if the whole of the 55 minutes was played out, the context of what I said in a small clip that went viral would have become clearer.

“This is not the time to disown what I said. Yes, I was privy to some very sensitive information which all statesmen are entitled to have by virtue of our public roles.

“I know that I should have taken more care to corroborate some of the information I received, but perhaps some of it was uncorroborated. I was in no position to follow them to the camp to corroborate what was going on.

“But I am not a sensationalist, I am an economist and a central banker; by nature we are not given to sensation. Let me make it clear: I am a humanist; I am a man of peace. Even my name, Mailafia, means a man of peace.

“From the bottom of my heart, I love our country dearly and I abhor all the killings and violence which the innocent people of this country have been subjected to. I pray that Nigeria will never experience another civil war.

“The most elementary duty of government is to protect its citizens. When a government fails to protect its citizens, to protect little children, that is a serious matter. Any innocent boy or girl that is killed is my own child.

“I love Nigeria. Like Mandela, let me say if need be, I am prepared to give my life for Nigeria.”

While stating that his intention is not to cause problem in the country, Mailafia called on all stakeholders to work together and ensure Nigeria remains peaceful and continues to develop while the troubled regions regain normalcy.

“One of the greatest compatriots of this country, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, observes that no country can survive two civil wars. One civil war is bad enough. I also pray that the killings will stop in Zamfara, in Daura, in Katsina, in Birnin Gwari, in my beloved southern Kaduna, in the whole of the middle belt, in Borno, Adamawa and other places,” he said.

“Let us join hands together to build a new country. Let us work together to save our country and I pray that all of us will do our part to maintain the peace and make sure that our country makes progress.

“I want to thank the officials of the state department. They have done a tremendous job. They treated me professionally. I have not been rough handled and they have been very very fair and gracious to me.”