Former Borno Governor, Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff, has disowned a viral publication claiming he accused Vice-President Kashim Shettima of creating Boko Haram. Sheriff described the report as a politically motivated fabrication aimed at sowing division in the North-East.
In a statement from his media office in Abuja, Sheriff called the story a “complete fabrication” and urged the public to disregard it. He emphasized that he never made such claims and did not engage with any journalist regarding this matter.
Sheriff condemned the report as dangerous misinformation that undermines his contributions to peace and development in Borno. He has instructed his legal team to identify those responsible for spreading the defamatory material and threatened legal action if the publication is not retracted.
This clarification follows renewed attention on the Boko Haram conflict, spurred by comments from military and political figures about the impact of misinformation during the insurgency. The insurgency, which gained international notoriety in 2014 with the abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok, has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over two million people.
Sheriff’s rebuttal comes amid broader discussions about the security situation in Nigeria, including recent claims by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the targeting of Christians in the country.
