here were strong indications, yesterday, that the
Security services have commenced a high-level investigation of a monarch in northern Nigeria, suspected to have links with the members of Islamist sect Boko Haram, indications have emerged.
The investigation followed the intelligence gathered from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, regarding difficulties being faced by Nigeria in extraditing Aminu-Sadiq Ogwuche, the alleged mastermind of the April 14, 2014, bombing of Nyanya motor-park, near Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, where over 100 lives were lost.
Situation was so embarrassing that the jet, provided by the Nigerian government to convey the suspect from the Sudanese capital, Khatoum, returned after waiting for three days without making a headway in the extradition process, a source told vanguard.
According to information gathered from the traditional ruler's base, Sudan and Abuja, suggested that the focus of the investigation of the monarch had to do with funding and remittances allegedly made with a view to blocking the extradition of Ogwuche.
The sudden uncooperative disposition of the Sudanese government in the matter, Vanguard gathered is not unconnected with the influence which the traditional ruler is known to wield in Sudan, as well as his contacts over the years in that Islamic country.
All efforts by Vanguard to get official confirmation from the National Information Centre, saddled with the co-ordination and dissemination of information regarding the war on terror, proved abortive. Sources in the intelligence community however insisted that a good lead was being followed in the matter concerning the monarch.
It is something that is very discreet that we are doing but I will neither confirm nor deny to you that we are carrying out investigation to substantiate the claims of complicity by the monarch, a highly placed source said.
It was discovered that the main reason for the forceful blocking of the extradition of Ogwuche is to stall any possibility of his return to Nigeria and buckle under intense interrogation and possibly reveal the names of the sponsors of the insurgents, the source said.
President Goodluck Jonathan is ready to go to any length, working with the security agencies, to get to the root of the matter and ensure that Nigerians are spared the terror unleashed by insurgents. Nobody, no matter how highly placed in the society, would be spared and the country is ready to ensure that Ogwuche is brought back to this country to face the consequences of his alleged action, said the security source.
Saturday Vanguard had, yesterday, reported that Sudans refusal to extradite Ogwuche followed the alleged intervention of the monarch. He was said to have moved in to stop the extradition of the suspect using the instrumentality of his alma mater, African International University, in Sudan.
Apart from this, Sudan whose President, Omar al-Bashir, is wanted by the International Criminal Court, ICC, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, has no bilateral agreement with any country in the world on extradition of criminals.
The monarch, who was said to have used alma mater on several occasions to recommend and secure admission for some Nigerian youths in Sudan, allegedly used his influence to reach out to some old students of the university to frustrate the extradition of Ogwuche possibly to prevent Nigerian security from getting details from the suspect on some of the financiers of Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria.
Ogwuche was declared wanted by the Department of State Services, DSS, after linking him to the deadly blast in Nyanya which claimed over 75 lives.
However, the arraignment in absentia was again allegedly questioned by the Sudanese government which also doubted the genuineness of the allegations against the suspected terrorist, saying that he (Ogwuche) could have been framed. [Vanguard
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