Ex- governor’s Son Shot by Boko Haram in Maiduguri

Members of Boko Haram

* Orji urges sect to accept amnesty

By Michael Olugbode

The son of the former deputy governor of Borno State, Alhaji Abubakar Jatto, Shehu, narrowly escaped death Wednesday as gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram shot at him in Maiduguri.

Abubakar Jatto was the deputy governor of the state between 1999 and 2003, when Mala Kachallah was at the helm affairs in the state.

Shehu was said to have gone to a shop at Dala area of the troubled metropolis for some purchases at about 2.30pm when four gunmen swooped on him, fired several shots at him, snatched his car, left him in a pool of blood.

A resident of the area who spoke to journalists said: “We were around the area few metres away from the provision shop when four gunmen in a tricycle ambushed the young man in front of the shop, opened fire and everybody ran away from the area. It was later we learnt that his car was snatched and that the man was shot in the leg.”

Meanwhile, the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, has called on members of the sect to accept the federal government’s amnesty in the interest of peace and corporate existence of the country.

He called on the sect to come out and state their grievances, noting that the federal government has the capacity to handle their grievances.

Orji who disclosed this in an interview with journalists, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not perturbed by the ranting of the opposition in their quest to dislodge the party at the federal and state levels.

On Boko Haram, Orji said: “This is an opportunity for Boko Haram to come out and say their grievances and you know that when you tell government your grievances, they have the capacity to handle those grievances no matter how heavy it will be. So this is an opportunity for Boko Haram to come out and say what they want and try the federal government whether they will respond to their grievances or not instead of going back and waging war.”