Boko Haram: After SSS grilling, Mailafiya says ‘my words not clearly gotten’

After honouring an invitation by the Department of the State Security Service, SSS, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Obadiah Mailafiya, says his comment was misunderstood.

Recall that in an interview with an Abuja-based FM Radio, Mr Mailafia, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had alleged that one of the Northern governors is a Commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Wednesday, the Northern Governor’s Forum Chairman and Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong, described the allegation as weighty, saying that such claims are either smear campaigns or attempts to discourage the governors who were putting in their best in the fight against the terrorists.

Speaking with newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital, shortly after the SSS grilling Wednesday evening, Mr Mailafia said his words were not clearly gotten, wondering how he would be judged without listening to the whole 55 minute interview.

“Yes all of those words were made by me, but if the whole 55 minutes interview was played out, the context of what I said in the simple 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,” he said.

According to Mr Mailafiya, the information he gathered from his source were not carefully checked and verified by him.

“I should have taken more care to corroborate some of the information that I received but perhaps some of it was uncorroborated,” he admitted.

Mr Mailafiya, however, commended the officials of the SSS for treating him “professionally, fairly and graciously”.