Presidency after our lives — Buhari, Akande,Tinubu others

el-Rufai, Akande, Buhari and Amaechi

Former military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; a former Osun State Governor and Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bisi Akande; and a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, have accused President Goodluck Jonathan of being after their lives.

In separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, they accused the President of having their names on a sniper list.

El-Rufai had on Thursday named the top politicians as some of the persons on  President Jonathan’s watch list. When our correspondents sought their reactions,  on Saturday, they agreed with the FCT minister, saying they were targets for being in the opposition to the ruling government.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had in an 18-page letter to Jonathan, dated December 2, 2013, accused the President of training snipers and putting 1,000 people on a watch list. He also accused Jonathan of having a killer-squad.

But the Presidency dismissed the allegation, swiftly. It insisted on Saturday  that President Goodluck Jonathan had no watch or hit list as being speculated by certain persons.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, reacted on behalf of the Presidency in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH.

El-Rufai, on his Twitter account on Thursday, identified the top politicians as Buhari, Tinubu, Amaechi, Akande and himself as some of those on the watch list. The ex-minister stressed that he was number seven on the list.

“I am number seven on the GEJ (Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) sniper list, so I will only worry when GMB (General Muhammadu Buhari), Asiwaju (Tinubu), Amaechi, Akande, etc, are killed,” he tweeted.

-Punch

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, has refuted claim that the Presidency is using the Force to train snipers ahead of the 2015 polls, saying the police as an institution would not allow itself to be dragged into politics.

Abubakar spoke yesterday in Abuja at a maiden strategic review conference with senior police officers from the rank of Commissioners of Police.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and accused him of sundry issues and even training snipers. The country has been left guessing about which security agency could be involved in such training.

However, when asked whether the police were involved in such training, Abubakar said Obasanjo’s letter did not mention or indicted the police.

He said: “We are not training snipers. The letter did not even mention the police. You have always come here (Force Headquarters). Have you seen any sniper being trained?”