"I am not Boko Haram's sponsor...Edwin Clark is a loose canon" - IBB

Former President Ibrahim Babangida, yesterday, slammed elder-statesman Chief Edwin Clark over his allegation that some Northern leaders including him, Babangida, were soft on the Boko Haram insurgency.

In a stout rebuttal to the assertion, Babangida alleged that sense may indeed have departed from Clark and hence his disregard for the historic role he (Babangida) played in unifying the country.

Affirming that he had no reason to play politics with the issue having left the ‘political industry’, Babangida traced the difficulties of the Jonathan administration to divisive people he said were of the same mindset with Clark, who have prevented the present administration from seeking reasonable counsel from those that could help it.

He specifically alluded to former Heads of State who he claimed were not being consulted by the present administration.

Babangida spoke in response to Clark’s claims last Wednesday that some northern leaders were behind the increasing spate of violence in the country.

Clark spoke as guest speaker at the second State of the Federation Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, NIALS.

Clark had specifically challenged Babangida and former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to condemn the activities of the Boko Haram group that has claimed responsibility for the insurgency campaign in many parts of the north.