By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – A presidential aide, Garba Shehu, and former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Remo Omokri, have engaged in a war of words over an allegation by the former that people are making money from the ugly ordeal of Leah Sharibu.
Sharibu has remained in captivity since 2018 when she was kidnapped at the age of 15 from Government Science and Technology College, Dapchi, Yobe State by Boko Haram terrorists.
Since then, many people within and outside Nigeria, including Omokri, have been calling for the release of the school girl.
Omokri had led strategic campaigns to call attention to the sufferings of Sharibu to the world. He has also consistently accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government of ineptitude in tackling security challenges in Nigeria.
But in a social media post on Sunday, November 28, 2021, Buhari’s media aide, Shehu wrote:”My message to anyone who made money using Leah Sharibu’s sad ordeal, and they are flaunting it remains unchanged: This is blood money. I don’t need any of it. Period.”
And in a swift response to this seeming allegation against him, Omokri asked Shehu to provide evidence to back his accusation, adding that he has never benefitted from campaigning for Sharibu to be released.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 28, 2021, Omokri wrote, “Dear Garba Shehu, If you have evidence that I have made money from Leah Sharibu’s ordeal, please expose it. You have access to the media. Alternatively, if any individual, church, foundation, government or country has given me even one kobo for Leah, please speak now, or forever remain silent.
“Leah Sharibu’s father, Nathan, did a video denouncing your false allegation the last time you made this allegation last year. Rather than make money from Leah, I wrote a book about her, which inspired a BBC Documentary, and got the attention of the US government, and I donated all the proceeds to her parents, plus £4000.
“I received an award in Hollywood for my altruistic sacrifice on behalf of Leah.
“Having said that, the issue is not Leah Sharibu. The issue is that you said, and I quote “Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”. If you really believe that, Garba, then I challenge you to go to Bama in Borno, for a weekend, alone, without security. And I will pay you $50,000.
“But if even you believe my money is ‘blood money’, then do it because you believe “Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”.
“Garba, you and I used to write anti Buhari material between 2003-2005 when you were HE Atiku’s spokesman under a Peoples Democratic Government. Today, you are praising the man you once denounced.”