Diplomatic relations between Nigeria, Britain and Italy may be strained following the botched rescue operation to free two hostages, a Briton, Chris McManus and an Italian, Franco Lamolinara at the Mabera area of Sokoto State, Northwest of Nigeria Thursday.
Vanguard
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Diplomatic relations between Nigeria, Britain and Italy may be strained following the botched rescue operation to free two hostages, a Briton, Chris McManus and an Italian, Franco Lamolinara at the Mabera area of Sokoto State, Northwest of Nigeria Thursday.
While Italy is furious with Britain for not informing it before the rescue operation, the Italian President has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to furnish him with detailed information on what actually happened.
This development is coming even as the Boko Haram Islamic sect, accused of the crime has denied any involvement in the kidnap and killing of the hostages.
The group in a message forwarded to the media electronically yesterday afternoon said that it does not engage in such acts of kidnapping.
Boko Haram's alleged spokesman, Abul Qaqa said, "following the failed rescue attempt by Nigerian/British intelligence agencies yesterday, Boko Haram has strongly refuted speculation that his group was behind the hostage- taking.
"We have never been involved in such acts of kidnapping. It is a known fact that the group has not denied any act it have been involved in.''
Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities have detained five members of Boko Haram allegedly suspected to have been involved in kidnapping and killing of the two Europeans.The suspects included the ringleader of the kidnappers, whose name was given as Abu Mohammed, according to sources at the State Security Service, SSS.
The SSS source said security forces arrested two of the conspirators on Tuesday, including Abu Mohammed, near Sokoto, on the basis of an intelligence tip-off.
It was said that the two suspects led security agents to the compound at Mabera, where th Nigerian and British forces mounted a joint raid two days later. The source said three kidnappers were taken alive from inside the house while the others were killed. He said a splinter group of the Islamist group Boko Haram, with links to al Qaeda's north African wing, was behind the kidnapping.
The large compound where the hostages had been held was riddled with bullet holes and completely unguarded yesterday when Saturday Vanguard visited the place. There were few people wandering in and out of the house.
"After all the gunfire, I saw soldiers bring out five dead bodies from the house. Two were white, three were black," said Murtala Naboro Tsafe, whose house is directly opposite the compound.
He added that later at about 6.30 pm, "soldiers marched three people out of the house who were still alive.
''We never suspected what was going on in the house. There were people going in and out of the house every day, but we never saw any white man," said Tsafe.
Resident Sani Tukur also said: "I never noticed anything suspicious around the compound as it looked totally empty, the only person I saw around is the watchman."
Yesterday's denial is expected to add the diplomatic row brewing between Italy and Britan over the failed rescue attempt.