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Tag: boko haram

  • Help us defeat Boko Haram, Gbajabiamila begs US

    Help us defeat Boko Haram, Gbajabiamila begs US

    The speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabimila, yesterday in Abuja asked the United States Government to assist Nigeria to defeat insurgency and other security challenges affecting the country.

    Gbajabiamila, while receiving the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, asked: “What is America doing to assist Nigeria defeat insurgency? Is the outcome of the Layee Act affecting the way international organizations operate? What is the status of the Tucano jets we paid for?

    “The house and indeed Nigerians are worried about the lingering insecurity in many parts of the country and many citizens of Nigeria are looking up to the United States of America for assistance to tackle this challenge”.

    Gbajabiamila commended the US Government for its decision to repatriate the over $300m Abacha loot.

    Responding, Leonard said the US was committed to helping Nigeria tackle its security challenges. She promised to assist in the timely delivery of the Tucano jets to Nigeria.

  • Army says only 10 killed in Boko Haram Auno attack

    Army says only 10 killed in Boko Haram Auno attack

    More facts have emerged from the Auno attack on Sunday along Maiduguri/Damaturu highway.

    Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, told journalists that only ten people were killed in the incident.

    But Borno Governor Babagana Zulum, who also visited the scene of the attack, said he was briefed by the villagers that about 30 people were roasted in the fire ignited by the insurgents at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

    The villagers informed the Governor that an unspecified number of women were abducted during the attack but the report has not been verified nor confirmed by any authority.

    Another fact also emerged the devastating effect of the fire was aggravated by a military fuel tanker which stocked together with the travelling vehicles that were torched by the insurgents.

    But the Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole denied the report, stating: “I have no knowledge of a military tanker on that road at that time”.

    The Theatre Commander told journalists that his men averted another tragedy that would have brought sadness by rescuing three school children briskly abducted by Boko Haram along Gubio road.

    He noted that his men fought skillfully and rescued the three children( two girls and a boy) unhurt.

    The children were handed over to their parents by the theatre commander.

    Speaking further on the Auno attack, Adeniyi called on the general public to avoid been stuck at certain locations along Maiduguri road.

    He stressed that people should plan their movement very well along the Damaturu Maiduguri road so that they will not be stucked at some of these locations.

    “We normally close the Damaturu road by 5.00pm and it is expected that you time your movement very well so that you get to Maiduguri by 5.0pm of Damaturu by 5pm because the soldiers cannot leave to fight Boko Haram and come back to protect people sleeping on the road who refuse to obey the law in the first place,” Maj. Gen. Adeniyi advised.

    Adeniyi informed that the insurgents came on motor cycle and parked them from a distance and walked down to burn down vehicles of travellers.

    “We will do more to ensure that incident like this does not happen again. I am calling on all stakeholders to make the Maiduguri Damaturu road safe. Until the people realised that there is a counter-insurgency going on throughout the northeast.

    “As a result of the dastardly activities of the Boko Haram, certain measure have to be taken to safeguard lives and property and the military to conducting counter insurgency especially on Maiduguri Damaturu road.

    Zulum sympathised with the people of the community and called on them to give the necessary cooperation to the military.

    The residents accused soldiers of the town of locking up the town and leaving for Maiduguri and leaving them without protection.

    Zulum also collaborated the accusations of the residents, saying that he has made several appeals for the military to establish a unit in Auno but to no avail.

    “We have to be brutal in telling the truth. I am pushed to the wall to say the truth. Since I was inaugurated as governor of Borno State, Boko Haram have attacked Auno six times. Another thing is that the military have withdrawn from Auno town.

    “I am not undermining the capacity of the military but we have made repeated appeal for the military to establish their unit in Auno. They are here but as soon as it is 5 pm, they close the gate and lock the people and go back to Maiduguri. This is not right,” Gov. Zulum raged with anger.

    But the Garison Commander of 7 Div. Nigeria Army Maiduguri, Brig. Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, refuted the allegations, saying the soldiers closed the roads and withdraw to the outskirts of the town to protect the villagers, as well as prevent and lunch ambushes on the insurgents.

    Eyewitnesses disclosed that a large number of vehicles loaded with goods, shops and houses were set ablaze by the suspected insurgents, who sneaked into the town and launched attack on sleeping travellers at the town which is 24km to Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

    Adamu Tella a commercial driver, who used the road told our correspondent that he saw three corpses been conveyed by Civilian JTF.

    “I could not count the number of vehicles that were burnt. But I saw three burnt corpses in a vehicle of civilian JTF. I also saw many houses and shops burnt down to ashes,” Adamu informed.

    Adamu also informed that his driver friend’s vehicle was also burnt in the incident.

    Another eyewitness, Haruna Yunusa, a passenger, said he saw three burnt dead bodies and counted 21 vehicles including trailers, some of them still under fire as at the time he passed through the town on Monday morning.

    Auno is one of the towns located along the Maiduguri/Damaturu road which has recently come under serious attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents.

  • Boko Haram kills 30, kidnaps several others in Maiduguri

    Boko Haram terrorists killed at least 30 people and abducted many women and children in a raid in Borno State, a regional government spokesman said on Monday.

    The attack Sunday evening targeted the village of Auno on a key highway linking to regional capital Maiduguri.

    The jihadists stormed in on trucks mounted with heavy weapons, killing, burning and looting before kidnapping women and children, state government spokesman Ahmad Abdurrahman Bundi said.

    They aimed at travellers who had stopped for the night and torched vehicles.

    The attackers “killed not less than 30 people who are mostly motorists and destroyed 18 vehicles,” Bundi said in a statement after visiting the scene.

    The attack, some 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Maiduguri, occurred in an area where fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province have been active, mounting roadblocks to target security forces and civilians.

    Witnesses said jihadists set alight 30 vehicles in the raid, including trucks that had stopped overnight on their way to Maiduguri.

    “Many of the drivers and their assistants who were sleeping the vehicles were burnt alive,” civilian militia fighter, Babakura Kolo tod newsmen

  • Boko Haram attacks another Borno town, many feared dead

    An unspecified number of people have been reported killed in a night attack on Auno town by some suspected Boko Haram elements.

    Eyewitnesses disclosed that a large number of vehicles loaded with goods, shops and houses were also set ablaze by the suspected insurgents who sneaked into the town and lunched attack on sleeping travelers at the town which is 24km to Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

    Adamu Tella a commercial driver who drove through the road on Monday morning (today) said he saw three corpses been conveyed by Civilian JTF.

    “I could not count the number of vehicles that were burnt. But I saw three burnt corpses in a vehicle of civilian JTF. I also saw many houses and shops burnt down to ashes” Adamu informed.

    Adamu also informed that his driver friend’s vehicle was also burnt in the incident.

    Another eyewitness, Haruna Yunusa, passenger, informed that he saw three burnt dead bodies counted 21 vehicles including trailers, some of them still under fire as at the time he passed through the town this morning.

    “I saw some three dead bodies that were burnt on the ground. I counted about 21 vehicles that have been burnt. I also noticed that so many shops and house were also burnt. Some of the vehicles were still being consumed by the fire because of the items they are carrying”, Haruna Yunusa informed.

    Auno is one of the towns located along the Maiduguri/Damaturu road which has recently come under serious attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents.

  • Why it is difficult to wipe out Boko Haram – Buratai

    Why it is difficult to wipe out Boko Haram – Buratai

    Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Burtai says Boko Haram leaders and recruiters live in communities, evading detection by mixing with the local population.

    Buratai said Boko Haram’s mode of operation, its use of propaganda and hardcore ideology are the major reasons the insurgency has lasted for many years.

    In an interview with Daily Trust, he said the war against Boko Haram has improved from what it used to be years ago, but admitted that there has been a “minimal resurgence”.

    “Insurgency is not what you defeat and it would just fizzle out; they would revert to other tactics. That is terrorism,” he said.

    “They will promote propaganda, to the effect that all the institutions of government would be seen to be ineffective. This is what they are doing. They are exploiting the fault lines in our economic and political endeavours to expand the gulf of so-called discord and acrimony amongst various ethnic and religious groups.

    “Why are they doing this propaganda, blocking the road and capturing individuals because they are of a particular religion? Unfortunately, they murder those individuals and send it to the world. These are propaganda strategies of the terrorists.

    “These individuals may be living with you and you would not know they are terrorists. They have a series of informants and logistics suppliers. They have a series of leadership strata that live in the communities and towns nearby. They pass information and organise those that are hidden along the borders in remote areas or communities who come, attack and go back. They also have a series of recruiters.”

    The army chief said though the group took up arms in 2009, some of its members were indoctrinated about 10 or 40 years ago, and that what Nigeria currently faces is an “is an existential threat”

    “Looking at it from this perspective, you would see that it is a complex operation you cannot wish to just go,” he said.

    “At the national assembly, I said indoctrination of the citizens did not start in 2009, it started much earlier. And it grew until it reached that point where they took arms against the state.

    “It is an indoctrination that has taken roots between 10 and 40 years back. And for you to de-radicalise an individual to bring him back to sanity, you think it would just take you three years, four or 10 years?

    “These are people that were brain-washed to believe that when they die they would go straight to heaven. And you think they would believe in you to bring them back to mix with people they refer to as unbelievers? You have to look at this context.”

    Buratai said while the military continues to target the leaders of Boko Haram, it needs “extensive and intensive surveillance arrangement (and) very good intelligence”.

    He said: “If you are targeting the head to decapitate, you must have been on their tracks; how close have we ever gotten close to eliminating Shekau? This is a military operation.

    “Late last year, there was a report in which the Air Force bombarded their camps and many of their leaders were eliminated. Even the attack on Damaturu, about two of their commanders were eliminated. In Goneri also, one of their commanders was eliminated.

    “We will continue to target them individually and as a group until we narrow the overall leader. It requires some intelligence. As I said, this insurgency did not start yesterday; it started over 40 years back.”

  • ‘Boko Haram crisis getting worse’

    The Nigeria Head of Mission of Medicine San frontier Mr. Luis Eguiluz believes the Boko Haram crisis in the Northeast is getting worse and the humanitarian needs are getting massive by the day.

    Eguiluz,in an interview published on the MSF website said that over seven million people directly affected by the crisis are currently dependent on humanitarian aid for survival.

    More than two million people are displaced.

    “After more than 10 years of conflict between non-state armed groups and the Nigerian military, the situation is only getting worse,” he said.

    He added: “ The conflict is intensifying and the needs are massive. The United Nations estimates that there are more than two million people who have been displaced from their homes due to violence, and more than seven million who depend entirely on humanitarian aid to survive.

    The most serious problem is that there are more than a million people living in areas controlled by non-state armed groups – humanitarian organizations do not have access to these areas, and the people living there do not receive any kind of aid at all.

    “The conflict may be nothing new, but this crisis is extreme, and it is happening right now; in our projects we witness the impact that it has on human beings.”

    Eguiluz who has served out his mission in Nigeria explained that providing humanitarian services to those in dire need has also become a serious challenge to aid workers following the killing and abduction of some of the aid workers.

    His words: “The security situation has clearly deteriorated in recent months, and it is a challenge for humanitarian organizations to provide adequate assistance to the population. On the one hand, organizations face the risk of violence – unfortunately, the killings and abductions of humanitarian staff have increased in recent months – and because of this, the presence of aid is very limited outside the state capital, Maiduguri. On the other hand, counter-terrorism laws in Nigeria impose real limitations on humanitarian action and principles.

    “In ‘garrison towns’ – towns controlled by the Nigerian military – there are still critical needs that are not covered, especially when it comes to healthcare, clean water, shelter and protection. In many cases, the population is totally dependent on humanitarian aid to survive.

    “In the case of Pulka, the population has tripled since the beginning of the conflict and there isn’t enough farmland to cultivate. In addition, people cannot go beyond the town’s military perimeter. If they do, they run the risk of being attacked by non-state armed groups or being considered part of the armed groups by the Nigerian military. And outside the garrison towns, the needs are expected to be even higher since there are more than one million people that have not received humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the conflict.

    “In our projects we run outreach programmes, which identify people who are more vulnerable and at risk of violence, exploitation or the loss of basic rights or services. Our first priority is to ensure medical care. “

    Then, based on their needs we identify organizations that ensure access to appropriate assistance and services, such as child protection. This is especially important in the case of unaccompanied minors who reach these garrison towns. Often these children have experienced several episodes of violence, and may easily become victims to further abuse.”

  • Insecurity: Army insist Boko Haram insurgents downgraded to ‘mere criminals’

    Maj.-Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD), says the Boko Haram insurgents will never get hold of any part of Nigeria again.

    Adeniyi stated this while reviewing the progress of the ongoing counter-insurgency operation of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the northeast on Friday in Maiduguri.

    He said the military had succeeded in reducing the sect from the terrorist army they used to be, to mere criminals because of the defeat they suffered since 2015.

    The commander dismissed the insurgents’ attempt to retake any territory “as dream that will never come to pass for them”.

    According to him, Boko Haram had in 2013 transmuted from a terrorist group to a terrorist army sustaining intense attacks on towns, villages, communities, markets and military bases.

    “In 2015; immediately President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office he gave order that all military commands be relocated to Maiduguri.

    “It was only then that the military commenced attacks on the insurgents, recapturing the territories under the control of the terrorists numbering over 24 towns and villages,’’ he said.

    Adeniyi maintained that the insurgents had been defeated since 2017 and would remain so, adding that the current pockets of resurgent of the terrorist had an international dimension.

    He explained that the proliferation of arms in the Sahel, occasioned by the expulsion of armed militias from Libya created the opportunity for the terrorists to try to find their feet.

    According to him, the exodus of ISIS terrorists from the Middle East and subsequent alliance with a faction of Boko Haram through the Lake Chad region is another dimension.

    He reiterated that the military would continue to fight to ensure that ISIS did not have a foothold in the region like they succeeded in other countries.

    The commander noted the adoption of ‘Super Camp’ strategy had further compounded the problem of the insurgents, adding that the strategy had enabled the troops to have longer reach.

    He added that the army was well equipped and motivated to take the fight to the terrorists in their hidings, which resulted in successful operations.

    The commander stressed that there was no inch of the Nigerian territory that the army is contesting with Boko Haram insurgents.

    Adeniyi revealed further that the theatre command had commenced local production of Mines Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in Maiduguri to meet their operational equipment requirements.

    He explained that the induction of Ezugwu MRAP in the theatre of operation by the engineer corps had enhanced local fabrication in Maiduguri.

    According to him, the MRAPs are 100 percent local content.

  • Insecurity: Something worse than Boko Haram May emerge from North if…, Sultan warns

    Sultan of Sokoto Saad Abubakar has warned that the north may witness a bigger catastrophe that than the Boko Haram insurgency.

    He pointed out the level of orphans in the region was alarming, saying it could snowball into something that “would turn out to be worse than the Boko Haram”.

    The Sultan also kicked against the establishment of an outfit in the region code-named “Operation Shege-Ka-Fasa”, cautioning elites not to allow youths take over their roles.

    The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNGs) unveiled the outfit last Wednesday, declaring it would tackle crimes in the region.

    The outfit was launched one month after South West Governors floated Amotekun, a regional security outfit.

    But speaking at a security meeting in Kaduna, Abubakar said northern elite are the problems of the region, as they have failed to provide them with good leadership.

    He advised the northern elders to caution the youth, saying if the elders fail to take the lead, the youth would do whatever they like and feel is right.

    “I saw it on the television, and the media gave them attention. Now, the elders allowed these youths to go forward. So, the elites are our problems, the elders are our problems.

    “If the elders don’t take the lead, the youth will do whatever they like and think they are right. You have to caution these youths by giving them good leadership, “he said.

    He added: “Now, they have launched their own security outfit I don’t know what they call it, Shege Ka Fasa’, meaning what?

    “So, I want to call on northern elders to caution them. Don’t allow these youths to take over leadership from you.

    “You have to reach out to everybody no matter how low the person is.

    “So, I think we need to take the bull by the horns and not allow the youths take over responsibility. I think we need to do that and much more.”

  • Atiku tackles Buhari for claiming 90% Boko Haram victims are Muslims

    The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted claims by the PresidentMuhammadu Buhari, that more Muslims are killed by Boko Haram.

    Atiku made his position known in a tweet on Wednesday.

    While replying to a report on Buhari’s claim, Atiku tackled Buhari for being concerned with the religion of the victims.

    He said the activities of Boko Haram should be condemned outrightly regardless of the victims’ faith.

    “We mustn’t rationalise killings. Whether Christian, Muslim, Traditionalist, or Atheist, the killing of any human being, by Boko Haram, or any misguided group is wrong and should be condemned unequivocally. There is no compulsion in religion. Only love,” Atiku tweeted.

    The President had claimed that it is not true that the Boko Haram insurgency had claimed the lives of more Christians than Muslims.

    He argued that the contrary was the case, insisting that “90 per cent” of deaths from attacks by the terrorists were Muslims.

    Buhari gave his position in an op-ed published in Speaking Out, a guest opinion column for Christianity Today, a United States-based magazine.

    The op-ed was a tribute to the Michika Local Government Area Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Adamawa State, the late Pastor Lawan Andimi

  • Buhari lied: 90% of Boko Haram’s victims are not Muslims – Fani-Kayode

    Critic and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has branded President Muhammadu Buhari a liar for saying that 90 per cent of Boko Haram’s victims are Muslim.

    Buhari had on Tuesday said 90 per cent of all Boko Haram’s victims in the past years have been Muslims.

    The president, in an article published in ‘Speaking Out,’ a guest opinion column for “Christianity Today”, said that the perception that members of the sect were always targeting Christians in Nigeria was not true.

    “It is the reality that some 90 per cent of all Boko Haram’s victims have been Muslims,” Buhari said.

    “They include a copycat abduction of over 100 Muslim schoolgirls, along with their single Christian classmate, shootings inside mosques; and the murder of two prominent imams.

    “It is a simple fact that these now-failing terrorists have targeted the vulnerable, the religious, the non-religious, the young, and the old without discrimination, ” Buhari said.

    Reacting to this development, Fani-Kayode said Buhari was lying about the matter as majority of communities being attacked were dominated by Christians.

    “This is a lie.The overwhelming majority of communities that Boko Haram targets are Christian.The same with the Fulani militias.

    “The killing of Christians in Nigeria is a common blood sport which shall continue as long as Buhari is President,” he stated.