TheNewsGuru

Tag: boko haram

  • Again, Shekau releases new video, claims B’Haram kidnapped some policewomen

    A new Boko Haram video has emerged showing the leader of the sect, Abubakar Sheka, who claimed the group recently kidnapped some policewomen.

    This was made known in a new video released by the Boko Haram jihadists.

    In the video released through a journalist, Ahmad Salkida , the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau spoke for about 10 minutes.

    He said several female officers were abducted during Boko Haram attack on a joint police/military convoy near Maiduguri on June 20.

    His speech is then followed by scenes of the fierce attack, which took place on the Maiduguri-Damboa road. In the 17 minutes and 25 seconds video, graphic contents of one of the terror victims are shown, as well as images of another set of victims perhaps about to be

    In the 17 minutes and 25 seconds video, graphic contents of one of the terror victims are shown, as well as images of another set of victims perhaps about to be beheaded .

    Shekau, takes credit for the attack and mocked Nigerian security officials for lying that Boko Haram had been defeated. ‎ “I want to tell you that we are the one that attacked the convoy, here are the vehicles for all to witness, we are the ones that abducted the female police

    “I want to tell you that we are the one that attacked the convoy, here are the vehicles for all to witness, we are the ones that abducted the policewomen.

    In fact, the policewomen are senior officers,” Shekau boasted. “What we did is nothing when compared to our women, children, and friends that have been wiped out or arrested for many years by the Nigerian government. We only abducted them to serve as slaves to us,”‎ he added. He also declares that the women his group abducted are fewer than 10 in number, and referred to them as “slaves”.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBYFHjIOunQ

    Boko Haram terrorists reportedly killed eight Chadian soldiers during a fierce clash at the weekend. The incident occurred on islands on Lake Chad, which borders four countries on the edge of the Sahara.

    Chad’s army confirmed the incident on Monday, June 26. Its spokesman, Colonel Azem, disclosed that eight soldiers were killed and another 18 were wounded. He said: “Our forces attacked Boko Haram elements on five islands near Nigeria on June 24 and 25.”

    According to him, 162 insurgents were also killed by the troops. Chad is part of a five-nation regional force which comprises of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, collaborating to fight Boko Haram, a sect that has killed thousands of people and rendered millions homeless.

    A month ago, the Nigerian army in its fight against terrorism carried out operations around the fringes of Lake Chad. Thirteen Boko Haram terrorist were killed and 10 others engaged in smuggling of supplies to the terrorists were arrested.

  • DSS arrests high profile Boko Haram members in Kano

    The Department of State Services (DSS) in Kano yesterday arrested top Boko Haram commander, and 20 others suspects.

    The Director, Kano local office of DSS, Alhassan Muhammad, told newsmen in Kano that a 48 hours operation stopped what would have been a bloody Eid-el-Fitr in Kano.

    Muhammad disclosed to newsmen that the combat operations was jointly carried out by the police, and his men led to the arrest of the unit commander of Boko Haram who was also in charge of Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto.

    He explained that the commander also arrested alongside 30 other suspects while planning coordinated attacks during Sallah festivity in Kano and other major Northern cities.

    Alhassan said, “we have in our Custody about 30 suspected Boko Haram terrorists including a sector Commandant whom we arrested at Rijiyar Zaki and Dorayi areas of Kano in just two days”.

    He added, “our joint intelligence gathering and the synergy that existed between all the security apparatus in Kano give a moral buster to our giant efforts in tracking every suspicious movements and make it highly difficult for the terrorists to make any impact.”

    The Director revealed that “arms and ammunition, primed Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs were recovered from the suspects’ hideouts in the state.

  • Shettima begs military to intensify efforts, end Boko Haram menace

    Shettima begs military to intensify efforts, end Boko Haram menace

    Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Sunday appealed to the Nigerian military to intensify efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency that had ravaged the North East for long.

    Shettima made the appeal while speaking at this year’s Eid el Fitr reception for members of the State Executive Council and other dignitaries at the Government House Maiduguri.

    He said although the military had recorded tremendous successes against the insurgents, the recent spate of attacks in different parts of the state was worrisome.

    “We have to commend President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for their efforts in fighting the Boko Haram insurgents.
    “But in the last two weeks, we have had tremendous security challenges in Damboa, in Chibok, in Maiduguri and in all nooks and crannies of the state.

    “We were literary attacked by the insurgents from different angles.
    “Yes, we had recorded lots of successes before’’.

    Shettima urged the military to strive hard and contain the recent wave of attacks by the insurgents.

    “We witnessed lots of setbacks in a short while. All hands must be on deck for us to have lasting peace in this part of the world.

    “It is not for us to take two steps forward and one step backwards, it is not for us to wake up to be reluctant to open our phones for fear of getting uncomplimentary stories about attacks in the state,’’ he said.

    Shettima said that government would continue to reach out to security establishments toward ending the problem.

    “We would continue talking with the security establishments toward coming up with robust platform to address the security challenge that had refused to go.

    “We hope that by the grace of God, in the coming weeks and months we would get over it because it is a fight between the good and the evil,” he said.

    Shettima also apologised to the state workers for not receiving their salaries before the Eid el Fitr celebration.

    “We had some technical hitches with the payment of salaries this month, we actually wanted to pay last Friday but the system failed to upload the salaries of our civil servants,’’ he said.
    Shettima expressed concern about the inability of the government to pay the salaries before Sallah.
    “

    I want to apologise to our workers because this is a society that is largely driven by payment of salaries.

    “Pentioners have gotten their pay, the Civilian JTF members were also paid cash on Friday,” he said.

    Shettima, however, promised that the workers would be paid on Wednesday unfailingly.

  • Boko Haram using stolen army uniforms, weapons against us – Buratai

    Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai, has said terrorists stole weapons, uniforms and boots from troops in the North-East and used them ​against the people.

    Buratai ​stated this ​while​ reacting to allegations of abuses by the army raised by the Amnesty International.

    Buratai said, “AI is an international non-governmental organisation that has its own way of research and reporting. But whatever its mandate or interest is, it should be able to look at the host country’s policies.

    ​”​They have not looked at our policies critically. They just go to the fields and get one or two reports probably; even those reports are questionable.

    “The same terrorists will give (the) reports and say these things happened. They are the same people who steal our uniforms, boots, and weapons and commit atrocities.
    ​”​They now turn back and say it is the legitimate sovereign institutions that are committing such things.​ ​What I will say is that there are certain groups of individuals in the AI who are reporting wrongly.

    ​”​I believe that with the transparency and openness of the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari, anyone that writes any negative thing against the military is being misguided​”, the Army Chief told Voxafrica TV,.

  • Boko Haram ambushes military, police convoy, kills two, injures several others

    Suspected Boko Haram fighters on Tuesday ambushed a large convoy of travellers being escorted by armed soldiers killing a police officer and one of the truck drivers.

    The ambush, which occurred about 10 a.m. on Tuesday, was on a large convoy of commercial, private and government vehicles travelling from Maiduguri to the southern part of Borno State, passing through the Damboa road.

    The road, which also has a link to the gates of Sambisa forest, had been closed for about two years after Boko Haram captured towns and villages along its axis. It was only opened for commercial motorists in February 2016.

    But since its opening, Boko Haram gunmen have staged several attacks on vehicles plying the road.

    The latest of such attacks was that of Tuesday morning, which occurred at Abbari-Dalwa village located about 30km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

     

    The Borno State Police Commissioner, Damian Chukwu, informed journalists that only one of his officers died in the ambush that also claimed the life of a Borno State government truck driver conveying drugs to an IDP camp in Damboa.

    He said a unit of soldiers who normally carry out such exercise once in a day was escorting the convoy of over 200 vehicles.

    He also explained that in the convoy were 63 personnel of the Nigeria Mobile Police Force on a special duty in Askira-Uba Local Government Area in southern Borno State.

    He also said a team of police officials from the state command were also conveying the corpse of a police sergeant who died of natural causes about four days ago, to the same local government area.

    Chukwu explained that due to the increasing demand for more police presence especially in the liberated areas of Borno State, his command made a request for more hands, and the Inspector General of Police okayed the demand.

    “It was based on that approval by the IG that one officer and 62 men of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force were deployed from Delta State to Askira,” he said.

    “And the vehicle conveying the deployed unit who were in an 80-sitter bus, had to join the convoy of civilian travellers being escorted by the soldiers.

    “They started the trip around 10 a.m.; and by 11.30 we received information that they were ambushed. Suspected insurgents who were firing anti-aircraft rifle on the bus conveying the policemen ambushed the whole convoy of about 200 vehicles. They had to scamper for safety and in that process six of them were injured.

    “The rest 56 of our special deployment managed to escape without any injury and their guns were intact.

    “But from what we gathered, the Borno State government driver who was driving the policemen left the vehicle and ran away. The gunmen attempted to take the bus away, but later left it after ridding it with bullets.”

    Chukwu said the deceased police officer was one of those escorting a corpse.

    “The story is not the same with our men that are in the burial party.

    “The driver (of the ambulance) was shot and injured, but a sergeant, Bala Tiiseh, who was escorting on the front of the lorry was killed. One Mustapha Modu, a driver of Borno State government’s truck, was killed.

    “There are lots of other civilian occupants of the lorry, comprising relatives, friends and well-wishers of the deceased, who are still missing in action.

    “We learnt that in that attack, there was a stampede; people ran in different directions for safety,” Chukwu added.

     

  • Boko Haram: Osinbajo reaffirms commitment to transparent aid distribution in North East

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has assured that the Federal Government remained determined to deliver humanitarian aid to victims of insurgency in the North East through a transparent and effective process.

    He gave the assurance when he received a situation report on the distribution of humanitarian aids to the victims of insurgency from the implementation team of the Special Relief Intervention programme.

    A statement by the Acting President’s Spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, on Saturday noted that the team had been involved in the distribution of the aid since June June 8, when the programme was inaugurated in Maiduguri, Borno.

    Osinbajo hailed the new delivery system for humanitarian aid in the region as “a unique operation that promises to deliver on a well laid out plan”.

    The Acting President noted that there was considerable progress in the implementation of the Special Relief Intervention, having captured no fewer than 12,691 households in Borno since the exercise began.

    He gave the assurance that the process would remain transparent and the objectives fully actualised.

    The Acting President added that besides the emergency food distribution, “government will deliver on a holistic plan that includes empowerment’’.

    According to him, empowerment is an important feature of the relief intervention.

    The Acting President said the humanitarian aid was huge in relation to available resources.

    Osinbajo solicited the support of the National Assembly, especially from members representing the region, to enable government to realise its objective of maintaining an effective humanitarian service delivery.

    According to him, “we must support this team because a lot of attention is focused on us, especially from the international community.”

    “We need to be responsible and do this efficiently, and monitor performance on a regular basis.

    “It is a good opportunity to prove that we can handle these efforts very well,’’ Osinbajo added.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the humanitarian programme is to deliver food to persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

    The initiative, which was part of a broad plan to address food shortage in the camps and other settlements of displaced persons, was also to curb alleged diversion of food meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    According to the update presented by the implementation team, the issue of diversion of relief materials has been removed.

    About 1,000 trucks are being used to deliver the assorted grains to beneficiaries.

    Also 656 armed police personnel are involved in the movement of the grains from various reserves across the country to designated NEMA warehouses in the North-East for distribution to beneficiaries.

    Another 1,376 military personnel were deployed to escort the grains to some IDPs in the hinterlands across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

    The acting president received the brief from the team overseeing the Special Relief Intervention at the Presidential Villa in the company of National Assembly members from the North East.

    Some of the lawmakers called for the integration of empowerment and provision of agricultural inputs as part of aid provided to the IDPs.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Freed Boko Haram bride escapes, joins husband in Sambisa Forest

    A bride of a Boko Haram commander,​ ​Aisha, has fled her home in Maiduguri, Borno ​State.

    She also took with her the son fathered by the ​top kingpin identified as Mamman Nur.

    The 25-year-old is one of the 70 women and children who finished a nine-month deradicalisation programme in February.

    The​y​ had been freed by troops during the raid on the Boko Haram camps in Sambisa forest.

    The girl​’​s sister, Bintu Yerima, disclosed that Aisha packed her clothes and vanished after a phone call.

    “Before she left, she had received a phone call from a woman who was with her (in the programme),” 22-year-old Yerima told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

    “The woman said that she had returned to the Sambisa forest.”

    Bintu added that phone calls to Aisha after she disappeared went unanswered, and her mobile has since been switched off.

    Thomson Reuters Foundation recalled that Aisha, earlier this year​, told its officials that women kidnapped by Boko Haram were given to her as “slaves” because she was married to a leading militant.

    Reacting​ to the development​, Fatima Akilu, a psychologist and head of the Neem Foundation, an anti-extremism group, said she received information that some of the women who were under her care, including Aisha, had gone back to Boko Haram.

    She ​observed that some of the girls wanted to go back because they felt at home and powerful there, adding that another reason could be the shame and trauma that comes from the society.

    “Rehabilitation, reintegration is a long process, complicated by the fact we have an active, ongoing insurgency​,​” Akilu said.

    “Women often come out successful from deradicalisation programmes, but they struggle in the community. Some face a lot of stigma. They feel like pariahs.”

  • Army arrests 24 suspected Boko Haram members in Edo

    His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aliru H. Momoh, the Otaru of Auchi Kingdom, in Edo, on Monday announced the arrest of 24 suspected Boko Haram members in the community by the Nigerian Army.

    The monarch, while speaking in his palace at Auchi, headquarters of the Estako-West local government area of the state, said the commandant of the Nigeria Army School of Engineering, NICOHO, near Auchi, informed him of the arrest of the suspected insurgents in his palace.

    “Shortly before you came, I had audience with the commandant.

    “He informed me about what they are doing and the arrest of some 24 suspected members of Boko Haram operating under the guise of Fulani herdsmen in the community,’’ he said.

    The Otaru said: “the commandant also informed me that the suspects would be transferred to Benin’’.

    He commended the commandant for taking proactive steps to have taken the fight to the suspected insurgents in the forest, saying that the “issue of security needs careful planning and execution’’.

    The Otaru, who described the activities of the herdsmen in the area as worrisome, said “we have asked farmers, especially the women, to stop going to the farms for now.

    “We gave them some grants to enable them to engage in petty trading in the mean time, to avoid the incessant attacks on them.

    “The traditional council is collaborating with the army, security agencies, and some vigilance groups, and we have recently incorporated the hunters to help to evolve lasting solutions to the problem,’’ he added.

     

    (NAN)

  • Troops rescue 9 minors

    Troops have rescued nine minors at Jarawa village in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno after they neutralised a large number of suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

    A statement by Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Army Spokesman, on Monday, noted that one notorious terrorist, Abu Nazir, the Amir (Leader) of the Boko Haram in Jarawa, was killed during the clearance operation in the area.

    Usman stated that the nine minors rescued were undergoing training at the terrorists’ training camp in the village.

    He added that “the minors have been evacuated and are being given preliminary humanitarian assistance in preparation to handing them over to Kala Balge Internally Displaced Persons Camp Management Committee.”

    The army spokesman stated that the troops also recovered many weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, one double barrel gun, one primed heavy Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and one motorcycle.

    He noted that the successful operation followed credible information that some terrorists had converged on Jarawa village.

  • Boko Haram: Army clear ambush, kill state leader, Abu Nazir, several others in gun duel

    The Nigerian Army on Sunday said it successfully cleared an ambush laid by the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram killing the state leader ‘Amir’, Abu Nazir and many other members of the terror group.

    The army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said the shootout lasted “some minutes” near Jarawa village in Kala Balge Local Government Area before the Boko Haram members fled.

    “The troops were able to neutralize a large number of Boko Haram terrorists including the notorious Abu Nazir, the terrorists’ Amir in Jarawa during the operation,” Usman, a brigadier general, said in a statement.

    Usman’s statement reads:

    “Following credible and confirmed information about the convergence of some elements of suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Jarawa village, Kala Balge Local Government Area, Borno State, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade Nigerian Army of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, in conjunction with some Civilian JTF today, Sunday 11th June 2017, carried out a successful clearance operation along that axis.

    At about a Kilometre to Jarawa village, the troops entered heavy Boko Haram terrorists’ ambush, which they successfully cleared after about some minutes of fire fight. They followed it up in hot pursuit of the fleeing insurgents into the nearby forest.

    The troops were able to neutralize a large number of Boko Haram terrorists including the notorious Abu Nazir, the terrorists’ Amir in Jarawa during the operation.

    They also captured several weapons including an AK-47 rifle, 1 Double barrel gun, 1 primed heavy Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and 3 Motorcycles.

    Additionally, they rescued 9 abducted children undergoing training at the terrorists’ training camp in the village.

    The minors have been evacuated and are being given preliminary humanitarian assistance in preparation to handing them over to Kala Balge Internally Displaced Persons Camp Management Committee”.