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Tag: Borno

  • Soldiers’ killing: Buhari cancels Edo visit for Borno on Wednesday

    Soldiers’ killing: Buhari cancels Edo visit for Borno on Wednesday

    Sequel to the recent killings of some soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his scheduled trip to Edo State to visit Borno State on Wednesday.

    This was revealed on Monday by the President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, said on Twitter.

    He wrote, “President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled his planned official visit to Benin, Edo State tomorrow, to visit Maiduguri, Borno State on Wednesday.”

    Buhari’s main challenger, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, as well as another Presidential candidate, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, had launched severe criticisms against Buhari over the killing of scores of soldiers in Borno State.

    The Presidency and the military had refused to speak on the matter several days after the incident.

    Atiku had accused the President of neglecting the military and had even dedicated his birthday to the memory of the slain soldiers.

    The All Progressives Congress had, however, accused the former Vice-President of exploiting the situation, accusing him of hypocrisy.

     

  • Boko Haram abducts nine women, kills man in Borno

    At least nine women were reportedly abducted by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in attacks on farmlands around Bama within the last two days.

    Bama, a local government headquarters in Borno State, is about 68 kilometres Southeast of Maiduguri, the state capital.

    Those abducted comprise six women and three girls.

    Sources said farmers are now scared of going to outskirts of their town to harvest crops.

    It is customary in the state for women and grownup girls to participate in the harvest of crops like beans, millet and groundnuts grown by their male folks.

    On Wednesday, three girls were abducted by unknown gunmen after setting out to fetch firewood in the nearby bushes of Bama town.

    The gunmen who crept on the girls took them at gunpoint to unknown destination.

    Just as the residents of the recently liberated town were coming to terms with the development, news reached the town on Thursday that six women out in the field harvesting crops were also abducted. Their man who accompanied them was also killed in the field.

    An official of the Civilian-JTF, Ba’a Gonyi, who arrived Maiduguri from Bama said “there has been palpable tension in the town” since the abduction

    “We are really petrified by the happening in Bama in the last 48 hours,” he said.

    “On Wednesday they abducted and left with three girls and yesterday (Thursday) six women were taken away by the same gunmen who attacked them in the farmlands.

    “A man that was with them in the farm was shot dead. This has scared us badly and everyone is in the state of worry now.

    “This is even more disturbing because the women were out in the bush to harvest crops from the farms while some of the girls were fetching firewood when they were kidnapped.

    “Now many farmers whose crops have matured are scared of going to the farms for harvest.

    “Honestly, we are all afraid and we want government to immediate action on this before it gets out of hand. And we don’t even know what next will happen.”

  • NYSC to host Borno, Yobe 2018 Batch C stream II orientation in Gombe

    NYSC to host Borno, Yobe 2018 Batch C stream II orientation in Gombe

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is to host the 2018 Batch C stream II orientation course for corps members originally deployed to Borno and Yobe in Gombe State.

    Mr David Markson, the state coordinator of NYSC made this known on Monday in a statement signed by Ms Margaret Dakama, Head Public Relations Unit in Gombe.

    Markson said that the NYSC management had approved the deployment of 1,700 corps members for the orientation exercise, comprising Gombe 900, Borno 400 and Yobe 400.

    According to him, the prospective corps members are expected to report at the NYSC temporary orientation Camp, Science Technical Collage, Amada, Kilometre 21, Bauchi-Gombe Highway from Thursday November 15.

    “Please note, prospective corps members are expected to report on time, as registration and verification will end at midnight of Sunday November 18,” he said.

    Markson further solicited for the support of transport unions and people of the state to welcome and extend their usual hospitality to the prospective corps members.

    “All should assist in directing them to the venue of the orientation exercise,” he pleaded.

     

  • Troops kill 2 Boko Haram commanders, reclaim communities in Borno

    The Nigeria Army on Sunday said its troops had killed two Boko Haram commanders and reclaimed some communities in the ongoing clearance operations in Borno.

    The army in its Twitter handles said that the commanders identified as Abu Rajal and Tuja Sa’inna Banki, were killed in the operation.

    “Recall that troops of 25 Task Force Brigade, Chibok and 28 Task Force Brigade, Damboa, embarked on Joint Clearance Operations from Gumsuri to Gambori in Borno on Nov. 9, 2018; they successfully cleared and liberated some villages.

    “Reports just reaching Nigerian Army Headquarters, confirmed that two high profile Boko Haram terrorists’ commanders named Abu Rajal and Tuja Sa’inna Banki were killed during the clearance operations,” it twitted.

    “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, commended the gallant troops and urged them to carry out further incursions and clearance operations to ensure that the remnants of the insurgents were completely wiped out.”

     

  • Boko Haram launches fresh attacks in Borno, kills 13

    Boko Haram insurgents have killed 13 people and sacked two villages overnight in the restive town of Konduga in Borno.

    Brigadier-General Bulama Biu, the Acting General Officer Commanding of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, confirmed the attack on Thursday in Maiduguri.

    Biu said, however, that troops had risen to the occasion and had repelled the invaders, who had repeatedly attacked communities in the Konduga Local Government Area over the years.

    He disclosed that he had visited the attacked communities, Bularin and Kofa, including camps in the communities, housing thousands of displaced people.

    “I was there. We recovered one dead body and saw burnt houses. Troops have been following up on the attackers,” said Biu.

    Alfred Audu, a member of a militia, known as Civilian Joint Task Force, who claimed he was on duty at the time of the attack, said the insurgents engaged troops in a bid to force their way into the communities.

    Audu said the insurgents were pushed back when fighter planes were deployed to confront the invaders.

    Another eye-witness, who gave his name simply as Alhaji Modu, said that hundreds of the insurgents on trucks with mounted guns and motorcycles, attacked the communities at about 7:45 p.m.

    Modu said the insurgents launched rocket attacks and forced their way into the IDP camps and also attacked homes with ferocious fire.

    He said that nine people were killed at Bularin IDP Camp and three others in the Kofa IDP Camp.

    “An Islamic cleric together with his wife and three children were burnt to death when the insurgents sacked their home at Bularin IDP Camp.

    “They burnt down the village market, shops, houses, animals and vehicles. Many people died in the attack while others are still missing.

    “Bularin village was razed and several tents in the camp destroyed. Many people were displaced in the attack,” Modu said.

    Boko Haram, which also operates in Cameroon, Chad and Niger has persistently attacked communities in northern Nigeria, especially the country’s vast northeast.

    The Federal Government has however, said that the insurgents have been decimated, although the group has been packing deadly punches over the years.

    Boko Haram launched its deadly campaign in 2009, vowing to enthrone a strict Islamic code in Africa’s most populous nation.

     

  • Boko Haram insurgents kill 12 farmers, displace 1,300 in Borno

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Sunday said 12 farmers were killed and 1,300 others displaced in separate attacks coordinated by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno.
    Mr Bashir Garga, NEMA’s Northeast Zonal Coordinator, made the disclosure in a statement in Maiduguri.
    Garba said the insurgents hacked 12 farmers to death while working on their fields on Saturday afternoon at Kalle village, 17 kilometres away from Maiduguri.
    “They used machetes to kill their victims who were working on their farms; as confirmed by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
    “So far, we recovered 12 dead bodies from the fields and nearby bush.
    “Three persons were injured in the raids. The insurgents had guns, but did not use them so as not to attract the attention of troops in the nearby Molai village,” he said.
    Garga said that the Boko Haram insurgents stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent years because they accuse them of passing information to the military.
    The Coordinator disclosed further that one person was killed and 1,300 others displaced when the insurgents sacked three communities on Saturday night in Jere Local Government Area of the state.
    Garga listed the affected communities to include Dala-Malari, Fuguri, and Femari.
    He called on the people to be vigilant and report suspicious movements and persons to security agents.
    “Attacks on soft targets is the hallmark of the insurgents’ due to increased military clampdown that has curtailed their activities.
    “Humanitarian partners were being mobilized to cater for the victims as soon as possible,” he added.
     

  • Outrage as Boko Haram murders another abducted aid worker in Borno

    The Boko Haram insurgents on Monday killed another worker of the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, Hauwa Liman.
     
    Recall that the ICRC on Sunday raised alarm that the Boko Haram threatened to kill Liman within the next 24 hours.
     
    Liman was kidnapped alongside others in March in Rann, Borno State, when the insurgents attacked a camp for displaced persons.
     
    One of the kidnapped aid workers, Saifura Khorsa was killed in September.
     
    Reacting to the murder of Ms Liman, the federal government said it is shocked and saddened at the Monday killing.
     
    The government said the aid worker was killed despite the actions taken by the government and the widespread appeal to save the young woman.
     
    After the September murder of Ms Khorsa, the Boko Haram released a video threatening to kill Ms Liman and Leah Sharibu, one of the schoolgirls abducted at Government Secondary School, Dapchi in Yobe State last year.
     
    In a statement issued in London on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described Monday’s killing as “dastardly, inhuman and ungodly”, saying nothing can justify the shedding of the blood of innocent people.
     
    He commiserated with the family of the aid worker, and said the federal government did all within its powers to save her life.
     
    ”It is very unfortunate that it has come to this. Before and after the deadline issued by her abductors, the federal government did everything any responsible government should do to save the aid worker.
     
    ”As we have been doing since these young women were abducted, we kept
    the line of negotiations open all through. In all the negotiations, we acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole.
     
    ”We are deeply pained by this killing, just like we were by the recent killing of the first aid worker. However, we will keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of their abductors,” the minister said.

  • 2019: Shettima lampoons ‘Abuja politicians’, explains how his successor will emerge

    2019: Shettima lampoons ‘Abuja politicians’, explains how his successor will emerge

    Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on Tuesday lampooned those he called ‘Abuja politicians’ for saying the state is in the care of ‘little kids.’

    The governor also confirmed that he does not have knowledge of the person that will succeed him in 2019.

    He said he leaves the decision in the hands of God.

    The governor was however emphatic that his successor will definitely come from amongst politicians of the younger generation, an age bracket he said some ‘top persons’ in Abuja are not comfortable with.

    “I, Kashim Shettima, cannot choose a governor for the people of Borno State. Only Allah can choose a governor for Borno,” he said.

    “Whether one likes it or not, Allah has destined who the next governor of Borno will be,” he said.

    Shettima who said this while hosting members of his cabinet and party officials to a Sallah lunch at the Government House, spoke in a tone that betrayed the fact that all is still not well within the larger APC family in Borno State.

    The governor who came to power in May 2011 is already on his last year as the chief executive of Borno State having served for over seven years now.

    This year’s Sallah celebration would be the last Mr Shettima will celebrate as a sitting governor.

    He chose the opportunity to deliver what he called a farewell message and also address some of the issues concerning the politics of 2019.

    The governor’s speech seemed largely triggered by what he described as ongoing comments from those he tagged as ‘Abuja Politicians’ whom he said have expressed displeasure that Borno State is derailing because governance is left in the hands of “inexperience younger generation”.

    “Those Abuja politicians that are saying today that Borno is in the hands of little children, should be reminded that when some of them were governors they are not up to my age,” he said.

    Shettima, who is currently aspiring to become a senator did not however speak on his already settled ambition which is to take over the Borno central senatorial seat from the current occupant, Baba Garbai – his political ally.

    Garbai was also at the event when Mr Shettima made this statement.

    In Borno State, everyone, including those considered very close allies and members of Mr Shettima’s kitchen cabinet are in darkness as to who is likely going to be the governorship candidate of the APC.

    When the governor decided to host his colleagues at the Borno State executive council to a luncheon on Tuesday, many who attended were expecting some form of clarity on the issue of 2019.

    The only clarity they got was that it will certainly be from the new political order that is powered by the younger generation.

    “This might be my last bit lunch with you, but believe me Insha Allah, life is a marathon, and in the fullness of time we will have the cause to celebrate more occasions.

    “Electioneering season is around the corner. I want to assure you that Insha-Allah we shall put in our best to see that we leave behind a lasting legacy.

    “Sadly, uncomfortably but truthfully, there can never be two captains in a single ship. There are quite a handful of ambitious colleagues of ours, but only one can be a governor. And that governor has been ordained by Allah.

    “Kashim Shettima has not power to appoint a governor. I have not power to elect or impose a governor. It is Allah in his infinite mercy that will select the governor for us, Insha Allah. Our prayer is may that person be a symbol of our unity, a beacon of exclusivity, a symbol of a resurgent Borno.

    “We are moving from a period of insurgency to that of resurgence. Borno shall rise from the ashes of defeat to greatness”

    Governor Shettima inferred that with the Boko Haram insurgency coming to an end, the coming electioneering season might be heralded with what he called political insurgency.

    “I call on you all, let us unite as a people; we have survived an insurgency, but we should be very careful because soon those that have lost out in the power game of political leadership are itching to reignite a political insurgency in the state. We have to say no them.

    “Where were they when we are going through the harshest time in our contemporary history of Borno? Where were they when we were living under perpetual fear of being attacked; when some of our colleagues have to change three cars before getting to office, just to evade an attack?

    “I know of some of us who abandoned their houses and have continued to live in three different hotels here in Maiduguri. I know of you here who could not go to the mosques for prayers except they come to the government house to pray.

    “But some clowns who have abandoned Borno for ages, those that have not even given a bowl of rice to assist our displaced people, are now taking the advantage of the peace we have suffered to build by saying that it is only them that will decide and install the next governor of Borno state.”

    The governor also expressed his angst with those he called Abuja-based politicians masquerading as elders.

    “These Abuja based politicians kept saying Borno is in the hands of children; I finished my secondary school in 1983, some persons finished in 1979, I was in form one and that person was in form four.

    “He is just my senior by three years. Some finished secondary school in 1981 and I finished in 1983. But they fail to understand that age is the function of the mind; number is nothing; maturity is in the mind.

    “Any person that will not give due regard to fellow human is the one that is immature.

    “It is not the matter of being rich. Even one that is elected leader, is not in any way better or more illustrious than any other person.

    “Even if it comes to being who is an illustrious son or daughter of Borno, we should know that amongst us here, we have the grand children and princes of the Shehus of Borno (Senator Garbai).”

    He also had kind words for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    “The vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, is not from the north, he is a Christian from the western part of Nigeria and a pastor of the Redeem Church (RCCG). But he, Vice President Osinbajo, mobilised resources and builds a state-of-the-art school for the Kanuri children of Boko Haram. And 90 per cent of the children to be in that school are of Borno’s Kanuri, Shuwa, Babur and Marghi tribed. And 90 per cent of them are Muslims.

    “Where are the so-called elders of Borno who are saying the state is in the hands of kids; what have they done to the state. We know some of them that have four aircraft, we know they are rich. But the wealth that does not benefit your people, we the Kanuris say, is not better than grass.”

     

  • Fighter jet destroys Boko Haram hideout in Borno

    The Nigerian Air Force says the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has conducted a successful attack on a Boko Haram Terrorists’ hideout in Daban Masara in Borno State.

    Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the operation was carried out on Friday.

    ”The surgical air strikes were conducted on the strength of credible intelligence which indicated that remnants of BHTs on the Lake Chad Islands were hiding out in settlements at the Southern part of the lake, including Daban Masara, and were amassing in some buildings for a meeting.

    “An air interdiction mission was therefore planned and executed to destroy 2 out of the green-roofed buildings within Daban Masara that were identified as BHT rendezvous points.

    ” Upon receiving the intelligence, the ATF dispatched a NAF Alpha Jet aircraft, along with an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the 2 buildings where the BHTs were gathered with bombs.

    ” Overhead the area of interest, the Alpha Jet successfully released its bombs on the targets in successive strikes leading to massive destruction of the target buildings as well as the neutralisation of several BHTs,” he said.

  • Army to collaborate with Borno hunters to fight Boko Haram terrorists

    Army to collaborate with Borno hunters to fight Boko Haram terrorists

    The Nigerian Army has assured the Vigilante/Hunters Association in Borno that it is ready to collaborate with them in the ongoing counter insurgency operations in the North East.

    According to a statement by Brig.-Gen Texas Chukwu, the army spokesman, the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Abdulmalik Biu, gave the assurance when he met with the members of the association led by its Chairman, Alhaji Maigana Maidarma.

    Biu noted the hunting prowess of members of the association and their familiarity with the terrain of the state and urged them to proffer solutions that would help in effectively checkmating the menace of the Boko Haram terrorists

    He said the meeting was timely and would afford them an opportunity to discuss possible ways towards ending insurgency in the region.

    Biu called on them to provide credible and intelligence information that would assist in the apprehension of the terrorists,, adding that fighting insurgency requires collective effort.

    Earlier, Maidarma, assured the GOC of their support and promised to leverage on the association’s knowledge of Sambisa forest in assisting the army in its operations.

    He, however, enumerated some of the challenges confronting the association to include lack of mobility and weapons to engage the insurgents.

    16, 000 persons living with HIV died in Borno