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Tag: Chibok

  • Boko Haram: Gov. Fintiri mourns Nigerian soldiers killed in Chibok

    Boko Haram: Gov. Fintiri mourns Nigerian soldiers killed in Chibok

    Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has condoled with the families and colleagues of the late Brig.-Gen. Dzarma Zirkusu and three other soldiers killed on Saturday while battling insurgents.

    Fintiri, in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Mr Humwashi Wonosikou, on Sunday in Yola, commended the bravery of the special forces with the support of other troops who repelled the attack by the insurgents.

    “Gen. Zirkusu and the three others were brave soldiers who died in the line of duty while fighting terrorists,” Fintiri said.

    “I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest sympathy and that of the government and people of Adamawa to the families and loved ones of the fallen heroes.

    “I stand with you. Nigeria stands with you. I deeply appreciate the sacrifice made by your loved ones in defence of our democracy, our peace and our security”. Fintiri said.

    He urged Adamawa people and Nigerian citizens to remember the families of the fallen heroes and to always pray that their souls rest in peace.

    The governor also urged the families, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff to take heart and bear the irreparable loss knowing that their loved ones died in active service and paid the supreme sacrifice.

    “We will not be cowed by these cowards. Our Armed Forces will continue to fulfil our mission, to defeat terror. Our soldiers’ blood will not be shed in vain”.

    He expressed confidence that the day was coming when Nigerians would look back at this moment in history and say “Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve because they laid the foundation for peace for generations to come”.

    He praised the heroism of the late Zirkusu and troops fighting terrorism in Nigeria.

    “We are on track to victory against evil. My thoughts and prayers go out to families of troops killed in war every day, not just on the loss of these brave soldiers, but all who laid their lives in supreme sacrifice for the freedom of Nigeria,” Fintiri said.

    The late Zirkusu before the attack was the Commanding Officer the 28 Task Force Brigade in Chibok, Borno.

  • [Photo] Another Chibok schoolgirl Hassana Adamu resurfaces with two kids

    [Photo] Another Chibok schoolgirl Hassana Adamu resurfaces with two kids

    Another Chibok schoolgirl, Hassana Adamu was on Saturday handed over to the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum.

    Zulum received the girl and her two children in Gwoza, as they were presented to him by the Nigerian Army.

    Adamu was said to have presented herself to the Nigerian Army.

    Adamu, alongside her two children, was handed over to Governor Zulum by the Commander, 26 Taskforce Brigade, Brigadier General DR Dantani.

    A statement from the Borno State Government on Saturday said Zulum was in Gwoza from where he moved to Bama, undertaking humanitarian activities.

    He had just returned from northern Borno where he spent five days for humanitarian interventions.

    Hassana was one of over 200 schoolgirls abducted at a Government Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014, by Boko Haram insurgents.

    It could be recalled that Ruth Ngladar Pogu and a man said to be her husband had presented themselves to the Nigerian Army on July 28, 2021, at a location in Bama.

  • How we fuel the wings of abductors – Ozioma Onyenweaku

    How we fuel the wings of abductors – Ozioma Onyenweaku

    Ozioma Onyenweaku

    In the 2000s the Niger Delta Militants hit the street big with the kidnapping of foreign oil workers. That was in a bid to draw attention to the plight of the Niger Delta people over oil spillage in the area. The oil companies in desperate move to rescue their officers offered to pay ransom. Seeing another side to the kidnapping, more and more top officers were abducted, and huge ransom collected. So was set the boom business of kidnapping.

    Following that, anti-kidnapping squad was set up by the Nigeria Police Force in the 2000s to curtail the rising case of kidnapping. Yet the kidnapping rate kept increasing.

    Intelligence Response Team was also created to deal with the threat of kidnapping. Hundreds of Police officers were deployed to man, and patrol the highways particularly those highways that record high kidnapping cases.

    Several states in Nigeria passed into law Bills that outlaw kidnapping and abduction. For example, Ebony State through its Internal Security Enforcement and Related Matters law (CAP 55) prescribes death sentence for the offence of kidnapping; Imo State Anti-kidnapping bill also prescribes death sentence; so also Akwa Ibom state, Rivers State, Enugu State, Delta State and some others.

    “The greatest incentive to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”

    In 2016, Kano State (the first from the region) signed into law a bill recommending execution for kidnappers who are convicted of killing their captives, while those that abducted but did not kill their victims would be jailed for life

    On the Federal level, Nigeria has Nigeria Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 to curb terrorism of any nature, and to promote “the protection of persons and their properties from abuse as well as enhance freedom of others in the same society” The punishment for the offence of kidnapping was put at maximum of 10 years.

    In September 2017 a bill was passed into law outlawing abduction, wrongful restraint or confinement for ransom – “Whoever is guilty of the offence and then results in the death of the victim shall be liable on conviction to be sentenced to death”; and 30-year jail term for anyone who colludes with abductor to receive ransom”. That leaves life imprisonment for the offence of kidnapping that results in no death of the victim.

    With all the machinery in place, Nigeria is overwhelmed by the insecurity occasioned by the activities of the kidnappers and abductors. In 2014 about 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok. In February 2018, about 110 school girls, ages of 11 & 19, were kidnapped from Government Girls Science & Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State. Some others include the Kangara boys, another in Zamfara, and yet another in Niger State. Kidnapping and abduction of school children has become almost a daily affair. So what are we not doing right in the fight against kidnapping and abduction?

    So what fuels the wings of the abductors? We have to look inward and see where we are not getting things right in this area.

    What is our reality? Nigeria has been ‘fighting’ the fight with a kid’s gloves. How on earth does one expect to end abduction when the abductors are romanced, and treated to a King’s banquet! How do we end this menace when the abductors dictate the terms and they are obliged? For instance, about a hundred of the Chibok girls were released in a Prisoner Swap deal between the abductors and the government. In this deal, five Boko Haram Commanders were released in exchange for the hundred young innocent girls. In the case of the Dapchi girls where two of the girls were found dead, 104 of them were freed after the payment of ransom. The recent ones are no exception.

    Here, we are yet to record any bandit arrested for abduction, tried, convicted and sentenced to serve as a deterrent to others. Instead we present ourselves as people condoning the crime of abduction and kidnapping, and as such create enabling environment for it to thrive. Crimes are meant to be punished for. When there is no punishment for a crime, the criminal is emboldened to commit more crime. Like Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “The greatest incentive to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”

    In Nigeria, the abductors do not just hope to escape punishment, they have assured expectation of escaping punishment.

    For us to achieve result in combating abduction/kidnapping, we must review our current anti-kidnapping approach. We have to get our priorities right, and channel efforts and resources towards this cause. For now, we fuel the wings of the abductors.

     

     

     

     

  • Boko Haram hits Borno church on Christmas eve, kills six

    Boko Haram hits Borno church on Christmas eve, kills six

    Information reaching TheNewsGuru.com, TNG has it that some Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday (Christmas eve) attacked Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria Church (Church of the Brethren) at Pemi village in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State killing six.

    The Boko Haram insurgents reportedly burnt down the church where natives were busy preparing for Christmas celebrations.

    In the attack six cars and five houses belonging to the Church were razed, according to reports by The Cable.

    “The insurgents came in around 5:30 pm through Gogombi. They came in batches of two. The first came in with a motorcycle while the other came in heavy vehicles. As soon as they entered the village, they started shooting sporadically and towards the EYN church,” on of the survivours said.

    “Then they set it on fire. They also torched six cars and five other buildings around the church. Some of us ran to the bush, but unfortunately six people were killed in the attack. Christians were to observe Christmas prayers in the church this morning”, it added.

    However, the task force battalion reached around 8 pm, according to the report.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) had earlier raised alarm over a “plot to bomb some places” during the festive period.

  • Katsina abduction reminder of Dapchi, Chibok girls – Coalition

    Katsina abduction reminder of Dapchi, Chibok girls – Coalition

    The Coalition for Peace and National Security on Saturday criticised the attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State by bandits describing it as a sad reminder of the terrorists’ attacks on Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State and Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State.

    While labeling the action of the bandits as unacceptable, the CPNS urged security agencies to immediately swing into action with a view to rescuing the missing students and apprehending the perpetrators.

    The CPNS which bared its mind in a statement by its national coordinator, Dr. Mohammed Maigoro and national secretary, Tunde Funsho, said the attack on school children was not only cowardly but also callous and a crime against humanity, prohibited under the international humanitarian law.

    The organization said with regret that the action of the bandits had totally affected Nigeria’s effort towards the enhancement of girl child education and development.

    The statement reads, “We received the news of the attack on Government Science Secondary School, Kankara in Katsina State, where at least 600 out of 800 students of the school are reportedly missing with shock.

    “This latest action by bandits is a sad reminder of the past similar ones on Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State and Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State that left some students dead and others missing.

    “This attack on innocent school children is not only cowardly but also callous and a crime against humanity, prohibited under the international humanitarian law.

    “We urge security agencies to immediately swing into action in not only rescuing the missing students but also apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime,”the group said.

    “This latest development is a yet another confirmation that the country is porous without security and given this bad situation, we wish to without any hesitation join the clarion call on our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately rejig the nation’s security architecture beginning with the sack of service chiefs who apart from overstaying in office, have become exhausted to face the increasingly worsening security situation of our country”.

     

     

  • NAF speaks on ignoring distress calls by Chibok villagers during Boko Haram attacks

    NAF speaks on ignoring distress calls by Chibok villagers during Boko Haram attacks

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has refuted a publication in an online platform, which alleged that it did not respond to calls for support when suspected insurgents attacked Takulashi Village, Chibok Local Government Area of Borno.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

    NAF wishes to state that there is absolutely no iota of truth in the spurious allegations that it failed to respond to calls for support following information allegedly obtained by the online platform, which said it received the report on Sunday, Nov. 1, he said.

    “Indeed, we ordinarily would not have responded to such baseless, unfounded allegations but for the need to set the record straight and reaffirm NAF’s commitment to ensure the security of Nigeria and Nigerians, wherever they may reside.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated that NAF did not receive any call for support regarding an attack on the Village.

    “Had any such report been received, NAF, in its characteristic responsiveness, would have certainly taken appropriate action,” he said.

    Daramola said that the report rightly remarked that if air support came on time, one or two air strikes would have decimated them.

    He, however, said that no request regarding that was made to the Air Task Force of operation ‘LAFIYA DOLE’ (ATF OPLD) on the said date.

    Accordingly, it was wrong of the report to state, without any basis, that NAF ignored rescue calls.

    “It is pertinent to highlight that NAF, through the ATF OPLD, has flown over 26,000 hours of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and air interdiction missions, as well as close air support missions in the last five years.

    “NAF has been working ‘hand-in-glove’ with other security agencies and has a crop of well-trained, highly-motivated young pilots who are ever ready and willing to respond to emergencies, whenever called upon.

    “It is utterly ludicrous to insinuate that NAF would fail to respond to any such situation, if called upon. The general public is therefore enjoined to discountenance the evidently false report.”

    According to him, “It is equally disingenuous of the online medium to refer to an isolated incident that had its peculiar nuances of pre-disposition to collateral damage as a basis for justifying their blatantly false claims.

    Daramola described the development as smacks of gross unprofessionalism and obvious deliberate intent at mischief.

    He said, as a professional and disciplined force, NAF has and will continue to do its utmost best to ensure the security of Nigeria and Nigerians across the country.

    “We remain resolute in performing our function and will continue to work in synergy with other security agencies to rid the country of insurgents. We will not be distracted by such evidently orchestrated attempts to tarnish the hard-earned and good image of the Service.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that on Nov. 1, insurgents launched an attack on Takulashi village, located in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno, killing at least nine people, abducted seven others, looted scores of houses for food supplies and other items and subsequently burnt them.

  • Seven dead as Boko Haram attacks Chibok village

    Seven dead as Boko Haram attacks Chibok village

    Boko Haram attacked a village in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State on Sunday.

    According to reports, seven civilians were killed during the attack.

    The insurgents stormed Takulashe village at about 9 am and opened fire on civilians in sight.

    Civilian Joint Task Force member, Ishaiku Musa, confirmed the number of causalities.

    He said search for more victims were ongoing.

    Locals also confirmed that the terrorists also kidnapped three women and four children in the attack.

    According to reports, the deadly sect also stole food and other items after the bloody attacks.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Chibok is the scene of the mass kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in 2014 by Boko Haram which drew global outrage and international attention to the group.

    Troops have been stationed in Chibok since the schoolgirls kidnap but deadly Boko Haram raids continue in the area.

    In the wake of the mass abduction, 57 of the girls escaped shortly after the kidnapping and 107 were either rescued or released after negotiations. Some 112 are still in captivity.

  • Scores killed, houses razed as B’Haram hit Chibok again

    Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State on Tuesday came under heavy attack by the Boko Haram terrorists, who stormed Korongilum Community in a heavy convoy of gun trucks and motorcycles.

    The heavily armed insurgents stormed the community around 6pm when the villagers were returning from the day’s work and opened fire on the hapless residents, killing scores and wounding many others in the process.

    Many houses were also razed by the rampaging terrorists who operated for hours unchallenged.

    Meanwhile efforts to get the Army Spokesperson, Colonel Sagir Musa, to confirm the attack on the community was unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

    The spokesperson of Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Isa Ado could not also take his calls as at the time of filling this report.

    According to reports, the insurgents came into the community around 6pm, shooting sporadically and setting many houses on fire.

    But a reliable source within the Military hierarchy, said that the military is on top of the situation and has restored normalcy in the community.

    He however declined to comment on the number of casualties or the level of havoc wrecked on the community.

  • Several houses burnt as Boko Haram attack Chibok

    Armed men suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents were on Friday reported to have launched an attack in Mifa, a village in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State.

    An undisclosed number of houses were said to have been razed during the attack by the insurgents, who arrived at about 8pm, according to TheCable.

    The online medium quoted a resident to have said, “They are burning houses as I speak to you; many of them arrived with motorcycles and started attacking the village. They have burnt so many houses, especially because it is dark and due to the terrain of the place.

    “We don’t know of any casualty yet. The troops just arrived, although the insurgents are still inside the villages.”

    The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, could not be reached for comments on the Chibok incident as his line rang out. A text message also sent to his line had yet to be replied to as of press time.

    Meanwhile, the #BringBackOurGirls will today (Saturday) mark the 2,000 days of the abduction of 276 Chibok School girls in April 2014.

    Out of this figure, 57 of the girls escaped from captivity, four were found dead, 21 released, 82 were released while 19 parents were said to have died.

  • Chibok Girls Abduction: Group Hail Buhari for Recue efforts on Abductees

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja.

    A group of concerned Nigerians on Wednesday hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for all the efforts on the rescue of abducted school girls at Chibok in Borno State held in captivity by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14 2014.

    The group said that efforts by previous governments at both federal and state, including concerned individuals and organizations to secure the release of the school girls proved abortive, until the coming of the present administration.

    On May 18, 2016, having been in captivity for two years, the present government of President Muhammadu Buhahi rescued one of the adducted girls, Amina Darsha Nkeki, with her four month old baby girl.

    According to them, this feat was repeated, seven months later when the Federal Government secured the release of 21 other Chibok girls on October 13, 2016. Maryam Ali Maiyanga, one of the abducted Chibok girls and her baby boy rescued on January 5th, 2017.

    The rescue of 82 Chibok girls on May 7th 2017 crowned the effort of the present government in its resolve to protect and secure lives and property of Nigerians, the group submitted.