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Tag: ISWAP

  • Fleeing Boko Haram, ISWAP members abandon wives, kids

    Fleeing Boko Haram, ISWAP members abandon wives, kids

    Boko Haram terrorists and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) members dropped off 72 family members at the entrance of Ngala town in Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State on May 10, the Nigerian military has disclosed.

    Speaking to journalists yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, said the family members comprised of 33 women and 39 children who are now in the custody of troops. He said in the de-radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration programme for ex-fighters going on under Operation SAFE CORRIDOR, 280 clients had successfully undergone the programme and reintegrated into the society.

    He said 25 of them were repatriated to Niger Republic while 603 are due to pass out in June.

    He advised other fighters to surrender and called on parents, traditional rulers, community, opinion and religious leaders to charge their wards and children not to succumb to inducements by the insurgents for recruitment.

    Enenche also disclosed that troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State neutralised three suicide bombers attempting to infiltrate the defence location. He said the troops of the 144 Battalion, 82 Division task Force Battalion, 26 Task Force Brigade and 271 Task Force Tank Battalion also neutralized 18 Boko Haram Terrorists within the past one week.

    He noted that the operations took place at Gamboru Ngala, Firgi Mubi, Kamale Road in Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State as well as Ngoshe near the Nigeria – Cameroon border while adding that a total of 72 persons were rescued from Boko Haram terrorists.

    He said troops of 121 Task Force Battalion, at Pulka – Ngurosoye near Bama town repelled BHT ambush and killed 20 terrorists, while on escort duty.

    Enenche also noted that on May 13, Operation LAFIYA DOLE troops killed nine terrorists in an ambush at Mainok – Jakana axis in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno. He said a total of 61 terrorists were neutralized in the theatre, aside those who escaped with gunshot wounds with narrow chances of survival.

  • Boko Haram/ISWAP: Inter-Faith group declares hour of victory, commences prayers for Buratai, troops in battle

    The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace (NIFROP) has declared that this is the “hour of victory” for the Nigerian Army in its final clearance operation against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

    Armed with the extra motivation of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General T.Y Buratai on one side and prayers of Nigerians on the other, NIFROP urged the troops on the frontlines to step up and deliver the final punch to the insurgents.

    The inter-faith and religious group gave this charge in a statement signed by National President, Bishop Sunday Garuba, on Friday.

    According to the respected cleric, the relocation of the COAS to the Theatre of Operations is a sign of imminent triumph for the Nigerian forces just like in the biblical times where anointed leaders guided the armies of his children to war.

    NIFROP added that this isn’t a time to relent, though, calling on religious leaders and all Nigerians to join them in prayers for the troops.

    The group, however, urged those sabotaging the war against terrorism to learn from Chad and repent, take heed of the clear warning in Romans 2:5.

  • Now is best time to eliminate Boko Haram remnants – Buratai

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General T.Y Buratai, has called on troops of Operation Lafiya Dole that now is the best time to wipe out fleeing Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

    The Army Chief, who is at the thick of things, gave this charge on Wednesday in an address to the troops on the frontlines in Ngamdu, Kaga, Borno State.

    In a bid to provide the much-needed motivation and goad, overseeing the overall operations in the theatre, Lt. Gen Buratai, last week, relocated to the northeast.

    And the COAS has vowed not leave the theatre of Operation Lafiya Dole until he gave a final blow on the insurgents.

    While acknowledging the support of President Muhammadu Buhari and sacrifices of his troops, the Army Chief, however, urged them to go for broke.

    “We must go all out to stop and eliminate these criminals. We must do it now. There is no better time than now,” the COAS said.

  • NAF wipes out ISWAP hideout in Borno

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has destroyed an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) hideout and neutralised some of the insurgents’ fighters at Mina along the Gulumba Gana-Kumshe Axis in the northern part of Borno.

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

    He said the operation was conducted through the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE (OPLD).

    Daramola explained that the mission, executed on March 4 as part of the ongoing Operation “DECISIVE EDGE”, was undertaken after a NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft spotted the terrorists assembling in the vicinity of some compounds within the settlement.

    “Fighter jets scrambled by the ATF to engage the location scored accurate hits in the target area leading to the destruction of some terrorists’ structures as well as the neutralisation of some of their fighters.

    “The NAF, in furtherance of the objective of restoring peace and security in the North East and operating in concert with surface forces, would continue to carry out air interdiction missions against the enemies of our nation,” he said.

  • Boko Haram, ISWAP no more working together – Buratai

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has said that the Nigerian Military has succeeded in breaking the union between the two foremost terror groups operating in the country, Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).

    He charged the troops to maintain the tempo, adding that with the crack in the “unholy union” between the two groups, their days of bloodletting are numbered.

    According to the COAS, who spoke while declaring open the 2nd Edition of Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary Career Planning and Management Seminar in Abuja, the military is making giant strides in ending the insurgency.

    He said, “I am glad to note that we are making giant strides against Islamic State in West Africa Province ISWAP, in our bid to unhinge the unholy union between them and the remnant of Boko Haram terrorist.

    “We are certainly on cause and focused. It is therefore imperative that we maintain the momentum while motivating our officers and men through our efficient and balance career planning process. Again let me draw your attention to my strategic goal for the year 2020 which is to sustain professionalism of the Army and responsiveness in the discharge of its constitutional roles.

    “To this end, all activities and operational directive must align with this goal. I am charging the formation commanders to push the boundary of success by ensuring that our effort in Operation Lafiya Dole and other operations are sustained and consolidated. Similarly, our striving in research and development in collaboration with Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria DICON, must be sustained to maintain the existing equipment and continually strive to produce military hardware and platforms.”

    He continued that as part of effort to consolidate the gains already recorded in the counter terrorism operations in North East, the Nigerian Army will not tolerate laissez-faire attitude from Commanders and troops involved in the terror war.

    Buratai also tasked officers and soldiers in theatre of operation to be law abiding and maintain the highest professional standard in all operation and routine activities within and outside Nigerian Army.

    He said that the seminar was designed to avail Army Officers with contemporary approaches to military human resource management, noting that the seminar will expose participants to human resource management “in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous”.

    He further directed all the Commanders to develop the capacity of their officers and soldiers in critical thinking “aimed at ensuring that personnel under their command are upwardly mobile in their ability to understand context and easily proffer credible and workable solutions to problems”.

    Earlier in his address of welcome, the Army Secretary, Major General Gabriel Ochigbano, said that the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary has consistently been entrusted with the responsibility of planning the careers of Nigerian Army officers.

    He noted that the Department among others criteria, relies critically on annual reports written on officers and courses reports as well as other occurrences along the career path of each officer to effectively achieve the aforesaid objective.

  • FG treating Boko Haram, ISWAP, others with kid gloves – CAN

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Federal Government of supporting the activities of Boko Haram, Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and other terrorist groups in the country.

    It urged the government to prove the Christians wrong by “publishing names of kingpins of the terrorists, herdsmen, killers and bandits in their custody and those who are being prosecuted in the court of law for the world to see, if the government has not been treating those criminals with kid gloves”.

    CAN President Rev. Samson Ayokunle said he would not to keep quiet until the right things are done and Adamawa State CAN Chairman Rev. Lawan Andimi, who was abducted last week by the Boko Haram insurgents, is released.

    In a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the CAN president said: “The CAN is not doing the bidding of the terrorists by crying out for the freedom of our members in the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists. The government should wake up to its primary responsibility, which is to protect the lives and property of the people.

    “Calling on the Federal Government to free our members from their captors, who claim to be attacking us for religious sake, is the right thing to do in this situation we have found ourselves.

    “These criminals are targeting predominant Christian communities, killing, maiming and abducting the people with or without any resistance from security agencies. This is unprecedented. Let the government wake up to its responsibilities and see if we will not stop talking about its failure to protect our members.

    “That is not politicisation of religion. The governor of Borno State is shouting that the soldiers are extorting money from the people instead of defending them.”

  • Boko Haram, ISWAP attacked Northeast 27 times in 14 days – Military

    Boko Haram, ISWAP attacked Northeast 27 times in 14 days – Military

    Troops repelled 27 attacks from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Northeast within two weeks, the military said on Monday.

    The feat, according to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Ibok Ekwe-Ibas, who briefed reporters after a Security Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, was achieved by the military in collaboration with regional partners.

    The naval chief, who was speaking on the activities of terrorist groups within and outside the borders, said the military had made a lot of progress.

    He noted that many attempted attacks had been foiled even as many of their leading commanders had been neutralised.

    According to him, the President directed security chiefs to ensure peaceful and stable socio-economic environment across the country.

    He said the meeting appraised the nation’s security situations in 2019 with emphasis on ongoing internal and regional operations.

    Rear Admiral Ekwe-Ibas said the President specifically directed that the council and the members of armed forces ensure a peaceful society in 2020.

    The Naval boss said: “To that effect, we are more than determined to continue from where we stopped in 2019 and to ensure that we sustain our various operations to ensure a secured Nigeria for all of us.

    “On the activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), I will also like you to look at it from a broader African perspective. We have in recent past have attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and other countries in West Africa. While it is painful to lose people and from within, I think the military is doing all within its power to ensure that we overcome the menace and the threats posed by ISWAP.

    According to him, the army has been doing its best to end the reign of terrorists groups operating in the northern part of the country, especially the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), noting that recent onslaught against them proved that troops have an upper hand.

    He said: “You will also recall that just two weeks back we have had over 27 attacks from Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast alone. Our gallant troops out there were able to repel these attacks and even took out some of their commanders.

    “So, it is a thing of concern but the armed forces of Nigeria are doing all in their powers to ensure that together with other regional partners, that the menace of ISWAP is contained.”

    He informed that the Nigerian Armed Forces will begin the gradual withdrawal of troops from some of their security operations across the country from the first quarter of next year.

    The CNS explained that the withdrawal will follow proper assessment of the success rates of operations.

    Explaining the reason for the decision to end the operations in some parts of the country soon, the naval chief said the Council observed that the forces had done their best to stabilise the security situation in the affected areas.

    He noted that it was agreed that the natural step for security agencies to take is to restore civil security arms to the satisfactorily cleared areas under military operations.

    The CNS said: “We had a security council meeting with Mr. President where we appraised the year 2019 generally with emphasis on ongoing operations both within as well as the regional operations ongoing.

    “With respect to operations within the country, it was generally agreed and noted that the security agencies have done their very best in ensuring that the deliverables are made clear.

    “You will recall that the various operations in the country in the northeast, northwest, north central, the southeast as well as the southwest where all members of the armed forces are taking part as well as the intelligence agencies have ensured that we all enjoyed a better holiday period that has just been observed.

    “We also recalled that in those areas where the military have been able to achieve desired objectives, from the first quarter of next year, the civil authority will be preparing to take back those responsibilities as the military draws back its forces from those areas to enable it force its attention on other emerging threats and areas of concern.”

    When asked to elaborate on the mode to be employed in the planned withdrawal of troops and the areas to be affected, the Naval chief said the withdrawal would follow an assessment of operations in different parts, adding that it is only when success levels had been certified as good enough to be handed to civil authorities that troops would be taken out of an area.

    He said: “Let me make it very clear that an assessment of what the military will do will be based on the situation on ground. It is not expected that the military will withdraw when it is apparent that there are still some threats in such locations.

    “I’m sure we are also aware that the nation is procuring equipment for the military. It is expected that before the second quarter of next year, most of these equipment should be in place. It therefore means that all our hands are put on ground, looking at the technology backed surveillance that will enable the military react more efficiently and effectively.

    “With that it is also believed that the Nigerian police will take the lead in containing security in such areas that must have been assessed to be in the right place to sustain. I don’t believe that a responsibility military will want to withdraw when it is apparent that there is still risk that cannot be overcome by the police.”

    He further said that the armed forces were concerned with the prolonged nature of the fight against terrorism within the country, adding that they were doing everything to see to the end of all operations so that the nation could focus more on development issues, saying “it is our wish to have the insurgency and terrorism issues resolved once and for all to enable us focus on matters of development,” the Rear Admiral said.

    At the Council meeting were: Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Abubakar Sadique; Chief of Defense Intelligence (CDI), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mohammed Usman; Director-General of Department for State Service (DSS) Yusuf Magaji Bichi; National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the Nigerian Army Chief of Policy and Plans; Lt. Gen. Lasisi Adeosun, who represented Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

  • ISWAP releases video of Christian captives’ execution

    Fighters of the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP), have released a video showing the killing of 11 Christians abducted from Borno State some weeks back.

    The terrorist group claimed they spared the lives of two persons out of 13 people who were captured.

    The 56-second video was released on December 26 and produced by the ISIS “news agency” Amaq.

    According to the ISWAP, the 11 victims are Christians, however, a careful assessment of the video released on December 17, indicated that three Muslims and 10 Christians were captured.

    The captives were abducted from different parts of Borno State in October. Their identities had earlier been revealed through recorded videos of their plea for intervention and rescue to President Buhari and leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

    Ahmad Salkida, a conflict journalist known for monitoring of terrorist activities in Nigeria’s northeast, had claimed on Boxing Day that the 11 captives were executed on Christmas Day.

    Salkida, who disclosed this on his website @ salkida.com, said ISWAP boasted the captives were executed as a revenge for the killings of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Abul-Hasan Al-Muhajir in Iraq and Syria.

  • JUST IN: ISWAP militants attack Nigerian soldiers in Baga, Benishiek

    Islamic State militants have launched attacks on Nigerian troop positions in Baga and Benishiek, in Borno state.
    However it is unclear the casualties recorded on the Nigerian side.
    Even ISWAP was unsure about the damage it claimed it inflicted.
    Reuters said ISWAP claimed on its Amaq news agency that it killed or wounded more than 40 soldiers.
    The group said militants attacked a military post in Baga and killed at least 15 soldiers before carrying out a second attack on an army barracks in the town of Benisheik, where they killed or wounded around 25 more.
    Locals and military sources confirmed there were clashes between insurgents and soldiers in the state on Monday and Tuesday.
    At the weekend at least 70 people were killed in three villages in Borno, the birthplace of the insurgency, which began 10 years ago, with a shooting war in Maiduguri, between the insurgents and Boko Haram.
    On Tuesday, the Nigerian government restated that it has defeated Boko Haram and it is now faced with a new dimension of the war, ISWAP.
    “What we have now is a mixture of remnants of the Boko Haram, fugitive criminals and the Islam in Maghreb together with West African terrorists bonding together. This is a fallout of the collapse of the Libyan State, and from farther away, of the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. They are taking advantage of our porous Sahelian borders”, said Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on media to President Muhammadu Buhari.
    Shehu acknowledged the new problem posed by ISWAP, as different from the decimated Boko Haram and hoped that the ‘gallant’ Nigerian military and the multinational forces would soon deal with the menace its members constitute.

  • 10th Anniversary of terror: Buhari's will defeat ISWAP like he did Boko Haram – Presidency

    10th Anniversary of terror: Buhari's will defeat ISWAP like he did Boko Haram – Presidency

    On the 10th anniversary of the outbreak of Boko Haram insurgency, the Nigerian government has restated the position declared some four years ago: that the real Boko Haram has been degraded and defeated.
    “At present, terrorist activities have been confined to the remote, rural agrarian areas of Borno State and pockets of outrages in Adamawa and Yobe States”, the Buhari presidency said on Tuesday night, as it awarded itself generous marks for taming the insurgents and listed various efforts being made to cement the success.
    “What we have now is a mixture of remnants of the Boko Haram, fugitive criminals and the Islam in Maghreb together with West African terrorists bonding together. This is a fallout of the collapse of the Libyan State, and from farther away, of the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. They are taking advantage of our porous Sahelian borders”, said Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on media to President Muhammadu Buhari.
    Shehu acknowledged the new problem posed by ISWAP, as different from the decimated Boko Haram and hoped that the ‘gallant’ Nigerian military and the multinational forces would soon deal with the menace its members constitute.
    “The Buhari administration is strongly encouraged by successes recorded so far by our armed forces and the MNJTF, and is optimistic that in the same way as our military defeated the Boko Haram, so would the ISWA terrorism be defeated”, he said.
    The Nigerian position, about the technical defeat of Boko Haram, was first postulated by former information minister Lai Mohammed, less than a year after Buhari succeeded Goodluck Jonathan.

    Mohammed used the term, Boko Haram being ‘technically’ defeated. The phrase has been haunting the Buhari administration since then, after strikes and bombings by the militants.
    Many critics fault the position adopted by government. The latest attack in Nganzai local government in Borno, where 70 villagers were killed by Boko Haram gunmen, is the latest pointer, to the critics, that Boko Haram is still alive.
    Garba Shehu sees the flares of violence or attacks in Nigeria’s northeast as fallouts from the war in Libya and the collapse of the Islamic State that have unleashed armed gangs across the Sahel.
    `’As a consequence of these international gangs, we have seen an increase of trans-border crimes and the proliferation of small arms in the Lake Chad Basin area. Outrages are common in Niger, Mali, Chad and Cameroon.

    “Nigeria is a large country covering nearly one million square kilometres. This is roughly equivalent to the size of France and Germany put together. In addition to our porous borders, in the neighbouring Sahel-Sahara region, a lot of ungoverned areas provide haven for terrorists’ occupation and training.

    “Without the tremendous efforts of our armed forces and the joint operations by the Nigeria-led Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, formed by the countries of the Lake Chad Basin, this single problem of illegal arms flow would have been much worse.
    “At the moment, the Nigerian government under President Muhammadu Buhari has made the country safer than it met it. In 2015 when he took power, Boko Haram terrorism was active in nearly half the number of states in the country. They controlled a territory the size of Belgium, with a flag and systems of administration and taxation of their own. Emirs and Chiefs had fled their domains along with hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens. Such is no more; they have been taken from them.
    “As the situation develops, our fantastic armed forces are changing their tactics. Just recently, they launched “Super Camps.” The essence of this is to act proactively and respond quickly to the changing nature of terrorism.
    Shehu acknowledged the additional support the government of Nigeria is receiving from friendly countries across Europe, United States and the Middle East.
    He also said the Nigerian government is spending large sums of money in weapons procurement to keep our military in good fighting shape.
    “While the military arsenal is not something you pay for and get, requiring mostly long-time orders, weapons will come in accordance with the terms of contracts. This country is expecting the commencement of the delivery of Super Tucano fighter jets, very effective in this kind of warfare, beginning next year from the United States.
    “The administration has embarked on an ambitious electronic/digital border monitoring scheme to curtail the porosity of the borders and, working with the UN agencies, the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, donor agencies and friendly countries, has started providing solutions to backwardness in development and poverty in the sub-region because at the very heart of recruitment schemes of the terrorists lies the issue of poverty’.
    Shehu recalled the inauguration of the Northeast Development Commission, to fast track development and poverty eradication in the affected areas.