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Tag: Lake Chad

  • MNJTF neutralises 1 terrorist, thwarts Boko Haram movement in Lake Chad

    MNJTF neutralises 1 terrorist, thwarts Boko Haram movement in Lake Chad

    Troops of  the Sector II Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) based in Bagasola, Chad have  neutralises one Boko Haram terrorist in an ambush in Litri Island, situated on the border between Chad and Nigeria.

    Lt.-Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, Chief Public Information Officer of the MNJTF in N’djamena, Chad, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

    Abdullahi said that the ambush was conducted on May 13, as part of the ongoing Operation Lake Sanity II.

    He said that the operation took place on the Litri Island.

    He also said that troops recovered several items, including one AK 47 rifle, two magazines, one unexploded ordnance device, a mobile phone and other personal belongings.

    ”This marks a blow to terrorist capabilities in the area.

    ”On May 11, troops from the 19 Brigade Sector III MNJTF, disrupted a logistics movement by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in the Burwarti metropolis of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno.

    ”The ambush led to the capture of two motorcycles, one Baofeng radio, four bags of millet, and various miscellaneous items.

    ”Following this operation, on May 12, a clearance operation from Burwarti to Daban Masara resulted in the interception of a civilian vehicle by troops.

    ”The vehicle, driven by one Mr Baba Ado, carrying passengers and empty baskets towards Daban Masara, was found six Kilo Metre east of Burwarti.

    ”After a thorough search and interrogation, Ado, who was on the 19 Brigade’s watch list, was detained for further investigation”, he said.

    Abdullahi further said that on May 13, the Nigerien Gendarmerie in Sector IV  MNJTF located in Diffa, Niger Republic, seized petroleum products concealed within sacks of maize cereals.

    ”This operation, conducted about five Kilo Metre from the main road on the outskirts of Diffa town, thwarted an attempt to smuggle these products past security checkpoints.

    ”These products were suspected to be destined for terrorist groups operating within the Lake Chad Basin.

    ”These collective efforts significantly undermine the logistical and operational capabilities of terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin region”, he said.

    He added that the MNJTF remained committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism and restoring peace and security to the region.

  • Video of bandit showing off ransom goes viral on social media

    Video of bandit showing off ransom goes viral on social media

    A viral video has shown a terrorist (destination  unknown)  reportedly seen in a viral video displaying some money collected from his victims as ransoms and uploaded on Tiktok, a social network.

    The video was shared by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, in a series of posts on his X handle on Monday.

    Makama revealed that  the user of the account has over 3000 followers, noting that some of them are bandits who openly show off their rifles and are dressed in military or police uniforms.

    Continuing, Makama lamented that the Tiktok platform has given space for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without any form of restrictions.

    “The user of the account has 3000 followers, some of them are bandits who openly show off their rifles and are dressed in military or police uniforms.

    “Tiktok platform has given room for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without being restricted.”

  • How NAF airstrikes neutralized terrorists in Lake Chad

    How NAF airstrikes neutralized terrorists in Lake Chad

    Report reaching TheNewsGuru.com has it that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday neutralized several Boko Haram/Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in air strikes in the Tumbuns on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno.

    Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, NAF’s Director, Public Relations and Information, also confirmed the development via a statement on Monday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Terittory.

    According to Gabwet’s statement, the air strikes obliterated the terrorists’ hideouts, destroyed their structures and strategic logistics’ base in the region.

    He said that Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Shitu were struck between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30 after confirmation of the terrorists’ activities which constituted a threat to military formations and law-abiding Nigerians residing within the locations.

    At Tumbun Fulani, terrorists were observed loading jerricans in two guntrucks concealed under shrubs.

    Subsequently, NAF aircraft were scrambled to interdict the location, believed to be a major logistics base.

    The statement stated also  that, Battle Damage Assessment revealed several terrorists were neutralised and the guntrucks destroyed.

    He said that similar strikes were also undertaken at Tumbun Shitu after structures believed to be terrorists’ hideout were observed tucked under thick foliage.

    NAF spokesman said that three gun trucks with terrorists were sighted moving into the location, adding that the need to strike the location thus became imperative.

    He said the aftermath of the air strike revealed that several terrorists were neutralised and the trucks destroyed.

    “The determination of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to significantly limit the activities of terrorists in the Northeast and indeed other parts of Nigeria remains on course.

    “Operational gains by the AFN are indicative of improved synergy and cooperation by all security agencies as well as the unwavering support of all Nigerians,” he said.

  • FG seeks UN’s support on recovery of terrorists impacted Lake Chad Basin

    FG seeks UN’s support on recovery of terrorists impacted Lake Chad Basin

    The Federal Government has called on the United Nations and development partners to strengthen support towards implementation of regional strategy for stabilisation, recovery and resilience of areas affected by terrorism in Lake Chad.

    The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), retired Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa, made the call at the ongoing 3rd UN Counter-Terrorism Week in New York.

    The CT Week is a biennial gathering of Member States and international counter-terrorism partners with the theme, ‘‘Addressing Terrorism through Reinvigorated Multilateral and Institutional Cooperation’’.

    This is contained in a statement by the Director Strategic Communication, NCTC, Mr Ozoya Imohimi, on Friday in Abuja.

    According to the National ´Coordinator, the reintegration of the vast number of repentant and low-risk individuals associated with Boko Haram and ISWAP poses a significant new challenge for the government of Nigeria.

    He said there was the need for more international support to addressing the menace.

    Musa said that Nigerian Government had in the last six years since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2349, undertaken several responses to address the impact of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin.

    He said the efforts had guided the 2022 Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, the 2019 National Security Strategy, the 2017 National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, as well as the 2016 National Counter Terrorism Strategy.

    He expressed gratitude for the tremendous support from the UN and its entities for the rehabilitation efforts in Nigeria and emphasised the need for more global awareness and support to address the inherent challenges and risks in reintegrating all categories of returning terrorists especially those moving around the sub-Saharan Africa.

    “In the Lake Chad Basin region, the UN and Developmental Partners must continue to strengthen support towards the implementations of the regional strategy for stabilisation, recovery and resilience of Boko Haram affected areas,” he said.

  • Lake Chad water transfer possible, but expensive – FG

    Lake Chad water transfer possible, but expensive – FG

    The Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu on Friday said the proposed Inter-Basin Water Transfer from Congo River into the Lake Chad possible, expensive, and would require more consultations.

    Adamu said this at a Media Forum, with the theme, `Engage, Educate and Empower Nigerians on the Legacy Project of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources’ in Abuja.

    He said massive interventions ongoing in the basin, had been largely impacted by effects of climate change.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that no fewer than 40 million people depend on the natural resources of Lake Chad.

    He hinted that Nigeria was currently working to improve the hydraulicity of River Chari and Logone through dredging and improvement of the river banks.

    He noted that this was crucial as environmental challenges like silting, new flood plains due to climate change, were affecting the lake.

    “The inter-basin water transfer is supposed to traverse many countries, we are taking water from the Congo Basin and transferring it to another 400 km into Chad, it is technically feasible.

    “But it is very expensive. It requires a lot of study and we are going to be using the existing rivers, so it requires a lot of planning. But what we are doing is to start with the low hanging fruit.

    “So what we want to do is to improve the hydraulacity of river chari and river Logone, the two rivers are the ones that bring water into lake chad.

    “In addition to the climate change issue, even when you have good rain, the water just flows into the banks and creates new floodplains rather than flow directly into the lake.

    “So it’s a lot of technical issues to deal with before you finally talk about the money, And the money of course, it’s a lot of billions of dollars.

    “One of the good things is that it has been taken as a PanAfrican project, but even at African Union, they are now talking about it seriously.’’

    Speaking on the ministry’s dam projects, the minister said the River Basin Development Authorities were being revitalised to deliver on their mandates.

    He noted that the Songhai model, as an integrated agricultural practice was introduced to boost agricultural production and achieve integrated rural development.

    He said since his tenure, 253 farmlands have been leased to the private sector for commercial farming while 42 small dams have been constructed across the nation.

    NAN reports that in 2017, the federal government successfully conducted a feasibility study towards recharging the Lake Chad through an inter-basin water transfer from the Congo basin at an estimated cost of 15 billion dollars.

    This is a part of the projects envisioned to transform the region into a more stable economic hub as the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram in the North-east draw to a close.

  • MNJTF honours troops with medals for gallantry in Lake Chad

    MNJTF honours troops with medals for gallantry in Lake Chad

    The Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) has honoured 6,000 troops with medals for gallantry in the fight against insurgency.

    Newsmen report the MNJTF are drawn from Nigeria, Tchad, Cameroon and Niger.

    Newsmen report that the medal ceremony was held at the headquarters complex of the MNJTF in N’djamena, Chad.

    Speaking at the ceremony, the Force Commander of MNJTF, Maj.-Gen. A.K Ibrahim said the awardees served with distinction and honour and remained good ambassadors of their respective countries.

    “I say a big congratulations to you all. I remain profoundly proud of your sacrifice and contribution to peace, progress and development in the region.

    “I however hasten to say that the work is not completely done yet, but we shall get there,” Ibrahim said.

    He observed that since it began operations seven years ago, the MNJTF has conducted eight successful operations leading to neutralising of thousands of terrorists and the surrender of many others which is still ongoing.

    The commander said that major terrorist strongholds which hitherto were no-go areas had been cleared with many captives rescued.

    “So far over 200,000 Internally displaced persons and refugees have returned to their ancestral homes across the entire region.

    “These include those who fled and have returned to their hometowns in Baroua, N’gagam, N’garwa Koura in Diffa, Niger Republic; Cross-Kauwa, Baga, Doroa-Baga in Borno, Nigeria; Kolofata, Makari and Fotokol in Cameroon, and Madai, Kangalia in Chad amongst many others,” Ibrahim said.

    While reiterating the commitment of the force to its assigned tasks, the commander lauded the host country and other strategic partners, particularly European Union, African Union, United States, United Kingdom, France and the centre for coordination and liason for their support.

    In his message, the Head of Mission of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Amb. Mamman Nuhu, lauded the effective role of the MNJTF is the fight against terrorism and urged member states to sustain their commitment to fight.

    In his speech, the Special Guest of honour, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno also lauded the task force for its effort in securing the region and assured it of Nigeria and Borno government support.

    Zulum paid tribute to those who lost their lives in securing the region.

    He lauded the ongoing mass surrender by some insurgents and urged for support.

    Newsmen reports that the occasion also witnessed the launching of the MNJTF maiden magazine “The MNJTF Mandate” highlighting its activities since its inception.

  • MNJTF eliminates 22 ISWAP terrorists, recovered arms in Lake Chad

    MNJTF eliminates 22 ISWAP terrorists, recovered arms in Lake Chad

    The Troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have killed about 22 Boko Haram/Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists during a fighting clearance operation on the fringes of Lake Chad.
    Lt. Col. Kamarudeen Adegoke, the Chief of Military Public Information of the MNJTF N’Djamena, Chad, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday.
    Adegoke said that the terrorists were neutralised at Tumbun Rabo in Abadam Local Government Area in Borno on April 27.
    He said: “After the operational engagement which was firmly supported by the Air Task Force of Operation Hadin Kai and the MNJTF, a battle damage assessment clearly revealed at least 20 BHT were neutralised, 12 AK 47 rifles, 1X Mortar 60mm and large catches of ammunition of different calibres were recovered.
    “Likewise, carefully concealed 5x Gun Trucks and a truck laden with supplies meant for the criminals were destroyed.
    “Also an MRAP fighting vehicle was recovered by the troops; it was carted from Nigerian Army position in the past,” he said.
    Adegoke explained that the troops of combined Taskforce Mallam Fatori/Damasak at forwarding Operations Base Arege drawn from MNJTF Sectors 3 and 4 (Nigerian and Nigerian troops) have continued with aggressive patrols to dominate and put pressure on the criminals.
    “With multiple sorties against the terrorists’ positions, Air Taskforce gave effective close air support and attacked the criminals to enable ground forces to access the hitherto well-defended terrorists’ strongholds in the vicinity of Tumbun Rago.
    “Despite strong resistance by the Boko Haram terrorists, the ground troops charged through several obstacles and cleared the mined routes, which made them to come in contact with elements of the insurgents.
    Relatedly, troops of Sector 1 Taskforce Wulgo (MNJTF troops from Cameroun) continued aggressive dominance of their assigned areas with a clearance patrol to the general area of Chikingudu, areas were seen to be deserted but troops came in contact with two Boko Haram logisticians who attempted to flee but were neutralised by the vigilant troops.
    “Two motorcycles were recovered from them. Meanwhile, the Amphibious Taskforce Darak of same Sector 1 have continued their maritime patrols to dominate their areas,” the spokesman said.
    He added that the task force cleared the villages of Bourame and Magoume, however, nothing of security significance was found with the villagers carrying out their normal routines.
    According to him, the Task Force continued to the Kirta Wulgo and Tcholl settlements suspected to have Boko Haram terrorists hibernating there, but the terrorists fled before arrival of our troops.
    “Makeshift shelters seen there were destroyed by the gallant troops,” he stated.
    Adegoke said that the combined ground and amphibious operations have exerted much pressure on the terrorists denying them freedom of movement and action, and this would be sustained by the highly spirited troops.
  • Insecurity: Occupy Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest to fish out Boko Haram terrorists, Sultan challenges Army

    Insecurity: Occupy Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest to fish out Boko Haram terrorists, Sultan challenges Army

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar pointedly asked Nigeria’s military on Monday why they have not occupied the Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad islands, which the Boko Haram terrorists have been using to stage attacks against Nigeria.

    The Sultan, a former Brigadier-general of the army raised the poser when he led a team of traditional rulers on a sympathy visit to Borno Governor Umara Zulum in Maiduguri.

    Borno recently experienced another carnage in Zabarmari, in which 78 rice farmers were killed by Boko Haram terrorists.

    The Sultan made it clear that they did not just come on a sympathy visit. They came to make a strong statement about the insecurity in Nigeria.

    The Sultan did not mince words about the parlous security situation in Nigeria, which he said, is getting worse and worse.

    He expressed exasperation that all the recommendations made have not been implemented.

    “The National Council of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria deem it fit to put a small team to come round to Borno State, Maiduguri in particular to make this very strong statement.

    “It is not just a condolence visit, it is a statement that all of us are fed up with the shedding of innocent blood in whatever guise across this country.

    “So many lives have been lost in the past, we can’t even compute how many lives we have lost. It becomes like a daily occurrence, a daily event. A new normal, it becomes a story when in a day nobody was killed in a particular place of this country”.

    “We had various fora with our political leaders, mentioned these things out, how to take care of our securities in various communities.

    ” We have written papers, sent our Governors, we have discussed with all our leaders, all the way forward.

    “But we see things getting worse and worse. It used to be Boko Haram alone in Borno and Yobe.

    “Now it is all over the north in particular and generally all over the country.

    “You have bandits and terrorists all over the north, you can’t even move freely, in the south it the same thing. The killings have taken new dimensions and we really don’t know what the causes of this mass killings of innocent people are.”

    The Sultan now turned to the military, his former constituency.

    “I read about the comment the Governor made some few weeks ago, challenging the military to take the fight to the Lake Chad to clear that place.

    “Your Excellency while I was a Lieutenant, I was at Lake Chad in Baga for six months, my battalion in Bama used to rotate with the battalion in Monguno and Maiduguri every six months.

    “We occupied Lake Chad part of Nigeria for six months.

    “I was a Lieutenant, I was the operation officer and I have my maps. In Lake Chad that time we had 36 islands under Nigeria, we occupied 16 of them.

    “The biggest was King Nasara. We controlled that part of Nigeria effectively well as a battalion.

    “Now I don’t know why we can’t occupy the whole of Lake Chad and why we can’t occupy the whole of Sambisa Forest.

    “If we want peace we have to dominate these areas.

    “If we want peace, we have to do away with those terrorists who occupy that place and see nothing good in other people except those that believe in their own negative ideas” the Sultan said.

    The visit by the monarchs marked the first time they will venture out to any state or any town specifically to discuss or talk about the happenings in that particular place as regards insecurity and mass killing of innocent people.

    While expressing gratitude to the royal fathers for the special visit, Governor Zulum decried the continuous dependence on donations to feed IDPs as the main source of livelihood.

    The Governor said there is increasing need to provide sources of livelihood to the IDPs and those resettled in rebuilt communities.

    On the trip to Maiduguri with the Sultan were the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemaka Alfred Ugochukwu, Oba Adekunle Adebayo, Ore of Otin, Emir of Hadeja, Dr. Adamu Abubakar Maje, Emir of Fika, Mohammed Abale Ibn Mohammed Idrissa, and Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Dr. Dandasen Douglas Jaja

  • UNDP Launches Regional Stabilization Facility for Lake Chad

    UNDP Launches Regional Stabilization Facility for Lake Chad

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched the Regional Stabilization Facility for Lake Chad, an ambitious multi-million dollar fund to scale up the range of stabilization intervention in areas of Lake Chad Basin.
    The four Lake Chad Basin countries have warmly welcomed this joint initiative, as part of their own ongoing efforts to secure and stabilize the region.
    The Facility will start operating on 1 September for 2 years in the eight affected regions of the 4 riparian countries (Cameroun, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria) and will serve as a rapid response mechanism to help the local authorities curtail the ability of Boko Haram insurgency by restoring and extending effective civilian security; improve the delivery of basic services and livelihoods.
    The official presentation of the Facility was one of the high points of the 2nd Meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum which opened today in Niamey, under aegis of the Lake Chad Basin Commission with the support of the African Union. The Forum is hosted by the Government of Niger and supported with funds from the Government of Germany.
    Speaking of the potentially far-reaching impact of the Facility during the opening ceremony of the 2nd Meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum, UNDP Regional Director for Africa Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa said: “With the Regional Stabilization Facility, we have a unique and time-bound opportunity and a collective obligation to restore hope to affected populations, especially women and youth who have been most affected by this scourge. If we respond appropriately to grievances and end the spiral of insecurity, forced displacements and conflict, the situation in the Lake Chad Basin can be stabilized, and the foundations of recovery and development established.”
    Speaking at the Lake Chad Governors’ Forum, Ms. Corinna Fricke, from the German Federal Foreign Office stated that “the multi-donor Regional Stabilization Facility’s integrated civil-military approach, including a strong focus on livelihoods and resilience, fills a strategic gap in the existing stabilisation efforts.”
    The Facility is anchored in the Regional Stabilization Strategy (RSS) for Lake Chad, a ground-breaking initiative led by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and adopted by its Member States in August 2018, and endorsed by the African Union Peace and Security Council in December 2018.
    The Facility will be implemented with a planned budget of $100 million for the first phase across the four countries, which have expressed their continued strong commitment to leading necessary stabilization efforts in the region, including through the Facility. The Governments of Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom have also lent their full support to the implementation of the Facility, and plan to provide funding to it during its first phase.
    A signing ceremony will be held following the first day of the Governors’ Forum with the Government of Sweden signing a cost sharing agreement amounting to 80 million Swedish Kronor as a contribution to the Regional Stabilization Strategy.

  • Boko Haram restrategises, constructs buildings on Lake Chad for meetings

    The Nigerian Air Force has said that its intelligence revealed that the Boko Haram terrorists erected buildings in the Daban Masara area on the Lake Chad in Borno State, holding regular meetings.

    The air force however said on Saturday that its Alpha Jet aircraft and an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform have bombed the two buildings sighted, and killed two terrorists sighted.

    The Alpha Jet was deployed by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole on Friday when the terrorists were sighted holding a meeting in green-roofed buildings at Daban Masara area.

    It was gathered that the fighter aircraft dropped bombs on the Boko Haram structures with scores of the terrorists believed to have been killed in the operation.

    The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, who confirmed the air attacks, said Daban Masara was one of the identified terrorist flashpoints on the Lake Chad.

    He said, “The Air Task Force on August 3 conducted an attack on a Boko Haram hideout in Daban Masara, Borno State. The strikes were conducted after credible intelligence indicated that remnants of terrorists on the Lake Chad islands hid in settlements at the lake.