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Tag: attacks

  • Senate attacks Presidency over pension chief Maina

    Senate attacks Presidency over pension chief Maina

    Senators yesterday demanded the dismissal of Pension Reform Task Team Chairman Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina from the public service.

    They said Maina should also be disengaged from all acts relating to public duty.

    The Upper Chamber also summoned the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to appear before its Committee on Police Affairs to explain why he did not execute the warrant issued by the Senate President to produce Maina dead or alive.

    It said that Maina should be arrested, investigated and prosecuted.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion, “Dismissal of Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina for refusal to appear before the Senate”.

    The motion was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, and 107 other senators.

    Senate President David Mark, who summed up contributions by senators, said that the Senate had been pushed to the wall.

    Mark said that the Presidency must choose between continued cordial relationship with the Senate and Maina.

    He said: “We have been pushed to the wall and the reaction is the correct reaction.

    “So, no matter the depth, because somebody talked about the depth of the Maina situation, nobody in this country will be left to go scot-free, if he is associated with Maina.

    “It doesn’t matter who is behind Maina; it is not for me to know whether somebody is behind Maina or not but no matter who is behind Maina, we are not going to accept it.

    “Let me give you the genesis of why I took so long to allow the matter to be brought to the floor.

    “First, for those of you who have been following Maina; he bought over the entire press and gave the impression that the Joint Committee asked him for bribe; that is not a secret.

    “Everybody has been in the media and awash with it and I say that he should be given a fair chance to come and explain himself and expose anybody here who asked him for anything.

    “If we hurried over it, it could appear as if it is a cover-up and I didn’t want to do that.

    “I called the two committee chairmen and I asked them if they have been reading what Maina has been publishing in the newspapers and I also directed that they should invite Maina.

    “Go for a public hearing and get the media houses to be there and let Maina say before the media and before this nation who asked him for bribe and I think that’s fair.

    “That was the basis for asking Maina to appear before the committee.

    “Now, Maina wrote a petition to me along the same line, even though he was foolish enough, he didn’t sign it.

    “He is a level 14 or level 13 civil servant. I didn’t bother so much about it because it is civil service procedure because that was not the subject matter and the subject matter was serious enough.

    “At least to clear the name of the Senate, I told my Chief of Staff to call Maina and tell him that he must appear before the committee.

    “I also forwarded the petition before the committee for their reaction and their reaction was that he mismanaged a certain amount of money and he is refusing to appear before them.

    “But Maina wrote another letter to the committee, saying that he had written a petition to me and that he was awaiting an outcome and again, he didn’t sign it.

    “It was signed by somebody under him; that is to tell you the level to which he put himself.

    “Whether somebody is behind him or not behind him is a different subject matter entirely.

    “My Chief of Staff called him and said he must appear before the committee but because he also expressed fear that because he wanted to expose the committee, the committee too would be biased; they will harass him and prevent him to talk.

    “I said ‘fine, the Deputy Senate Leader, who is Abdul Ningi and the Chief Whip should join the committee when he appears before the committee’.

    “I gave him ample time to clear himself and to carry his accusation to a logical conclusion, but each time he was to appear before the committee, he went to the press and on every occasion, I pointed it out to the two chairmen and, of course, the committee denied that they ever asked Maina for anything.

    “The point I am trying to make here is that I have given him a fair chance.

    “Giving him an ample time to defend himself is not a wrong thing and it is not a sign of weakness in any way.

    “I believe that it is fair and that we should follow the legal system… not let justice be also seen to be done.

    “That is justice in the true sense of it.”

    Mark added: “When the committee finally came to me and said that Maina refused to come, I then signed a warrant and sent it to the IGP.

    “I think it was the second day that Maina appeared here, hired people and was addressing them in the same vein.

    “That the Senate is not straight-forward with him; in one of the headlines, it was that the Senate was colluding with fraudsters to embezzle pension fund.

    “And I pointed all these out to the two chairmen on every occasion and said any time they called Maina, he must be put on camera, that it must be public, that this Senate is not a place where people will be asking anybody for bribe.

    “When I signed the warrant, Maina of course didn’t show up and then I called the Chairman of Police Affairs and said he should go and warn the Inspector General of Police that he would be on the firing line, if he does nothing about Maina.

    “I think then, they declared Maina wanted, but even after declaring him wanted, Maina was still talking.

    “Yes, he was still talking and said he was in his house and I called the IGP this time around and said Maina said he is in his house and he narrated what happened.

    “He said he sent his men from the Force CID to go to his house and that when they got to his house, Maina went out through the back door and that they had lay a siege to Maina’s house.

    “The reason why I am narrating this story is that there is a lot of characters in this country who, like somebody said, are just pathological liars and they are professional blackmailers.

    “So, having gone through all these procedures, I think what we have done is not wrong.

    “The Senate has given him ample time. Maina is just an individual who, perhaps, says much more than he can manage.

    “And he has crucified himself. That is the bottom-line of this.

    “The Executive has to choose between Maina and the Senate. That is the bottom line. If they choose to go along with Maina, fine! We will react accordingly. And to extend a hand of friendship is the correct thing for us to do because we must work together. There is no running away from that one. It is a test case. If Maina remains, then the Senate would react appropriately.

    “And I don’t think we are short of ideas nor are we short of what we want to do. We know the step to take. We can’t enumerate the sins of Maina. They are just too many. And like Professor Adeyeye said, when God decided to give people good manners, Maina decided to be absent. There is no phrase that anybody has used on Maina here today that is not correct.

    “Finally, let me emphasise, no body in this country is bigger than our democracy. Not one person in this country is bigger than our democracy. And I have been extremely patient with Maina. Very patient, very understanding, so that when we react, Nigerians will appreciate the step that is taken. So I don’t think that what you have done is out of place. We gave him enough time. He has crucified himself. He is wanted by the Police. Now, whether the police is serious in looking for Maina or not is the next step we are going to take. Because Maina cannot be briefing press somewhere and police is saying they cannot find him. Let me assure you that the Senate has the teeth to bite and it will bite when it is time to bite. There is no doubt about that.”

    Ndoma-Egba, in his lead debate recalled that on November 2, 2011, the Senate mandated its Committee on Establishment and Public Service and States and Local Governments to carry a comprehensive investigation into the management and administration of pension funds and payment of pensioners. He noted that the mandate was pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

    He recalled that at Senate sitting June 21, last year, it considered the report of the joint committees and also approved the recommendations therein.

    Ndoma-Egba said after several sittings of the joint committees without Maina, despite proper invitation, the joint committee was constrained to request that the Senate President invoke the powers of the Senate to compel Maina‘s attendance at the public investigative hearing of the Senate Joint Committee.

    Ndoma-Egba noted that he is concerned that the Inspector General of the Police has refused to honour and execute the warrant to compel Maina‘s attendance as issued by the hand of the senate president.

  • ‘Stop attacks on Ikuforiji’

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has warned “mischievous elements” against circulating falsehood about Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji in the print and social media.

    Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers yesterday at the Assembly Complex, Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Information Segun Olulade said it was disheartening that the speaker was linked to the fraud allegation against one of his aides, Mr. Atoyebi Oyebode, in a newspaper report last week.

    Olulade said the Assembly members have confidence in Ikuforiji’s leadership.

    He described Ikuforiji as a “diligent statesman with impeccable character and a leader with vision and focus”.

    The lawmaker said the Assembly’s achievements in the last eight years could not have been possible without the Speaker’s “excellent leadership skills”.

    He urged those threatened by the Speaker’s “rising political and social profile” to engage him in “policy-inclined issues”, rather than defaming his character, “which he worked hard to build as an accomplished banker and a quintessential lawmaker”.

    Olulade said: “Those sponsoring unprintable and malignant publications against Ikuforiji are spent forces and political failures, who are extremely estranged against Mr. Speaker because their inordinate political ambitions have suffered serious setbacks in recent times.

    “Only God can determine the future of an individual and no amount of mudslinging can stop Mr. Speaker from achieving his destiny.”

     

  • JTF repels attack in Borno

    JTF repels attack in Borno

    The Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order in Borno said on Thursday that it repelled an attack by unknown gunmen in Marte Local Government Area of the state.

    JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said in a statement in Maiduguri that the attack was targeted at the 21 Brigade, Nigerian Army troops in the area.

    “This is to confirm that at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, gunmen attacked the 21 Brigade troops’ location in Marte. In the process, one soldier and one police man lost their lives,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Musa as saying in the statement.

    He, however, said that five of the attackers were killed in the shootout.

    Musa said that several items, including two AK 47 rifles and a locally made double barrel gun were recovered.

     

  • Three killed in Plateau attacks

    Two relations of the Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government of Plateau State, Emmanuel Loman, are among the three people killed by gunmen on Tuesday night in fresh attacks.

    The attacks occurred in Sho village early yesterday.

    The victims – Ezekiel Gyang and Toma Jatau – were said to be on a motorcycle heading to their farm when they were ambushed by gunmen.

    Ten people were killed in attacks at a beer parlour on Monday, bringing the death toll within three days to 13 in Barkin Ladi council.

    The council Chairman, Emmanuel Loman, told The Nation that some people, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, attacked residents of Sho village early Wednesday.

    He said: “The gunmen, who hid at strategic parts of the village, opened fire on two of my relations who were on a motorcycle, heading to a farm.

    “The victims died instantly from the gun shots. The sound of the guns alerted the villagers. They ran towards the scene and saw the bodies of the victims. The assailants had disappeared.”

    It was learnt that the villagers combed the bushes and hills for hours without getting the assailants.

    The third victim, Monday Davou, was killed at Sopp village in Riyom Local Government Area on his way to the farm.

    Loma urged the Federal Government to prevent further killings in the local government.

    The council chief said it was scary that the villagers were being murdered despite the presence of security agents.

    Following gun attacks on beer parlours in Plateau State, the police command has imposed curfew on such joints.

    A statement in Jos, the state capital, by the command’s spokesman Abuh Emmanuel, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said: “The Plateau State Police Command, worried by the recent attacks by unknown gunmen in drinking joints in parts of the state, hereby appeals to the operators of drinking joints in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local governments to close their drinking joints by 6pm. Drinking joints in Bukuru-Jos areas and other local governments are advised to close by 7pm.

    “The appeal has become imperative because of the insurgent attacks on drinking joints in the state. Besides, the command enjoins the public to cooperate with the police and other security agencies to rid the state of criminals, who are bent on disrupting the fragile peace in the state.

    “The public is encouraged to go about their normal businesses; the command has plans to deal ruthlessly with enemies of peace and peaceful coexistence in the state.”

  • Jaded response to terror attacks

    Jaded response to terror attacks

    On Sunday, suicide bombers operating in the mould of Boko Haram terrorists struck at a church inside the prestigious Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, killing, by official count, some 11 people and wounding more than 30 others. It was a great embarrassment to the military’s claims of making steady progress in the fight against terror. It is also significant that the twin blasts occurred at a facility that accommodates Nigeria’s only counter-terrorism training centre run by the military, the Nigerian Army Counter Terrorist and Counter Insurgency (CTCOIN) Centre. It was as if the bombers thumbed their nose at the military and indicated that no place was safe from terror attacks in the northern part of the country. But in reacting to the attacks, the military authorities rightly issued an official statement, and then barred reporters and government rescue teams from reaching the blast site. In addition, they briefly closed a part of the Kaduna-bound lane of the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway. Perhaps in the next few days they will explain the lockdown.

    The audacity of the Jaji attack is underscored by the seeming helplessness and hopelessness of the government’s anti-terror campaign. With all the resources at the disposal of the government, the war on terror has not gone as smoothly or as efficiently as the government has hoped. Killings are still rampant in the Northeast, with schools, places of worship and individuals at the mercy of Boko Haram militants and other imitation terrorists. At will, the terrorists also sometimes go out of their main operational areas to carry out devastating, even if symbolic, attacks on both soft and hard targets. The government has been smart enough to get the messages. This, for instance, explains why the presidency has been reluctant to conduct certain public and official ceremonies outside the safety of the presidential villa.

    In spite of the valiant campaign of the military against terrorists, a campaign that is sometimes attenuated by government’s dithering, the Boko Haram militants and other autonomous terror cells have seemed to loom large in the Northeast, and are even looming much larger. It was barely three days ago that the government placed bounties on the heads of Boko Haram leaders. If the sect claims responsibility for the Jaji attack, it will be their own way of mocking the government’s bravery. On the contrary, however, the sort of response the government has become used to is to strafe the terrorists with affected verbal denunciations and perfunctory outrage. “All of us condemn this dastardly act,” one group of outraged officials would say. Another would denounce “the uncivilised and barbaric act of the terrorists.” And yet another would describe the attacks as “cruel and wicked.” Finally, the government would follow with a string of condolences, “sympathising with the bereaved and promising to bring the perpetrators to book.”

    If the government will be honest, they must already be feeling quite numbed by the ferocity, ubiquitousness and seeming endlessness of the attacks. Against these, they have no new ideas, not even dainty new phrases, thus worsening their agony. Given the temerity of the Jaji attacks, it may in fact be far-fetched to expect that anyone would come forward with information, useful or useless, on Boko Haram leaders. If the terrorists could exact terrible revenge for the government’s anti-terror war, the human imagination can’t grasp what they would do to adventurous and freelance spies and bounty hunters?

     

     

     

  • How to end Boko Haram attacks, by ACF

    How to end Boko Haram attacks, by ACF

    The North’s premier socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has listed ways out of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Boko Haram (western education is a sin), whose attacks have led to the death of thousands of people and paralysed economic activities in Borno and Yobe states, last month offered to talk with the government.

    As the government weighs the option presented by the group to facilitate the talks, the ACF has raised a 10-point solution to the insurgency.

    The Forum demanded that all those arrested on suspicion of committing any offence relating to security challenges in the region should be investigated and prosecuted “without undue delay”.

    It asked Federal and state governments that had raised committees and panels on security challenges in the North to implement the recommendations of such committees without immediately.

    Besides, the ACF is seeking the adoption of the United Nations (UN) ratio of one policeman to 400 citizens in the country.

    The ACF called for the removal of immunity clause in the 1999 Constitution to make the President and governors more transparent and efficient.

    The suggestions are contained in a 19-page “Roadmap for peace, unity and development of Nigeria.”.

    The roadmap, exclusively obtained by The Nation, was submitted to the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, by ACF Chairman Alhaji Aliko M. Mohammed.

    The ACF said: “Operatives of intelligence and security agencies must be given adequate training and retraining on a continuous basis. They must be well-equipped and motivated.

    “There should be a complete and purposeful reorganisation and reorientation of the Police to make (a) the beat constable more efficient and effective;(b) the investigator to exercise independence, professionalism and efficiency in order to achieve good results(c) members of the Police Force themselves to respect the human rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.

    “Ensure proper screening of the background of all prospective police recruits using police apparatus and traditional institutions i.e. ward, village and district heads, Emirate Council and similar outfits in other parts of the country.

    “Continuously screen the existing manpower of security agencies, weed out the unfit and train and continuously retrain.

    “The procedure laid down for military take-over from the police during civil unrest or disorder should be revised and strictly adhered to. The current practice of deploying the military too frequently on police duties should be discouraged. All such deployments should be given adequate legal cover.

    “Those arrested on suspicion of committing an offence should be investigated properly and prosecuted without undue delay.

    “Government should undertake total reform of the criminal justice system in order to achieve speedy dispensation of justice.

    “There is continuing debate about the desirability of “State Police” but this should be avoided as we are still not politically mature enough to ensure that it is not abused.

    “In the wake of rising wave of rising security challenges across the country, the Federal and state governments raised various committees and panels to investigate and recommend ways of addressing the problems. Governments are urged to as much as possible implement the recommendations of these panels without further delay to sustain the public confidence in such committees.

    “The Police Council, in conjunction with the Inspector-General of Police, should work out an establishment for the Force, based on the United Nations ratio one policeman to 400 citizens The distribution of the agreed figure should be made on pro-rata basis.

    “Thereafter, other factors, such as industrialization, crime wave, sophistication and so on should be taken into consideration to determine deployment to the states.

    “Statistics should show the manpower contribution by each state to the Federal Police and, if any state exhausts its quota, no recruitment should be made from that state until vacancy occurs.

    “This will enhance the sense of belonging and provide opportunity for employment of qualified citizens in the North. It will also check the dominance of the police by a section of the country.

    “State governors should therefore closely monitor the recruitment of their citizens in the Police.”

    Besides security challenges, the ACF called for the removal of the immunity clause from the 1999 Constitution to enable the president and governors be more transparent and efficient.

    The roadmap said: “Political leaders must show greater openness and accountability. The most serious impediment to the realization of the goals of peace, security and development is corruption, which fosters bad governance. Bad governance leads to all sorts of evil; treasury looting, misplacement of priorities, nepotism, injustice and distortion of national ideals and moral values.

    “There is noticeable disconnect in the country between the citizens and governments at all levels. As a result of rampant corruption, there is also noticeable dwindling of resources available to governments. More positive impact will be made by governments in people’s welfare, if leaders take concrete steps to eliminate corruption at all levels.

    “The immunity clause in the constitution, which is intended to allow governors and the President to do their work unhindered, has become a cover behind which some hide to drain the treasury with impunity. This clause should be expunged from the Constitution.

    “No group is so pampered by the corrupt Nigerian environment, is so protected from the consequences of their actions and so compensated for their inadequacies than political office holders. As a result, politics seems to be the only thriving in the North. Good governance needs to be enthroned to reverse this ugly trend.”

  • Unknown gunmen kill six in Plateau attacks

    Unknown gunmen kill six in Plateau attacks

    Gunmen have stormed a drinking bar in a Plateau State village killing four people.

    Two other persons were killed earlier.

    The incident took place at about 8pm in Gindin Akwanti, Gashish district of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area as the victims and others were enjoying the locally brewed drink, burukutu.

    Plateau State has been in the grip of violent attacks, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people in what mainly are ethno-religious crises.

    The five gunmen disappeared after firing at the people.

    Eight people were hit by the bullets. One of them, Bitrus Chuwang, died instantly. The others were rushed to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital in Jos.

    Those killed apart from Chuwang are: Mrs Serah Luka, Irimiya Damina and Ishaya Tanko . Those injured are: Yunana Daniel, Mabur Maren Makwin, Manyas Bala Dariyan, Horo Davou Dasong and Henry Irimiya Mangyet.

    Barkin Ladi is about 50 kilometres from Jos, the state capital, a town that has endured violence at various times.

    It was gathered that a week before the Sunday night attack, two persons were ambushed and killed by unknown gunmen in the community.

    The two victims were said to be on their way from a nearby market at about 8pm when four assailants armed with machetes hacked them to death.

    That attack took place in Dorong, a boundary village between Barkin Ladi Council and Mangu Council. The two victims, who hailed from Barkin Ladi, have been buried.

    Barkin Ladi Local Government Chairman Emmanuel Loman, who confirmed the attack, said: “The attack took place in Gindi Akwanti and as I am talking to you now, three of the victims, including a lady, have been confirmed dead, the other four injured are receiving treatment right now.”

    Loman said: “We now live at the mercy of unknown gunmen and this has continued for some time. We have pleaded and tried to make the environment peaceful but such killings have refused to stop, and I don’t know why.”

    The spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crises, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said “three suspects have been arrested in conection to the attack”.

    Capt. Mustapha said: “The incident occurred at about quarter to 8pm last Sunday in Gindi Akwanti village where unknown gunmen opened fire on innocent people relaxing at a local joint.

    “One of them died instantly and seven others were evacuated to Plateau Specialist Hospital. “Men of the STF have cordoned off the area and investigation has commenced on the attack. The area remains calm.”

    Similar killings and attacks have been on in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas for over two years, despite the presence of the security task force.

     

  • ACN youths protest attacks on Oyo lawmaker

    Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) youths from eight communities in the Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State yesterday protested the assassination attempt on the lawmaker representing the area in the House of Assembly, Mr. Femi Adelakun.

    The youths marched peacefully on the streets of Awe, Jobele, Akinmoorin, Ilora, Fiditi, Iware, Imini, and IJaye-Ojutaye.

    Commercial activities were not disrupted and no violence was reported.

    The youths carried placards with inscriptions, such as: “No harm should befall our lawmaker”; “Stop politics of elimination and calumny”; “Allow peace to reign or regret your action” and “All we need is politics based on issues and not character assassination”, among others.

    Addressing party supporters at Awe, the ACN youth leader in the council, Mr. Sunkanmi Sangokunle, recalled how Adelakun escaped being killed by gunmen in Akinmoorin shortly after his election.

    Sangokunle said: “If not for divine intervention, the lawmaker would have fallen to assassins’ bullets. Since Adelakun was sworn in, there had been several attempts by enemies of development to either eliminate him or assassinate his character. When all these efforts failed, they resorted to media attacks with the ulterior aim of discrediting his good works in the last one year.”

    The ACN youth leader urged those behind the attacks to give peace a chance.

     

  • Gunmen kill three in Plateau attacks

    •Council imposes curfew

    Three residents of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State have been killed. Another person was injured in fresh attacks by unknown gunmen in the area.

    Daniel Alamba and Joseph Luka were killed by unknown gunmen on Monday morning in Sho village of Barkin Ladi. Another man was killed a few hours later as Berom youths and Fulani regrouped for a reprisal attacks.

    The fresh killings came two days after another senator was elected to replace the late Senator Gyang Dantong, who was killed in an attack two months ago.

    The lawmaker representing Barkin Ladi in the House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani, was killed by unknown gunmen in a similar attack. He was replaced by his wife in last week’s by-election.

    An eyewitness, who spoke in confidence, said: “Three people on a motorcycle on the road between Sho village and Barkin Ladi at 7am on Tuesday morning were ambushed and killed. Two of them died instantly while the third one escaped with bullet wounds.”

    The injured was identified as Solomon Yusuf. He is said to be receiving treatment at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.

    Suspecting that the attackers were Fulani, some Berom youths, the local ethnic group, launched a reprisal in which they allegedly killed a Fulani.

    The eyewitness added: “As armed Berom youths in Sho village prepared to do battle, a group of Fulani youths also mobilised and attempted to demolish the only bridge linking Sho village with Barkin Ladi. The intention to destroy the bridge was to prevent any intruder into the village and deprive security agencies from entering the area. Then, they would have gone back to the village for a battle with the Berom youths.

    “But while attempting to bring down the bridge, security agencies moved in to safe the situation. The attackers fled on sighting security vehicles.”

    To prevent any attack at night, the Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Emmanuel Loman, has imposed a curfew on the affected villages.

    The curfew is between 8pm and 5am, beginning from yesterday. It is expected to continue indefinitely until normalcy is restored.

    Police spokesman Emmanuel Abuh, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), confirmed the incident.

    He said the police had not arrested any suspect on the incident.

    Abuh said the command has begun investigations into the attacks and has also deployed armed policemen to secure the areas.

    The SpecialTask Force (STF) on Jos Crises, code named OperationSafe Haven, last month, midwifed a reconciliation meeting between Berom and Fulani community leaders.

    It said this was to stop further bloodshed among the two ethnic groups.

    They reached an agreement to end hostility in the area and embrace peace.

  • Nigeria braces for escalation in terrorist attacks

    Nigeria braces for escalation in terrorist attacks

    Senior political and military figures say government has lost control of security amid wave of Boko Haram bombings, writes The Guardian of UK

    The Nigerian government has lost control of security, according to its own advisers, and lacks a coherent strategy to counter the threat of terrorism.
    Senior political and military figures have told The Guardian of their growing pessimism over the government’s ability to contain Boko Haram, the Islamist sect responsible for a deadly wave of bombings and kidnappings in northern Nigeria, and are bracing themselves for an escalation in attacks.
    “We have a serious problem in Nigeria and there is no sense that the government has a real grip,” a senior official close to the government said on condition of anonymity. “The situation is not remotely under control. It is just a matter of time before we see more large-scale attacks that pose a significant threat to national security, and now Nigeria’s economic growth is also at risk.”
    Boko Haram – whose name is often translated as “western education is sinful” – has become increasingly sophisticated in its operations since first launching mass attacks in northern Nigeria in 2010.
    The sect first began using violence against the Nigerian government and police in 2003, and is believed to have advanced its operations in recent months by attracting funding and support from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Shabaab.
    In 2009 Boko Haram launched a new phase of operations following the killing of its leader, Muhammad Yusuf, by police and security forces.
    Since then, a spate of deadly church bombings has left hundreds dead, while attacks on mobile phone base stations have paralysed telecommunications in northern Nigeria, causing an estimated £3m worth of damage.
    The government has attempted to fight back against the sect, and claims to have killed at least 35 suspected militants earlier this week, and detained 60 others during raids in Adamawa and Yobe states in northern Nigeria – two of the areas most affected by the violence.
    But its failure to stop Boko Haram attacks has led many to question the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who promised in March that security services would have ended the insurgency by June.
    A senior defence official, who asked not to be named, expressed concern that the government had failed to demonstrate the necessary political leadership to combat the threat posed by Boko Haram.
    “Leadership is the problem,” said the source. “When we had military dictatorships in Nigeria, we did not experience this kind of weak decision-making. There is no way we can combat this threat without more decisive action. You cannot divorce what is happening from weak leadership and the failure to repair the divisions in our society.”
    “The level of poverty in the north, and the way southerners are behaving with impunity – it is not surprising that there is this level of discontent in northern Nigeria.”
    Experts have frequently attributed the rise of Boko Haram to the growing divide between rich and poor in Nigeria, compounded by regionalism that has often pitched the largely Christian south against the predominantly Muslim north.
    Of the two-thirds of Nigerians – 100 million people – living below the poverty line, Nigeria’s national bureau of statistics said that the number living on less than one dollar a day was higher in the north, with rates of around 70%, compared with rates closer to 50% in the south. Much of the north has illiteracy rates of above 75%.
    “These acts are a reaction against decades of neglect,” the source close to the government said. “They are similar factors to what we saw driving revolution in the Arab spring.
    “The Boko Haram phenomenon underlines the failure of the Nigerian state,” said Manir Dan Ali, editor of the Daily Trust newspaper. “The government has ignored the advice of its own security officials, who warned of the danger signals long ago, and worse, lacks a coherent strategy for dealing with the problem and its underlining causes of poverty, neglect and a lack of opportunities for the young.”
    Resentment towards the Nigerian authorities has been compounded by human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings, experts say.
    “Male members of security forces have been going in and raiding women’s quarters – terrifying the women and humiliating the men,” said Chidi Odinkalu, chair of Nigeria’s national human rights commission. “These are minimal things that the state should be able to achieve – to train the soldiers on these sensitivities and use female soldiers. You can’t fight an insurgency by alienating part of the community.”
    The source close to the government said: “There are middle-ranking senior officers who understand the counter-productive nature of raids and extrajudicial executions. But that understanding is not filtering down quickly enough to junior officers – they are making bad decisions and they are not adequately trained. The police are ethically broken, and the armed forces don’t trust the police.
    “If you talk to Nigerians in the north, the misbehaviour of the security forces has become a significant factor in strengthening support for Boko Haram.”
    The military said it had addressed the problem of abuses by security services and changed its approach to operations in northern Nigeria. “We are beginning to win the hearts and minds of the people,” said Colonel Muhammad Yerima, director of defence information. “We are closing in on the terrorists – the more we catch them and interrogate them and get information, and stop the people that are supporting them, the more we will be able to combat this threat.”
    But the relationship between Boko Haram and officials is complex, experts say, with some members of the security services assisting the sect. “Some members of the security forces have been working as double agents,” said Adunola Abiola, founder of Think Security Africa, a thinktank specialising in security issues in Africa.
    “Improved and regular vetting of security personnel is very important for improving security management in the country generally.”
    The Nigerian government has been under renewed pressure to combat Boko Haram since the US decided to designate three members of the sect as foreign terrorists, giving US authorities powers under US law to take action.
    “This designation would in theory give various departments and agencies in the US government the power to actively pursue these men which could in theory result in a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and possibly even territorial integrity,” said Abiola. “It was severely embarrassing for the federal government and reinforced domestic criticism that it was incapable of performing the most basic of sovereign functions.”