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Tag: Boko Haram insurgents

  • Boko Haram: EYN seeks reconstruction of 1,125 churches

    The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria better known by its Hausa derivative Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa A Nigeria ( EYN ) has appealed to the federal government and relevant authorities to rebuild 1,125 of its churches destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents.

    The EYN has most of its branch churches in the Northeast where Boko Haram’s violent activities have been most pronounced.

    The church lamented it has lost properties over the years to the insurgency, calling on government to intervene by reconstructing some of them.

    The President of EYN, Rev Joel Billi, who made the appeal for the reconstruction of the churches Tuesday during the 2019 Ministers’ Annual Conference at the EYN headquarters in Kwarhi, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, said: “We want to call on Adamawa and federal government to expedite action to rebuild places of worship, houses and shops that were destroyed by Boko Haram.”

    He added: “For how long are we going to wait in vain? We are tired of fictitious promises.

    “Are worship places not included in the rebuilding of the Northeast? Is Adamawa State excluded from the rebuilding of the Northeast?”

    He charged that the church as an institution should not be made to feel it has to pay the price for the Boko Haram insurgency, saying, “Why are we flagrantly neglected as if we deserve to be punished?

    “If not for the inadequacy of our security forces and political undertone, Boko Haram would not have overrun us.

    “So, why do we pay for the sin that was not committed by us?”

    The EYN Ministers Council Secretary, Rev Lalai Bukar, pointed out many members still live in fear because of the incessant attacks, calling on the federal forces to help out.

    The EYN 2019 Ministers’ Conference with the theme understanding the gravity of the Pastoral call, was attended by 836 branch pastors drawn from Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe and Plateau states as well as Abuja.

  • Battle for Baga: Army denies closure of Maiduguri/Monguno highway

    The Nigeria Army has denied media reports the Maiduguri/Monguno highway has been closed to motorists following its ongoing battle with Boko Haram insurgents in Baga town.

    In a statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the army such reports and insinuations were untrue.

    He noted the troops of operation Lafiya Dole have rather dominated the highway with aggressive patrols to keep the highway safe for road users.

    “The attention of the Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to the information making the rounds in the social media and some online blogs that the road connecting Maiduguri and Monguno town in Borno State, has been closed to motorists and other road users.

    “This is untrue, as no such closure has been imposed by the Theatre Command.

    “Contrary to the insinuation, Maiduguri – Monguno road remains open to motorists and all law abiding citizens.

    “Troops are dominating the road with aggressive patrols, while clearance operations to flush out Boko Haram terrorists are ongoing in Baga general area,” he explained.

    He also corroborated reports some hunters in Yobe State dealt a heavy blow on the insurgents that entered the town on Sunday night.

    “Suspected Boko Haram fighters who invaded Buni- Gari, a town in Yobe state, got more than they bargained for when some hunters engaged them in a fierce battle on Sunday,” Onyema stressed.

    Our correspondent gathered soldiers at Buni Gari ran out of their camps after getting privileged information the insurgents were on their way to keep a date with them in line with a letter to the town.

    A resident of Damaturu, who travelled to Buni Gari on Monday to check on his parents after the attacks, told our correspondent he was reliably informed the military base in the town had been burnt down by the insurgents but no house belonging to civilians in the village was torched.

    The source also revealed the insurgents destroyed all political posters and billboards including those of President Mohammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Mai Mala Buni, who is from the village.

    The source also confirmed many people were leaving the town from different direction.

    “Some people are leaving for Damaturu and Buni Yadi. Some are moving towards Biu area while others are heading towards Gulani,” he said.

    Buni Gari town is the ancestral home of the Yobe State APC gubernatorial candidate.

    It is one of the small towns in  Gujba local government area of Yobe state located just  less than 4 kilometres to the 27 Taskforce Brigade, Buni Yadi, which is  about 53 kilometres to Damaturu, the state capital.

     

     

     

     

     

  • PDP faults plan to create polling centres in Chad, Niger

    …Accuses INEC, Buhari of plots to rig election

     

    The People’s Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO), has condemned plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create polling centres in Chad and Niger Republic.

    INEC had announced plans to create polling centres in the two neighbouring countries with the view to enabling thousands of Nigerian refugees taking shelter in the two countries to vote in the 2019 elections.

    Read Also:PDP accuses EFCC of witch-hunt

    Most of the refugees are persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents from their homes in towns and villages in Northeastern Nigeria.

    But the PDP has declared the proposed polling centres in the two countries as illegal, accusing Presidency and the INEC of plots to rig the 2019 general elections.

    In a statement Thursday by the spokesman of the PDP Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party protested the plan to create polling centres outside the shores of Nigeria.

    Ologbondiyan said it’s a total violation of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), inexcusably criminal and exposes part of the plot to corrupt the electoral system and massively rig for President Buhari.

    The statement said, “President Buhari, INEC and all Nigerians know that there are no provisions for Diaspora voting under our system.

    “By the extant laws guiding elections in Nigeria, it is very clear who is eligible to vote, as well as the centers statutorily designated for elections. There is no provision for any special arrangement whatsoever.

    “It is therefore reprehensible that President Buhari, in his desperation to rig the elections, is now trying to hide under the guise of making special provision for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) outside the country, to illegally create rigging centers outside our country and import contrived figures into the election results.

    “This clandestine arrangement further validates the alarm earlier raised by the PDP, in April this year, of INEC’s plot to secretly create 30,000 illegal polling centers in some remote areas, through which they plan to allocate millions of votes to President Buhari and the APC.

    “Nigerians can now see that the APC and its candidate are not committed to peaceful, credible, free and fair election. Having realised that there is no way he can win in a peaceful and credible election, Mr. President is now seeking means to enmesh the 2019 elections in constitutional crisis, public confusion and trigger an imminent violence that is capable of derailing our entire democratic process.

    “Moreover, by seeking to open polling units outside the country, the Buhari administration has now agreed that it does not have full control of Nigerian territory and cannot provide security for Nigerians to freely participate in the elections.

    “If President Buhari is in any way inclined towards diaspora voting, he should send an appropriate bill to the National Assembly for approval to accommodate not only Nigerians in Chad and Niger Republic, but also those in other sub-Sahara countries as well as Europe, America and other parts of the world, who have been agitating for Diaspora voting.

    “Finally, the PPCO cautions the Buhari Presidency and INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, not to set our country on fire by engaging in provocative actions in desperation to rig the 2019 Presidential election for President Buhari.”

  • Boko Haram: Fed Govt orders Buratai back to war theatre

    Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai is to return to the Northeast where he will stay until Boko Haram insurgents are crushed, the Federal Government ordered yesterday.

    It also asked Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin and Gen. Buratai to effect changes in operational commands of major operations in the country, especially operations Lafiya Dole in the Northeast, Operation Delta in the Niger Delta, Operation Sharan Daji in Zamfara and Katsina states and Operation Awatse in Southwest.

    This development is coming on the heels of the attacks on troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in Northeast, the latest of which is the attack on the troops of 157 Battalion stationed in Melete, northern Borno in which 23 soldiers died.

    The Army chief had as a result of the attacks moved the Chief of Army staff  4th Quarter Conference slated for Benin, Edo State capital, to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, to enable him motivate troops for the challenges of Boko Haram.

    Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali directed the military top hierrachy to effect changes that would restore peace and orderliness to the troubled states and zones of the country.

    He also directed the General Officer Commanding the 8 Division  to relocate his tactical headquarters to Gusau, Zamfara State, from Sokoto and directly oversee the conduct of Operation Sharan Daji.

    A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer to the minister, Colonel Tukur Gusau, said the decisions were taken at the end of the meeting of the minister, the chief of Defence Staff, (CDS)  and  Service chiefs yesterday.

    It stated that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the emmergency procurement of critical equipment for the armed forces.

    The statement reads:  “   The Honourable Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali met with the CDS and Service Chiefs today Monday 3 December 2018 at the Ship House, Headquarters of Ministry of Defence and consequently directed the Chief of Army Staff to remain in the Northeast until security situation improves.

    “ Similarly, the General Officer Commanding the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, was also directed to relocate his Tactical Headquarters from Sokoto to Gusau, Zamfara State to oversee the conduct of Operation SHARAN DAJI.

    ”   The Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff were also mandated to effect changes in the operational commands of Operations DELTA SAFE in the Niger Delta, LAFIYA DOLE in the Northeast, SHARAN DAJI in Zamfara and Katsina states and AWATSE in the Southwest. This is to enable them meet up with the current threats and security challenges in their areas of responsibility.

    “The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has also directed the emergency procurement of critical equipment for the Armed Forces of Nigeria in line with the Federal Government policy of procuring equipment from Original Equipment Manufacturers through government to government basis.

    “ The Council/Board also considered and approved the promotion of qualified senior military officers to their next higher ranks. In a related development and a show of concern to the welfare needs of members of the Armed Forces, the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has directed the enhancement of the welfare of troops, particularly those serving in operational areas within the country.”

  • PDP to National Assembly: probe killing of soldiers

    THE People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the National Assembly to begin investigation into alleged compromises that led to the killing of by Boko Haram insurgents.

    It also accused the Presidency of condoning extra-judicial killing and demanded an immediate forensic inquiry into the reported killing of a principal witness in the Offa robbery incident, Michael Adikwu, in the custody of the Kwara State Police Command.

    The main opposition party said investigation into the killing of soldiers in Metele, Borno State, has become imperative given reports of compromises and alleged failure of the authorities to promptly act on a reported threat by insurgents to attack the base and other military locations in the area, a few days before the attack.

    Read also: PDP to challenge Kwara National Assembly by-election outcome at tribunal

    A statement yesterday by PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said the probe has become expedient going by a disturbing video circulating in the public domain, showing soldiers, weeks before the attack, giving accounts of their alleged neglect by the authorities, resulting in their vulnerability to insurgents.

    The statement said: “The PDP, therefore, urges the National Assembly to unravel the compromises leading to the killing of our soldiers and those behind them.”

    Similarly, the party also insisted that an inquest into the extra-judicial killing of the principal suspect in the Offa robbery has become essential following conflicting reports by the police over the cause and circumstances surrounding the death in police custody.

    The PDP noted that the police had initially claimed that the witness was killed in the course of arrest, but later claimed that he died in the course of investigation, only to again declare that he was discovered dead just as he was about to be taken to court.

     

     

  • PDP laments, tasks Buhari on killing of Nigerian soldiers by Boko Haram

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has lamented the incessant but avoidable killings of Nigerian soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast.

    In a statement Friday by the spokesman for the PDP, the party demanded explanations from President Muhammadu Buhari on the killing on Sunday of over 70 Nigerian soldiers.

    Read Also:Anger in Senate over troops death in Boko Haram attack

    The soldiers, attached to the 157 Task Force Battalion in Melete, Borno State, were attacked and killed by invading insurgents.

    The PDP lamented that the insurgents has reportedly sent a threat letter the previous Friday, stating their intention to take over military locations in the area.

    The main opposition party said the clarification from the Buhari Presidency was necessary in view of the consistent claims by the government that the insurgents have been defeated.

    The PDP expressed worries about reports of alleged compromises, neglect and inattention to military formations in the Northeast, leading to the vulnerability of the soldiers engaged in the counter insurgency war.

    The statement said, “This is in addition to apprehensions by Nigerians that the Buhari Presidency has been distracting our military by dragging our Service Chiefs to participate in his re-election campaign activities, instead of concentrating on their statutory duties.

    “The PDP however notes that it still has implicit faith in the Nigerian military and urged the Buhari Presidency to desist from acts that tend to whittle the proficiency and compromise the safety of our men and women who are daily risking their lives in defence of our nation.

    “Our party, therefore, charges President Buhari to be alive to his responsibility as the Commander-in-Chief by immediately reviewing his parade to ensure greater professionalism and welfare of our officers and men.

    “Finally, the PDP calls on Nigerians not to despair in the face of this ugly development but continue to join forces with our security agencies in the effort to cleanse our land of bandits, insurgents and marauders”.

  • Senate bemoans killing of 44 soldiers by Boko Haram

    The Senate Thursday bemoaned the killing of 44 Nigerian soldiers attached to the 157 Task Force Battalion located in Melete, Borno State by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    A sombre atmosphere enveloped the plenary session when the matter was brought to the floor as the lawmakers took turns to bemoan the development, which they described as monumental loss to the nation.

    Consequently, the upper legislative body has ordered its committees on Army and Defence to investigate the killings and also look into the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerian troops engaged in the counter insurgency operations.

    The senator also resolved to visit officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces presently on the counter insurgency campaign in North East.

    The resolutions followed a motion by the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn  Na’Allah (APC Kebbi South) at the instance of the President of the Senate.

    In his motion, Na’Allah, decried the plight of military personnel currently fighting insurgency in the North East, lamenting that one of the officers killed in the attack was his cousin.

    After observing a minute’s silence in honour of the fallen soldiers, the lawmakers also resolved to pay a condolence visit to the Chief of Army Staff and families of the slain soldiers.

    The senators have also resolved to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killings and welfare of serving soldiers. The standing committee on Army has been mandated to carry out the investigation.

    Other contributors, including the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike  Ekweremadu, bemoaned the hazardous tasks of men and officers of the Armed Forces in fighting Boko Haram insurgency.

    They called on the Federal Government and the military authorities to adequately equip the personnel and address all issues concerning their welfare.

    Making his contribution, Senator Andrew Uchendu (APC Rivers East) suggested that the Senate shut down for the day, instead of just observing a minute’s silence for the slain soldiers.

    Uchendu said, “Mr President and dear colleagues, I have no reason to doubt the figure of the 44 dead soldiers. But if that figure is correct, then this Senate must come out and show massive concern, not just one-minute silence.

    “We must shut down for one whole day in honour of those fallen heroes”.

    Uchendu carried the day and the plenary session was brought to an abrupt end.

    Reports indicate that about nine farmers in the community were also killed in the attack.

    Addressing journalists shortly after the plenary session, the vice chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ibrahim Danbaba, deplored the lackadaisical attitude of the committee.

    According to him, the situation in the Army would have been different if the committee had lived up to its oversight responsibilities.

    Danbaba blamed the chairman of the Army Committee, Senator George Akume for the lapse, saying there was a clear case of dereliction of duties on the part of Akume.

    He lamented that the committee has remained dormant since Akume assumed its headship in 2017.

  • Air Force kills Boko Haram insurgents in Lake Chad

    The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) has killed more Boko Haram terrorists and destroyed their hideouts at Bukar Meram and Tumbun Allura, on the fringes of Lake Chad, after air interdictions by Operation Thunder Strike II, it was learnt yesterday.

    According to NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, the air strikes were conducted after intelligence and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms established the presence of insurgents in the areas.

    Daramola, in a statement, said: “In continuation of Operation Thunder Strike II, the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole, yesterday (Monday), destroyed Boko Haram facilities and neutralised several insurgents at Bukar Meram and Tumbun Allura, on the fringes of Lake Chad, Borno State.

    “The attack at Bukar Meram was conducted based on intelligence that insurgents were sighted within the settlement, which was also confirmed by successive days of ISR missions.

    “Accordingly, the ATF detailed an  Alpha Jet aircraft and helicopter gunship to carry out air interdiction and two of the identified locations were destroyed.

    “Similarly, ISR missions showed that some terrorist were trying to regroup at another location in Tumbun Allura, after their bases in the settlement were destroyed on September 4.

    “Consequently, the identified location within the town was attacked and destroyed by NAF Alpha Jet and F-7Ni aircraft.

    “The NAF, working in concert with surface forces, will sustain the momentum of Operation Thunder Strike II to destroy vestiges of the insurgents in the Lake Chad green fringes.”

  • Army kills Boko Haram insurgents in Borno

    The Army has killed Boko Haram insurgents in clearance operations in Borno State.

    A statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Chukwu Texas, added that two AK-47 rifles and 147 animals were recovered and returned to their owners.

    The statement said: “Troops of Sector 3 on Operation Lafiya Dole, in conjunction with 82 Task Force Battalion, following a tip off embarked on a long range clearance and link up patrol resulting in the killing of many Boko Haram terrorists in Gesada, Guzamala Local Government Area Borno State.

    “The terrorists met their end when they came to the village to extort money and rustle livestock. Two AK-47 rifles and 147 livestock were recovered.

    “The animals were returned to their owners in Matasari after proper screening and confirmation by the Bulama and Civilian Joint Task Force in Jentilo, Kukawa Local Government Area.”

  • Troops kill Boko Haram insurgents in Borno

    Troops of 83 Division Task Force on Operation Lafiya Dole on Sunday killed three Boko Haram insurgents on a “looting and extortion mission” in Kulamari, Borno State, it was learnt yesterday.

    A statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen Chukwu Texas, reads: “Troops of 82 Division Task Force Brigade deployed on Operation Lafiya Dole, while on fighting patrol at Kukawa, got information on the terrorists’ activities in Kalamari, 30 kilometres from Kukawa, in Borno State.

    “The terrorists, who were on a looting and extortion mission, were confronted by troops and in the ensuing gun battle, three of the insurgents were neutralised.

    “Three AK-47 rifles; two magazines and four rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered.”

    Gen. Chukwu added that the troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing insurgents, stressing that “the gallant troops have continued with aggressive fighting patrols as efforts are on to track down fleeing members.