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Tag: boko haram

  • Boko Haram remnants are foreigners, says Buratai

    Boko Haram remnants are foreigners, says Buratai

    …UN commends Nigeria Army

     

     

    Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has disclosed that 60 percent of the Boko Haram elements operating in the north east region especially on the fringes of Sambisa Forest including the Lake Chad Basin are foreigners.

     

    Lt. Gen Buratai said the information is based on intelligence report extracted from most of the insurgents that were recently captured by the army are discovered to be foreigners.

     

    Lt. Gen. Buratai who disclosed this in Maiduguri Thursday while playing host to the Special Representatives of Secretary General and Head of United Nations Office for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn- Chambas who was on a solidarity visit at the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital noted that the renewed onslaught by Boko Haram will not deter the Army from prosecuting the war to against the insurgents to the end.

     

    He commended the world body for the support given to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) especially at its earlier formation when he was the pioneer commander, adding that, MNJTF has achieved a lot in the fight against terrorism due to the solid foundation that was laid.

     

    The Chief of Army Staff thanked Mr. Ibn Chambas and his entourage for the visit, stressing that, “the UN is committed to achieving global peace, that is why it has committed a lot of efforts and resources in assisting the north east”, while promising the readiness of the Nigerian Army to partner with the UN in restoring peace to the north east region.

     

    In his response, Mr. Chambas commended Nigerian Army for being very professional through the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents, stressing that, “your conduct has been exemplary and it’s in line with international best practices”.

     

    He noted that the UN has consistently condemned the activities of Boko Haram in the region, while praising the neighboring countries for joining hands to fight a common enemy. 

    Mr.  Chambas also informed that the UN is very much conscious of the hardship experienced by the people in the course of the crisis, just as he promised to continue to collaborate with other NGOs in reducing the sufferings of the people.

     

    He also extended his gratitude to Borno State Government, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other humanitarian agencies working in the state to bring succor to the displaced people, promising that the UN will do everything possible to support, rehabilitate and resettle the victims of insurgency.

     

    He commiserated with the Army over the recent killing of soldiers in the frontline by Boko Haram.

    “The UN want to sympathize with the Nigerian Army over the unfortunate incident that took place recently in Malam Fatori where Lt. Col. Abu Ali, six soldiers as well as other officers and men who died and paid a supreme price on the hands of insurgents.

     

    “I want to thank the Chief of Army staff and governor Kashim Shettima to host me in Borno, and i urged you (military) not to relent in your gallant effort to degrade remnants of insurgents and restore peace on the land,” Mr.  Chambas said.

     

    Mr. Chambas was accompanied on the visit by some high profile UN diplomats.

  • Nigerian Air Force and the fight against Boko Haram

    The air component of the war against insurgency in the Northeast has been a major game changer for the Armed Forces. Despite ageing aircraft and other equipment, Air Force personnel are doubling up efforts to deliver on their mandate. Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye reports

    CHIEF of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar wasted little time in observing the official protocol as he landed at the Air Force Base, Yola, Adamawa State.

    Done with the mandatory military ceremony, he moved swiftly to the hanger which housed an Alpha Jet undergoing  mechanical overhaul.

    Several hours before the arrival of the “Chief”, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) technicians, led by Squadron Leader Owolabi, had been busy fixing the old Alpha Jet which has been deployed in the battle against Boko Haram insurgents in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    Air Vice Marshal Onyemaechi Osahan, the Chief of Aircraft Engineering, explained to the CAS the state of the aircraft and the required maintenance to make it function well. The CAS also inspected the Armoury and the ongoing extension at base.

    The CAS spoke to his men. Though he wore a serious expression throughout the visit, he did not fail to lift up the morale of the men who are directly involved in the war against Boko Haram.

    Operational visits to strategic bases in the Northeast have become routine since Air Mashal Abubakar took the saddle on July 13, last year. The frequent trips are to enable him be in touch with his officers and personally monitor the extensive work needed on the equipment, including the all important Alpha and Falcon jets.

     The Yola base has been strategic for the NAF. After Boko Haram overran its base in Maiduguri in 2013, killing several of its men and destroying weapons, the NAF moved most of its major equipment and men to Yola. However, due to distance to the theatre of operations, some equipment have been moved back to Maiduguri.

     

    Fighting with bare hands

    The NAF component of the war against insurgency was being deployed from Yola and Maiduguri. It basically involved supporting the Army with air power, bombing out locations of the insurgents before ground troops moved in. There were operations such as “Operation Forest Storm”, aimed at repelling insurgents from South of Borno.

    The NAF has played a major role in the success recorded against Boko Haram in recent months, but what is not always clear is that such exploits have always come at a high cost. The NAF has some of the “youngest and deadliest” pilots in the world, highly trained, skillful, motivated and determined. They made several operational flights to Sambisa, helping to decimate the ranks of the insurgents.

    However, these young pilots are constantly being faced with grave threats because of the old, almost out-fashioned jets they fly.

    In the fleet of the NAF fighter aircraft are: Alpha Jets, Falcon Jets and helicopters. Three of the  Alpha  jets were recently weaponised by the technicians of the NAF in Kainji.

    “These jets were decommissioned by the German military 25 years ago. They are currently not being produced again and their parts are not available. It takes the ingenuity of the Air Force engineers to put them back to life,” a senior officer told The Nation.

    It was also gathered that the NAF faced with the grim reality of the dearth of flying machines, the jets were bought from flying clubs in the United States, arrived without weapon delivery capabilities, the local technicians weaponised them and deployed them in the Northeast.

    But the aircraft are not the best the NAF could operate with. Military sources told The Nation, that the NAF had been prosecuting the war with the blood of its men.

    “When you go to Maiduguri, you will see several aircraft riddled with bullets, you will wonder how the pilot ever escaped being killed,” a senior officer said.

    Investigation conducted also revealed that there would have been a lot more progress in the war and less risk to lives of personnel if the NAF is kitted with modern aircrafts.

    “We need modern aircraft with modern facilities so that you minimise the risk to your men. With the type of aircraft we have, you have to sweep before you release your payload. In that process, the pilots are at risk of anti-aircraft machine guns,” a source said.

    A school of thought said the war would have been over if the Air Force had got better planes, especially Apache helicopters. “If we had got the Apache helicopters we wanted, even five of them, this war would have been over, because of the superior firepower. Go and read about the capacity of the Apache and tell me if we needed more than five of those to finish the job,” a senior officer, an Air Vice Marshal, said.

    Recently, a major disaster was averted during one of the operations in Sambisa Forest involving one of the ageing Alpha Jets. According to a dependable source who was close to the pilot, the two engines of the jet suddenly failed as the pilot did a sweep over Boko Haram location.

    “The pilot was already preparing to bail out when one of the engines picked up agein and he managed to land at the Maiduguri Air Force Base.  If he had bailed out, there is every possibility he would have been captured, either executed immediately or held as a ransom for Boko Haram terrorists,” the source said.

    It will not be the first time, pilots will attempt to  bail out from the Alpha Jets, albeit with disastrous consequences. On November 12, 2014, NAF Jet 466, went down in Kauri while on an interdiction mission and Wing Commander Chinda Hedima and Group Captain Bamidele Braimoh were taken captives, Hedima was publicly beheaded by Boko Haram. Braimoh’s whereabouts remains unknown till date.

    “We give our all to the war”

    An Alpha Jet just arrived from a mission in Borno; it flew over the base in Yola, did some maneuvering and landed smartly. Not a few applauded the exploits of the young pilot who has just put his life on the line for the sake of his fatherland and fellow citizens. NAF technicians took over, refuelling the jet and carrying out maintenance. Perhaps all over the world, these engineers are the only ones who could fix and maintain the jet as “the spare parts are no longer manufactured”.

    Bombs were also fitted on the jet, including the deadly 250kg HE LD bomb for A-Jets, waiting for a recall to action. In another part of the base, engineers were furiously replacing parts on another Alpha jet and carrying out several test runs on it.

    “We always prepare our aircraft for deployment. We are doing everything to prosecute this war. We do a lot of intelligence gathering which has helped us to detect a trend of operation of Boko Haram  and we have been able to carry out several operations to degrade the enemy,” Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, the Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), said.

    Group Capt. Famuyiwa said the modern concept of war requires careful preparation to avoid collateral damage.

    His words: “We don’t just go to kill people in the war of today. We do  what is referred to as the centre of gravity, that is, what does the enemy rely on to do his evil work, their factory, the machinery they use? We take those things away. That is why we do selective bombing. We identify the routes they follow, we notice a trend in their operations, the clusters of their vehicle; we take them out. That is the thinking in modern warfare. It is called maneuvering principle.”

    The NAF component of Operation Lafiya Dole is focused on “degrading the capability of Boko Haram insurgents as well as the command and control measure, including restricting their freedom and destroying their logistics base,” Group Capt. Famuyiwa explained.

    According to him, the NAF is also intensifying its surveillance as well as aerial bombardment,  which has resulted in the destruction of Boko Haram leadership hideout, enclaves and logistics base.

    Group Capt. Famuyiwa acknowledged that the NAF is in need of new aircraft which will give the it additional capacity to “finish the war.”

    Finding the way out

    Citing human rights issues and corruption, the United States (U.S.) was widely reported to have blocked Nigeria’s efforts to procure the Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano or A-29 Super Tucano light attack from the second retailer, Brazil.

    The light attack aircraft, which is designed for light attack, counter-insurgency (COIN), close air support and aerial reconnaissance was sold to Brazil by the U.S. but can only be resold to a third party with the consent of its original owner.

    The sale of the aircraft was vehemently opposed by Matthew T. Page, a former U.S. State Department’s top expert on Nigeria. He also worked on Nigeria at the Department of Defence and for the U.S. Marine Corps.  Page also currently writes on Nigeria on :www.nigeriaknowledge.com/ contact.html and has authored a book on the country.

    The security expert based his opposition to the sale of aircraft on five premises. They are: Nigeria can’t afford it; it sends mixed messages on corruption; it overlooks Nigerian military human rights abuses; Boko Haram isn’t especially vulnerable to airpower and past arms transfers to Nigeria haven’t fostered closer bilateral defence cooperation.

    But, Group Capt. Famuyiwa said the U.S. had not specifically come out to say it will not sell the aircraft to Nigeria. He said there had been an inspection of some of the NAF facilities, but the only question is when the deal will be concluded.

    Group Capt. Famuyiwa debunked claims that corruption is still rife in the NAF. He said:  ”We are using the same allocations to improve the welfare of our personnel all over the country. There is no unit in the Air Force, where you don’t have one project or the other going on. Prudent management of resources is the key driver of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, we are conducting training and giving our best to the war against the insurgents.”

  • Boko Haram kills another army officer in ambush

    Boko Haram kills another army officer in ambush

    Another army officer has been killed in the battle against Boko Haram insurgents.

    Lt. Col B U Umar, the commanding officer of 114 TF battalion, was killed barely two weeks after Lt. Col. Muhammed. Abu-Ali died in an ambush.

    A senior Officer said Umar was ambushed alongside his troops on Monday on the way to Bita, in Borno state.

    According to him, the late officer and his troops were returning from Mubi, Adamawa state, a town reclaimed from? Boko Haram, when his vehicle stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

    The military source said details of the incident would be released as soon as the military concluded the necessary arrangement.

    He however denied that there was heavy casualty saying only Col. Umar was fatally wounded in the incident.

    The late Col. Umar was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA).

    In response to fresh attacks from the sect, the Air Force has launched a new offensive aimed at further degrading the ranks of the insurgents.

    Planes carried out attacks on the insurgents’ location at Malkonori in northern Borno State.

    Director, Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, said the attack was a follow-up to the close air support operation that repelled the insurgents who attacked Air Force ground soldiers at Kangarwa.

    Famuyiwa said survivors among the insurgents fled to Dogochuku where they were also attacked by NAF fighter aircraft and forced to relocate to Malkonori.

    Ground forces confirmed a number of the insurgents were killed and their vehicle destroyed from the latest air strike at Malkonori

  • Boko Haram kills another senior officer

    Barely two weeks after a senior Army officer, Lt. Colonel Muhammed. Abu-Ali was killed in a Boko Haram ambush, another officer Lt. Col B U Umar commanding officer of 114 TF battalion of the Nigerian Army has been killed.
    Confirming the incident to The Nation, a senior Army Officer said Umar was ambushed alongside his troops on Monday morning on his way to Bita.
    He said the late officer and his troop were returning from Mubi , Adamawa state which has been reclaimed from‎ Boko Haram insurgents when his vehicle stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
    ‎The military source said details of the incident would be released as soon as the military concluded it’s initial arrangements.
    He however denied that there was heavy casualty saying only Umar was fatally wounded in the incident.
    The late Umar was a member of the 48 Regular Course in the Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA.
  • DHQ: we don’t need mercenaries to fight Boko Haram

    DHQ: we don’t need mercenaries to fight Boko Haram

    The military yesterday dismissed reports that it will use foreign mercenaries in the fight against Boko Haram.

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said the Armed Forces has the “capacity and capability” to clear remnants of Boko Haram terrorists from the Northeast without help from mercenaries.

    A newspaper (not The Nation) on Wednesday said the Army had concluded plans to re-absorb South African mercenaries who fought with the Army in 2014.

    But Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig. General Rabe Abubakar, yesterday dismissed the report as mischievous.

    “This story is not only mischievous and unfounded, but lacks merit and is far from the truth. The DHQ wishes to state, with emphasis, that the Armed Forces has the capacity and capability to clear remnants of the terrorists from our land and that is what the military has been doing,” he said.

    Abubakar said it was unnecessary to go for mercenaries after the war against Boko Haram had been won.

    He noted that the pocket of attacks witnessed in the last few days are isolated cases and do not call for serious concern.

    The acting director said such attacks were not uncommon in areas once infested by terrorist groups.

    “Those peddling rumours on the use of mercenaries are mischievous; they have done it before and failed and are at it again. Surely, they will fail again.

    “The success recorded against the deadly sect without seeking external force is there for all to see. The DHQ, therefore, urges our patriotic citizens to ignore the senseless talk and dismiss the story in its entirety as it was concocted to serve inglorious selfish interests.”

  • Boko Haram Funding and demands of Patriotism in Nigeria

    Boko Haram Funding and demands of Patriotism in Nigeria

    Much of the initial mysteries which beclouded Boko Haram operations in Nigeria have been cleared. It is now in the open how the deadly terror group acquires arms and ammunition’s, how it recruits, its funding, its agents and links to other terror sects around the world.

    Boko Haram permeation of all segments of the Nigerian society, including the armed forces and para-military organizations is public knowledge. Intelligence experts also know of their presence in the police and their unassuming agents in the communities they most often tend to torment. It tricks of disguised striking of targets, the manufacture of their explosive devices, in some parts of the country and the extent of estrangement afflicting their residues at the moment is equally known.

    The Nigerian state has made tremendous effort  in taming the sect in the country. That it has been defeated is no fresh news. And that no Nigerian territory is under their control is a story long foretold. But what has remained intriguing is the recalcitrance of agents and sponsors of these terrorists who have mixed and blended, so perfectly with the sane society.

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Buratai is a man of few words. He believes more in action than flippancy. This much can be gleaned from his handling of the Nigerian army and the prosecution of the anti-terrorism war in the country.

    But days back, Buratai made a striking statement that was more like invoking the conscience of Nigerians and the veiled agents and sponsors of the sect. It was a plea to reason and loyalty to one’s country.

    Buratai had lamented; “We need to work together and synergize together, fighting insurgency in Nigeria is a situation whereby, they have melted into the society and we have some elements within the society still supporting them clandestinely.”

    The Army  Chief vented his spleen in an interview during a two- day seminar on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria,  with the theme;  “Assessing the Threat of Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria.”

    Nothing can be further from the truth. It is glaring that some Nigerians have appetite for bad news and it appears they go to bed every night, hoping to delightedly wake to confront the ugly side of the world. It is pertinent to presume that the remnants of Boko Haram occasionally tormenting Nigerians would long have been flushed, if all Nigerians were patriotic to understand that acting as agents of this cruel terror sect offends all certified standards of morality.

    The feeling of the continued sponsorship of the sect within was reinforced pungently with the November 4, 2016  carefully planned attacks on the Military Command Center of ”Operation Lafiya Dole” in Mallam Fatori, Borno State. The incident led to the death of five gallant soldiers of the Nigerian Army, notable among them was Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu-Ali.

    Some media reports pointed to leakage of information and strongly alluded to the possibility that the terrorists’ co-ordinated attacks must have been informed by information at their disposal on the military command center on troops movement.

    The timing of insurgents’ attacks and the boldness in confronting the soldiers lent credence to the suspicion that an insider must have informed them about the withdrawal of an officer and 49 combatants by Army authorities or reduction in the number of troops in Mallam Fatori.

    But beyond such posturing, one is infinitely amazed at the manner some Nigerians celebrate the terrorists atrocious outings on the people in the traditional media. They use superlative lexicons to qualify the terrorists, inflate or exaggerate their strikes on targets, sometimes, outrightly invent their incidents of terrorists’ attacks, just to create the psychological torment that Boko Haram are very present and potent in the country, much like yesterday.

    Ironically though, the same characters display an overt reluctance in singing songs of defeat of the sect by Nigerian soldiers.  When terrorists’ hideouts are punctured or raided by the military, it is not worthy of their attention; when soldiers foil any bomb blast attempt, they look the other way; it infuriates rather than gladden their hearts and when release of hundreds of Boko Haram abductees is effected by soldiers, they plot fresh schemes to publicise fake fresh incidents of abduction by the terrorists.

    When they deviate a little from this path, these same elements blatantly politicise the anti-terrorism war, castigating President Muhammadu Buhari for failure to fulfill one of his APC campaign promises to crush the insurgency within a time frame. Or they take a swipe at the Nigerian Military, accusing them of feigning control over Boko Haram, while it smoulders.

    That’s how they feel about their own country, preferring it never extricate itself from the chains of terrorists. Americans tasted the bitter pill of terrorism before Nigerians, with the terrorists attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon House. America itself is yet to absolutely free itself from terrorists yoke, as recent explosions bear testimony.  But hardly do you read an acerbic comment from any American which bear any imprint, denoting support for the terrorists.

    But wishes can never be horses; if they were horses, beggars too would ride. When Gen. Buratai emerged on the scene of terror war as COAS and bent on ending insurgency as directed by President Buhari, most Nigerians doubted him. He was not given a chance to prove himself. But today, he has proven that Nigerian soldiers under his leadership can do more than crush terrorists.

    Let these veiled agents bow to the power of conscience by openly appreciating Buratai and Nigerian soldiers for this rare feat of gallantry. Had his predecessors done an inch of what he has accomplished in the terror war, Nigeria would have buried Boko Haram long before President Buhari administration came on board.

    So, one unalterable fact is that these terrorists who have caused sleepless nights to Nigerians have been defeated by the military and no amount of ill-feelings by its agents or sponsors can resuscitate them. It is a blighting era in the history of Nigeria long consummated by Nigerian Army.

    The only noble and patriotic option now is for the majority of Nigerians who believe in this cause to work collectively to wade off the orchestrated psychological warfare, which Boko Haram and their sponsors/agents tend to promote, through the instrumentality of the media.

    And if the defeat of Boko Haram is the only signpost President Buhari has flaunted before Nigerians as his footprint in governance in the last one year, Nigerians have every reason to eulogize God Almighty and celebrate him and Buratai. President Buhari is to Nigerians, what out-going President Barack Obama is to Americans for pinning down global initiator and father of modern terrorism, Osama Bin Laden.

    Bukar Raheem, a public affairs analyst writes from Kaduna State.

  • Nigerians must unite against terrorism, says group

    Nigerians must unite against terrorism, says group

    Nigerians must stand up and unite against the fight of terrorism in the country following the deaths of Lt. Col Abu-Ali and six other military officers, Human Rights Advocacy group, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has said.

    Executive Director of the group, Joyce Adamu, at a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said the reactions that followed the deaths of the gallant military officers bear witness that Nigerians must unit in the fight against terrorism.

    She described as unpatriotic and sacrilegious attempts by some individuals to politicize the death of the army officers.

    Adamu said: “No one should dance on the graves of these heroes. We are beginning to see that there are people manifesting their loss of humanity and see nothing wrong in attempting to cash in on these tragedies by making insinuations that have no place among right thinking people.

    “Most of this depravity is manifested in claims that the army suffered casualty in the Boko Haram attacks because present conditions are worse than what obtained under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “One would have expected that the army and the Ministry of Defence would be allowed to properly investigate what went wrong to account for such casualty instead of jumping to conclusion.

    “We observed that these claims are being attributed to people who are not bold enough to reveal their identities and their so called interviews are mostly reported by cloned sites that attempt to pass off as objective, hard-working and credible news organizations.

    “To say the least, this is the height of irresponsibility. The deaths of gallant soldiers who laid down their own lives to keep the rest of us safe should not be reduced into parodies and the subject of falsehood.”

    She said at a period where the nation is grieving over the death of the soldiers, patriotic citizens who are genuinely interested in the wellbeing and future of the country would be giving encouragement to our troops not to lose courage but to be buoyed by the fallen soldiers in defending their fatherland.

    According to her, those who are desperate to castigate President Muhammadu Buhari and COAS, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai for political reasons should at least allow the bereaved families mourn their loved ones with dignity without turning these late heroes into fodder for an ill- advised debate.

    “In the wake of these national losses and those before them we should rather as a people be asking for who are the people that are helping Boko Haram terrorists to regroup, re-arm and launch attacks on the scales on which they have done between late September and now.

    “We should be demanding for the exposure of those that feeds the cells of the terror group with information on troop’s movement and deployment to the extent that they know when to attack.

    Adamu urged soldiers to reinvigorate their fighting spirit and to continue to see their undertaking as service to God, nation and humanity, adding that the numerous tributes to the fallen heroes from Nigerians across all divides are testament that Nigerians appreciate the sacrifices of the military in the fight against terrorism.

     

  • Boko Haram: ITF trains 1,100 youths in Borno

    Boko Haram: ITF trains 1,100 youths in Borno

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has trained no fewer than 1,100 youths in Borno in various vocational skills, the ITF Area Manager in the state, Malam Aminu Hassan, said on Wednesday.

    Hassan said in Maiduguri during the launch of the fifth phase of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme that the beneficiaries were vulnerable victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said 700 women and 400 men, drawn from the 27 local government areas of the state, were trained by the organisation.

    According to him, the beneficiaries were equipped with skills to enable them generate wealth and become self-reliant.

    The ITF Area Manager said that during the three month training programme, the male beneficiaries were trained in poultry farming, plumbing, shoe making, carpentry and other related trades.

    “The women were exposed to knitting, pomade making, fashion design, shampoo production among other skills.

    “The Fund is partnering with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Borno State Government and Bank of Industry.

    “One of the cardinal policies of the Federal Government is to create jobs and wealth for all Nigerians.

    “Under the scheme, 500 candidates were trained in other states but because of the insurgency in Borno 1,100 were accommodated in the programme,” Hassan said.

    He added that those trained would receive resettlement allowances from the Bank of Agriculture to start their own businesses.

  • Boko Haram: Army releases 1271 detainees

    Boko Haram: Army releases 1271 detainees

    THE Nigerian Army has so far released about 1271 detainees after clearing them of any link with the Boko Haram group.

    General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, said this yesterday while speaking at a forum for the reintegration of children associated with armed forces or armed groups in Maiduguri.

    Ezugwu, who was represented by Col. Yusuf Ali, said most of those released were women and children.

    “The Nigerian Army gives utmost priority to the rights of detainees, especially women and children.

    “We always try to fast-track investigation to determine their fate, while those found innocent were released without delay,” he said.

    Ezugwu added:” Consequently, between February and October this year, we have had five releases.

    “In February, 135 persons, comprising mainly women and children, were released, 204 were released in May, and the remaining three releases were carried out in September and October.”

     

  • Sexual abuse: Police deploy 100 female personnel to Borno IDP camps

    The Borno Police Command said on Sunday that it had deployed 100 female policemen to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state following allegation of abuse of women by camp officials.
    The Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization, had alleged mass abuse of girls and women by camp officials in its latest report.
    Mr Damian Chukwu, the Commissioner of Police in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that his command was taking steps to ensure the protection of IDPs.

    He said he had also constituted a high powered committee to oversee the running of the camps.
    “I have constituted a committee, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), with Divisional Police Officers (DPO) and other senior officers, to take over the daily running of the camps.
    “It is interesting to say that most members of the committee are females,” he said.
    ” I have also mobilized over 100 women police from different divisions, including mobile police women, to handle day-to-day interaction in the camps.
    “The male officers will be limited to handling of the territorial coverage and patrol with in the camps,” he said.
    He said that the objective was to further secure the camps and give confidence to the thousands of women in the IDP camps.
    “The deployment of women police is also to dig out true happenings in the camps regarding the allegation.
    “We feel that the victims might not want to talk freely to men, but they will be encouraged to open up to women policemen if the allegation is true,” Chukwu said.
    He insisted that prior to the alarm raised by the international Human Rights organization, the police had not received any complaint on the alleged abuse. .

    “We have not received any complaint on any case of Human Rights abuse in the camps, so the whole thing appear strange to me; in each of the camps, we have many police outpost.

    “In Bakassi camp for instance, we have five police units because every Local Government Area in the IDP camp has its DPO and other policemen, with all the complement of law enforcement,” Chukwu said.
    He however said that police investigation would unravel the truth of the matter once and for all. (NAN)