The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Don’t tell Boko Haram where you are

    Security information is supposed to be covert, especially when it concerns national security. But in Nigeria, such information is bandied in the public domain. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the relocation of the command and control of the defence headquarters from Abuja to Maiduguri. Also being bandied around the public space is information concerning the kind of weaponry being purchased to fight terrorists. This should not be so. Announcing these measures like that in the public compromises these operations and rules out the element of surprise, an essential ingredient in the fight against the enemy. Apart from those in government who give them information, the insurgents also have access to the internet, radio and television and can monitor the information coming out of government.  If sincerely the government is interested in achieving a hundred percent success on the fight against the Boko Haram, it should desist from revealing its tactics on the public domain.

    •Kelly Umukoro, Benin City.

  • Maiduguri airport reopens with 82 passengers

    About 82 passengers including Governor Kashim Shettima and the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Med-View Airline Alhaji Munir Alamin Bankole were among the first set of passengers that flew into Maiduguri International Airport on Friday afternoon marking the resumption of commercial flights at the airport  after its closure  due to the Boko Haram activities.

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has resumed international and local flights at the Maiduguri International Airport, 18 months after its closure by the Military over Boko Haram attacks of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base on December 2, 2013.

    Governor Kashim Shettima who among the passengers on board  the flight from Lagos to Maiduguri conveyed the joy of Borno people over the resumption of flights at the airport, adding that  “full local and international flights, including the airlifting of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia will now commence at the airport.

    His words: “This bears testimony to the cordial relationship between the Federal Government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Borno state government. It was quite regrettable for over six million people to been denied flight services, because of the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in the North East sub-region of this country.

    “Our gratitude goes to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Med-View, Alhaji Munir Alamin Bankole for resuming flights to this airport, 18 months after its closure for any political reason. Flights get in and out of Bagdad, Kabul and Damascus airports, and there was no any other reason for anyone to close this airport for political reason.

    “Our intending pilgrims from now will no more travel by road to any of the airports in Gombe, Kano and Bauchi; and to be airlifted for their pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia,” Shettima said.

  • Boko Haram attacks Yobe town

    Boko Haram attacks Yobe town

    … Cameroonian army kills three insurgents

    Boko Haram militants attacked Buni Yadi, Yobe State, late on Thursday and it was unclear how the fighting ended, military sources said.

    There was no information on casualties in the attack that started at around 9pm (2000 GMT), the sources said on Friday.

    A Reuters correspondent saw a detachment of troops with armoured personel carriers and a fighter jet heading towards Buni Yadi on Friday morning.

    Meanwhile, Cameroon’s army has repulsed an attack by Boko Haram and killed three insurgents in heavy fighting in the Far North region of the country, a Cameroon government spokesman said on Thursday.

    The attack represented a change of tactics by the militants following a series of battlefield defeats this year in which they have lost territory to a regional force that comprises Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, spokesman Issa Tchiroma said.

    “Early Tuesday morning at about 3:40am (0140 GMT) an enemy column in four-wheel drive vehicles opened fire on positions held by our defence forces,” he said of the attack in Bodo town.

    “There followed violent combat until dawn. Faced with the repost of our soldiers, the aggressors beat a retreat leaving behind three dead, a quantity of weapons and a lot of blood,” he said.

  • Boko Haram: U.S. seeks comprehensive approach

    Boko Haram: U.S. seeks comprehensive approach

    The United States insisted yesterday that Nigeria requires a comprehensive regional approach to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Visiting Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari’s coalition approach as he reassured of the U.S. commitment to back Nigeria’s efforts to battle the menace.

    He urged that priority should be given to efforts at rescuing the abducted schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Chibok.

    Blinken told reporters that defeating the sect must not only include a strong military response, but also sustainable security for liberated areas, good governance, development, and opportunity for the civilian population.

    “It also requires a strong commitment to human rights, the absence of which only alienates the people and drives them toward Boko Haram,” he added.

    “We have been working hard to assist the government of Nigeria. For example, we have been providing training, equipment, advice, information, intelligence sharing and logistic support. We recently established a $40-million fund to global security fund; that is a sign to promote joint effort with the Lake Chad countries to strengthen cross border security, cooperation and capacity to combat Boko Haram,” he said.

    Blinken added that the U.S. government, as part of the support package, released $5 million to the Multinational Joint Task Force towards strengthening the force against the insurgents.

    He assured that his country would begin training for investigators and training on border security, post blast investigation and crisis management.

    Blinken, who noted that so many internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country need help, promised that the U.S. government would step up humanitarian assistance to the people in need.

    “So all of these are comprehensive support package for Nigeria.

    “The Chibok girls remain a priority for us. I know there are many more young girls and women who are missing. Our focus is on them as well. We will continue to provide assistance to the government in an attempt to look for them, find them and bring them home,” he said

  • Flights resume in Maiduguri airport after closure

    Regular commercial flights will resume Friday in Maiduguri, 18 months after the government closed the airport because of persistent Boko Haram attacks, a booking officer at Medview Airline said on Thursday.

    Reuters reports that Maiduguri is the birth place of Boko Haram, which has killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds during its six-year campaign to carve out an Islamist state in northern Nigeria.

     

  • Suspected Boko Haram militants kill 26 in Chad

    Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 26 people in night attacks on two villages on Lake Chad over the weekend, Chadian officials said.

    Boko Haram has stepped up assaults in recent weeks across the region in what appears to be a fight back against an offensive mounted by soldiers from Nigeria and its neighbours, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, Reuters says.

    “The two villages were attacked by surprise on Saturday and Sunday night. There were 13 dead in each attack,” a Chadian official who declined to be named told Reuters.

    Merom village was attacked on Saturday by armed men who slit the throats of their victims and burnt houses before fleeing, the source said. Other local officials gave similar accounts.

    Militants also attacked a group of camel herders at the village of Tiskra, cutting 13 people’s throats before fleeing when guards of the village chief opened fire, the source added.

     

  • Boko Haram’s end imminent – Buhari

    Boko Haram’s end imminent – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday expressed condolences to Nigerians who lost relatives in the latest terror attacks in Jos, Kano, and Zaria.

    Buhari, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, joined other Nigerians in mourning their loved ones who were brutally murdered in suicide bombings and attacks that also caused horrifying injuries to others.

    He urged all Nigerians, however, not to be unduly disheartened by the seeming resurgence of terrorists’ attacks and atrocities in the country, saying his administration remains fully committed to overcoming the challenges of insecurity, terrorism and insurgency as quickly as possible.

    According to him, the intensified onslaught by the military on terrorists’ strongholds has led to significant seizures of weapons and vehicles, a blockage of their sources of arms and ammunition and a decimation of their fighting men.

    President Buhari also assured Nigerians of the ability and readiness of the country’s armed forces and security agencies to contain the frantic resort by the terrorists to attacks on soft targets such as crowds and places of worship.

    The statement reads: “The President is convinced that with recent increases in troops’ deployment, improvements in the supply of arms and equipment to the military, as well as the ongoing efforts to mobilize greater international cooperation and support, the end of Boko Haram and terrorism in Nigeria is in sight.”

    He called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and report any suspicious persons to security agents as his administration continues to give the highest possible priority to eradicating Boko Haram and ensuring greater security of lives and property across the country.

     

  • Succour for Boko Haram victims

    Succour for Boko Haram victims

    SUCCOUR came the way of victims of Boko Haram insurgents who received some relief materials from Vitafoam Nigeria Plc. The company, in fulfillment of its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), donated 100 mattresses and 100 pillows to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Borno State through an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Oasis Association.
    Speaking during the donation held at the Borno State Liaison Office on Victoria Island, Lagos, the Group Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, said the gesture was a token to make life more meaningful for those displaced by the insurgents and alleviate their sufferings.
    He noted that the donation was particularly for the victims in Borno State, which he described as Vitafoam’s way of giving back to the society.
    He said that Oasis contacted Vitafoam to partner them by assisting in this regard. “We believe that we are just contributing our part. We have been supporting the victims of many disasters over the years and we have consistently spent millions of Naira annually.”
    He said that for any human being to think of doing anything in life, the first step is to have a place to rest and that is why mattresses and pillows are very symbolic. He added that the significance of the donation is better appreciated against the essence of comfortable sleep as a necessary condition for thinking better.
    Adeniyi noted that the company has being highly involved in the area of CSR because the company is a good corporate citizen. “We have been of help during the crisis of flood in Nigeria, during health challenges and other series of circumstance that threatened human lives. Today is a consonance to our policy in ensuring that human being live a worthy life.
    “On annual basis, we spend an average of 100 million on CSR and we would continue to support people that have challenges,” he said.
    Adeniyi who pledged the firm’s continual support to the needy as good corporate citizens, noted that Vitafoam’s operations in the Northern part was affected by the activities of Boko Haram thus leading to some loss of revenues. “But then, the government could not address the level of destruction caused by the insurgents alone because the damages are so much. Other corporate bodies therefore have an obligation to to assist the Internally Displaced People without further delay. This is why Vitafoam has been involved by today’s donation.
    While he thanked Borno State government for giving Vitafoam the opportunity to assist the victims, Adeniyi assured the shareholders of increased value saying that all the company’s activities are aimed at increasing shareholder value ultimately.
    The President, The Oasis Association, Air Vice Marshal Olufemi Soewu (rtd) said that the NGO comprises of professionals from various backgrounds driven by selfless desire to assist humanity. “We are driven by the desire to help humanity and not for any material gain. Our material benefit is spiritual. We believe that whatsoever we do would be rewarded by God and that has being our driving force,” he said.
    According to him, the NGO has being involved in diverse disaster internetions in the past. ”We have supported victims of bumb explosion at the Ikeja cantonment in Lagos some years ago and annually, we design a specific programme that we want to focus on to render assistance.
    “Last year, our focus was on health. We assisted victims of tuberculosis, hepataitis and other related ailments. This year, the focus is on internally displaced people,” he said.
    Soewu commended Vitafoam’s management for the quick response to the request to assist victims of the insurgency in Borno State.
    He pledged the NGO’s commitment to ensure that human beings are supported whenever there is crisis.
    The Head, Borno State Liason Office, Lagos, Mrs Racheal Dunama-Balami, who recieved the items donated on behalf of the Boko Haram victims in Borno State, thanked the management of Vitafoam and Oasis for the wonderful support, saying it has confirmed that we are all our brothers keepers. She promised to deliver the items to Borno State government.

  • PFN: Govt must give conditions for talks with Boko Haram

    PFN: Govt must give conditions for talks with Boko Haram

    Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has said the Federal Government should only negotiate with Boko Haram  if its members were willing to surrender and embrace peace.

    Its National President, Rev Felix Omobude, spoke with reporters yesterday after a programme organised by PFN at  the Victory International Church, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    According to him, Boko Haram had burnt down  850 churches in the North.

    Rev. Omobude said: ”I think it is right for the Federal Government to dialogue with Boko Haram only if they are truly ready to embrace peace. We condemn continued spate of bombings in places of worship by Boko Haram. Nobody can be justified for killing innocent people in the church or mosques. We condemn it in all ramifications.  Boko Haram are enemies of Nigeria and we must all come together to treat them as such.”

    The cleric urged the government to provide necessary facilities for the security agencies to perform efficiently.

    “I appeal to Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari over the issue of Boko Haram. I know they want a quick intervention to resolve insurgency. I believe they are working and with the cooperation of all sundry, we will see a change,” he said

     

  • FG should dialogue with Boko Haram if … – PFN

    FG should dialogue with Boko Haram if … – PFN

    The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has backed ‎plans by the Federal Government to dialogue with Boko Haram sect, provided the insurgents are truly ready to surrender and embrace peace.

    The body urged the government during negotiation with the insurgents, to continue its military operations in the northeast.

    The National President of PFN, Rev Felix Omobhude, spoke to journalists shortly after a two-day programme organised by PFN at Victory International Church, Rehoboth Cathedral‎, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday.

    He said Boko Haram has burnt down about 850 churches in the northeast since the crisis started.

    The PFN president said:”I think it is right for federal government to dialogue with Boko Haram only if they are truly ready to embrace peace. We condemn the continue bombings in places of worship by Boko Haram. Nobody can be justified for killing innocent people in churches or mosques. We condemn it in all ramifications.  Boko Haram militants are enemies‎ of Nigeria and we must all come together to treat them as such.”

    Omobhude, who saluted the ‎courage of Nigerian military in combating the sect, also urged the federal government to provide necessary facilities for the agency to perform efficiently.

    “I appeal to Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue of Boko Haram. I know they want a quick intervention to resolve insurgency. I believe they are working and with the cooperation of all sundry, we will see a change,” he said.