The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Boko Haram: Cameroon seeks support as Chad claims 3,000

    Cameroon yesterday called for international support and a coordinated response against Boko Haram.

    Cameroon’s President Paul Biya appealed to the diplomatic community after the release of a Boko Haram video message threatening his country.

    He spoke at a meeting with diplomats serving in his country.

    President Biya said a key agreement for Nigeria’s neighbours to set up a regional force to coordinate the fight against Boko Haram has not been implemented.

    He said the international community should have mobilised to fight terrorism that he described as a threat to peace and stability in all countries of the world.

    Biya said the African Union and other international organisations should have proposed a global response to this global terrorism threat. He said Boko Haram terrorism could only be dealt with by handling the issue globally and from an international perspective.

    Cameroon shares a boundary with Borno State and soldiers have clashed with Boko Haram militants along the border.

    Cameroon has gradually built up its forces in the border region and last month President Biya ordered his air force to attack the militant group. That provoked Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, to threaten Cameroon with the same fate that has befallen Nigeria.

    Algeria’s ambassador to Cameroon, Toufik Milat, described the threat as “empty.”

    President Biya has vowed to go after the group until it is totally wiped out. But the war is taking a huge toll on Cameroon’s economy, especially in the north, which relies on Nigeria for 80 per cent of its basic necessities and as a market for agricultural products that are now stockpiling.

    Biya told the diplomats he appreciated the assistance of the United Nations, Germany, France, Britain, China, Russia, and the United States, but he did not specify the type of assistance Cameroon has received

  • The Nation disclaims false Boko Haram story

    The Nation disclaims false Boko Haram story

    Our attention has been drawn to a story circulating online titled, Boko Haram Backs Buhari for Presidency, credited to The Nation Newspaper.
    For the avoidance of doubt, we never published the story and urge readers to disregard it.
    Editor.

  • Families of missing policemen get N•5m each

    Police authorities have compensated the six families of the policemen declared missing after Boko Haram attacked the Police Mobile Training College in Gwoza, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State on August 20, 2014.

    The police announced the payment of N500,000 to each of the families when Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba visited the affected families.

    The IGP, who was represented by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Commissioner Ibrahim Idris, promised that their salaries would also be paid for 12 months.

    The police said they would continue to safeguard life and property, despite the challenges.

    Suleiman also pledged to support police personnel at all times.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Force spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said: “The IGP will stand by police personnel at all times and the Force is determined to perform its statutory duties against all odds.

    “We are giving each of the six families N500,000 and food items with a promise that their salaries will be paid for one year with effect from August 2014, when the sad incident occurred.”

     

  • Boko Haram: Baga residents flee to Maiduguri

    Baga town, a hitherto bustling commercial town in northern Borno State is now a ghost of itself following last Saturday Boko Haram attack on the town.

    The attack led to the fleeing of over 90% of the population of the town with many families dislocated from their loved ones in the wake of the attack.

    Hundreds of families, relations and friends besieged Baga Motor Park in Maiduguri in search of their loved ones who escaped from Boko Haram mayhem on The town, where many soldiers and other security personnel allegedly took to their heels after their base was over-ran by the insurgents.

    Our correspondent who was at Baga Motor park observed that friends, relations and family members were seen frantically trying to locate and reunite with their loved ones or get information about them.

    Modu Ajari was one of the lucky ones who escaped and fled to Maiduguri.

    Modu’s account of the incident portrayed a helpless situation on the side of security agents resulting to a field day for the insurgents.

    ” They (insurgents) came on Saturday morning and attacked Baga town. They engaged the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and over powered them. We were all running including the soldiers.

    “We were happy that our safety is guaranteed when military authorizes deployed more soldiers and two trucks of arms on Friday, only to wake up on Saturday morning to see that Boko Haram insurgents took over the military formations and carted away a lot of arms including armored Personnel Carrier.

    ” Over 40 of us escaped into the bush, while Boko Haram terrorists were gunning down people. only two of us managed to escape to Maiduguri, he narrated.

    He added further “several houses, shops and cars were burnt in Baga and Doron Baga towns. It was after they succeeded in sending away the military that they took away their weapons and burnt Doron Baga town.

    He expressed fears that Boko Haram terrorists will come back and unleash mayhem on them with the weapons and arms they took from the soldiers.

    A Civilian JTF in Baga who also fled to Maiduguri, Abubakar Hamza said “ military personnel were running away throwing away their AK 47, while our members were picking the guns to fight the terrorists. Some of us were with sticks and machetes but they were using sophisticated weapons such as RPG and we have to run”.

    He said they also received a report that a boat loaded with people mostly women and children fleeing to Chad Republic capsized with over 40 people feared dead in the Lake Chad.

    He decried the commitment of the Federal Government against the fight on insurgency, saying, “If Federal government does not want us in Nigeria or sold us to Boko Haram they should tell us so that we will know where to relocate.”

  • Jonathan meets Northeast governors, service chiefs

    Jonathan meets Northeast governors, service chiefs

    … Governors seek more troops, equipment

    Towards addressing the insurgency in the Northeast ahead of the 2015 general election, governors from the area on Tuesday met behind closed-doors with President Goodluck Jonathan and service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, his Yobe State counterpart, Ibrahim Gaidem and former Yobe State Governor, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, attended the meeting.
    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the governors sought for deployment of more troops and equipment to stop the activities of Boko Haram in the area.

    They insisted on the 2015 elections holding in the area under a peaceful arena.

    On what transpired in the meeting, Gaidem said: “We have come to brief the President on the security features of our various states, we have come to greet him and we told him of the challenges we have been facing. We are appealing to the federal government to deploy more troops in addition to what we have on ground to arrest the situation in our various states.

    “We need more troops, the troops on ground we have in our various states is not enough to contain the situation, so we are appealing to the federal government to deploy additional troops with full equipment to tame the situation. We don’t have any state of emergency now, so you are not correct.”

    On whether elections will hold in the area, he added: “Elections will hold, you have not heard me well. Election will hold, that is the position of the electoral commission and definitely in all those areas where the insurgency exist, elections will hold.”

    The Borno State governor maintained that the security agencies are rising up to the task.

    He said: “Well we had very fruitful deliberations and pollination of ideas on how to find lasting solution to the insurgency bedeviling us in that part of the world. I’m an eternal optimist and I am passionate too for that matter that we shall have enduring peace very soon with the very robots frame work on ground.

    “We don’t want to mention a date or anything but I believe our military is rising to the challenges of the time.”

    “Our military will robustly respond to the challenges I believe. Like I said earlier I’m an eternal optimist we have to hope for the best against whatever odds.”

    Also speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, assured that security will improve in the country this year.

    On whether Chad and Niger forces have pulled out from the multinational force, he said: “No. They have not pulled out of multinational force because we have held several meetings.They are still part of the multinational force.”

    “What has been happening is that they have not contributed troops to the point of Baga. Chad has people of their own side but I believe they have withdrawn. Niger had people with us they too withdrew and left Nigeria only at the multinational force headquarters.”

    On the suggestion that the borders between Nigeria and Chad and Nigeria and Niger should be closed, he said: “I wish it could be closed but how do you close such a very large border? And it is not for military to close border any way or is it?”

  • Baga residents relive attack on town

    … Flee to Maiduguri

    Baga, a hitherto bustling commercial town in northern Borno is now a ghost of its former self following last Saturday’s attack on the town by Boko Haram insurgents.

    In the aftermath of the attack, over 90 per cent of the town’s population had fled to different parts of the northeast.

    Hundreds of families, relations and friends besieged a bus station in Maiduguri in search of their loved ones who escaped from Boko Haram mayhem on Baga town.

    The Nation gathered that many soldiers and other security personnel took to their heels after their base was over-ran by the insurgents.

    Our correspondent who was at the bus station saw friends, relations and family members making frantic efforts to reunite with their loved ones or get information about them.

    Modu Ajari, is one of the few lucky persons who found their way to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    His account of the incident portrayed a helpless situation on the side of security agents, who watched as the insurgents wreaked havoc on the town.

    He said, “They (insurgents) came on Saturday morning and attacked Baga town. They engaged the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and over powered them. We were all running, including the soldiers.

    “We were happy that our safety is guaranteed when military authorizes deployed more soldiers and two trucks of arms on Friday, only to wake up on Saturday morning to see that Boko Haram insurgents took over the military formations and carted away arms, including an armored personnel carrier.

    “Over 40 of us escaped into the bush, while Boko Haram terrorists were gunning down people, only two of us managed to reach Maiduguri.”

    A civilian member of JTF in Baga who also fled to Maiduguri, Abubakar Hamza said, “military personnel were running and throwing away their AK 47, while our members were picking the guns to fight the terrorists. Some of us are with sticks and machetes but they were using sophisticated weapons such as RPG and we have to run.”

    Hamza added that they received a report that a boat loaded with people, mostly women and children, fleeing to Chad Republic capsized in Lake Chad with over 40 people feared dead.

     

  • Boko Haram can’t stop elections, says Eze Igbo

    Boko Haram cannot stop the 2015 general elections, especially in the Northeast, His Royal Highness, Eze Ibeh Nwosu, Eze Igbo 1 of Abuja, has said.

    He disclosed that series of meetings are on to ensure that the election is free and fair, advising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to think of postponing the ballot.

    The traditional ruler spoke in Abuja as politicians visited him to inform him of their interest to run for positions in the elections.

    Among those who visited the monarch was Mr Maxwell Opara, an Abuja-based legal practitioner and human rights activist, who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He is the party’s candidate for House of Representative, AMAC/Buwari Federal constituency.

    Eze Nwosu was optimistic that the Boko Haram sect could not unleash any worse terror on the country.

    He said, “This is a political era and top politicians are coming to inform me of their intention and to also seek my blessing. I gave many of them my word and prayed for them.

    “We are making efforts to ensure that the 2015 general election is peaceful; that is one of the most important things I am preaching. In all fairness, there is security; President Goodluck Jonathan is serious from the look of things to see that nothing goes wrong in 2015 and also to see that people are secure.

    “The insurgents can’t do more than this. The insurgents cannot stop 2015 election. It cannot be postponed. Plans are ongoing as scheduled. Nobody should think that there will be no election. There must be election constitutionally and there should be no going back.

    “As a traditional ruler I hold meetings here almost everyday to deliberate on security and how the 2015 election will be peaceful. We have been praying to God for a successful 2015 election and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has been assuring Nigerians of conducting a peaceful election. Election must be free and fair. INEC is better now in conducting elections compare to before.”

    Opara said: “I have also visited other traditional Rulers in Abuja for blessing and to make my political moves known. I have used my legal profession to assist FCT poeple and I know what they want and what is needed to be done. I have been able to stop government from carring out series of demolition exercise. I have also submitted some bills to the National Assembly on the FCT laws. I have also helped the FCT residents in educating them on their rights.”

  • Boko Haram seizes military base in Borno town

    Boko Haram seizes military base in Borno town

    Boko Haram has seized Borno State town Baga, a key multinational military base, officials and eyewitnesses said yesterday.

    Senator Maajin Lawan (Borno North) said troops had abandoned the base in the town of Baga after it was attacked on Saturday by the insurgents

    Residents of Baga, who fled by boat to neighbouring Chad, said many people had been killed and the town set ablaze.

    Baga was the last town in the Borno North area under government control.

    It hosted the base of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), comprising troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger.

    Set up in 1998 to fight trans-border crime in the Lake Chad region, the force more recently took on Boko Haram.

    Boko Haram attacks towns and villages on an almost daily basis, abducting people, including young boys and girls.

    Residents who fled to Chad said they had woken to heavy gunfire as militants stormed Baga early on Saturday, attacking from all directions.

    They said they decided to flee when they saw the multi-national troops running away.

    Senator Lawan was quoted by BBC World Service as saying civilians ran “helter skelter – some into the forest, some into the desert”.

    Communications with the town were cut off and exact information about casualty numbers could not be confirmed, he said.

    “We are very dispirited,” the senator added.

    Confirming that the military had abandoned the base, he said people’s frustration knew “no bounds” over the military’s failure to fight back.

    “There is definitely something wrong that makes our military abandon their posts each time there is an attack from Boko Haram,” the senator said

    Last week, Boko Harem abducted around 40 young men from a village also in Borno State.  A resident told reporters that armed militants driving pickup trucks had ordered villages to attend a sermon, then began picking out men aged between 10 and 23. The village lies close to a forest where the group is believed to operate bases.

    The capture of young men during raids on villages is consistent with Boko Haram’s tactics, though much is still unknown about the group’s strategy beyond its oft-repeated claim that it seeks to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

    Boko Haram is still holding in captivity more than 200 schoolgirls it abducted from their school in Chibok in Borno State last April.

    ‎The abduction drew worldwide condemnation, after which President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to secure the area, including by deploying more troops. But the promised troop numbers have failed to materialise, often leaving residents to rely entirely on vigilantes for protection.

    Boko Haram’s five-year uprising in Nigeria has claimed more than 13,000 lives and has seen dozens of people, including women and children, kidnapped by the Islamists.

    Baga was the scene of an alleged military massacre in April 2013. Human rights groups and media reports said that Nigerian troops had stormed the town after militants mounted a deadly attack on an Army patrol. Thousands of houses were burned and over 100 bodies were recovered in the aftermath, according to community leaders who spoke to Human Rights Watch. Nigerian military officials said only armed militants were killed.

    The incident cast a shadow over Western cooperation with Nigeria’s military. The US has supplied arms and training to Nigeria, as well as intelligence support, primarily in pursuit of Boko Harem. Britain and France have also assisted Nigeria since the high-profile capture of the schoolgirls from Chibok. Dozens of those captured have since escaped, but 219 are still believed to be in captivity.

  • ‘Niger Delta under threat by Boko Haram’

    ‘Niger Delta under threat by Boko Haram’

    In this interview, Richard Anthony, lawyer and conflict mediator,  speaks with BISI OLANIYI on the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and threat to oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta by the Boko Haram insurgency. 

    Is the Boko Haram insurgency politically motivated or a religious issue?

    We should look at Boko Haram insurgency, as it is now, from the angle of conflict. We should not look at it from only one aspect. We should look at it from all the aspects, in order to effectively address the issue. We should look at it from the religious, political and developmental aspects. I will not want us to limit it to religious and political angles. We should look at Boko Haram suicide bombings holistically.

    Are Boko Haram suicide bombers not holding other Nigerians to ransom with their activities?

    Boko Haram insurgency is a thing of concern to most Nigerians, as we move towards the 2015 general elections. It is an issue that needs to be addressed more seriously, including other issues arising from the Boko Haram insurgency.

    If you are the President of Nigeria, how will you address the issue?

    It is beyond one man’s thinking to address the issue quite effectively. It is an armed violence that has its roots both within Nigeria, West Africa, Africa and internationally. So, it requires collaborative efforts in addressing it effectively. Governments within Africa can actually collaborate to see how Boko Haram issue is addressed, to ensure it does not escalate.

    There are fears that the general elections may not hold in the Northeast because of the insurgency. What is your reaction?

    The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is sincere in fighting Boko Haram, which is now transcending borders. So, it is wrong for anybody to say that the President is not concerned about the Boko Haram issue, because if it is not properly addressed, it will affect the sovereignty of Nigeria. Anything that threatens the existence of this country also threatens the Presidency.

    Is President Goodluck Jonathan really working hard to end the insurgency?

    Nigerians need to take ownership of the struggle, especially on how to proffer solutions to adequately address the menace of Boko Haram.

    Boko Haram insurgency has been traced to corruption in Nigeria. Are the anti-graft agencies effective?

    It has been researched globally that corruption actually fuels insurgencies in countries. Large-scale corruption can actually lead to violence, because funds that would have gone into social and economic developments would go into the pockets of a few persons. It is true that corruption can lead to uproar and uprising in nations, thereby requiring different approach.

    So, we need to be sincere in addressing the issue of corruption in Nigeria. The institutions that are supposed to prosecute corrupt persons must live up to their responsibilities.

    Often times, we tend to blame the President for ineffectiveness in tackling corruption, but we should also know that as a nation, we have a responsibility to ensure that our anti-graft agencies are strengthened.

    Some leaders from the Northern part of Nigeria are being accused of sponsoring Boko Haram insurgency. How do you react to this?

    We need to look at it from global perspective, because if we look at what is happening in ISIS (a dangerous militant/terror group, whose aim is to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria) and Al-Qaeda (a global militant Islamist organisation, founded by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and several other militants), the trend in crude oil theft and narcotic trade is global. The funds are transferred through the financial sector. How are they transferring these funds? How do they get the arms and ammunition? These are global and critical issues that need to be addressed. Our airports and seaports must not be porous. The institutions and persons in charge must be alive to their responsibilities and there is need for stakeholders’ engagement.

    Won’t it be necessary to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents?

    We must look at this issue from different perspectives. For every violent situation, people need to dialogue. I am for the process of negotiation between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram suicide bombers. The Federal Government’s efforts in ensuring that the military protects the sovereign integrity of Nigeria are also steps in the right direction. Bold steps need to be taken to address the issue of insurgency effectively. Negotiations and the military aspect need to go simultaneously.

    How can the Federal Government of Nigeria address the issue of over 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) suffering from the insurgency?

    That is a potential explosive issue for this country, because the issue of IDPs needs to be taken care of properly, We need to address the issue effectively, towards the 2015 general elections. We should not create vacuum that will lead to crisis after the 2015 general elections. It has created a legal aspect for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resolve, because we have to look at the issue from Law, from different perspectives.

    Firstly, we need to look whether the Boko Haram issue is an international or non-international arms conflict, in which case, different legal requirements will apply. From my understanding, the Boko Haram issue is an international arms conflict, because from researches by renowned research institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, among others, Boko Haram has been linked to the ISIS and the Al-Qaeda, which makes it an international arms conflict.

    From the perspective of the violation of war crimes, hostages are taken of women and children, civilians are killed in their thousands and child soldiers are recruited. These are international issues that are guided by international laws, making it an international arms conflict.

    To consider the issue of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) critically, especially with Boko Haram as an international arms conflict, we need to apply humanitarian aspects of the international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the international refugees law.

    To protect the rights of the IDPs, we need to find out if they are properly documented, because documentation will enable us to know the actual persons who are internally displaced. The rights of eligible voters who are internally displaced are human rights. So, they must exercise their rights to vote, as guaranteed by international laws and the constitution of Nigeria. We cannot disenfranchise them. They have a right to vote.

    Won’t the persons who are being displaced up North through Boko Haram insurgency will be moving down South, especially to the Niger Delta, and what is the implication?

    The implication is that most of the IDPs will not be able to vote, if they are not documented, because most of them would have lost their Temporary or Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in their former places of abode/residence. The law stipulates that you must vote at the unit where you registered. If the IDPs do not have access to their voter cards, how will they vote? Most of the IDPs are not documented. Documentation is very critical for the IDPs to exercise their voting rights.

    How can the IDPs be compensated by the Federal Government?

    The constitution of Nigeria guarantees the Federal Government to protect/provide security for all Nigerians and take care of their welfare. The constitution also allows Nigerians to settle and own property in any part of the country. If the property is vandalised, destroyed or burnt, the affected persons should be compensated by the Federal Government. The IDPs need some level of assistance from the Federal Government. It is constitutionally guaranteed for the Federal Government to provide such assistance for the people.

    INEC has just put a committee in place to look at how the IDPs can vote during the 2015 elections. How do you react to the initiative?

    It is a step in the right direction, especially for INEC to critically look at the issue of IDPs, in order not to disenfranchise them. INEC must conduct elections in 2015 and declare the results, without leading to violence. It will be unconstitutional, illegal and immoral not to allow the IDPs to vote during the 2015 elections, considering their plight and for not being the cause of Boko Haram insurgency.

    Members of the INEC’s committee of experts on IDPs must look at the issue from both the local and international laws and requirements, because the rights of the people to vote are guaranteed under the international laws.

  • Boko Haram: 15 killed in Cameroon bus attack

    At least 15 people have been killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants on a bus in northern Cameroon, a senior local security official and a businessman have said.

    Over the last year, Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in its struggle to create a caliphate in northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks on both sides of the border, forcing Cameroon to dispatch thousands of troops to its north, Reuters says.

    “Boko Haram elements on Thursday attacked a bus that was transporting many passengers from Kousseri to Maroua and killed several persons on the spot,” said a senior officer in the military’s BIR rapid reaction unit deployed in the region.

    The officer, who asked not to be named, said another 10 people had been severely injured and taken to Maroua hospital and he feared the death toll would rise.

    Maroua is the capital of the Far North region, which has seen the worst of the spillover of Nigeria’s conflict.

    Cameroonian authorities were not available for comment on the attack, which took place in the evening of January 1. However, a local businessman based in the north said travellers who reached the town of Maroua had confirmed the incident.

    Foncha Ngeh, who is based in Maroua, said travellers had told him there were at least 15 dead in the incident but many more had been injured and were transported to Maroua for treatment.