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Tag: boko haram

  • Buratai: A study in warfare

    The story of the Nigerian Army is such that invokes memories of exploits, especially in the Sub Saharan Africa. In times past, the Nigerian Army won countless laurels in its operations so much to the envy of other nations. At a point, the Nigerian Army was adjudged one of the best professional armies in the world.

    Nigerians were indeed proud of the Nigerian Army, and it became a thing of pride for one to be enlisted as either an officer or a soldier in the Nigerian Army. This euphoria continued until the advent of democracy in Nigeria in 1999. And that era saw to the gradual and steady decline in the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army for some strange reasons.

    We didn’t notice the decline until we were confronted with the Boko Haram challenge from 2009. So much that the Nigerian Army has lost its footing on the threats posed by evolving warfare such as cyber warfare, insurgency, terrorism, nuclear warfare and other forms of unconventional wars. It was so apparent that the Nigerian Army was still leaving on past glory. And this gave rise to the casualties it suffered during the early stages of the Boko Haram crisis.

    The Nigerian Army was at its lowest ebb. The morale of the fighting troops was at an astonishing low. And Boko Haram continued to gain grounds so much so that over 16 local government areas in North East Nigeria fell under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists. Other parts of the country too were not safe including the federal capital territory that witnessed scores of Boko Haram attacks. This was as recent as 2015. It was such a bad tale to recount in the annals of Nigeria and the Nigerian Army.

    But all of that has changed for the better as we are now witnesses to the return of the Nigerian Army to the path of glory in the past three years. In my opinion, there is no way one can talk about the return of the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army without mentioning two people. One is the president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari and also the dynamic Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai.

    How the Nigerian Army has achieved total peace for Nigeria is still what observers and researchers are still battling to unravel despite the security threats posed by the Boko Haram terrorists and other militant groups such as the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), the Niger Delta Avengers, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). This is mainly on the heels of the fact that before the coming of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army was a shadow of its self. In truth, we had a Nigerian Army that was just some kilometres away before its final disintegration. But not anymore.

    I am of the opinion that God truly loves this country. If not for the intervention that saw the coming of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the subsequent appointment of a dexterous general as the Chief of Army Staff, I wonder what would have been left of Nigeria with the ferocity with which the Boko Haram terrorist carried on. The terrorists and other militant groups would have overrun Nigeria.

    That the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai was able to turn the tide against the enemies of the country is indeed an indication of capacity and strategic intelligence. I stand to be corrected. For the Nigerian Army to carry out operations simultaneously across the country and was still able to maintain peace is an indication that the Nigerian Army has been repositioned for operational effectiveness by none other than Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai. Little wonder the avalanche of awards that have come his way? Worthy of mention is the award of the Brazilian Military Order of Merit Award, which is the highest military honour awarded to military officers that have distinguished themselves in various military endeavours.

    Read Also:‘Army will deal with those planning to scuttle elections’

    The likes of Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai should be a topic of research for military historians on how he was able to take the deplorable Nigerian Army to an effective operational force in a record three years. In my opinion, the topic of the research should read “Army Leadership in Nigeria and operational effectiveness: a case study of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.”

    In so doing, other upcoming officers and commanders would have something to chew on when the lot falls on them. In truth, this is what is obtainable in western climes ass it is done to the likes of General David Petraeus. It is indeed a record feat for Nigeria to have turned the tide against the Boko Haram terrorist. And it explains why the war exploits of Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai should be subject to a robust academic pursuit.

    One of the landmarks of the operations of the Nigeria Army in North East Nigeria is the creation of the Special Strike Force that has continued to lead the onslaught against Boko Haram terrorists in North East Nigeria. In my opinion, the establishment of the Strike Force was the game changer and in conformity with the famous quote by General David Petraeus that says “Life is a competitive endeavour. And there’s nothing more competitive, obviously, than combat.”

    And I could not agree less. It takes a whole lot of thinking outside the box when fighting an unconventional war. You must be prepared to assess the psychological state of the terrorist to be able to formulate an effective counter-strategy. This much I have noticed was deployed by the Nigeria Army in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists and other militant groups in Nigerian from 2015 to date. And with the present state of the Nigerian Army, it is just a matter of time for the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists to be wiped completely. Need I say more? Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai is indeed a study in warfare.

    Onmeje is a media strategist based in the United Kingdom.

  • Human rights group blames Borno govt over plight of 100,000 refugees from Cameroon

    The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), a human rights group, has blamed the Borno State Government over the plight of no fewer than 100,000 refugees recently expelled from Cameroon.
    Cameroon is currently home to more than 370,000 refugees, including some 100,000 from Nigeria, according to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
    Recently, the Cameroonian government started the eviction of the refugees with larger proportion of the affected persons being women, children and persons that are infirm on account of old age, injury or poor health
    SHAC, which said it had been tracking the plan by authorities in Cameroon to evict the refugees in the country, fingered the Borno State government in the ugly development.
    Thomas Ejuma, Executive Director of the group at a press conference on Monday in Abuja, claimed that Cameroon made the decision to sack the Nigerian refugees as pariahs because the Borno State government failed in its responsibility to its displaced citizens.
    Ejuma said despite the State government collecting and pocketing huge allocation, there was no road to Rann, one of the communities housing the IDPs.
    He said, “SHAC is shocked that Cameroon could be contemplating this move knowing that the larger proportion of the affected persons are women, children and persons that are infirm on account of old age, injury or poor health. The process of returning these families to Nigeria is fraught with risk since Boko Haram has been known to operate on the Cameroonian borders, which implies they could be attacked in their way back.
    “The development poses questions about Cameroon’s commitment to long term peace in the region since its tepid support for Nigeria’s quest to end Boko Haram’s reign of terror is a factor that contributed to the dislocation of the Nigerian refugees that is now planning to force outside its territory.
    “Cameroon got to this arrogant stage of treating Nigerian refugees as pariahs because the Borno State government failed in its responsibility to its displaced citizens. Without intent to politicise this matter and without prejudice to the ongoing debates about the mechanics of Nigeria’s federalism, the Borno state government failed to act in a way that will promote the fiscal federalism being canvassed across the country. It shirked its responsibility to create the situation were women, children and the aged have been put through hell and they are likely on a ride into the core of hell going by the plan of the Cameroonian authorities.

    Read Also:34,000 Cameroonian refugees in Cross River

    “The Borno State government consistently misled the Federal Government as to the true state of affairs on ground such that the necessarily federal interventions are planned on the strength of such misleading presentations by the state government.
    “The failure of the state government to properly manage relief efforts, including the chronic theft and diversion of relief materials by its officials, created hardship in the Internally Displaced Persons (IPDs) camps, which made taking flight across international borders more attractive to persons dislocated by Boko Haram activities. Even when the state became aware that its citizens are taking such desperate measures, it did little to reassure them and build their confidence to a level where they are willing to voluntarily return.
    “Borno government has much to explain about this failure to provide support like inaccessibility of several towns and villages of the state through Nigeria, which makes it easier for indigenes of these communities to get to Cameroon faster than they can relocate to other parts of Borno state. There is no road to Rann and other places due to criminal neglect on the part of the state, even though Rann is a local government headquarters, it can only be accessed through Cameroon to access.
    “Assuming the infrastructure was destroyed by the insurgency, SHAC recall urging the state government, sometimes in the recent past, to rebuild these infrastructure as part of measure to empower the people to occupy their community and keep out Boko Haram stragglers that occupy deserted towns and villages and always tip their commanders off about the vulnerability of such unoccupied towns.
    “It is therefore pertinent to ask Borno State governor, Kashim Ibrahim Shettima, who has a stranglehold on the finances of local government councils, to explain what happened to the resources meant for Rann Local Government Area and other poorly managed local government areas of the state in the last seven years. This mismanagement of resources has proven to produce a deadly cocktail when combined with Boko Haram’s acts of terror in addition to fuelling grassroots poverty that has ensured the terrorists have a steady stream of recruits.
    “The international body has chronically failed to censure countries providing the enabling environment for terrorist groups like Boko Haram to thrive. It is instead seen as being cooperatively in the pocket of such nations without as much as a whimper when make decisions and take actions that place weapons and funding in the hands of terrorists. It has failed to intervene when countries fighting terrorists are blocked from buying arms to prosecute their war efforts. Even in instances where forceful regime change has led to creation of fertile grounds for terrorist groups to grow, the countries involved in provoking such situation are not pressured to make things right.
    “The Federal Government of Nigeria has an onerous task on its hands. It can no longer continue to ignore the failure of the Borno state government to perform its constitutional duties. The time for indifference over how Borno state is run by Shettima and his aides is over. While the state governor presently enjoys immunity, his retinue of aides are not covered by the same immunity so the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be brought in to unravel what they did with funds that should have made the situation different.
    “The EFCC should on the strength of its investigation of these aides make the preparation needed to take Shettima in for questioning when his tenure with the conferred immunity is over.”

  • 2019, Buhari and sustaining good  governance 

    Its partisan times, so differing views have invaded the political space on the persona and leadership content in President Muhammadu Buhari.  He is both loved and hated. But it’s normal in life, especially for leaders who must step on toes or bruise many to find the illuminating trajectory of leadership.
     President Muhammadu Buhari is Nigeria’s latest subject of praises and vituperations. First, everyone must understand that Buhari is the incumbent President of Nigeria, who is seeking reelection in the February 16, 2019 presidential ballot.  But inevitably and consonance with democratic ethos, some political power mongers are seeking to unseat him. They have assembled in their numbers on different political platforms.
    To this category of opposing politicians and Nigeria’s potential leaders, President Buhari has performed so poorly in the last three years. They chant everywhere that he deserves to be ousted; but hardly justify their stand with incontrovertible facts. What is palpable in their eyes is the naked scramble for power. So,  “Buhari must go!”  is what electrifies every campaign fora of the opposition gangsters.
    The opposition ought to be genuinely piqued with Buhari for several reasons. The CBN ATMs, the unfettered access to the official exchange rates of  foreign currencies; the blockage of fake  oil subsidy claims, terminating the regime of inflated and abandoned contracts, and the arms procurement deals which stashed diverted dollars into several accounts have been blocked by Buhari.
    So, there are veiled and subterranean plots to ensure President Buhari does not stage a comeback in the next presidential polls. Some former Nigerian leaders, with the exception of a few like Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) are neck-deep into this evil design. They have some handful minions, most of whom are  in subordinate leadership positions who are prosecuting the agenda of President Buhari’s ouster very satanically.
     The opponents, especially in the main opposition PDP  have forgotten that in 16 years of acclaimed “perfect” leadership of Nigeria, they neither delivered on good governance nor leadership. They dislocated Nigeria in all sectors.
    But it  was under their watch Nigeria’s foreign reserves were depleted and shared on the table mutilated parts of a hunter’s game. It was under their watch local contractors and oil subsidy claimants were owned awful trillions of naira for questionable debts.
    It was under their cursed regimes, 27 out of 36 states in the federation, including the central government could not pay salaries and allowances to public servants. The defunct PDP government personified poverty and misery.
    It was under their leadership insecurity in Nigeria peaked. Boko Haram terrorists captured and conveniently occupied 20 LGAs in Borno state alone and another four LGAs in Adamawa and Yobe states. Nigerians witnessed Boko Haram detonating their bombs everywhere in Abuja and other major cities in the North. The government of the day condoned it as signs of the times.
    Nigerians tolerated for years, and inexcusably, how the so-called ideal leadership supervised Plateau, the home of peace and tourism turned the epicenter or turf of testing ethnic supremacy by clannish warlords. Farmers and herders clashes reigned in most rural communities of Northern Nigeria unrestricted and blossomed every day, starching its tentacles to virgin territories.
    Armed bandits and rustlers roamed freely with the gait of conquerors in Northwest Nigeria. Militancy in the Niger Delta region was job for both the young and the old.  And its intensification blighted Nigeria’s economic fortunes.
    Nigerians, except these odious leaders, barricaded by fenced walls and sentries knew everything was wrong with Nigeria. The masses realized only a puritan of angelic endowments like President Buhari was competent to re-fix Nigeria. He was fervently persuaded to redeem Nigeria from the manacles of leadership slavery.
    Thus, Buhari landed like the eagle in 2015 in the poll of these sickening national malaises. President Buhari mounted the stage with messages in three main critical sectors to kick-start the recovery or redemption campaigns for Nigeria. Security was topmost on his agenda; the economy and anti-corruption wars were aspects of Nigeria as a country he vowed to vigorously pursue in his first years in office.
    Looking back at yesterday and today, one observes a positive and significant difference in these critical sectors in the nation. President Buhari has been able to recover a nation pushed into recession back on its feet. It happened when national oil revenues’ declined considerably; but he combined wisdom and prudence to effectively apply the meagre national resources to achieve results.
    Aside initiating capital projects, he has been able to complete abandoned capital projects in infrastructure, power generation, health,  public transport, education, oil and gas, agriculture   and so forth to lay the base for industrial development.
    Buhari has been able to impressively  shore-up Nigeria’s foreign reserves which declined to as low as  $29.6 billion in May 2015  to $47.5 billion  by  May 2018.  This is alongside checkmating inflationary trends in the economy, which have also witnessed a progressive decline since January, 2017.
     Similarly, the Sovereign Wealth Fund portfolio has appreciated with the injection of $650 million so as to strengthen local investments in various sectors of the economy. It has  also yielded positive results.
     President Buhari’s anti- corruption crusade anchored by both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have recovered looted commonwealth amounting to billions of naira, alongside forfeiture of assets acquired with illicit wealth worth trillions of naira.  EFCC has netted the highest record of recoveries of loots  since the establishment of the  anti-graft agency  nearly two decades ago.
    But Buhari’s brightest star shines  in the area of the hitherto suffocating national insecurity.  It is repetitious to assert that President Buhari  has splendidly curbed raging terrorism and insurrections which nearly crumbled Nigeria.
    Under the Buhari Presidency, the Nigerian military have been  able to properly dissect the numerous security challenges confronting the country. It has adopted both combat and psychological strategies to conveniently counter the menace of insecurity threats that held Nigeria to the jugular.

    Read Also:Durojaiye: Buhari deserves another tenure

    A transparent, accountable and disciplined leadership of the Nigerian Army led by the COAS,  Lt.Gen. TY Buratai has secured for Nigeria victory over Boko Haram insurgents, herdsmen /farmers crises, violent militancy, dubious secession movements  and  the repulsive  armed banditry  and cattle rustling criminalities in the country.
    Truly, many people are excited at the prospects of leadership; but not everybody is endowed with leadership wisdom to lead a country as complex as Nigeria, with its multifaceted challenges. Most leaders of Nigeria have failed because they mixed greed and personal enrichment at the expense of the people. President Buhari is outstanding in this regard, which makes him an incontestable Prince of the Savannah.
    Nigeria cannot afford to mortgage President Buhari’s leadership at this moment. There is every need to support him to succeed and continue in office beyond 2019 to concretize these gains. As far as Nigerians committed to the recovery of this country from the hands of the leadership vultures, Buhari remains the unbeatable choice and hope for a secured and prosperous nation.
    Only President Buhari who has the moral rectitude and commitment can sustain the gains that have been recorded in some of the nation’s critical sectors and most profoundly on security.
    Okanga wrote this piece from Agila, Benue State.

  • Buratai as Troops “Man Friday”

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  • Boko Haram: Dickson offers automatic employments to dead pilots’ wives

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson on Monday offered automatic employments to wives of two Bayelsa State-born pilots, who died recently in action during a raid on Boko Haram hideout in the northeast.

    The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Sorowei, made the pledge when he led a delegation to visit one of the widows, Mrs. Diepreye Inokoba Jacob, whose husband, Flight Lieutenant Pereowei Jacob, died in a helicopter crash at Damasak, on January 2.

    Dickson also extended the offer of automatic employment to the wife of the second pilot, Lt. Owei, who died in 2016 when the Commander 115 Special Operations Group, Port Harcourt, Air Commodore E Ebiowei, drew his attention to it.

    Dickson earlier paid a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on January 11, to condole with the NAF on the death of the Bayelsa-born pilot.

    During the visit, he called on leaders and Nigerians to support the Armed Forces in the ongoing campaign against the Boko Haram in the North East.

    The governor said the offer of automatic employment was the state government’s modest way of encouraging and rallying support for the relatives left behind by the indigenes of the state who got killed in active service to their fatherland.

    He described the late pilots as heroes whose services were a source of pride to the Ijaw nation.

    Read Also: Dickson’s delicate political engineering

    He said: “We are very proud of the services and the sacrifices that our departed young heroes made. We hereby announce automatic employment for the wife.

    “We hear you are doing your National Youths Service, you will get your letter of employment as soon as you complete your compulsory service to the nation.

    “The Base Commander has told us that another officer, flight Lt. Owei also died while fighting in the North East. I hereby announce immediate employment for his widow.

    “This is our modest way of encouraging our people in the service of this nation.

    ”Our people, from the beginning, have stood for Nigeria. We have been doing that and we are not going to get tired to demand that Nigeria does what is right for us too.”

    The spokesman for the family, Oloice Kemenanabo, described the late pilot as among the best in the country before the sad occurrence.

    He thanked the governor for the visit, which he said brought so much succour to the grieving family.

     

  • Armed Forces Remembrance Day: IBB tasks Military to evolve New Combat Strategy

    Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida has tasked the Nigerian Army to evolve new combat strategies that will permanently defeat the terrorists that have continued to hold many parts of the North East to ransom.

    In a press statement to mark the 2019 Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Babangida said it is high time the military seek to consolidate their gains and fortify their combat strength.

    He noted that the military is presently faced with horrific challenges in the crucial counter-insurgency war, and activities of other blood-thirsty armed groups declaring that these circumstances are not only heartrending

    “As we prepare to celebrate this year’s Remembrance Day, we should not be oblivious of the fact that our military is presently faced with horrific challenges in the crucial counter-insurgency war, and activities of other blood-thirsty armed groups.

    “To say the least, these ugly circumstances are not only heartrending, but unacceptable. It is high time we seek to consolidate our gains and also fortify our combat strength but unacceptable

    “Indeed, it is pertinent for the top echelons of our military to speedily evolve new combat strategy to bravely confront the callous terrorists who have continued to hold many parts of the North East, and in extension, Nigeria in ransom.”

    The former military leader noted that the Nigerian Army is undeniably a professional military establishment that has over the years achieved remarkable successes in protecting our nation’s territorial integrity urging the Army to remain apolitical as the 2019 elections draws closer.

    “The 2019 edition of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day is coming at a critical period, when teeming Nigerian electorates will go to the polls next month to elect their new leaders at various levels of government.

    In recent times, elections have tested our unity as a people, while also posing threats to our socio-cultural diversity and challenging our common destiny.

    “Nevertheless, I have a strong conviction that our Armed Forces will remain apolitical prior, during, and after the general elections, while focusing only on discharging their constitutional responsibility of safeguarding the country either from the aggression of internal rebels in the guise of Boko Haram insurgents, or from external retrogressive forces.”

    Babangida then saluted the uncommon bravery of fallen heroes who paid the supreme price in their quest to defend the Nation commending the Armed Forces for their resilience over the years in maintaining peace in Nigeria, United Nations Missions, African Union and regional interventions.

    He also called on Nigerians to support the military at all times.

  • Herdsmen/farmers clashes: How Nigerian military tackled crises – Ebute tells British Parliament

    The President of the Senate in the Third Republic, Senator Ameh Ebute, has revealed how the Nigerian military has been able to tackle the lingering crisis between herders and farmers in the country.
    Ebute specifically noted that military has been able to curtail the nagging crises between the two groups.
    Speaking at a Roundtable with MPs of the British Parliament, January 23, 2019 at the House of Commons, London, United kingdom, the former lawmaker faulted former Chief of Army Staff, TY Danjuma over his recent submission that soldiers where partial in their fight against terrorism.
    Ebute said Danjuma was wrong because any Nigerian soldier that engages in acts of brigandage or molestation of civilians is now promptly disciplined accordingly under the current administration.
    Senator Ameh Ebute delivered a position paper titled “Tackling the Violence between Livestock Farmers and Cultivators in Nigeria” before an audience that consisted of Chairmen and Members of committees of the British Parliament on Human Rights, Defense, Environment, as well as African Ministers, and a cross section of delegation from Nigeria.
    He posited that “violent clashes between two sets of farmers in Nigeria, cultivators, and livestock farmers have been a major feature of the Nigerian security landscape since 2003. These clashes escalated in late 2017 with the massacre of over a hundred people at Agatu in Benue State. 2018 witnessed a further deterioration in the violence.”
    “While a responsible government has a solemn obligation to ensuring the safety of its citizens and implementing policies and programs that engender peaceful co-existence among its ethnic, regional and religious diversities of its population, it must ensure too that crisis between any two groups of its population is not exploited for the selfish and nefarious purposes of its detractors.”
    Senator Ebute further argued that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was able to make substantial gains in the fight against terrorism. “Boko Haram was routed from its Sambisa Forest stronghold. The Nigerian military recaptured Mubi, Gwoza, Baga and other major cities and villages that had been overrun by Boko Haram. Coordinated attacks by the air force and the army seriously degraded the fighting capabilities of Boko Haram.”
    “Recognizing the regional dimensions in Boko Haram activities, the Buhari administration initiated a multilateral approach to fighting against Boko Haram by entering into a regional alliance with the neighboring states of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Republic of Benin. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who had fled to those neighboring countries in the wake of Boko Haram seizure of their towns and villages returned to Nigeria.”
    Some of the most prominent military deployments included Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Sharan Daji, Operation Awatse, Operation Shirin Harbi, Harbin Kunama I, Harbin Kunama II, Operation Crocodile Smile I, Operation Python Dance I, Operation Dokaji, Operation Egwu Eke (aka Python Dance II, Operation Harbin Kunama II, Operation Whirl Stroke. These operations are against terrorism, cattle rustling, kidnappings and robberies, banditry, and sabotage of oil facilities, theft of oil, and perpetrators of livestock/cultivators violence.
    “In addition to military operations designed to end terrorism and curtail other forms of violence, the Buhari administration has promptly deployed the police to areas of violence to curtail the violence and arrest the perpetrators.”
    On the various allegations of the complicity of President Muhammadu Buhari in fueling the farmers/herders conflict, Senator Ebute posited that there is no shortage of conspiracy theories to explain the violence between livestock farmers and cultivators in Nigeria and they range from mildly misinformed attempts to explain a complicated social situation to outright falsehoods.

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    “The most often encountered of these theories blame President Buhari directly alleging that his ethnic affinity with the Fulani livestock farmers either encourages the violence or makes Buhari turn a blind eye to the violence.”  He further argued that “conspiracy theories on violence in Nigeria are given credence when otherwise respectable public figures use them as an explanatory framework for what is going on.”
    He gave the example of retired Lt. Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff, as one of the purveyors of falsehood on the efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration in tackling the farmers/herders conflict in the country.
    “Danjuma had asserted quite incorrectly that the violence in Benue and Taraba states between cultivators and livestock farmers was a result of cooperation between members of the Nigerian armed forces and renegade Fulani groups. This is certainly true. It is probable that the type of cooperation that Gen. Danjuma had described might have taken place when he was a minister of defense and the general impression that members of his group, the Jukun, rented soldiers in their violent struggle with their neighbors, the Kutebs.”
    “It was also during Danjuma’s tenure as minister of defense that soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians at ODI in Rivers State and Zaki-Biam in Benue State killing many people and burning down the entire villages. That type of behavior can longer be authorized nor tolerated. Any Nigerian soldier that engages in acts of brigandage or molestation of civilians is now promptly disciplined accordingly under the current administration.”
    Senator Ebute consequently eulogized the international community for the assistance it has rendered to the government of Nigeria in tackling its security challenges. “the government and people of Nigeria appreciate the help it has received from the international community, but the international community can do more to help Nigeria tackle its security challenges.”
    “The Nigerian armed forces need arms, ammunition, actionable intelligence to deal with Boko Haram and other security issues. Nigeria is trying to revamp its small defense industry and cannot yet manufacture all the military equipment it needs. It is important for Britain and other international partners to supply needed weapons and materials to Nigeria. Nigeria is not calling for foreign troops on its soil. Nigerians will do the fighting themselves. Terrorism is a global problem and must be tackled globally”.

  • Army uncovers Boko Haram logistics suppliers in Borno

    Boko Haram logistics supply syndicates, including loggers and charcoal dealers have been uncovered in Borno State, the military said yesterday.

    Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division Brig.-Gen. Bulama Biu made the disclosure in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri, the state capital.

    Brig.-Gen Biu, who was reacting to the ban imposed on the supply of firewood and charcoal in the Northeastern state, said that intelligence report indicated that some dealers in Maiduguri were hiding under the guise of firewood trade to aid the insurgents.

    He said: “Some of them are errand boys of the Boko Haram insurgents. They hide food items, drugs, petrol and other items beneath their trucks, and supplied them to the terrorists.

    “We also found out that some of them are running businesses on behalf of the Boko Haram insurgents. They go deep into the forest where ordinary people could not venture; to cut down trees, burn and produce charcoal.

    “This could not be possible except they are in agreement with the insurgents. We arrested some of them and they made quite revealing testimonies, we shall fish them out to put an end to their nefarious activities.”

    The Gen. explained that the ban was temporarily designed to checkmate activities of criminal elements among the dealers and not to make life difficult for firewood and charcoal users.

    He stated that the military had allowed suppliers from other states such as Oyo, Kano, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna to supply their goods under strict supervision of the command.

    The army chief called on the people to support the military and other security agencies to end insurgency as well as protect lives and property.

    On his part, Malam Maidugu Ali, the Chairman, Borno chapter of the Firewood Sellers Association of Nigeria, expressed dismay over the development.

    He expressed the association’s shock at the allegation by the military authorities.

    Maidugu said the union had engaged members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to support the military in the screening of its members before allowing them entry into Maiduguri.

    He also said that the union had adopted measures to screen vehicles conveying firewood or charcoal to Maiduguri, to check suspicious activities among its members.

    Maidugu disclosed that more than 60 members of the association were killed by the Boko Haram insurgents in the past 10 years.

    He said: “Three years ago; we also recorded an incident when the insurgents’ hijacked one of our trucks and used it for suicide bomb attack, both the driver and his boy were killed during the incident.

    “We are also victims of insurgency; we are strict in the registration of new members, any prospective person must produce two sureties before he was enrolled and engage in firewood trade.”

  • Protesters shutdown Abuja, accuse Obasanjo of plotting to sabotage Nigeria

    The international community and the Federal Government of Nigeria have been urged to question former president, Olusegun Obasanjo on his alleged plot to destabilize the country.

    The Concerned Nigerian Masses, which made this call, said Obasanjo should also be put under house arrest ahead of the general elections.

    The group said it has followed the events in the political atmosphere in Nigeria with keen interest especially as it concerns the presidential elections in Nigeria and is therefore of the opinion that urgent and proactive steps need to be taken to arrest the plot by some agents of darkness towards plunging the country into a crisis of phenomenal proportion.

    A speech delivered by Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi on behalf of Concerned Nigerian Masses on a protest march from the Unity Fountain Abuja to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, warned that if urgent steps were not taken, Nigeria might go up in flames.

    According to Ogenyi, “Without mincing words, the Concerned Nigerian Masses have it on good authority that an individual who claims to be an Elder statesman have concluded plans in cahoots with other equally unscrupulous elements to cause mayhem in the country before and after the general elections.

    ‘The Honourable Minister of Information revealed this much and we are 100% in agreement with position because it tallies with the actionable intelligence at our disposal on how armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilized to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country to suit their self-serving destabilizing the country.

    “The Concerned Nigerian Masses frowns at such displays by people that are supposed to work for the unity of Nigeria, but instead they have opted to go the devil’s way by plotting and scheming to make the country ungovernable and unstable all in an attempt to truncate our nascent democracy.

    “The Concerned Nigerian Masses, therefore, wishes to use this medium to inform the international community and by extension the federal government the Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo is the arrowhead of the destabilization plot in Nigeria, having seen that he might not get his way this time around.

    “Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has activated his network of marauding foot soldiers to ensure the smooth implementation of this evil agenda using unconventional means that would not be traced to him or any of his associates in the states they have so decided on.

    Read Also: Obasanjo and the power withdrawal syndrome

     

    “We are consequently concerned because it is the masses that would be at the receiving end of this evil agenda because Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his cohorts have built high fences in their abodes and had scores of security agents at their disposal that protects them whereas the common man and woman on the street is at the mercy of the whims and caprices of these agents of humanity.

    ‘Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has perfected the evil plot to run simultaneously across Nigeria.

    “In the form of assassinations, widespread kidnappings, ethnic and religious incitements, attacks on churches and mosques, detonation of bombs in public places such as markets and motor parks that have a large concentration of people, as well as the destruction of farms and the rustling of cattle to instigate the farmers/herders conflict and many other nefarious activities.

    “The Concerned Nigerian Masses have indeed decided that enough is enough for Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as the intelligence at our disposal indicates the coming of Armageddon in Nigeria if the federal government and the international community does not take urgent steps to thwart the move by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

    “We are consequently calling on the United States of America to declare Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as an enemy of Nigeria and humanity. We call on the international community as well to hold him solely responsible for any untoward incident that would lead to loss of lives in Nigeria before, during and after the general elections.

    “Worthy of mention that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has also activated, as part of the recruitment of mercenaries from some francophone countries to carry out coordinated attacks in some states in North West Nigeria, as well as some politicians from the zone. These mercenaries are present in Nigeria at the moment, and they are busy plotting on how best to carry out their evil agenda.

    “The world must know that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo wants to destroy Nigeria seeing that he can no longer have his way in issues of national concern. And this is evident in his numerous failed attempt to hoodwink the general public into supporting a particular candidate who has signed a pact with him.

    “This is a clarion call as well as an SOS to the relevant organs in the international community to act as a matter of necessity to question the ignoble Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who has pretended to be the messiah that Nigeria needs in the critical point of our existence.

    “The Concerned Nigerian Masses desire that our nascent democracy is protected from enemies of humanity like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The time to act is now to forestall the impending disaster waiting to happen in Nigeria.”

  • Officer, 13 soldiers killed by Boko Haram buried in Kaduna

    A captain of the Nigerian Army and 13 soldiers recently ambushed and killed by Boko Haram insurgents   in the North East were  yesterday laid to rest  at Commonwealth Military Cemetry, Kaduna.

    They were drawn from the One Mechanized Division of the army in Kaduna.

    The had run  into the Boko Haram  ambush while on escort duty along Damaturu/Maiduguri  road on December 24,2018.

    Speaking at the burial, the General Officer Commanding, (GOC) One Division, Maj-Gen Mohammed Mohammed, said the deceased “paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of this great country.”

    But he said they  did not die in vain and said:  “We will remember them forever as brave soldiers.”

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    Continuing, Mohammed said: “These enthusiastic and inspiring men, exemplified the values of our nation and the military which are loyalty, courage, selfless service, respect, honour and dignity.

    He assured  soldiers still engaged in battle with the insurgents of the ” unwavering support of the Chief of Army Staff and the leadership of our dear nation in ensuring that you are provided with necessary equipment as well as adequate welfare to carry out your duty effectively and efficiently.”

    The Commandant of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, who was at the burial approved the sum of  N500,000 (five hundred thousand naira) to each of the family of the slain soldiers