The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Buhari: Nigeria can deal with Boko Haram

    Buhari: Nigeria can deal with Boko Haram

    Former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari relived yesterday his near death experience when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy in Kaduna.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) leader said Nigeria is capable of dealing with terrorism because “we dealt with the civil war, for 30 months; we fought and we kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one.”

    To Gen. Buhari Boko Haram’s activities have nothing to do with religion or ethnicity but an act of terrorism.

    The General spoke when he received Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and members of the State Security Council at his home.

    The elder statesman said: “When this question of Boko Haram started, I’m  sure it was on record that the first statement I made about 18 months ago; I said no religion advocates what is happening. So, basically, it is no case of religion; it is neither ethnic, when they kill children in schools in the Northeast, they kill teachers, they burn churches, they burn mosques, they burn motor parks, they burn markets. Where is religion there? Where is ethnicity there? This is terrorism and I hope the government will come to grip with it.

    “Nigeria is capable of dealing with this; we dealt with the civil war, for 30 months, we fought and we kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one.

    “I commiserate with the families of those that died, because this thing was ignited at exactly when my car was almost side-by-side with this thing. I came out, there was blood on my dress. I did not know how it came about because I did not have a scratch myself, but dead bodies all over the place. The security tried to move me to the other side and we just got one of the vehicles passing and they brought me home.

    “I hope the law enforcement agencies and the chief executives of the states will succeed in securing the country. May God help us.”

    Yero prayed that God would end the insurgency.

     

  • Nigeria, Cameroon, others to battle Boko Haram with 2,800 troops

    Nigeria, Cameroon, others to battle Boko Haram with 2,800 troops

    Nigeria and three other countries have pledged to speed up the creation of a 2,800-strong regional force to tackle Boko Haram.

    Defence ministers of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger said they would each contribute 700 troops to the force.

    Niger’s Defence Minister Karidio Mahamadou said they were determined to “eradicate this curse”.

    Boko Haram’s insurgency is focused on Nigeria, but it has carried out some cross-border raids.

    It was suspected of blowing up the Ngala bridge, which lies on a key transport link between north-eastern Nigeria and Cameroon, on Wednesday.

    Cars and lorries loaded with goods are stranded on the highway, residents told the BBC.

    The regional defence ministers met in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, to hold further discussions on the growing threat posed by Boko Haram.

    In May, the four countries, whose borders meet at Lake Chad, agreed to share intelligence and coordinate border security.

    Efforts to step up regional co-operation gained momentum after Boko Haram caused an international outcry by abducting more than 200 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria.

    The girls are said to be held in the vast Sambisa forest, along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.

    Boko Haram has carried out a spate of abductions in Cameroon – including that of tourists and priests.

    Unconfirmed reports say the group has also recruited fighters from Chad and Niger.

    On Wednesday, at least 40 people were killed when two bombs exploded in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna.

    Boko Haram has not commented, but it is suspected to have carried out the attacks.

    It launched an insurgency in 2009 to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.

  • Boko Haram: We should not push our luck too far – Onaiyekan

    Boko Haram: We should not push our luck too far – Onaiyekan

    The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, on Thursday said it is time for Nigeria to tackle Boko Haram menace headlong and avoid pushing its luck too far.

    He said Nigeria had been dancing on the brink of chaos for too long except for the grace of God sustaining it.

    The Catholic Archbishop said the insurgency is a symptom of a wider disease which must be urgently addressed.

    He also warned against sliding the nation’s democracy towards a one-party state.

    He said one-party system had never worked in any part of Africa.

    Onaiyekan gave the warning in an extempore address during a courtesy call on him by a delegation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which was led by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    He said: “I believe that God has been with Nigeria for so long. We have been dancing on the brink of chaos and somehow He accepts us not to fall over. But we should not push our luck too far.

    “Boko Haram in my view is a symptom of a wider disease and I hope we know that. And if we don’t tackle that wider disease, we might finish with Boko Haram and move on to another.

    “Meanwhile, we should do our best to rid our country of this menace which, as Chief Oyegun said, has taken over all of us. Every part of Nigeria has been taken over even though the epicenter is in a particular angle.

    “I am now 70 years old and I have seen the most important stages in the development of this our country. I was born into the colonial era. I schooled during the transition between the colonial and independent nation.

    “And I have seen all the different changes, tumbling and fumbling that we are going through between the 1960 and to date. One thing that has become clear in my mind is whatever anybody is saying something has happened in this country. We do have a country called Nigeria, and I believe that it is a viable project. There are challenges of course no doubt. There are dislocations, no doubt about it. The fact is there are contradictions, it is very glaring.

    ” Often, deliberately, they injected the contradictions into the system to cause confusion, but once we believe that we want to live in one country, our efforts should be made towards arriving such a way that our differences can be appreciated, and we do all we can, not to disorganize ourselves.

    “Above all, avoid utter chaos. We are looking television to see what happens when things fall apart. Unfortunately when that happens it is not people like you and I that will suffer most, it is the poor people, who have nowhere to run to and who don’t understand why things are not going well.”

    Onaiyekan said Nigeria has every cause to have a viable democracy.

    He also warned against the danger of rigging elections, claiming that such indulgence is worst than military dictatorship.

    He added: “Democracy has its ways. It is not the only way for ruling. But it is considered the best way. We still have some kind of monarchy like in Britain, Netherlands and Spain. We also have modern democracy involving political parties presenting themselves to people with manifestos which constitute programmes for them.”

  • Jonathan’s handling of security embarrassing, poor – Sylva

    Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, on Thursday frowned at President Goodluck Jonathan’s handling of security situation in Nigeria.

    Sylva lambasted President Jonathan, describing his approach to security issues as poor, embarrassing and partisan.

    The former governor, who is also a leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mr. Duofie Buokoribo, condemned the bloody attack on the convoy of the APC National Leader and former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Sylva described “the apparent assassination attempt on Buhari” as “a spineless assault on the voice of conscience in Nigeria by bigoted terrorists and their political sponsors seeking evil attention.”

    Noting that Nigerians, by their traditions and religions, are naturally peaceful people, Sylva said persons promoting “this campaign of death and destruction” would surely be punished by God and men.

    He insisted that Nigerians were frustrated with the way the Federal Government was handling the menace of insurgency.

    He said: “The terrorists appear to have been left to ride roughshod on the country and its citizens by a federal government that chooses extreme partisanship over proactive measures to secure life and property.

    “We are embarrassed by President Jonathan’s poor handling of the security problem and a situation where the government has allowed its sense of partisanship to overshadow the needed political, economic, and social will to tackle the insurgency.”

    According to Sylva, in civilised societies, opposition leaders enjoy more protection from the government than even those in government.

    “Murder is the worst form of censorship and this government has become increasingly notorious for attempting to permanently silence voices of opposition,” he lamented.

     

  • Timeline of Boko Haram attacks

    Timeline of Boko Haram attacks

    July 23: The Boko Haram insurgents attacked Kaduna killing about 39 people and injuring many others

    July 14, 2014: The insurgents descended on  Borno killing over 26 people and injuring many others

    June 23, 2014: Boko Haram attacked the city Kano killing over 12 people and injuring manyothers

    June 1, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Mudi killing over 40 people and injuring many others

    May 31, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Kala Balge killing 40 people and injuring several others

    May 27, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Borno killing 48 people and injuring several others

    May 25, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Yobe killing 54 people and injuring several others

    May 21, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Chikongudo killing 25 people and injuring several others

    May 20, 2014: Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram attacked Jos killing 108 and injuring 56

    May 18, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Kano killing 4 people and injuring several others

    May 5, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Gamboru Ngala killing several people and injuring several others

    May 1, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Abuja killing 19 people and injuring several others

    April 14, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Abuja killing 88 people and injuring several others

    April 10, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Dikwa killing 8 people and injuring several others

    April 10, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Bala Balge killing 60 people and injuring several others

    March 1, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Mainokri killing 39 people and injuring several others

    March 1, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Maiduguri killing 51 people and injuring several others

    February 25, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Buni Yadi killing 59 people  and injuring several others

    February 19, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Bama killing 60 people and injuring several others

    February 16, 2014:: Boko Haram attacked a village in Borno killing 90 and injuring several others

    February 12, 2014: Boko Haram attacked Konduga killing 39 people and injuring several others

    July 6, 2013: Boko Haram attacked Yobe killing 42 people and injuring several others

    May 7, 2013: Boko Haram attacked Bama killing 55 and injuring several others

    July 30, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Zaria killing 5 and injuring several others

    June 3, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Bauchi killing 12 and injuring several others

    April 30, 2012: Gunmen attacked Taraba killing 11 and injuring several others

    April 29, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Bayero University, Kano killing 16 and injuring several others

    April 26, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Abuja killing six and injuring several others

    April 25, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Maiduguri Police Headquaters killing seven and injuring many

    April 8, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Kaduna killing 40 and injuring several others

    April 8, 2012: Boko Haram attacked another church in Jos killing 20 and injuring several others

    March 24, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Kano killing two and injuring unspecified number of people

    March 11, 2012: Boko Haram attacked a church in Jos killing 10 and injuring several others

    February 3, 2012:  Boko Haram attacked a police station in Kogi State killing four people

    Jan 22, 2012: Boko Haram attacked Bauchi, killing 11 people and injuring several others

    18 Jan 2012: A key suspect in the 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Abuja, which killed more than 40 people, escapes police custody.

    17 Jan 2012: Two soldiers and four BH gunmen are killed in an attack on a military checkpoint in Maiduguri, Borno State. Soldiers arrest six high-profile BH members in a raid on a sect hideout in the city.

    13 Jan 2012: Boko Haram kills four and injures two others, including a policeman, in two separate attacks on pubs in Yola (Adawama State) and Gombe city in neighbouring Gombe State.

    11 Jan 2012: Four Christians killed by Boko Haram gunmen in Potiskum, Yobe State, when gunmen open fire on their car as they stop for fuel. The victims had been fleeing Maiduguri to their home town in eastern Nigeria.

    10 Jan 2012: A Boko Haram attack on a beer garden kills eight, including five policemen and a teenage girl, in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State.

    9 Jan 2012: Boko Haram gunmen shoot dead a secret police operative along with his civilian friend as they leave a mosque in Biu, Borno State, 200km south of the state capital, Maiduguri. The president says BH has infiltrated the executive, parliamentary and judicial wings of government.

    7 Jan 2012: Three Christian poker players are killed and seven others wounded by BH gunmen in the town of Biu.

    6 Jan 2012: Eight worshippers are killed in a shooting attack on a church in Yola. Boko Haram gunmen shoot dead 17 Christian mourners in the town of Mubi in the northeastern state of Adamawa. The victims are friends and relations of one of five people killed in a BH attack on a hotel the previous day.

    5 Jan 2012: Six worshippers are killed and 10 others wounded when Boko Haram gunmen attack a church in Gombe city.

    3 Jan 2012: Boko Haram gunmen attack a police station in the town of Birniwa in Jigawa State killing a teenage girl and wounding a police officer.

     1 Jan 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan imposes a state of emergency on 15 local government areas hardest-hit by BH attacks, in Borno, Yobe and Plateau states. He orders the closure of Nigerian borders in the north.

    30 Dec 2011: Four Muslim worshippers are killed in a BH bomb and shooting attack targeting a military checkpoint in Maiduguri as worshippers leave a mosque after attending Friday prayers.

    28 Dec 2011: A bombing and shooting attack by BH on a beer parlour in the town of Mubi, Adamawa State, wounds 15.

    25 Dec 2011: A Christmas Day BH bomb attack on Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla town near Abuja kills 42 worshippers. Three secret police (SSS) operatives and a BH bomber are killed in a suicide attack when the bomber rams his bomb-laden car into a military convoy at the gates of SSS headquarters in Damaturu. A policeman is killed in a botched BH bomb attack on a church in the Ray Field area of Jos, capital of Plateau State.

    22 Dec 2011: BH bombs in parts of Maiduguri kill 20. Four policemen and a civilian are killed in gun and bomb attacks on a police building in Potiskum, Yobe State. Around 100 are killed following multiple bomb and shooting attacks by BH gunmen and ensuing gun battles with troops in the Pompomari outskirts of Damaturu.

    19 Dec 2011: One suspected BH member dies and two others wounded in an accidental explosion while assembling a home-made bomb in a hideout in Damaturu.

    17 Dec 2011: A shootout between sect members and policemen following a raid on the hideout of a BH sect leader in the Darmanawa area of Kano State kills seven, including three police officers. Police arrest 14 BH suspects and seize large amount of arms and bombs. Three BH members die in an accidental explosion while assembling home-made bombs in a hideout on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

    13 Dec 2011: A bomb attack on a military checkpoint by BH and resulting shooting by soldiers in Maiduguri leaves 10 dead and 30 injured.

    7 Dec 2011: An explosion linked to BH kills eight in the Oriyapata district of Kaduna city.

    4 Dec 2011: A soldier, a policeman and a civilian are killed in bomb and gun attacks on police buildings and two banks in Azare, Bauchi State. BH open fire at a wedding in Maiduguri, killing the groom and a guest.

    27 Nov 2011: A Borno State protocol officer in the office of the governor is shot dead by motorcycle-riding sect members while driving home.

     26 Nov 2011: Three policemen and a civilian are wounded in BH bomb and shooting attacks in Geidam, Yobe State. Six churches, a police station, a beer parlour, a shopping complex, a high court, a local council building and 11 cars are burnt in the attacks.

    9 Nov 2011: BH members bomb a police station and the office of Nigeria’s road safety agency in Maina village, Borno State. No one is hurt.

    4 Nov 2011: The motorcade of Borno State governor Kashim Shettima comes under BH bomb attack in Maiduguri on its way from the airport to the governor’s residence as he returns from a trip to Abuja. Around 150 are killed in coordinated BH bombing and shooting attacks on police facilities in Damaturu and Potiskum in Yobe State. Two BH suicide-bombers blow themselves up outside the military Joint Task Force headquarters in Maiduguri in a botched suicide attack.

    2 Nov 2011: A soldier on duty is shot dead by sect members outside Maiduguri’s main market.

    November 2011: BH says it will not dialogue with the government until all of its members who have been arrested are released.

    29 Oct 2011: BH gunmen shoot dead Muslim cleric Sheikh Ali Jana’a outside his home in the Bulabulin Ngarnam neighbourhood of Maiduguri. Jana’a is known to have provided information to security forces regarding the sect.

    25 Oct 2011: A policeman is shot dead in his house in a targeted attack by BH gunmen in Damaturu.

    23 Oct 2011: Sect members open fire on a market in the town of Katari in Kaduna State, killing two.

    23 Oct 2011: BH members kill a policeman and a bank security guard in bombing and shooting attacks on a police station and two banks in Saminaka, Kaduna State.

    3 October 2011: Three killed in BH attacks on Baga market in Maiduguri, Borno State. The victims included a tea-seller, a drug store owner and a passer-by.

    1 October 2011: A butcher and his assistant are killed by BH gunmen at Baga market in Maiduguri in a targeted killing. In a separate incident, three people are killed in a shoot-out following BH bomb and shooting attacks on a military patrol vehicle delivering food to soldiers at a checkpoint in Maiduguri. All three victims are civilians.

     17 September 2011: Babakura Fugu, brother-in-law to slain BH leader Mohammed Yusuf, is shot dead outside his house in Maiduguri two days after attending a peace meeting with Nigeria’s ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the city. BH denies any involvement in the incident.

     13 September 2011: Four soldiers shot and wounded in an ambush by BH members in Maiduguri shortly after the arrest of 15 sect members in military raids on BH hideouts in the city.

    12 September 2011: Seven men, including four policemen, are killed by BH gunmen in bomb and shooting attacks on a police station and a bank in Misau, Bauchi State. The attackers rob the bank.

    4 September 2011: Muslim cleric Malam Dala shot dead by two BH members outside his home in the Zinnari area of Maiduguri.

    1 September 2011: A shootout between BH gunmen and soldiers in Song, Adamawa State, kills one sect members while another is injured and captured.

    26 August 2011: BH claims responsibility for a suicide bomb blast on the UN compound in Abuja, killing 23 people.

    25 August 2011: Gun and bomb attacks by BH on two police stations and two banks in Gombi, Adamawa State, kill at least 16 people, including seven policemen.

     3 August 2011: The government rejects negotiations with BH.

    July 2011: Government says it will open a negotiation panel to initiate negotiations with BH.

    27 June 2011: BH’s gun and bomb attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri leaves at least 25 dead and dozens injured.

    20 June 2011: Seven people including five policemen killed in gun and bomb attacks on a police station and a bank in Kankara, Katsina State.

    16 June 2011: BH targets national police headquarters in Abuja, killing two.

     7 June 2011: Attacks on a church and two police posts in Maiduguri, blamed on the sect, leave at least 14 dead.

     6 June 2011: Muslim cleric Ibrahim Birkuti, critical of BH, shot dead by two motorcycle-riding BH gunmen outside his house in Biu, 200km from Maiduguri.

    29 May 2011: Three bombs rip through a beer garden in a military barracks in the northern city of Bauchi, killing 13 and wounding 33. BH claims responsibility.

    27 May 2011: A group of around 70 suspected BH gunmen kill eight people including four policemen in simultaneous gun and bomb attacks on a police station, a police barracks and a bank in Damboa, Borno State, near the border with Chad.

    29 December 2010: Suspected BH gunmen shoot dead eight people in Maiduguri, including the governorship candidate of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Borno State.

     24 and 27 December 2010: A series of attacks claimed by BH in the central city of Jos and Maiduguri kill at least 86.

    7 September 2010: A group of BH gunmen free over 700 inmates including around 100 sect members from a prison in Bauchi. Four people including a soldier, one policeman and two residents were killed in the raid.

    26 July 2009: BH launches a short-lived uprising in parts of the north, which is quelled by a military crackdown that leaves more than 800 dead – mostly sect members, including BH leader Mohammed Yusuf. A mosque in the capital of Borno State (Maiduguri) that served as a sect headquarters is burnt down.

    11-12 June 2009: BH leader Mohammed Yusuf threatens reprisals in a video recording to the president following the killing of 17 BH members in a joint military and police operation in Borno State. This was after a disagreement over BH members’ alleged refusal to use crash helmets while in a funeral procession to bury members who had died in a car accident.

  • Army chief on why military can’t stop Boko Haram

    Army chief on why military can’t stop Boko Haram

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen. Kenneth Minimah  said yesterday that the military has not been able to quell Boko Haram insurgency because military personnel were not trained to fight unconventional war like Boko Haram.

    Minimah spoke at the 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment. He was addressing a troop of 280 soldiers as part of his ongoing familiarisation tour.

    He said that while military personnel were trained to fight known enemies from opposing camps, Boko Haram members are enemies within, whose singular mission is to die, not fight.

    “Boko Haram terrorists come to die not fight. It is a new warfare which military personnel are not trained in. They carry explosives to blow up anyone around. They load hilux with bombs and run into troops with them.

    “It is not a conventional war. You do not see nor know the enemy you are fighting. It is an enemy within war in which case a mother is loyal to the government, child to Boko Haram while the father sits on the fence.

    “But we are on top of the situation and God willing, we will defeat them soon,” he said.

    Lt Gen. Minimah disclosed that a mass burial has been approved for soldiers who died in the course of operations in the northeast, just as he urged the troops to call and encourage their colleagues fighting the terrorists.

    He disclosed that medicare for wounded persons has improved, adding that the materials to be used for the new uniforms and camouflage, which would be ready this year, would be produced in Nigeria to ensure uniformity.

    “We are making uniform materials in Nigeria because we no longer want a situation whereby your uniforms will have different colours or people wearing different boots.

    “Also, by doing that, we will be creating employment and ensuring efficiency,” he said.

    The army chief, who reiterated the need for personnel to respect the rule of law, also directed that seniority especially at the junior leadership cadre must be reignited.

    On army personnel who do not dress properly in their full military regalia, Minimah said they shall not be spared when caught.

    “Do not smear army’s image. Dress fully in the army uniform. Do not mix military regalia with civilian clothes. There is no hybrid of the two, so that when the need arise, you would be properly identified.

    “The soldier in Lagos, which led to the BRT issue, was not properly dressed.  I know we have a few bad eggs and we would rid ourselves of them. Try as much as possible to keep off the BRT lanes, if possible, leave your homes early enough. Being a soldier does not put you above the law of the state or federal government.”

    Responding to a request by a soldier that children of army personnel should be given automatic entry into the force and not treated at par with those of civilians, Minimah said the army should not be exclusive preserve of children of service personnel.

    “We will strive to improve our system. I share in the feeling that our children should be encouraged to come into the force, but there should be equal opportunity with children of civilians who want to serve their fatherland,” he said.

  • Cleric carpets Boko Haram

    Cleric carpets Boko Haram

    The Chief Imam of Offa, Kwara State Sheikh Muhydeen Salima has chided Boko Haram for causing havoc in the society. He faulted those linking Islam with the insurgent, saying Islam is a religion of peace and it maintained its peace among other religions.

    Salima who spoke in Ijebu ode at the 30th anniversary and annual Ramadan lecture of the National Council for Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) said it is high time people rise against insurgency regardless of their religion and ethnic background.

    The clergy who condemned the activities of the insurgents called on Muslims to be united and cooperate with relevant agents of government to overcome the security challenges facing the country.

    “Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam because Islam do not teaches people to kill, maim and cause great havoc on the lives of their fellow beings,” he said.

    He enjoined Muslims not to stop seeking for knowledge which he noted is a major instrument of religion and liberation.

    According to him, “Islam implore us to engage in learning and improve our education status even if our teachers are not Muslim. Education is what we need for our liberation.”

  • Bauchi hosting 2 million displaced people, says governor

    Bauchi hosting 2 million displaced people, says governor

    Bauchi State is hosting over two million Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) from Boko Haram insurgency-hit neigbouring Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, Governor Isa Yuguda said yesterday.

    Yuguda spoke after the meeting between the government team led by President Goodluck Jonathan and parents/pupils of Chibok Girls Secondary School at the Aso Villa.

    He said: “It’s been a major challenge. You know Bauchi is surrounded by all the states having security challenges and many have been pouring into it. At present, we have over two million refugees (displaced persons) in Bauchi, but the good news is that we have been able to settle them down. No refugee is in any camp. We have given them land to settle, some shelter for them. We have tried our best to provide water and some basic facilities so that they can start life over again.

    “It’s not been easy; our resources are over stretched. The little we have had to be shared with the refugees (displaced persons).”

    On whether the state is getting any assistance from any quarters, Yuguda said: “We are looking forward to some support. Only recently we received some items – food, blankets from NEMA, but we need a lot more. I’m sure these guys are not going back to where they came from, they have settled and settled permanently and I think the Federal Government should take on that and see how they can be properly resettled.”

    Minister of Education Ibrahim Shakarau, said the time the President was meeting the girls and parents, which is 99 days after the abduction, should not really matter, but what is being done over the issue.

    He said: “It is not a question of how many days, not a question of how long; it is a question of what is being done. And as various government spokesmen have been saying, this is a very serious matter of security. Some people call it a war and when you are talking of war, strategies to win the war, it’s not all of those strategies that would be on the streets.

    “I think we should appreciate this and rather than counting the days and how long, I think we should be concerned with how much effort is being made and we should jointly pray for this struggle.

    “Another important aspect is for us to emphasise the de-politisation of the issue. It is a matter of concern for all. I’m particularly more concerned that we are talking about girls and this is my area of concern. It happened in school, it happened to pupils so it is our concern that everything should be done for those now home to continue their education.

    “The meeting was intended to be an interactive session for Mr. President to listen to the parents, community leaders and, most importantly, to some of the girls that escaped from the Sambisa forest. The parents were happy to listen to the President assuring them of the commitment, of the determination of government to rescue the abducted girls and in particular assuring those of them that are now back with their parents of the continuation of their education and protection of lives and properties.”

    Those at the meeting yesterday include Senate President David Mark; Borno and Bauchi state governors, principal of the school, Asabe Kwambura.

    Others were Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala;  Minister of Information Labaran Maku; Minister of Water Resources Mrs Sarah Ochekpe and Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Mrs Sarah Jibril.

     

  • We’ll chase away Boko Haram, says Army chief

    We’ll chase away Boko Haram, says Army chief

    •Warns personnel to stay off BRT lanes

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has said the military will soon chase away Boko Haram insurgents from the land.

    Minimah spoke yesterday in Lagos at the kick-off of his maiden familiarisation tour as the Army chief.

    He said the army had been paying the allowances of troops engaged in the Northeast operations against Boko Haram.

    Addressing troops at the 65 Battalion at Bonny Camp on Victoria Island, Lagos, Minimah said: “We are on top of the Northeast campaign. Forces of evil will be diminished when there is collaboration between the military and the society. Terrorism is not a day’s thing because terrorists have extremists’ characters that need to be purged out.

    “This requires a collective effort, and we must close ranks as a people to defeat the sect.

    “I am aware that military personnel in other parts of the world are given certain preferences, such as discounts, when they buy things at the mall or given seats first in public transportation.

    “We are working towards that. But we need to first chase those terrorists out of our nation. We, as soldiers, can walk on the streets and be appreciated by the Nigerian people.”

    The Army chief warned personnel to avoid illegality or risk being sacked.

    Minimah warned soldiers in Lagos to keep off the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) lanes, adding that the lanes were created to ease traffic and encourage people to use public transportation.

    He said: “I am here to meet you, caution and appeal to you all so that we can chart a new course.

    “In Lagos, you have good people, bad people and criminals. Copy the good people. Do away with the bad ones and chase away criminals. Always remember that we have a good name to protect. Be of good conduct in and out of the uniform. Conduct yourselves very well, even during your leisure.

    “It is our duty to respect BRT lanes. Do not use the lanes, because they are meant to lessen traffic congestion and encourage public transportation. Try not to allow hoodlums to hijack anything that involves soldiers.

    “Do not be associated with questionable movements, friends or activities. Respect the rule of law and state laws. Obedience and good conduct are greatest attributes of a disciplined force, like the army.

    “Illegal duties, including land disputes or debt collections, are prohibited. Do not assist any of your friends to reclaim debt or anything illegal. When they call you for such things, use your brain and turn them down, instead of risking your job.

    “You must be loyal to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the constitution, the President, the society and your family.”

     

  • ‘15,000 fled from Boko Haram attack’

    More than 15,000 people have fled an area around the northeast town of Damboa after a spate of lethal assaults by Boko Haram fighters during the weekend, the emergency services said.

    Suspected terrorists raided Damboa on Friday and Saturday, shooting dead more than 40 residents and burning houses, part of a pattern of killing that has forced tens of thousands to flee this year. They also attacked six nearby villages.

    Boko Haram, which is fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria, has ceaselessly targeted civilians this year in rural parts of Borno State, where its fighters fled after a military offensive dislodged them from the cities, Reuters says.

    Abdulkair Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Borno, said the agency had records of 15,204 people who had fled Damboa and the six villages -Kimba, Madaragrau, Mandafuma, Chikwar Kir, Bomburatai and Sabon Kwatta.

    Addressing journalists in the capital Abuja on Monday, Defence spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade, denied that Boko Haram had taken over Damboa and the surrounding areas, when asked about reports that the military had fled and the insurgents had hoisted their black flags in the town.

    “We are not conceding any portion of this country to any terrorist group,” he said. “Our patrols are active and they are stepping up their activities to reverse any insecurity there,” he stated.