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Tag: boko haram

  • Boko Haram: Pilot of ill-fated chopper dies a month into marriage

    THE pilot of the Nigerian Air Force helicopter that crashed in combat against Boko Haram on Wednesday was only 25 days into his marriage when he lost his life defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

    The Bayelsa born Flight Lieutenant Perowei Jacob died alongside Flight Lieutenant Kaltho Paul Kilyofas ,the Co-Pilot; Sergeant Auwal Ibrahim, Flight Technician; Lance Corporal Adamu Nura, Gunner; and Aircraftman Meshack Ishmael, Gunner, when their Mi-35M helicopter crashed while providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion, Damasak in Borno State.

    Jacob got married only on December 8, 2018.

    Nigerians have taken to the social media to pay tribute to him and other victims for their gallantry and patriotism.

    Deronke Eunice Abebi writing on her Facebook wall said  of him: “Flight Lieutenant Pereowei Jacob got married on the 8th of December, 2018, he died on the 2nd of January 2019, while providing cover in fighter Jet for troops battling Boko Haram terrorists.

    “Making his young beautiful wife a widow after three weeks and two days of marital bliss.

    May his soul find rest.”

    Miebi Senge said: “Unfortunate, but he’s a soldier. Farewell, Flt.Lt. Pereowei Jacob, while Rotimi Adebayo wrote: “May the Almighty God grants his great soul eternal bliss and grants his family the fortitude to bear his loss.”

    In a condolence message on Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari said the sacrifice of the fighters will never be in vain.

    “These fine officers and men lost their lives striving to guarantee our safety and protection as a people and a nation,” the President said.

  • Shettima: How I funded civilian JTF alone for 6 years

    The Special Adviser to Borno State Governor on Communication and Strategy, Mr. Isa Gusau, has explained that his principal, Governor Kashim Shettima, has consistently and solely funded over 20,000 Civilian JTF fighters in Borno State in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency since 2013.

    According to the governor’s adviser who spoke during an interview with Arise TV in Lagos, the governor is still faced with some political mischief makers under-playing the commitment of the governor to the Boko Haram problem.

    Gusau noted that the contributions of the more than 20,000 volunteers of the civilian JTF has been  overwhelming  in the fight against Boko Haram which he said is widely  “acknowledged by the military, all other security stakeholders, past and incumbent federal administrations as well as residents of Borno State.”

    He added that, “Civilian JTF play crucial roles in intelligence gathering,  easy identification and arrest of suspected insurgents and supporting the military in the war fronts.”

    Gusau dismissed as an irony that in recent days some; “mischief makers are doing everything possible to smear Governor Shettima over the Boko Haram crisis, whereas the same mischief makers regularly acknowledge the roles played by patriotic members of the civilian JTF.

    “They deliberately ignore the fact that in the last six years, Governor Shettima has been the sole person giving approval for the operational vehicles and logistics, recruitment, training, payment of allowances, kitting and surveillance equipment to these over 20,000 heroes, under the Civilian JTF that have given everything to the fight against Boko Haram. The mischief makers ignore that back in 2013, it was Governor Shettima who drove the process of getting the office of the National Security Adviser to approve the operational activities of the Civilian JTF and he has remained the only one funding all their operations including the coordination of their recruitment and deployments after clearance by the DSS. The same Governor approves funds to support gallant members of the Civilian JTF including allocation of lands to own houses so as to encourage them and guarantee their future,” Gusau noted.

    He also disclosed that  “the sole financiers of the CJTF, Governor Shettima has from 2011 to date, been consistently according extraordinary support to the military, the police, DSS and all para-military organisations. He said the military has consistently and publicly acknowledged the extreme support they get from Shettima.

    “Only last month, the Chief of Army Staff at the closing of his annual conference in Maiduguri and before the media, described as “overwhelming”, the commitment of Governor Kashim Shettima to the Nigerian Army in the fight against Boko Haram.

    “Similarly, I remember that in 2014, then Director of Operations at the Defence headquarters, Major General Lawrence Ndugbane (now retired) said before the media, that Kashim Shettima is one of the Governors who helps the military to generate actionable intelligence through the Governor’s regular interactions with community leaders in Borno State. These are all on record. So, attempts by anyone to change these public records will, like previous other attempts, become futile exercises,” he said.

     

  • Suspected Boko Haram commander opens up on BLOODY EXPLOITS

    A suspected top commander of the terror sect, Boko Haram, has opened up on his bloody exploits in the course of running different missions for the group.

    Umar Abdulmalik, who is now in the custody of the police following his arrest penultimate Thursday, has also told of how he joined the sect and how he masterminded bomb attacks and robberies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Owo in Ondo State, and Lokoja, Kogi State. Abdulmalik was arrested in Lagos by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT). According to the 30-year-old native of Okene, Kogi State, he was recruited into Boko Haram by an Islamic cleric, one Mustapha, who also indoctrinated him.

    Mustapha had moved to Okene around 2009, built a mosque and began urging people to shun western education, which he branded a sin against Allah. Islamic education, in his view, was the only acceptable mode of education to Allah. Abudulmalik said he fell for Mustapha’s brand of Islam and soon joined other Mustapha’s followers to destroy their school certificates, and also agreed to wage war against the Nigeria State. His words: “I joined one of the Boko Haram cells in Okene headed by one Zeeidi and we carried out several bombings within Kaduna, Kano and Abuja.

    Zeeidi was the person providing the bombs and my job then was to take them to our target locations. “After a while, the Department of State Security infiltrated our cell and they started arresting members of our group and Mallam Mustapha was arrested and his mosque was demolished. “Zeedi also brought the idea of bank robbery so that those of us who had not been arrested could have the resources to continue with the Jihad. “He brought some guns and he suggested we should attack the Kotonkarfe Prison in Kogi State, so we could free our members who were detained there.

    “The attack on the prison was successful and we freed a lot of our members and immediately attacked some banks in Okene and emptied all the money therein. “Then, we moved to Owo (Ondo State) and also attacked some of the banks there with dynamites and carted away large sums of money.  We used some of the money we made from those robberies to buy advanced explosives, including materials we could use in producing none-metallic bombs that could beat metal detectors. “A lot of our members, including Zeedi, were arrested after those bank robberies and the attack on prison.

    “Then I moved to Abuja with the bombs we produced and I formed a new cell in 2014 and we carried out several bombings, including those at Banex Plaza, Nyanya and Kuje areas of Abuja, but unfortunately our gang was busted and five of our gang members were arrested and our bombs, including the none-metallic and the materials we were using in making them, were recovered. “I escaped, fled to Kano and I went underground for two years before I returned to Abuja and formed a new gang and we went into full blown armed robbery.” “After I formed my new robbery gang, we robbed a woman of N500,000, which was her saving   from a contribution she had with some women. One of our gang members who got information about the money told me about it and we robbed the woman and took the money.

    “We also robbed a man at an Okene check point. We pretended to be policemen and we collected N1.3million from the man. We then moved to Abuja where we started robbing supermarkets, including their customers. “We also killed a policeman at Shoprite in Suleja and we took his rifle away.  We also robbed a shop along Second Gate on the Abuja-Kaduna Road. “There was this dismissed policeman known as Apin-Iron, who was dismissed for taking part in armed robbery.

    Iron has two AK-47s and a pistol which he uses to intercept and seize illicit drugs from people trying to smuggle it into Abuja. We normally visit his place to buy and ‘smoke’ drugs and we became friends.  During one of our visits, he told us that he knew several rich people we could rob and what we needed to do was to give him his share of the loot.

    He gave us information of a man who we robbed and took the sum of N5million from. “We gave Apin-Iron the sum of N2.5m as his share because that was what he demanded.  He also gave us several other jobs before I had an accident and damaged one of my eyes.

    “There was this Mustapha who was an internet fraudster and he was making money, but he started having issues with some cultists within his area and he brought in the police to arrest the boys but the boys were released and the boys came back disturbing him. So, he came to me and said he needed my boys to protect him and I told him if that would be possible, he would have to buy my boys two AK-47s. “He agreed and bought us the guns, then my boys, Lampard and Abubakar, started moving around with him in military uniforms. “When people

    saw them, they would think that they were soldiers.  So, he wanted my boys to kill the cultist and a nurse treating him because the nurse entered his house and saw him performing rituals  and the woman went to tell people that he was using charms to make his money. “My boys told me about the job and I told them not to kill anyone and he became angry with me.

    I am suspecting he was the person that went to inform the police about my gang”. Continuing, Abdulmalik said: “After I lost one of my eyes I was in the hospital but my boys were still going for robbery and they were only bringing money to me. I wasn’t with them when they killed the seven policemen at Galadima roundabout. I was in the hospital. “After I was discharged, I had not gone for any robbery with them but the police later arrested Lampard and Abubakar and they brought the policemen to my house. I had an AK-47 rifle with me when the police came and I fired some shots, which made it easy for me to escape but the police returned fire and I got injured.

    “I managed to escape to Sango Ota, Ogun State, where my sister resides and I later learned that the police went on to arrest Fine-Boy and Abubakar and Sulieman. “A guy known as Scorpion called and informed me. I don’t know how the police knew I was in my sister’s place, they found me sleeping and I was arrested.” Police sources said that the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, in the course of investigating the gruesome killing of seven policemen and a civilian at Galadima Roundabout, Abuja in July 2018, arrested a member of the gang identified as Luckman Abdulmalik, alias Lampard, through a tip-off in Ondo State. The suspect confessed to taking part in the killing of the seven policemen and took the IRT operatives to the gang’s hideout in Abuja where four other members identified as Abubakar Bello Sidi, Yusuf Abdulazeez alias, Fine Boy, Suleman Zakariya and Haruna Lamid, were arrested. Abdulmalik escaped with a bullet wound.

    Four AK-47s seized from slain policemen, six magazines, 270 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and two police walkie talkies were recovered from the suspects. It was gathered that Abdulmalik, with his bullet wound, fled to his nurse sister in Lagos for treatment. Unknown to him, IRT operatives in Lagos had received information that he had a sister residing in Lagos. They trailed him to her house where he was found sleeping and arrested.

  • Boko Haram: Don’t panic, Gaidam tell communities

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has urged communities affected by recent Boko Haram attacks not to leave their ancestral homes, assuring them of safety.

    According to the governor, in a statement by his spokesman, Abdullahi Bego, security agencies are working very hard to keep those communities and the entire state safe from insurgents’ attacks.

    The statement added that Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam is particularly worried that people Kukareta, Bunigari and Katarko are leaving their communities for fear of being attacked by the insurgents, despite that fact that he also shares with those concerned.

    Read Also: NAF neutralises scores of bandits in Zamfara

    Gaidam said he has been fully briefed by security chiefs in the state and measures taken to curtail the threats.

    According to the governor: “Following recent incidents involving Boko Haram terrorists in Kuka Reta, Katarko and Bunigari towns of the state, the Yobe State Government wishes to draw the attention of the public in the affected areas and all across the state to the heightened and continued effort of the military and other security agencies to ensure peace, security and the safety of people throughout the state.

    “The Yobe State Government therefore urges that the public remains calm and vigilant.

    “The call becomes necessary following reports that some people in the affected areas were leaving their communities for other areas due to security concerns.

    “While those concerns are understandable, the Yobe State Government urges that people should not panic or leave their communities.

    “In meetings with heads of security and law enforcement, His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has been briefed about the range of efforts that are underway – by the military and all the security agencies on the ground – to approach and contain any threats to security in the state.

    “The Yobe State Government therefore assures that the public can remain confident that those measures are intense and comprehensive and that everything necessary is being done to ensure public safety.

    “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam wishes to extend his deepest appreciation and those of the Yobe State Government to the people for their continuous cooperation with the military and other security agencies, a measure that has resulted in huge security gains at various times.

    “The governor therefore urges the people to sustain and build on this level of cooperation and continue to report to law enforcement if and when they notice anything suspicious in their communities”.

    The Nation reports that Kukareta, Bunigari and Katarko have suffered heavy attacks from the hands of Boko Haram.

    The attacks have recorded the killing of many Nigeria soldiers within a very short time.

  • Group lauds military for curbing spread of insurgency

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has commended the military authorities for ensuring that the Boko Haram insurgency did not escalate to the 2013 and 2014 level.

    The organisation gave the commendation in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Mr Cassidy Madueke on Tuesday in Abuja.

    It also solicited local support for the military authorities to enable them tackle the resurgence of Boko Haram in parts of Borno that were earlier liberated.

    The group said the feat was contrary to the impression given by opposition elements that insurgents have had more successes under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    The group said the Armed forces deserved accolades from every patriotic Nigerian rather than condemnation.

    It recalled that there was a situation where the insurgents had firm control of 20 out of 27 Local Government Areas in Borno, between 2013 and 2014.

    According to the group, Borno suffered the worst time during the period as attested by the state Governor, Kashim Shettima.

    Read Also:Army recovers 45 assorted weapons in Nasarawa

     

    “The insurgents were then known to have carved out an Islamic Caliphate that covered three North Eastern states and opted to use Gwoza, the biggest town under its control, with a population of 265,000 as the capital.

    “Boko Haram was so audacious that it targeted churches in various states on three Sundays in a row and launched bomb and gun attacks on the Kano Central Mosque, killing no fewer than 120 people.

    “This is just part of the security situation that the insurgents created before 2015 that has now been reduced to hit-and run attacks on military outposts.

    “In all these, the military rank and file deserves praises for degrading the insurgent’s fighting ability,” the group said.

    It also hailed the Buhari administration for showing political will in ensuring that the troops on the frontlines got required support, rather than being distracted by the upcoming elections.

    It maintained that under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, there had been more transparency in the purchase of military hardware including 31 aircrafts recently.

    It added that 13 aircrafts were also reactivated and were back in the air to ensure that the armed forces had the necessary air power to wipe out the insurgents.

    It commended Gov. Shettima of Borno for taking the step of inviting stakeholders including traditional rulers and artisans to an extra-ordinary security meeting.

    “The outcome of that meeting, which the governor tagged 10-point demand, has now been presented to President Buhari who reassured the delegation of his administration’s support to overcome the insurgency in the North East,” it said.

  • Troops neutralise six Boko Haram terrorists in Borno

    The Nigerian Army said last night that troops have neutralized six Boko Haram terrorists in Gawa and Boskoro villages, Mafa local government area of Borno State.

    Its spokesman, Brig Gen Sani Usman said the troops were on fighting patrol when they engaged the terrorists after credible intelligence reports established their presence in the area.

    Brig Gen Usman said in a statement :”based on credible intelligence,  troops of 112 Task Force Battalion,  22 Brigade, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, along with some members of the Civilian JTF, today, Thursday 3rd January 2019, embarked on fighting patrol to suspected Boko Haram terrorists hideouts around Gawa  and Boskoro villages, Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.

    “In the course of the patrol, the troops discovered and destroyed Boko Haram terrorists hideout. They also neutralised 6  terrorists in the area.

    “During the search on the hideout before destruction, the troops recovered 3 pieces of 36 Hand Grenade, 4 Dane Guns, and 26 rounds of Anti-Aircraft ammunition.

    Read also: Helicopter crash: Buhari condoles with Nigerian Air Force

    “They also recovered 3 Gas Cylinders and a set of Bow and Arrows. The gallant patrol team also rescued 3 women at Boskoro who were later handed over to the Internally Displaced Persons camp officials at Dikwa.
    “Impressed by their performance,  the Theatre Commander,  Operation LAFIYA DOLE,  Major General BA Akinroluyo commended the troops.

    “The Commendation was relayed to them by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, Operation LAFIYA DOLE,  Brigadier General Bulama Biu.  He further enjoined them to be more daring and clear any suspected Boko Haram terrorists hideout. “

  • Nigerien troops kill 280 Boko Haram fighters

    Troops and air strikes have killed more than 280 Boko Haram militants since the Nigerien Government started an operation against the group last week, the Defense Ministry said.

    Boko Haram has attacked Niger, Chad and Cameroon from its base in northeast Nigeria, where it has been fighting for more than nine years to carve out an Islamist caliphate.

    Niger’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the army mounted a sweep operation against the group last Friday along the south-eastern Komadugu River, which separates Niger from Nigeria.

    More than 200 militants were “neutralised” by air strikes and 87 were killed by Nigerien troops on the ground, it said.

    Read Also: NAF Helicopter lost in combat – Official

    In June 2016, more than 30 Nigerien soldiers were killed during a Boko Haram attack on the town of Bosso, prompting Chad to send 2,000 troops to help its West African neighbour counter the militants.

    Those troops were withdrawn in October 2017, raising concern about security in the Diffa region.

  • Boko Haram: Air Force strikes terrorists

    A BUILDING purportedly being used as meeting point by terrorists in Borno has been destroyed, the Nigerian Air Force claimed yesterday.

    This is as Defence Minister Brig.-Gen. Manzur Dan-Ali visited the Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole yesterday for briefing by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai and military Commanders in the Theatre.

    The minister promised to report back to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The meeting venue, in a village near Baga, Borno State, was destroyed in an air raid on Tuesday by the Air Force, which carried out air strikes after intelligence reports showed the presence of the terrorists in the building

    Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said in a statement that scores of the terrorists were neutralised during the attack.

    He said: “The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed a building being used as meeting venue by Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters near Baga in Northern Borno State.

    “The attack was conducted yesterday (Monday), 1 January 2019, after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions confirmed that the building was being used as an assembly point by the terrorists.

    “Consequently, the ATF dispatched a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the building. A direct hit was recorded on the target leading to significant damage to the structure and neutralisation of the occupants.”

    Defence Minister Mansur Dan Ali promised to deliver all the recommendations of military Commanders of Operation Lafiya Dole to the President for action.

    Some parts of the Northeast, especially Borno and Yobe, have witnessed resurgent attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in recent times.

    The minister was in Borno for briefing by the COAS and Theatre Commanders on the challenges and the way foward in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the state.

    Gen. Dan-Ali said: “The briefings are on what to know on happenings in the theater of war and what is expected of the President to do and make sure things work.

    “I will take home with all the recommendations and briefings that were done by each and every Commander here at the Military Command and Control Centre, Maiduguri.”

    The minister plans to visit the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad, for similar briefings on counter-insurgency and terrorism operations in Lake Chad region.

    The MNJTF is made up of troops drawn from neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram insurgency and secure the Lake Chad Basin.

  • Police deny its personnel protested

    The Nigeria Police Force has denied a social media report that its personnel deployed to the North East to complement the military in the fight against Boko Haram protested.

    A social media report alleged that about 2,000 personnel of the force undergoing training in the North East dropped their weapons in protest.

    A statement by the Force Spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood on Wednesday in Abuja, refuted the protest allegation.

    He said the personnel have all successfully passed out from training and have been deployed more than a week ago.

    “The force wishes to state that the video was mischievously doctored and circulated to mislead the public.

    “There was no protest by any of the 2,000 personnel undergoing Special Forces training in the North East,” he said.

    Moshood said that the personnel have been deployed to the frontline in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

    He enjoined members of the public to discountenance the video. (NAN)

  • Govt orders $877m arms to fight Boko Haram, others

    Of the $1 billion approved by the National Assembly for the procurement of military equipment, $877 million has been released, The Nation has learnt.

    There has been some controversy over the whereabouts of the money.

    Immediately after the Metele, Borno State attacks on the military last month, the controversy got bigger. Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai said the military had not received such cash from the government to boost the anti-Boko Haram and other campaigns.

    However, The Nation can confirm that $496,374,470 was released from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) for the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft from the United States. The payment has been made.

    Besides, $380,513,958.71 was released (as first tranche) for the procurement of critical equipment for the Army, the Navy and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), a source said.

    These releases along with other deductions may have contributed to the depletion of the ECA from $3.502 billion in January to $631 million in December 2018.

    Finance Minister Mrs. Zainab Ahmed attributed the “rapid” depletion of the ECA to payments made to the military as approved by the National Assembly.

    A source in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) confirmed to The Nation that $876m had since been released to the military. But the source did not give the exact date when the payout was made.

    The source also disclosed that the ECA had an opening balance of $3.502 billion in January 2018, made up of $2.451 billion as balance brought forward on the January 1, 2018 and additional inflows of $1.052 billion.

    In the course of the year, the source said that $1.761 billion was withdrawn from the ECA as refund to state governments for Paris Club deductions made in the past from the state governments accounts. Besides, $0.233 million was withdrawn and paid to state governments as grants to fund their Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) obligations.

    These deductions brought the ECA down to over $600 million balance as at the last Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in Abuja.

    Gen Buratai did not categorically say how much the military was expecting from the government but said that the government had not released funds to the military to effectively prosecute the war against insurgents across the country.

    A member of the Senate Committee on Defence said it was not aware that the fund had been released.

    He spoke of how some members of the committee made inquiries, but were not told that part of the $1 billion had been released.

    He said: “We are actually in the dark as far as the issue is concerned. It is an important issue. When the Chief of Army Staff said they had not received the money as approved by the National Assembly, some of us made enquiries.

    “May be because of the security nature of the fund, the authorities may not want details of the releases to be known. We will definitely follow up, although it may not be for public consumption because of the security implications.”

    “We may have to invite relevant authorities to brief us,” the senator, who did not want his identity disclosed, told one of our reporters.

    The House of Representatives is investigating the whereabouts of the $1 billion appropriated for the procurement of arms and equipment in the fight against Boko Haram in the Northeast and general insecurity.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of $1 billion for the procurement of security equipment.