The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Fed Govt: Release of 100 abducted girls speculative

    Fed Govt: Release of 100 abducted girls speculative

    •Journalists to get safety information before visiting Chibok

    The Federal Government has said last weekend’s reported plan to release 100 of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect is speculative.

    The Coordinator of the National Crises Information Centre, Mike Omeri, told reporters yesterday in Abuja that the government would not rely on media reports in its investigation of the abduction saga.

    He said: “We will not rely on newspaper reports in our investigation. The Federal Government is probing the statement and we will make our findings known as soon as possible.”

    The agency chief urged the media to seek guidelines on safety before visiting Chibok.

    Omeri said: “While the Federal Government appreciates the efforts of the media at adequately informing and educating the world on the current security problems in the country, we wish to inform all media organisations that the security situation around Chibok is still fluid. Presently, the affected location is an active crime scene and a military operational area.

    “Therefore, as much as the centre does not intend to restrict the activities of the media in the performance of their duty, it is strongly advised that media organisations must not take steps that will jeopardise the safety of their staff or compromise the crime scene.

    “Any media organisation wishing to visit Chibok should approach the appropriate authorities for guidance and advice in the interest of their safety.”

    The agency chief described the threat by the Boko Haram sect to attack a secondary school in Benue State as the handwork of mischief makers.

    He said the report was being verified.

    Omeri said: “This report has been confirmed in Benue State. But there are grounds to suspect that the reported threats issued by the sect to schools in Makurdi must be the handiwork of mischief makers.

    “A copy of the handwritten letter sent to schools is being investigated; security forces are not taking chances on the threat.

    “However, the security authorities have been alerted and necessary personnel deployed to the appropriate locations within the metropolis.

    “Security has already been tightened in the state; the safety of the residents and the students in the state is guaranteed.”

  • Boko Haram: ECOWAS heads of state to meet

    Boko Haram: ECOWAS heads of state to meet

    The Economic Committee on West African States (ECOWAS) has demanded that Heads of State in the region convene immediately to resolve the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The regional body plans to mandate its Committee on Peace, Security and Resolution of Conflicts to interface with states in the Northeast and the human rights community to verify reports on abuses.

    The parliament said that West African heads of states have to tackle the insurgent’s heads on because if Nigeria goes up, the entire sub region goes up and these Heads of States do not have to like Nigeria to be part of the solution.

    Executive Chairman, trade, customs and free movement of persons and Member Representing Bauchi Federal Constituency, Aliyu Gebi stated this, when he visited protesters against the abduction of over 200 girls of the Government Secondary School Chibok, in Abuja.

    Gebi said that the government had been sitting on its hands and would not have reacted to the abduction if the group and Nigerians had not protested.

    His words, “ECOWAS is no longer complacent, the parliament is no longer complacent, we are demanding that the committee on heads of states and government must convene immediately to resolve this issue, because if Nigeria goes up, then the entire sub-continent goes up, it is a necessary evil, even if they don’t like us, they have to be a part of the solution.

    “We were lucky enough today to take charge of a narrative at the ECOWAS parliament and we asked critical questions on why the ECOWAS parliament has not been as proactive as expected, why AU is silent, why we had to wait for friends across the Atlantic to come over to our own aid.

    “We are glad, you started what you started, because if you had not, i assure you, government will be sitting on their hands and nothing would have been done, classical example is, up till tomorrow, nobody is talking about the boys that were slaughtered, it was swept under the carpet, these are not the only girls that Boko Haram took, they have substantially more and it is not just young people.

    “And by virtue of the fact that the ECOWAS parliament is a combination of different countries that have expertise in the kind of situation from Liberia, Serra Leon, Mali etc. Part of the resolve is that we are going to mandate the committee on peace, security  and resolution of conflicts to interface with several components of government like the Borno State government etc.

    “The committee on human rights to interface with amnesty so that we can verify the reports on abuse etc, what we actually wanted was an adhoc committee so that we can draw up the membership from within, for example you have a committee of six people and if they are incompetent and can’t comprehend the problem then really parliament cannot act on the issue unless they bring it up to be debated.

    Gebi also said that, “ I personally do not feel there is any price that is too high to pay for the safe return of these girls and other prisoners, i have six daughters and one son, and no what i will do if any of them were to be kidnapped.

    “I assure you government is doing all that it can, government is in the process of recalibrating itself in line with international best practices to ensure that this crises is brought to an end, not only for the getting these girls back by any means necessary but to ensure that these kind of circumstance is never repeated.

    “For certain groups or government to say, X is off the table, today we are all Nigerians and from Chibok, there is nothing that should be off the table this is what you must insist, and also the failure is not only at the top, the failure started at the grassroot, if i as a representative of my people don’t know the plight of my people, how can i expect the President to know their plight, i have a councillor, Chairman, then me, then Senator before the problem becomes a federal problem.

    “I will charge you to start pushing for a registration of every student in Northern Nigeria to begin with, using biometrics, pictures, next of kins, pictures of their homes, a guardian has to sign off and several date basis so that such situation can never arise, so that at any point in  time, is someone gets missing and for instance the data base in Borno is corrupted, the data base in Abakaliki for example will be there to back it up, that has to be done immediately because if we rely on government, i think the government is a bit distracted at the moment to do this things.

    “So we have to look at it in that direction, also the complacency, wickedness and share evil characters of our Northern governors is what brought us here, if we want to change, change is not at the centre, we can keep blaming the centre because we have also been distracted and affected by certain people, change must come from the state level, our governors must be held accountable because they are the chief security officers of our states.

    “When it is election time, they know how to harass us the opposition, they know how to get the military, everybody to rig for them but when it comes to our security, they don’t know how, they blame Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, he is not the only person that is culpable, we are all part of the government, and we should be held responsible and accountable.”

    End.

     

     

  • Extension not enough

    Extension not enough

    •Devising strategies for curbing terrorism in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states should go beyond extending the emergency rule

    YESTERDAY, the emergency rule imposed on three North-Eastern states lapsed. In anticipation, President Goodluck Jonathan had, last week, made a proclamation extending it and forwarded same to the National Assembly for ratification. However, while it had a smooth sail in the House of Representatives, the Senate has deferred discussions till this week. Eminent persons, political leaders and governments of the affected states have rejected the bid to extend the emergency, arguing that equipping and boosting the morale of government troops would be more effective.

    We find it difficult to agree with the contention by the Federal Government that an extension would help curb the insurgency and save the populace from undue harassment and displacement. Since the emergency was imposed May last year, the terrorists have struck at will in schools, villages and markets. State governments have continued to wonder how convoys made their way to public places and slaughtered the innocent. In some cases, Nigerian soldiers have lamented the superiority of arms and ammunition available to the Boko Haram terrorists.

    It is our view that mere extension without a thorough review of the operations of the security forces and improvement in welfare package for the troops would be counter-productive. The recent mutiny by some soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army is an indication that something grave is happening which requires more than cosmetic attention.

    Already, having lasted more than one year, the emergency in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states is the longest in the history of such unusual situations in the country. In the First Republic when the confusion in the Western Region led to the appointment of Chief Moses Majekodunmi as administrator, with consequent conferment of extraordinary powers on him, normalcy was restored within six months. The emergency was not extended.

    In May 2004, the Federal Government imposed emergency rule on Plateau State following communal conflicts that had engulfed the state and threatened to spill to others. The tenure of General Chris Alli who was appointed the administrator was not extended after it lapsed in November.

    Similarly, in October 2006, a state of emergency was declared in Ekiti State and another retired general, Adetunji Olurin, was made the administrator. His tenure had to be slightly adjusted to cover the one-month gap to the installation of an elected governor.

    By nature, emergency periods are supposed to last only a short period. While it could be argued that the situation that called for taking the measures has not abated, it should be equally noted that the emergency has not succeeded in ridding the territory of the terrorists.

    We also note that in none of the previous cases did the emergency rule cure the society of the ills that provoked such extraordinary measures. In the current case, the ease with which the insurgents, especially the outrageous recent kidnap of about 273 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, calls for a new approach by the military and civil authorities. Whether the emergency is extended or not, security of lives and property in the affected states and the contiguous region should be paramount.

    If two terms of the emergency could not stamp out the menace, there is no assurance that a third term would perform the magic.

     

  • ‘Boko Haram leaders not from Borno’

    The Shehu of Borno, Dr. Abubakar Ibn Garbai, on Monday declared that the leaders of the Boko Haram sect are not indigenes of the state.

    He made the remark when the Presidential fact finding committee on Chibok paid him a courtesy call at his palace on Monday.

    According to a statement issued by the Spokesperson of the Committee, Kingsley Osadolor, the Shehu of Borno, described the abduction of over 200 secondary schoolgirls in Borno State as unfortunate.

    “What is happening now is unfortunate. It’s entirely new to us. None of the leaders of Boko Haram is from Borno. They cannot claim to be from here. The problem was brought to us from elsewhere,” he stated.

    Stressing that the people of Borno were peace-loving, he said the Borno Empire had been in existence for some 1,200 years.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), recalled that Maiduguri which was a famous centre in the Trans-Sahara Trade, regretted that the city and the state had suffered severe socio-economic dislocation as a result of insurgency in recent years.

    He said: “We are now in the main theatre where the Chibok schoolgirls were taken away against their will. The whole world is mobilised against the abduction, and we cannot be happy while our daughters remain in captivity.”

    He said the committee had an open mind to the assignment.

    “We are not here with preconceived notions. We are here to find facts that will lead to a resolution of the current hostage crisis involving the schoolgirls.”

     

  • Alleged threat: IGP orders tight security in Benue schools

    Alleged threat: IGP orders tight security in Benue schools

    The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered the strengthening of security in all boarding schools in and around Makurdi, Benue State.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, in Abuja.

    The order is coming on the heel of a recent threat letter, purportedly issued by elements claiming to be Boko Haram members to two all-boys secondary schools, Government College and Mount St. Gabriel College, Makurdi.

    “Consequently, Benue State Police Command, working in conjunction with the State Ministry of Education and the affected school authorities, has strengthened surveillance in the schools and other boarding schools within Makurdi metropolis,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the statement as saying on Monday.

    It said the police had begun investigations to determine the “authenticity or otherwise of the hand-written letter (threat) now in possession of the force”.

    The statement advised residents of communities where boarding schools were located to “remain perpetually on the alert and report any suspicious movement to the appropriate authorities.”

  • 10 Chinese kidnapped in Cameroon likely in Nigeria

    The 10 Chinese workers abducted by Boko Haram gunmen in Cameroon have most likely been taken back across the border to the Nigerian Islamist group’s strongholds, a police official said on Sunday.

    “We are almost certain that the 10 Chinese have been kidnapped and transferred to Nigeria. We have no fresh news about them,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

    “The search continues (in Cameroon) but apart from small pieces of information I can’t see what could come out of it since the attackers have left the country,” he said.

    He added that the all the helicopters that might have been used to survey the border area and help with the search were in the capital Yaounde ahead of the 20 May National Day military parade.

    The celebrations were also the reason the unit of elite Cameroonian troops that usually guards the group of Chinese workers attacked late Friday was not up to its usual strength.

    According to the local officials, a large group of heavily armed Boko Haram fighters in five vehicles stormed the Chinese encampment and engaged the Cameroonian soldiers.

    The brazen attack came as the president of Nigeria and counterparts from neighbouring states met in Paris to “declare war” on Boko Haram.

     

  • Madagali massacre: Vigilance group did not hand over Boko Haram suspects to us, say Police

    Madagali massacre: Vigilance group did not hand over Boko Haram suspects to us, say Police

    THE Adamawa State police command has debunked media reports that vigilance groups in Madagali Local Government Area handed over seven members of the Boko Haram to it after a massacre at the weekend, which claimed over 70 members of the sect.

    The spokesman of the command, ASP Abubakar Othman, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that such killings did not take place anywhere in Adamawa.

    According to him: “Borno and Adamawa share the same border. To the best of my knowledge, the incident did not take place in Madagali but in a village in Borno State close to Madagali.”

    Also, men of 23 Armoured Brigade in Yola have relocated their operational headquarters to Madagali to track down fleeing insurgents after local security operatives laid an ambush on them.

    The spokesman of the Brigade, Lt. Nuhu Jafar, told our correspondent on the telephone that his men moved there to track down the insurgents.

    “As I am talking to you now, the authorities of 23 Armoured Brigade, Yola are already in Madagali Local Government area of the state following the report we had that local security laid ambush on the outlawed group and killed over 70 members of them.

    “Surely, we will return back to Yola, the state capital on Monday to give details of what really happened there.”

    It was gathered that members of a vigilante group in the town laid a siege and killed more than 70 Boko Haram members who came to purchase food items and handed over seven captured militants to the police.

    There were reports that the  vigilantes acted after they were tipped off by a local food vendor that the militants were coming to get supplies before heading out for a major operation to raid villages in the area.

    The vigilant group mobilised, laid ambush and waited patiently for the militants, a source in the village disclosed.

    The source added that as soon as the Islamist insurgents numbering more than 100 showed up in the village to pick up their favourite meals, the vigilantes attacked them, killing most of them in a hail of bullets.

    Some of the villagers, who spoke to reporters, said that they believe soldiers have not done much to put an end to the activities of the sect’s members who unleash havoc on them at will.

    “We feel that there are fundamental things wrong in the way our security agents are fighting the Boko Haram insurgents who terrorise us here.

    “We are pushed to the wall and are not afraid to die because they are men like us. And we are tired of folding  our hands and allowing them to kill us, to kill our wives and to kill our children while the government is not doing anything about it,” one of them said.

     

  • Nigeria’s neighbours have roles to play – UK Secretary

    Nigeria’s neighbours have roles to play – UK Secretary

    Nigeria’s neighbours, such as Chad and Cameroon, have “very important role” to play in the battle against the Islamist group, Boko Haram in Africa, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, has said.

    His comments came as talks on the threat from Boko Haram – hosted by the French president – got underway yesterday in Paris.

    Militants abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State in April and released a video last Monday showing more than 100 of the girls and offering an exchange for prisoners.

  • Confab delegates urge FG to negotiate with Boko Haram

    Confab delegates urge FG to negotiate with Boko Haram

    Some members of the National Conference have called on the federal government to enter into negotiation with the insurgent Boko Haram group for the release of the abducted 200 girls from Chibok, Borno State.

    The delegates opined that the pains of the mothers and Nigerians at large should not be overlooked while the negotiation would also provide the opportunity for government to have better understanding of the group’s grievances.

    According to Gani Adams, National Coordinator of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) negotiating with the group would afford the government the opportunity to have an insight into the workings of the insurgent group and help in disarming it.

    According to him, “Government should negotiate with Boko Haram because the lives of these girls is more important than anything at this point in time. Politics should not be brought into it and as we can see, the world powers are coming into it and giving their assistance.

    “If we move fast, negotiate and succeed at it, there may be no need for the assistance of these foreign powers in the area of security anymore, remember we are a sovereign state and we should be seen managing our affairs as it best suit us.

    “I think by negotiating with Boko Haram, government would be able, to know them more and have better understanding of the whole issues agitating their minds. This way, I believe this would even assist our intelligence system.”

    On his part, Mike Ezekhome (SAN) warned that Nigerians should be cautious about politicising the issue, saying, “My position is that life is supreme and cannot be duplicated. The lives of these girls should not be trivialized on the altar of grandstanding or pride.

    “This is a situation where the federal government should negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of those girls whose parents are traumatised and weeping daily.  In life, it is about give and take; you win some and lose some. Even the United Nations recognises negotiation, arbitration as an instrument for achieving peace. All the World Wars finally ended at a table leading to world peace.

    “Therefore, I don’t see anything fundamentally bad about negotiating with Boko Haram. I don’t see that as a way of encouraging them to bomb more. Rather, what we are saying is, for now, as a short term measure, these our daughters we don’t want them dead, give  them back to us alive and well.

    “In other words, let government give them back few of their detainees, especially those we learnt are family members, who were not themselves caught on the street committing the crimes.  This is what I think government should do, they should not shy away from it, they should not see it as a loss of face. After all when the militants were devastating Nigeria, the late President Musa Yar’Adua set up the amnesty panel and negotiated with them which brought about peace at the end.”

    He added, “Though the cause of the militants cannot be equated with that of the Boko Haram but we should take a cue from that, that there are times when negotiation is very important.

    “I think the federal government set up the Turaki panel to negotiate which the Boko Haram rejected. This should be an opportunity to negotiate not just the release of these girls but the causes of the insurgency in its entirety and how to bring about peace and tranquility in Nigeria.”

    Also, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, who is the Wakili of Adamawa, said he is in support of negotiation but that government should give certain conditions to the insurgent group.

    He said, “Government should negotiate but when dealing with terrorism it is a complex and difficult situation but no government wants to yield to the demands of terrorists while sending a clear message that terrorism cannot win.

    “I don’t like the idea of negotiating with terrorists, but I think what should be done while negotiating is that the group abide by the term of the agreement and the rule of law or decisive action be taken against them,” he said.

    On her part, Mrs. Temitope Ajayi, a delegate representing the Nigerians in Diaspora said from a mother’s point of view and concern, government should negotiate.

    She said: “For me and as a mother, my heart is bleeding. I am on my knees because I know that it is not easy to be a mother and I know all mothers around the world are appealing that these kids be released unharmed.

    “Government should negotiate because they have made their demands; the government has to dialogue to see how the genuine ones could be accepted.

    “We cannot continue to destroy ourselves and I see this as an opportunity to implore the President and support his wife, Dame Patience to negotiate with the Boko Haram and get our girls back. All the mothers of this world are saying to Boko Haram Don Allah, Don Anabi, yankuri.

    Also, a pressure group, the National Unity Forum, at the National Conference yesterday lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting the assistance offered from the international community to rescue the girls.

     

  • Britain offers Nigeria military advisers

    Britain offers Nigeria military advisers

    Britain is offering to send advisers to help Nigeria’s military structure its efforts to fight Boko Haram, Foreign Minister William Hague said yesterday shortly before the Paris summit to hammer out a strategy to tackle  Boko Haram.

    West African leaders met in the French capital   to try to improve cooperation in their fight against the group which last month kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls and threatens to destabilize the wider region.

    Outrage over the girls has prompted President Goodluck Jonathan, criticised at home for his government’s slow response, to accept U.S., British and French intelligence help in the hunt for the girls.

    “Nigerian security forces have not been well structured for this kind of thing and that has been shown by the problem getting worse,” Hague told reporters ahead of the meeting.

    “We can help with that which is why we are offering to embed military advisers within the Nigerian headquarters.”

    U.S. officials have said the effort to retrieve the girls is now a top priority, but has been complicated by Nigeria’s early reluctance to accept assistance, and U.S. rules banning aid to foreign forces that have committed human rights abuses.

    “It is very important (Nigeria) upholds high standards of human rights and are well coordinated in their actions,” Hague said. “Nigeria has the main responsibility and must be the leading nation in tackling this and that includes to mount an effective security response and improve development.”

    France, itself a target of Islamist militants for its military intervention against rebels in Mali, is bringing together Nigeria’s neighbours Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, and Western officials.

    With about 6,000 troops operating in either Mali to the northwest or the Central African Republic to the east, Paris has a major interest in preventing Nigeria’s security deteriorating.

    It fears Boko Haram could spread north into the Sahel, and beyond Cameroon into the Central African Republic.

    French diplomats have ruled out any Western military operation but said they expected a regional plan to take shape for countering Boko Haram.

    Nigeria has complained the far north of Cameroon is being used by Boko Haram militants to shelter from a Nigerian military offensive and to transport weapons, and has urged Cameroon to tighten border security.

    “The first focus is about the girls, but that requires these countries work together particularly Cameroon and Nigeria who have not enjoyed strong, positive relations in recent years,” Hague said.