The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • ‘Terrorist’ arrested in Jos

    A man suspected to be spying for terrorists has been arrested in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    The suspect was spotted loitering around Mobile Police Barracks on Rayfield Road on Sunday.

    Residents of Jos have been on the alert since March when they received a letter allegedly sent by Boko Haram. The letter reportedly contained some notable spots mapped down for attack.

    On the list are the House of Assembly, police barracks, hospitals, federal establishments etc.

    No explosive was found on the suspect, he was accused of spying the environment for a likely attack.

    Police spokesperson Felicia Aslem confirmed that a man was arrested at the Mopol 8 police command.

    The suspect is being interrogated by the police to ascertain his mission in the city. He was said to be detained for trespassing.

     

  • Yobe women urge leaders to fight Boko Haram

    Yobe women urge leaders to fight Boko Haram

    Yobe State women have urged the Federal Government to bring back the schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect from Chibok in Borno State.

    The women stressed that “our leaders need to put politics aside and join hands to defeat our common enemy”.

    They said time was running out for the rescue of the girls.

    The state president of National Council for Women Society (NCWS), Hajia Halima Joda, led the women in a peaceful but sad protest to the Ministry of Women Affairs.

    She said: “We call on all other leaders to put aside their political differences and join hands with the Federal Government to act responsibly and decisively to defeat our common enemies.

    “Time is running out and Nigerians are becoming impatient… The innocent girls must not be left to their fate or their grieving parents to be left in their tears. They have the right to be protected, as enshrined in our constitution…”

    The women were received by the Commissioner of Women Affairs, Hajiya Asmau Kabir Kolo, on behalf of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

    The commissioner, who showed serious emotion, urged the women to continue to pray for the girls’ safe return.

    According to her, Allah’s ways are different from humans and He will surely hear the cries of the parents and everybody across the world to ensure the girls’ safety.

    Hajia Kolo stressed that evil would never triumph over good.

     

    The commissioner promised to deliver the women’s letter to Gaidam for onward transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Highlights of the occasion included prayers from various women for the safe return of the schoolgirls.

  • Chibok: EU promises Nigeria support

    THE European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Council yesterday assured Nigeria of its support in the search for the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State.

    The council, at the end of a meeting, promised to assist in ending the culture of impunity.

    According to an extract from the meeting made available to reporters in Abuja, the EU called for the immediate release of the girls and urged the United Nations (UN) Security Council to consider appropriate measures against Boko Haram.

    “The European Union is deeply concerned about the recent terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria and appalled by the suffering caused to the population.

    “The Council strongly condemns the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of civilians and the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno State. These acts represent an attack against human rights and dignity.

    “The European Union calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the school girls and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

    “The European Union and its Member States offer their support to Nigeria in the resolution of this despicable crime and its ongoing efforts to protect its citizens and defeat terrorism in all its forms, in full respect of human rights.

    “The EU will work to end the culture of impunity for the use of sexual violence both as a tool and a side effect of conflict worldwide. The EU supports the intention of the UN Security Council to consider appropriate measures against Boko Haram.”

     

  • Falana: Why govt cant trade girls with prisoners

    Falana: Why govt cant trade girls with prisoners

    Lagos Lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said yesterday that the over 200 abducted girls should not be exchanged with Boko Haram’s prisoners as demanded by the sect.

    He said the abducted girls were not prisoners of war, adding that they were abducted from their school.

    Falana spoke to reporters in Abuja after meeting with protesting women.

    He said arrangements were being made to assist parents identify the missing girls in the video released.

    The protest to rescue the kidnapped girls will move to Borno State Governor’s Lodge  today.

    The campaign team is expected to meet at the Roman Catholic Church, Asokoro by 3pm. A procession will be led to the Governor’s Lodge by a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, Falana and others.

    The women said they would embark on a vigil if the girls were not released before Wednesday to mark one month of the girls in captivity.

    Falana said: “It is very disturbing that these criminals called Boko Haram sect are demanding that these girls be exchanged for prisoners.

    “This is terrible because our girls are not prisoners of war; they were illegally abducted, and they are not Nigerian soldiers; so, there is no basis for the demand.

    “The video; what we have tried to do is to get the parents of these abducted girls to see if they can identify their daughters in the video; arrangements are being made to do that.

    “What is important is that the global pressure is paying off and that is why this cowardly organisation has come out to assure the world that the children are safe and that they have not killed them.”

    Falana dismissed the need to obtain a police permit before any protest, assuring the women of legal support in their demands for the government to rescue the girls.

    “As far back as December 2007, we won that battle against the colonial policy of asking for police permit to protest in Nigeria and we cannot go back. So, I have come to assure the protesters that the law is behind them .

    “So the pressure will have to be intensified so that the world can make a case. We can make an example of this situation so that we are not going to succumb to the intimidation of criminals; those who have committed crimes against humanity have to be brought to book. They cannot – and it is illegal and immoral to – use innocent children to bargain with the government of Nigeria.

    “The protest has to go on all over the world and leaders have to join to protest so that these criminals can know that a violation of any child anywhere around the world is a violation of the right of the entire world. I am sure in a matter of days these criminals will release these girls.”

    He criticised the government for the poor handling of the matter, adding that the government needs to reassure Nigerians of their safety.

    “The Nigerian government’s way of handling this is very disappointing, particularly for the parents of the abducted girls. I can imagine the agony they must have been sentenced to in the last weeks in particular when some highly-placed individuals in the society attempted to give the impression that these girls might not be missing after all and for me, that is the unkindest of them all.

    “How a gang of criminals would have collaborated with parents to have their children abducted and I ask, to make what point? So, I think the government will have to go the extra mile of assuring Nigerians that the security of lives and welfare of our citizens – in line with Section 14 of the Constitution – is paramount and that never again will the government of Nigeria play with the life of any individual in this country.”

    A former House of Representatives member, Dino Malaye, described the police disruption of the protest as “brutality”, adding that they were unstable in their behaviour.

    He said: “What happened yesterday is what I call police brutality. The police were very unstable; the gathering here is not only stable but peaceful. There have been protests in the United Kingdom, United States, and China, the first lady of America protested.

    “I am a father and one of them could have been my daughter, so we are here to see that we are with this people and will continue to pressurise government to do that which is needful and we will continue to see that the battle is of no retreat, no surrender and we cannot be intimidated by the police.”

    One of the parents of the abducted girls, Mr. Hosea Tsambido, said he had not seen the new video released by the sect.

    The emotionally distraught father said he was sure he could identify his daughter when he had access to the released video.

    “I have not seen the video. Arrangements are being made to make sure we have access to the video. All I want is to see my girl returned to me safe and sound.”

  • Govt rejects swap of girls with prisoners

    Govt rejects swap of girls with prisoners

    The Federal Government rejected yesterday conditions set out by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau for the release of the more than 200 schoolgirls held hostage by the sect.

    The Directorate of  State Security (DSS) also yesterday, insisted that Shekau is dead. The man who has been speaking is another person, it said.

    Asked if the government would reject the suggestion by Shekau in a new video that the girls may be released once Nigeria frees all militant prisoners, Interior Minister Abba Moro told AFP: “Of course. “The issue in question is not about Boko Haram… giving conditions,” he said.

    Shekau made the claim in a video obtained by AFP yesterday, claiming to show about 130 of the 276 girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14.

    “We will never release them (the girls) until after you release our brethren,” he said. The militant leader, who made prisoner exchange demands in the past, said some of the teenagers had converted from Christianity to Islam.

    The International Crisis Group said in a report published last month that Boko Haram had written an open letter in 2011 to the Kano State governor, demanding the release of detainees.

    Shekau repeated the demand in a video released last week in which he claimed responsibility for the mass kidnapping that has sparked global condemnation and calls for action.

    Moro described the demand as “unreasonable”.

    Moro said terrorists could not give government conditions on the abducted girls.

    “It is unfortunate that Boko Haram is giving government conditions to release the girls they abducted. This deal can never work. No government will yield to this. No matter the pressure, no government will bow to this.

    “Government is doing everything possible to rescue these girls and we are deploying all we have to record success. No terrorist group can hold government to ransom.”

    The Federal Government is reviewing the video, Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mike Omeri, said, also ruling out of negotiation with the sect for now.

    Omeri, who spoke alongside heads of various security agencies said the Federal Government was considering all options to rescue the girls and unite them with their parents.

    “All options are on the table and open; we are interacting with the military and intelligence experts who are already on surveillance in the Northeast. We will adopt all available options to get the girls out but we will not negotiate with the sect.

    Responding to a question on the security agencies’ claim that Shekau had died, DSS spokesperson Ms Marilyn Ogar, said: “ Boko Haram has become a franchise. Anybody can assume and lay claim to any name. What I know is that the original Abubakar Shekau is dead; the person claiming to be the national leader now is not the original Abubakar Shekau.

    “If security sources tell you that somebody is dead, you don’t have to come out and doubt that,” she added.

    Ogar also said no sovereign country can negotiate with terrorists. We are not considering that for now,” she said.

    Also yesterday, a French official said President Goodluck Jonathan had agreed to attend a security summit on Saturday in Paris to focus on the Boko Haram terrorist network.

    France is still awaiting confirmation from leaders of the four countries bordering Nigeria: Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Representatives of Britain, the EU and the United States will also be invited.

    The official spoke on condition of anonymity because details on the summit were yet to be finalised. French President Francois Hollande proposed the meeting.

    The failure to rescue more than 200 girls who remain captive has attracted international outrage. Experts from the United States, France, Britain, China, Israel and Spain are in Nigeria to help the authorities.

    The presidential fact-finding committee on the abduction of schoolgirls has slated a meeting with security agencies.

    According to a statement by Mr.  Kingsley Osadolor, member/spokesperson for the committee, the “ committee is scheduled to have further interactions with defence and Security agencies, with a view to ascertaining the veracity of speculations making the rounds since the abductionof the girls”.

    Osadolor said:  “The global response to the abduction is a reflection of our common humanity. In response, the officials expressed their enthusiasm in joining the search for, and freedom for the schoolgirls.”

    He also noted that the representatives of Borno State Government, who were unavailable at the Committee’s inauguration last week by President Goodluck Jonathan, attended the committee’s session yesterday.

  • A short film written, produced and directed by Shekau

    A short film written, produced and directed by Shekau

    A rifle dangling from his shoulder to rest on his tummy, a man holds a camera, recording. He faces a large group of girls. About 100 of them dressed in Islamic robes or hijabs. Many of them sitting. A few standing. Barefooted. The floor has dried grasses around, signifying that the area was recently cleared. Two of the girls hold a banner, with the inscription La illa illa llahu, which means there is no God except Allah.  Some of them wear a frown on their faces. Others are expressionless. And one or two pose as though they have resigned to fate. Some others display their hands as though they are praying to Allah.

    They look like teenagers. Two whose close shots are presented look 15. No smiles. No tears. Just blank looks that really make one wonder what is on their minds.

    It is all a tale of confusion written and directed by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, who also features as the narrator in the flick shot on a location with tall, green trees around it. The flick has the logo of the group boldly displayed on it to authenticate its ownership. The logo and the inscription under it tell of contradiction. The logo is an open Quran placed on top of two rifles that look like AK-47s. And the inscription under it: La illa illa llahu, Muhammadu Rasulullahi, which means there is no God except Allah. Muhammad is His messenger.

    The narrator, whose head the world is asking for, erases doubts about the identities of the girls when he announces that the “actresses” are the abducted Chibok girls. What the hell are they doing in Islamic robes? Aren’t they supposed to be mainly Christians? Shekau provides the answer: they have converted. Who wouldn’t, with guns to their heads? How did they come about the hijab? Shekau provides no answer. He perhaps has a standing tailor who willingly sewed the robes.

    Sitting in a room with a green backdrop, dressed in a military fatigue, a rifle that seems to have seen days hung on his neck, Shekau says none of the world powers can locate his whereabouts. His facial expression depicts a man under some influence. His voice pitch goes up and down and he drags or scratches his head warmer intermittently.

    He speaks Arabic, Hausa, English and Kanuri. He renews his threat of selling off the girls, taunts U.S. President Barack Obama and others, declaring: “If you bring three trillion troops, we will not release the girls. We stand to deal with infidels.”

    Shekau adds that with a $50million prize on his head, he is more important than Obama and President Goodluck Jonathan. He declares his readiness to kill until he is tired. Everybody but only believers in his weird Islam deserves death. He also expresses willingness to give up the girls in replacement for Boko Haram members in prisons.

    “If I catch Jonathan, Obama and others, I am going to sell them. If you (Obama, Jonathan, others) seek God’s forgiveness, He forgives. He is a merciful God. If you don’t seek forgiveness, I am going to cut you into pieces,” he says.

    Throwing his hands up, he writes off Saudi Arabia, which many believe to be the global headquarters of Islam. He says Saudi Arabia is peopled by unbelievers and white men who he cannot follow. He says he follows only Allah and not man. Shekau says his own form of government is the government of Allah by the Allah and for Allah.

    But the authorities do not seem to believe that the Boko Haram chief is alive, despite his bloody exploits. The spokesman of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), Mrs Marilyn Ogar, said yesterday: “Boko Haram has become a franchise. Anybody can assume and lay claim to any name;  what I know is that the original Abubakar Shekau is dead; the person claiming to be the national leader now is not the original Abubakar Shekau. If security sources tell you that somebody is dead, you don’t have to come out and doubt that.”

    Well said, but the question remains: when will the Shekau mystery be resolved?

     

  • Shehu Sani to govt: negotiate girls’ release

    Shehu Sani to govt: negotiate girls’ release

    Civil rights activist Shehu Sani advised the Federal Government yesterday to consider the condition laid down by Boko Haram sect to secure the release of the abducted school girls.

    The sect, in a video released yesterday, said it would free the school girls if the government agreed to release its members being detained across the country.

    He cautioned that Boko Haram had different levels of members in detention. He said if the government must agree on the condition, it should release the militants’ family members in detention.

    He spoke with the CNN last night.

    He said: “The Boko Haram members have shown how much they are in control of the situation and they have made an offer to exchange those girls for their own comrades been in detention since three years now. I think this is an offer we should take very serious.

    “When he (Abubakar Shekau) said he would sell them, I made it very clear that selling the girls is impossible. Impossible in the sense that you cannot trade them off without the girls finding their way back home wherever it is in Nigeria or in those countries that share borders with Nigeria.

    “When he said he was going to swap them for their own comrades, I knew it was going to happen that way because they have been used to abduction and taking hostages. I believe this is one of so many and the difference between this and other abductions is the number of the girls. I think we should take the offer seriously because it may not last so long.

    Sani added: “It is difficult for anyone, even the authorities themselves to give accurate number of Boko Haram fighters that are in detention now. But the arrest of the sect members have been going on for three to four years. These Boko Haram detainees can be categorised into three groups. You have their top leaders, you have their foot soldiers, and you have their families, which include their children and their wives. I think in an event of a swap, the third category should be considered in the interest of those girls. In fact, the lives of those girls are far more important than keeping the insurgents in detention. After all, they have nothing to lose; it is we that have something to lose because our own daughters are with them.”

    Can the sect be trusted with the offer? The activist said: “For me, I have never been a hostage but I have been a political prisoner that once lost my freedom. Once you lose your freedom, what comes to your mind is how you can get out of captivity. What is supposed to be done at this very time is for Nigeria to set up credible panel to reach out to the group and open a channel of communication, and then listen to them and look at the possibility of getting this girls. Because, we have two things here; we have over 280 girls in captivity of the Boko Haram and also, we have an insurgency that has been rising for the past three years. First of all, we need to get these girls out; we cannot engage, we cannot contain and crush the group with those girls still embedded. These girls would be taken not just as hostages, but as their human shield. It means you can’t fight he group without you getting these girls out.

    Would he be willing to act as mediator? Sani said: “It is not about me offering to mediate but it is about the kind of team that can be set up. And I believe that if we can have a team that comprises some respected Northern Islamic clerics, with some of the insurgents that are in detention, and some monitors, I believe actual line of communication can be opened for these girls to be released. Certainly, if I am invited and I am convinced that the resolution of that committee would be taken seriously, then I can be part of the team.”

     

  • Chibok: We are still reviewing video content – FG

    Chibok: We are still reviewing video content – FG

     Shekau is dead, Ogar insists

    The Federal Government on Monday said it is still reviewing the content of the video released by the Boko Haram sect on Monday.

    At a briefing in Abuja on the released video, the Director -General of the National Orientation Agency, Mike Omeri, ruled out the option of negotiation with the sect for now.

    He debunked the rumours being peddled in some parts of the media that the federal government has started negotiation with the sect.

    Omeri, who spoke alongside heads of various security agencies said the government is considering all options to rescue the girls and unite them with their parents.

    The DG said the issue of negotiation with the sect is not being considered for now.

    “All options are on the table and open, we are interacting with the military and intelligent experts who are already on surveillance in the North Eastern part of the country. We will adopt all available options to get the girls out, but we will not negotiate with the sect.

    While speaking on countries that have so far joined in the rescue mission, Omeri said more countries are set to offer help to Nigeria.

    “The United States and the United Kingdom have already sent in their security personnel but we will not hesitate to seek help from other countries if there is need for such,” he stated.
    On the operational measures, Omeri said the government will not reveal the operational measures as it will amount to giving information to the enemy.

    While answering questions from journalists who requested to know if truly Abubakar Shekau is dead or alive, the Spokesperson of the State Security Service, SSS, Marilyn Ogar, said, ” Boko Haram has become a franchise, anybody can assume and lay claim to any name what I know is that the original Abubakar Shekau is dead. The person claiming to be the national leader now is not the original Abubakar Shekau.”

    “If security sources tell you that somebody is dead, you don’t have to come out and doubt that, “she added.

     

  • Chibok: FG rejects Boko Haram’s proposal

    Chibok: FG rejects Boko Haram’s proposal

    The Federal Government has rejected conditions set out by Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau for the release of the over 200 schoolgirls held hostage by the sect.

    Shekau had said in a video released on Monday that he would release the abducted schoolgirls in exchange for some of his members currently in custody.

    He said, “We will never release them (the girls) until after you release our brethren.”

    The Boko Haram leader, who has made prisoner exchange demands before, said that some of the teenagers had converted from Christianity to Islam.

    The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, when asked by AFP on Monday if government would reject Shekau’s olive branch, he said: “Of course.”“The issue in question is not about Boko Haram… giving conditions.”

     

  • We must fight Boko Haram to finish – Gov Aliyu

    Chairman Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has said all the nation’s arsenal should be deployed to fight the dreaded Boko haram radical Islamic sect to finish.

    He also wants the federal government to expose the sponsors of the dreaded sect that has killed thousands people and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira.

    Aliyu who spoke on Monday when he received the 2013 Christian Pilgrimage report at Government House said the termination of the activities of the dreaded sect members should also lead to the revelation of all their collaborators.

    The NSGF Chairman said despite the assistance from the international communities on the fight against insurgents in the country but declared that what ‘we need to win the war is the political will’.

    According to Aliyu, “We must fight them to finish and I hope in the process of fighting them, we will be able to know who originated, those who sponsor, those who collaborate and those who assist the Book Haram and by extention behoves on us to fight extrimism in any form whether in religion or in politics or in our culture completely.”

    He maintained that those who kill in the name of of fighting a Jihad have totally missed it pointing out that the concept of Jihad is not about killing one another or kidnapping people.

    “We must fight extremism anyone that is an extremist is not good for us we must bring such people back to the path of sanity.

    “We should fight extremism in politics, you cannot keep quiet when things are not going right if you can change it if you cannot not report to the authorities” he said.