The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Furies of February

    Furies of February

    (Muri on my Mind)

    The furies of February are here with us. February is a callous month. It is the month when all illusions are shattered; when all old hopes are buried. New demons appear, while old demons refuse to disappear. If anybody thought that the Boko Haram scourge was going to be a quick fix, the past week must serve as a cautionary tale. For the first time in its history, Nigeria has been sucked into the borderless orbit of an international war. It is a war that stretches from Niger through Chad, Cameroons, Mali, Libya and all the way to stateless Somalia.

    We repeat. The Nigerian military forces were never trained, prepared or equipped for this kind of combat. We have to learn by the hoof of savage contention. Meanwhile, Nigerians, tossed and trussed in the inferno of state evisceration, are praying for a hero to rescue them, no matter where the fellow comes from. But it is not the heroism of an individual that will save Nigeria this time around. It is the collective heroism of all Nigerians.

    Last week marked the thirty eighth anniversary of the assassination of Murtala Mohammed. He was also thirty eight when he fell. Had he lived, Mohammed would have turned seventy six on November 8th. Ten years earlier, the tempestuous general had been the arrowhead of a bloody counter coup in which the initial war-cry had been “araba” or secession. But he was to undergo an acute transformation to become a militant champion of a united, progressive and corruption-free Nigeria. Many of his implacable critics would retort that it was only because the old parity had been restored.

    That is neither here nor there. It is not how a person starts out that matters but how they end up. Mohammed was both hero and antihero; liberator of national will and libero of oppression; shaman of military terror and statesman of equity. But by his sterling example, he has shown us that it is possible for the innate goodness and humanity in all of us to triumph over personal demons. If it were to put its best foot forward, the dissolute Nigerian political class may yet redeem themselves and rescue the nation.

    This morning, and by popular demand, we republish an ethereal encounter with the legendary general which first graced this page exactly four years ago.

  • Gov Shettima, Boko Haram and Nigeria’s future

    Gov Shettima, Boko Haram and Nigeria’s future

    When Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State hurried to Aso Villa last week to warn the president and country what terrible dangers his state and the entire Northeast confronted in the Boko Haram menace, he said a number of things that gave the impression of a paranoid speaking in hyperboles. The Boko Haram insurgents, he said plaintively but with a lot of deliberate and calculated animation, wielded more sophisticated arms than those issued to our soldiers. In addition, he wailed, the insurgents were more motivated than our troops. He was an incurable optimist, he summed up, but that didn’t make him so stupid as to deny the reality on the ground in the Northeast. And that reality, he added, was deathly and ominous.

    The governor’s frantic visits stand in contrast to the unimaginative, if not lackadaisical, approach of President Goodluck Jonathan to the anti-terror war. In the early months of the insurgency, the president had shown considerable ambivalence. He vacillated between strong-arm tactics one day and conciliation another day. On some occasions, he described the insurgents in flattering but quizzical terms, and on other occasions he painted them in petrifying colours. When sufficiently inspired, he promised to fight them with all he had, but in the face of the sect’s sanguinary determination to plunge the country down the red gullet of war, he cowered behind his Aso Villa redoubt to celebrate the country’s Independence Day.

    No president ever gave such ambiguous, embarrassing and cowardly signals. And no president ever failed so disastrously to ready and inspire his people for a noble war. The consequence is what the country is facing today. Not only is the insurgency raging fiercely, the presidency and even a majority of Nigerians have failed to appreciate the urgency of the threats the country is contending with and the roots of the revolt. It is true that the Northeast is the poorest part of Nigeria, but it is a cumulation of years of neglect by regional and federal governments, a neglect they will have to combine to combat. However, it is even truer that the insurgency is given fillip by the government’s longstanding and dangerous neglect of justice in all its ramifications.

    Shockingly, regional and federal governments have not learnt any lesson regarding the denial of criminal, social and political justice. They have not learnt any lesson on equity and fairness between religions and between peoples. The society is riven by conflicts and by deliberately sponsored bigotry. Hearing Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau declaim on religion and society recently, it became clear just how woefully leaders in those parts had failed to build a responsible society with the right values. With his governance style and now abrasive manners, Dr Jonathan is even doing much worse, nurturing and promoting a society completely shorn of justice, equity and fairness. How could his troops feel motivated to fight Boko Haram with as much dedication and decorum as Governor Shettima hopes, when they are not part of a society we all have reasons to sacrifice our lives for, a society where to serve as an example a Stella Oduah is promptly punished for infractions, and a Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is not unfairly cudgelled for stepping on powerful toes?

  • Stop Boko Haram now

    I was tempted to join in debate over the surprised suspension from office of Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan last Thursday but I would rather not.

    Much as Sanusi’s suspension is a major issue considering the controversy it will continue to generate in the weeks ahead, I have been haunted by the picture of children among victims of the renewed attacks by the  Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State that I would prefer to dwell on the worrisome endless killings in the North East region of the country which requires the urgent attention of the federal government.

    They looked forlorn in tears and uncertain of the future ahead of them.  With details of the horrifying attacks unleashed by the terrorists on some villages where they escaped from, the trauma the children and other victims must have been subjected to is unimaginable.

    It is difficult to understand why any group would engage in this act of inhumanity to man in the name of whatever cause they claim to be fighting for. Hundreds of innocent persons have been killed and injured while others have been rendered homeless by the group which have not only claimed responsibility but has threatened more attacks.

    So much lives and property have been wasted that more than ever before urgent steps must be taken before the insurgents chase everybody out of Borno, including the Governor Kashim Shettima who claimed that the gunmen are better equipped than the men of the Nigerian Army on ground in the state.

    I was not surprised by the reaction of the presidency which must have been scandalized by the Governor’s statement despite the various resources and men deployed to stop the carnage.

    Instead of engaging any claim and counter claim over the situation in Borno and other states where the insurgents have been wrecking lots of havoc, the affected states and the federal government must close ranks and find a lasting solution to this major challenge which has brought the country into focus in the international community for the wrong reason.

    The federal government can definitely not be accused of not being committed to ending the crisis. It must be admitted that the presence of the residents in the battle areas has hindered the Nigerian military from launching an all out onslaught to smoke out the insurgents.

    It is apparent that the military is trying hard to minimize the civilian casualties and the nature of this delicate assignment for the Nigerian armed forces has to be appreciated.

    The scary situation playing out in Borno which may spread to other parts of the Country if not quickly checked must have informed the resolution by the House of Representatives to call for the relocation of the Army Headquarters to Borno.

    While there may be no need to relocate the army headquarters over this matter, there is need for better strategies, equipment and men to effectively prosecute this War against the Boko Haram group which seems determined to make the North Eastern States, if not the whole North ungovernable.

    Whatever should be done to stop the Boko Haram must be done. The group must not be allowed turn the country or any part to another Somalia.

  • Emir to FG: Take drastic measures on Boko Haram

    The Emir of Bama in Borno, Alhaji Kyari Ibn El Kanemi, on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to take drastic measures toward ending the Boko Haram crises.

    El Kanemi made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Bama, headquarters of Bama Local Government Area of the state.

    He was reacting to Wednesday’s suspected Boko Haram attack in Bama which killed about 70 persons and destroyed property worth millions of naira.

    El Kanemi said the Federal Government must equip the military towards fighting the insurgence.

    “These people are using sophisticated weapons like bombs, rocket propellers and grenades.

    “Nobody is safe in this place again except something is done fast by the government on the security problem,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the Emir as saying to journalists..

    He said that he narrowly escaped the Wednesday’s attack after the insurgents carried out attack on his palace.

    Narrating his ordeal, El Kanemi said he escaped to an unknown destination as the invaders were trying to gain access to the palace.

    He said the attackers set ablaze many houses, shops and business centres.

     

  • Death toll hits 60 in Boko Haram attack

    Death toll hits 60 in Boko Haram attack

    The death toll in Boko Haram’s Wednesday attack on Bama has increased to 60. It is also still counting. There was also massive destruction of public buildings.

    Residents said gunmen stormed the town at about 4am on Wednesday, armed with heavy weapons and tossed explosives into various buildings, forcing residents to flee into the surrounding bush.

    “We are collating the figures and the death toll has risen to 60 from the Bama attack,” said Borno State Police Commissioner Lawal Tanko.

    “The toll is likely to rise,” he said. “The attackers caused enormous destruction. They burnt down some of the major landmarks in the town including the local government secretariat,” and the palace of the area’s top cleric, Tanko added.

    He said the Air Force dispatched fighter jets to suppress the raid from its base in the state capital Maiduguri some 60km away and dropped bombs on the fleeing insurgents.

    “I can’t say how many of the gunmen were killed but the number is huge,” Tanko said.

    The latest unrest came as Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to widen his rebellion to the oil-producing Niger Delta region.

    In a video statement delivered to AFP on Wednesday, Shekau promised to strike the region which churns out two million barrels of crude per day, the highest oil output in Africa.

    Shekau has made various threats in a series of videos since 2012 and many have not materialised. It is not clear if the extremist leader, declared a global terrorist by the United States, has the capacity to spread Boko Haram’s violence beyond the group’s stronghold in the northeast.

    Boko Haram has killed thousands in the North and centre of the country since 2009 in its rebellion aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in Nigeria’s north.

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah has paid a two-day visit to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states where troops are engaged in counter insurgency operations.

    He was accompanied on the tour by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adekunle Amosu. The two military chiefs visited the various locational bases of the 7 Division, which is spearheading the counter insurgency campaign.

    A statement issued yesterday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Olajide Laleye, quoted the Army Chief to have charged the troops to maintain discipline and remain resolute in the face of the security challenges.

    “Gen. Minimah reminded the troops of their responsibility as soldiers, noting that as professional soldiers, they must rise to the defence of their fatherland and not yield any ground to the forces of evil under any circumstances.

    “He noted that the present security challenges facing the nation are not insurmountable if troops are well led and remain vigilant while carrying out assigned duties.

    “He commended the troops for their hard work and dedication to duty and promised that their welfare would remain his top priority, urging them to imbibe good maintenance culture to ensure the continued serviceability of their equipment,” the statement added.

    Gen. Minimah, who was visiting the troops for the first time since he assumed office an Chief of Army Staff a month ago, charged the soldiers, particularly those in border units, to ensure that arms and ammunition were not smuggled through their areas of responsibility.

    He was also quoted to have urged the troops to observe the rules of engagement in the conduct of the operation.

    Said he: “I am aware that your task is not an easy one, considering that you must defeat a faceless and vicious enemy while at the same time protecting the rights of innocent citizens in the operational area.”

    Gen. Minimah was said to have assured the troops of getting priority attention in the areas of training and provision of equipment.

    He charged commanders at all levels to ensure that training and retraining of troops under commands was given top priority, if the war against terrorism must be won.

  • Army Chief visits troops in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

    Army Chief visits troops in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has paid a two-day visit to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States where troops are engaged in counter insurgency operations.

    He was accompanied on the tour by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adekunle Amosu.

    The two military chiefs visited the various locational bases of the 7 Division, which is spearheading the counter insurgency campaign.

    A statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig- General Olajide Laleye, quoted the Army Chief to have charged the troops to maintain discipline and remain resolute in the face of the security challenges.

    “Gen. Minimah reminded the troops of their responsibility as soldiers, noting that as professional soldiers, they must rise to the defence of their fatherland and not yield any ground to the forces of evil under any circumstances.

    “He noted that the present security challenges facing the nation are not insurmountable if troops are well led and remain vigilant while carrying out assigned duties.

    “He commended the troops for their hard work and dedication to duty and promised that their welfare would remain his top priority, urging them to imbibe good maintenance culture to ensure the continued serviceability of their equipment,” the statement added.

    Minimah, who was visiting the troops for the first time since he assumed office as Chief of Army Staff a month ago, charged the soldiers, particularly those in border units, to ensure that arms and ammunition were not smuggled through their areas of responsibility.

     

  • Our ordeal in the hands of Boko Haram, by Borno emir

    Our ordeal in the hands of Boko Haram, by Borno emir

    A SOLDIER guarding the home of a general was one of the casualties of Tuesday night’s Boko Haram’s attack on Bama, Borno State, it was learnt yesterday.

    Borno State Police Commissioner Lawal Tanko said General Umar Tukur Buratai was not at home during the attack.

    “The soldiers succeeded in repelling the attacks on Buratai, resulting in minimal damage,” he said, confirming that one soldier was killed. He did not give further details.

    The Borno State Government said yesterday that last Saturday’s attack by Boko Haram insurgents in Izge, Gwoza Local Government Area, was not targeted at any religious group.

    Governor Kashim Shettima stated this during a sympathy visit to the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta, in Gwoza.

    Shettima urged Nigerians to see the Boko Haram sect as a common enemy rather than a religious group, going by its destruction.

    “The report on alleged mass killing of Christians in Izge is untrue because Izge is a predominant Muslim community and most of the victims are Muslims.

    “What is happening is not an ethnic or religious war. Boko Haram is a clear madness that must be condemned by all Nigerians,” he said.

    The governor said the government would rebuild structures destroyed by the sect despite the state’s meagre resources.

    “We will make genuine efforts to rebuild the structures destroyed, including places of worship despite our meager resources.

    “What has happened to you is a disaster that affects the Borno people. We pray that God will grant the fortitude to those who lost their lives.”

    He said that the government would pay N1million compensation on a place of worship destroyed during the attack and N200,000 for each family that lost their loves one.

    The emir, who praised Shettima for the visit, painted a gloomy picture of what he and his people had been going through in the hands of the insurgents.

    “It is a known fact that we suffer problem of Boko Haram attack in our communities on daily basis here.

    “We appreciate government’s efforts in assisting the victims, especially the personal efforts of the governor.

    “Gwoza is one of the worst-hit areas by the Boko Haram attacks.

    “Few months back, they attempted to attack my palace, but it was impossible, so they vent their anger on my farm, destroying everything, including the plantations.

    “Every day, we live in fear of fresh attacks as individuals get killed now and then. We pray that God will help bring the attacks to an end,” Alhaji Timta said.

    He urged the Federal Government to explore new security avenues in tackling the Boko Haram attacks.

    Shettima was at the Presidential Villa also yesterday to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on the attack in Bama.

    He said: “Do I need your consent to come and see my President? He is the President of Nigeria and I need to update him adequately on the goings-on in the state.

    “There was an attack on Bama. We are yet to get the actual number of casualties but I am told they have inflicted a lot of damage on the town; otherwise the military are doing their best.”

    On whether he was summoned to the Villa, Shettima said: “I came on my own. He is the President of Nigeria, for God’s sake. Why can’t I come and update him? Is it wrong or is it a crime to do so.”

    He declined to comment on presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe’s criticism of his statement on the incapability of the military to battle the sect. “I don’t want to comment. He is our President and I am here to update him on the goings on in Bama and I don’t want to make additional comments,” Shettima said.

  • Shettima briefs Jonathan on Bama attacks

    Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on the violent attacks carried out by Boko Haram in Bama community in the state.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting with the President, the governor said that he was not summoned by the President.

    He also declined to speak on the reaction of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, on his claims that the security agencies battling Boko Haram are not well equipped as the insurgents.

    Okupe had countered that the Nigerian Army and other security agencies are better armed than the insurgents.

    Shettima said, “Do I need your consent to come and see my President? He is the President of Nigeria and I need to update him adequately on the goings-on in the state.”

    “There was an attack on Bama. We are yet to get the actual number of casualties but I am told they have inflicted a lot of damage on the town, otherwise the military are doing their best.”

    On whether he was summoned to the Villa, he said, “I came on my own. He is the President of Nigeria for God’s sake. Why can’t I come and update him? Is it wrong or is it a crime to do so?”

    Declining to comment on the reaction of Okupe to his claims, he said, “I don’t want to comment. He is our President and I am here to update him on the goings on in Bama and I don’t want to make additional comments.”

     

  • Izge attack not targeted at any religious group – Shettima

    Izge attack not targeted at any religious group – Shettima

    The Borno Government on Wednesday said the last Saturday’s attack by Boko Haram members in Izge, Gwoza Local Government Area was not targeted at any religious group.

    Governor Kashim Shettima made this known during a sympathy visit to the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta, in Gwoza.

    Shettima said that Nigerians should see the Boko Haram sect as a common enemy rather than a religious group going by its destruction.

    “The report on alleged mass killing of Christians in Izge is untrue because Izge is a predominantly Muslim community and most of the victims are Muslims.

    “What is happening is not an ethnic or religious war. Boko Haram is a clear madness that must be condemned by all Nigerians,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the governor as saying during the visit.

    He said the state government would rebuild structures destroyed by the sect despite the state’s meager resources.

    “We will make genuine efforts to rebuild the structures destroyed, including places of worship despite our meager resources.

    “What has happened to you is a disaster that affects the Borno people, we pray that God will grant the fortitude to those who lost their lives.’’

    He said the government would pay one million naira compensation on a place of worship destroyed during the attack and N200, 000 for each family that lost their loves one.

    Earlier, Timta commended Shettima for the visit.

    “It is a known fact that we suffer problem of Boko Haram attack in our communities on daily basis here.

    “We appreciate government’s efforts in assisting the victims, especially the personal efforts of the state governor.

    “Gwoza is one of the worst hit areas by the Boko Haram attacks.

    “Few months back, they attempted to attack my palace, but it was impossible, so they vent their anger on my farm destroying everything, including the plantations.

    “Every day, we live in fears of fresh attacks as individuals get killed now and then. We pray that God will help bring the attacks to an end,’’ Timta said.

    He appealed to the Federal Government to explore new security avenues in tackling the Boko Haram attacks.

     

  • Let’s battle Boko Haram now, says Gowon

    Let’s battle Boko Haram now, says Gowon

    The Boko Haram insurgency took the centre stage in the polity yesterday.

    It dominated discussions at the inauguration of the new leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna.

    The inauguration of the Ibrahim Coomasie-led ACF leadership attracted the North’s political leaders, including Vice President Namadi Sambo.

    Also there were former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, governors and others.

    Former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon called for serious action against the insurgency.

    In Abuja, the House of Representatives passed a resolution that the Army Headquarters should move to Maiduguri, the beleagued capital of Borno State – the epicentre of the Boko Haram activities.

    The Presidency slammed Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima for declaring on Monday that the Army lacks the capacity to combat the sect’s members.

    Gen. Gowon expressed concern about the growing hype of ethnic nationalism and ethno-religious activism.

    Gowon spoke as Vice President Sambo said the nation would need about 2.9 trillion dollars to address its infrastructural needs within the next 30 years.

    The former Head of State said there was the need for all Nigerians “to come together and unleash their synergy against the security challenges and other national malaise, be it Boko Haram, ethno-religious crisis, kidnapping, militant activism, armed robbery or piracy or any other such act that disrupt the peace and harmony and threatens the economic and social development of the country.

    “We believe the situation is not beyond redemption and so, should not be allowed to set a national agenda of reconsideration of our unity and nationhood.

    “Freedom brought about by democracy… is expected to thrive on a tripod of: foundation of liberty, justice and common decency. That is why it is said that democracy is rather a contest of ideas and reasons and not contest for survival where politicians take it out violently among themselves in the name of democracy. Only Liberty, justice and common decency are true elements of democracy,” he said.

    Gen. Gowon urged politicians not to resort to violence in the name of freedom that comes with democracy. You will agree with me in saying that although Nigeria may be going through hard times, political, economic and social, we have a resilience to tackle it successfully.

    “The different times should spur national grandeur, bring about good leadership and the best in every one of us, instead of the current hype in ethnic nationalism and religious bigotry that seek to promote cleavages that is self destructive. It is very important to note that no nation thrive on the victory of factions, but through ultimate reconciliation”.

    He frowned at the emergence of different elders’ groups in the north, noting that the ACF was built on the promise of an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of peaceful coexistence in the north and in the context of one united Nigeria.

    He said “I am compelled to mention this because the ACF emerged through the coming together of northern elders for the expressed purpose of promoting peaceful coexistence in the north as precondition for socio-economic development of the north and that of Nigeria.

    “We do not share in the reason being advanced in favour of proliferation of elders groups that ACF is not politically active. It is important to note that while ACF may not be politically partisan for obvious reasons, many of the forum’s members belong to different political parties.

    Sambo said the nation needs an average infrastructure spending of 25 billion dollars between 2014 and 2018 as against the current spending of 9-10 billion dollars.

    The leadership of the ACF is made up of the following:

    Board of Trustees

    Chairman-Adamu Fika, Deputy Chairman- AVM Muhktar Mohammed (rtd), Vice Chairman-Prof. Para Mallum

    National Working Committee:

    Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie-Chairman, Musa Liman Kwande-Deputy Chairman, Senator Abubaklar Girei-Vice Chairman, Col. John Paul Uba-Secretary General, Barrister Halima Alfa- National Legal Adviser, Abubakar Husaini Moriki-National Treasurer, Muhammed Ibrahim Biu-National Publicity Secretary, Ahmad Bawa-National Financial Secretary, Baba Sule Bissala National Auditor, Abubakar Gambo Umar-Deputy Secretary General, Hajia Fatima Kwaku-Deputy National Legal Adviser, Murtala Usman Aliyu- Deputy National Treasurer, Hajia Amina Ladan Baki- Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hajia Laraba Dattijo Deputy National Financial Secretary, Mohammed Hassan Fawu-National Deputy Auditor, Mohammed Tanko Soba- Assistant Secretary General, Bashir Albasu-Assistant National Legal Adviser, Sale Gacha Bade-Assistant National Treasurer, Adebayo Abubakar-Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Ado Datti Assistant National Financial Secretary and Navy Capt Hamidu Usman Jefeji.