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Tag: boko haram

  • Presidency faults Borno Governor Shettima on Boko Haram

    Presidency faults Borno Governor Shettima on Boko Haram

    •Says Boko Haram not better armed than military

    The Presidency yesterday faulted Monday’s comments by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima that the Boko Haram insurgents are better armed that the military.

    The Presidency also dismissed the Governor’s position that the country is at war, saying what the country is experiencing is a guerrilla warfare from the insurgents.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyen Okupe, reporters in Abuja that it’s wrong for anyone to say that the military cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents.

    Governor Shetiima spoke against the backdrop of the incessant killing of innocent and unarmed villagers by the sect members in various settlements in Borno State. No fewer than 200 have been killed within the last few days.

    Okupe said: “We are certainly not involved in conventional warfare but are rather engaged in guerrilla warfare with all its unpredictability.

    “However, it is heartwarming that our military, which has participated in numerous international peace keeping operations where they helped to quell insurgencies, has acquired the sophistication and necessary capacity to adapt to the ever changing modus operandi of the insurgents.

    “It is therefore wrong for anyone, Nigerian or foreigner, to assert that our armed forces cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents or to insinuate that the insurgents are better armed.

    “We believe strongly that the statement made by the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima that the insurgents are better armed than our military is based purely on a civilian perception of the situation at hand.

    “It is clear that Governor Shettima does not have the expertise to categorize or classify the effectiveness of any weapon.

    “We state categorically that the Nigerian military is one of the best equipped in Africa and that in 2014, the Federal Government made budgetary provision in excess of N1 trillion for the military and other security agencies, an amount, which is about 22 percent of our entire national budget for this year.

    “This definitely belies the suggestion in certain quarters that the Federal Government is not doing the needful in prosecuting this war”

    The President’s publicist also disagreed with the opinion in certain quarters that the morale of the military is low and that there is lack of motivation for members of the Armed Forces.

     

     

    According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces are spurred by patriotic sense of duty, national pride and strict adherence to professional ethics.

    On the other hand, Okupe said the insurgents are motivated by ideological fanaticism.

    “But the Nigerian military and security agencies have taken up this challenge and like every facet of this struggle will put an end to these incursions in the shortest possible time.

    “Therefore, the morale of troops engaged in this war is high and ought not to be dampened by unsavory and certainly untrue comments of low motivation.

    “We enjoin all our national leaders and stakeholders across political and religious divides to close ranks with government and our valiant troops defending our territorial integrity and support the Federal Government to route out the scourging menace of insurgency rather than speaking at cross purposes.

    “We want to reassure Nigerians and members of the international community that though it is in the character of insurgents to create maximum fear, their sporadic attacks on soft targets is being contained and will be halted.

    “We state authoritatively without any fear or equivocation whatsoever, that Nigeria is already winning the war against terror and the activities of the insurgents will be terminated within the shortest possible time”, Okupe said.

     

  • Terrorism: Reps want Army HQ relocated to Maiduguri

    If the House of Representatives members have their way, the headquarters of the Army should relocate from Abuja to Maiduguri to fast track the battle against Boko Haram.

    According to the lawmakers, the relocation would enable the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah to be acquainted with the reality on ground.

    The COAS would also be able to devise more effective means of tackling the insurgency, the lawmakers said.

    The decision followed the adoption of a motion by Peter Guntha (APC, Borno), who painted a grim situation in Borno State.

    He said apart from the people and the soldiers killed in Izge village, many others died in Gavva West and East local government, while 150 houses were burnt.

    He said: “In Zalidva village, Sabon Gari, 14 people were killed, while 30 houses were destroyed previously. In Ngoshe town, 46 people were killed, while 30 houses were razed down; seven people were killed in Hambaged and about 140 cattle were taken away.

    “In Chinene village, seven people were killed and also Krawa town, 20 people were slaughtered and 20 shops razed down. Emir of Gwoza’s house at Jaje village was razed with property and food stuffs worth millions of naira destroyed. Several houses in Juba village and places of worship were razed down with property worth millions of naira destroyed.

    “10 people were also killed in Wala ‘A’ and three people in Wala ‘B’, while many cattle were taken away during an attack in the two villages.

    “In Ndufa village, six deaths were recorded and 120 cattle taken away, while in Pulka town one person was killed and eight people were abducted. In Ngoshe Sama village, 18 people were killed and 80 houses were razed, and 150 cattle taken away.

    “A total of about 120 places of worship (churches and mosques) were destroyed by the gunmen between December 2013 to February, 2014.”

    While Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno), said the insurgents appeared more equipped than the security men handling the crisis, Titsi Ganama (PDP, Adamawa) appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, tackle insurgency as it was getting out of hand.

    The lawmakers, as part of their resolution, urged the Federal Government to liaise with the governments of Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroon with a view of discussing ways on how to tackle the activities of the insurgents around border areas.

    While commiserating with the people and government of Borno State over the killings, the House also called on the Nigerian military to provide additional personnel to strategic areas in some parts of the villages affected so that security could be strengthened in the areas.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was also advised to urgently provide relief materials to the affected victims.

  • ‘54 Boko Haram suspects arrested in one year’

    A former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Gen. Obi Umahi, has urged his successor, Gen. T. I. Dibi, to avoid the assumption that Boko Haram insurgents are not within the command’s area of responsibility.

    Umahi said the Army division arrested 54 suspected Boko Haram members within a year when he held was the helmsman of the division.

    The former GOC addressed reporters yesterday in Lagos at the command’s headquarters, after his handover to Gen. Dibi.

    He advised Gen. Dibi to keep watch round the clock and ensure that his alertness level remains high.

    Umahi said one of his greatest challenges as GOC of 81 Division was the reality of the existence of Boko Haram elements in Lagos and Ogun states.

    He said: “The most trying moment for me was the point we realised that we were already living with Boko Haram elements. Though we had always assumed they could be around, the realities did not dawn on us until we made the first arrest of 12 suspects.

    “At that point, we had to expand our dragnets and spread out networks to garner as many within as possible. This proved a tedious challenge for us. But, in the end, we were able to mop them up.

    “So, I can say that I am living Lagos safer than I met it.”

    On the number of terror suspects arrested during his leadership and the stage of investigation, Umahi said after the arrest of 12 suspects, 42 others were also nabbed.

    He explained that while some of the first 12 were set free, after screening by the State Security Service (SSS), others are on trial with exhibits, such as 14 explosives, AK-47 rifles and various types of ammunitions.

    “The 42 suspects, who were subsequently arrested have been profiled, screened and are awaiting trial,” Umahi said.

    According to him, the suspicion that some terrorists planned to bomb military formations in the Southwest was only a rumour but which the Army did not ignore.

    Umahi said: “The information did not come to us as well prepared military intelligence but as rumour. All the same, we do not leave any information lying down. We have responded to it and the signs are evident in all military formations.”

    It was learnt that security has been tightened in military zones across the state, with intelligence personnel searching vehicles, including those of senior and junior officers.

    It was also learnt that armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were being searched, with visitors made to call their hosts.

     

  • Uneasy calm in Maiduguri

    Uneasy calm in Maiduguri

    •Shettima donates N100m to victims

    Residents of Maiduguri, Borno State, have decried the recent killings in some parts of the state. They flayed the activities of officials of the Joint Task Force (JTF), who they alleged only respond after attacks.

    Some of the residents, however, said the management style of the military in the capital was commendable.

    They said it was disheartening to see their relatives, who escaped from the attacks in Gwoza, Bama, Konjuga and Damboa towns by Boko Haram insurgents in the last one month.

    A resident said: “My daughter and her friends had to trek through the bush all day and night to get to Maiduguri. That was how she and her friends escaped being captured as sex slaves. God, when will all this end? We are tired.”

    Many of them, however, refused to talk as they went about their business and looked at the reporter with suspicion.

    The recent death toll, which stood at 93 on Sunday as a result of Saturday’s Boko Haram attack on Izge town in Gwoza Local Government Area, rose by 40 as decomposed bodies were brought from surrounding bushes on Monday and Tuesday.

    There is fear that the toll could be higher as search operations were still ongoing.

    Sources said Izge, with a population of 10,000, was totally deserted as the residents have fled the area.

    Commissioner of Police Lawal Tanko could not say the exact number of casualties.

    The Borno State government donated yesterday N100 million to the victims of Saturday’s attack.

    Governor Kashim Shettima announced the donation while addressing some of the displaced persons in Sabon Gari, Madagali, in Adamawa State.

    “Our visit here is to sympathise with you. I want to assure you that we share your grief with you.

    “We have approved the release of N100 million to the victims to take care of immediate needs.

    “This is in addition to the previous N100 million approved for the victims of the recent attack in other parts of the local government,’’ the governor said.

  • Nigeria’ll overcome Boko Haram, says U.S.

    The U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs,Linda Thomas-Greenfield, yesterday expressed confidence in the ability of the Federal Government and the military to defeat Boko Haram.

    Thomas-Greenfield spoke at a news conference in Abuja at the end of the two-day Nigeria-U.S. Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting on good governance, transparency and integrity.

    Greenfield told reporters that the U.S. was strongly committed to support Nigeria in the fight against insurgents.

    “I do not think it is a failure of U.S. government if Nigeria government fails to defeat Boko Haram, I think the Nigeria government will defeat Boko Haram.

    “We are given the government tremendous amount of support and advice and it is our hope for the people of Nigeria that Boko Haram is defeated,’’ she said.

    She expressed sympathy to Nigerians and families who lost their loved ones in the latest massacre in the North-eastern part of the country.

    “Extremism is a problem not only in Nigeria, it is a problem that we have faced in the United States, what we have learnt is that terrorism anywhere affects everyone,’’ she said.

    On the possible use of drones in Nigeria to counter insurgents, the U.S. top envoy for Africa said such military plans were not for the public knowledge.

    “We are working closely with your government and anytime such military actions are taken it is with the coordination of the requesting government,’’ she said.

    According to a communiqué issued at the end of the BNC meeting, both countries agreed to increase operational collaboration in the investigation and prosecution of individuals and groups involved in corruption.

    The communiqué said that Nigeria and the U.S. would collaborate in cases of money laundering, illicit finance, and related economic crimes.

    The meeting also agreed that ensuring the credibility of the electoral process would require adequate preparations for activities at all stages of the electoral cycle.

    Both countries recognised the importance of continuing a programme of electoral reforms as outlined by INEC and the relevance of the security services in working with INEC to safeguard the election materials.

    According to the communiqué, Nigeria expresses its determination to prevent thuggery and all forms of violence during the election period.

     

  • Presidency faults Shettima on Boko Haram

    Presidency faults Shettima on Boko Haram

    … .Says, sect not better armed than military

    The Presidency has faulted comments by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, who said the Boko Haram insurgents are better armed that the Nigerian military.

    Similarly, the Presidency also dismissed the governor’s position that the country is at war, saying what the country is experiencing is a guerrilla warfare from the insurgents.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyen Okupe, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, said it was wrong for anyone to say that the Nigerian military cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents.

    Governor Shetiima spoke against the backdrop of the incessant killing of innocent and unarmed villagers by the sect members in various settlements in Borno State.

    Okupe said, “We are certainly not involved in conventional warfare but are rather engaged in guerrilla warfare with all its unpredictability.

    “However, it is heartwarming that our military, which has participated in numerous international peace keeping operations where they helped to quell insurgencies, had acquired the sophistication and necessary capacity to adapt to the ever changing modus operandi of the insurgents.

    “It is therefore wrong for anyone, Nigerian or foreigner, to assert that our armed forces cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents or to insinuate that the insurgents are better armed.

    “We believe strongly that the statement made by the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, that the insurgents are better armed than our military is based purely on a civilian perception of the situation at hand.

    “It is clear that Governor Shettima does not have the expertise to categorize or classify the effectiveness of any weapon.

    “We state categorically that the Nigerian military is one of the best equipped in Africa and that in 2014, the Federal Government made budgetary provision in excess of N1 trillion for the military and other security agencies, an amount, which is about 22 percent of our entire national budget for this year.

    “This definitely belies the suggestion in certain quarters that the Federal Government is not doing the needful in prosecuting this war.”

    The President’s publicist also disagreed with the opinion in certain quarters that the morale of the military is low and that there is lack of motivation for members of the Armed Forces.

    According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces are spurred by patriotic sense of duty, national pride and strict adherence to professional ethics.

    On the other hand, Okupe said the insurgents are motivated by ideological fanaticism.

     

  • Boko Haram: Nigeria at war, says governor

    Boko Haram: Nigeria at war, says governor

    Military deploys more troops

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima painted yesterday a gloomy picture of the war against Boko Haram, saying the resources of the military are not adequate to defeat the insurgents.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, he said that more resources should be voted to the fight against the insurgents as the situation has already degenerated into a war.

    According to him, Book Haram members are better armed and better motivated to carry out their evil attacks.

    But Shettima did not blame the situation on the military. He said they were doing their best in the circumstances.

    Said the distraught governor: “Well, in a nutshell, what we are being confronted with is that we are in a state of war. It is what I came to update Mr. President; the sooner we stop playing the ostrich and rise up to the challenges of the day, and marshall all resources towards visualising the antics of Boko Haram, the better for all of us.

    “But the bottom line is that we need more resources, more votes on ground. In all fairness to the officers and men of the Nigerian Army and police, they are doing their best, given the circumstances they have found themselves in.”

    The governor went on: “But, honestly, Boko Haram are better armed and are better motivated than our own troops. And believe me, I am an eternal optimist as I have always said, but I am also a realist. Given the present state of affairs, it is absolutely impossible for us to defeat Boko Haram.

    “I made it emphatically clear to Mr. President that the Boko Haram are better armed and better motivated. Anybody who is following events in this country can attest to the fact that they have a very smooth sail overrunning communities, killing people. Have we ever succeeded in thwarting any of their plans?”

    “They went to Konduga and did what they wanted to do. They held sway for over four to five hours before they left. They were in Kauri, Idzge and I don’t blame the Nigerian military. Honestly, we the leaders should be held responsible for our failure in leadership.”

    He also said he was not aware of any threat by Boko Haram to launch an onslaught against the people if Cameroon assists the Federal Government of Nigeria to fight the insurgents.

    “I am not privy to such an information but the President has assured us that he will put in his best to see that the unfortunate tendency of the Boko Haram overrunning communities and butchering innocent souls is brought under control.”

    On the number of casualties, Shettima said: “In Idzge alone, we lost 106 people and they raided eight other communities. So, until I get back home, today or tomorrow, I cannot give you the exact figure. But some were hospitalised with very great injuries so I am afraid the figures might climb.”

    He said it was too early to start talking about elections in the state as all attention should be on how to ensure peace and harmony.

    “It is too early for anybody to talk about election when human lives are involved, power comes from God and He gives power to whom He will. I don’t care a hoot whether elections are here but I do care that peace is restored in Borno and the Northeast subregion. So, people should stop playing politics,” the governor added.

    Shettima spoke with reporters after briefing President Goodluck Jonathan along with service chiefs in the State House.

     

  • Boko Haram: DHQ orders troops to take battle to forests

    Some suspects have been arrested for the recent attacks on towns and villages in Borno State, it was learnt yesterday.

    Although the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) was not specific on the actual number of arrests, it noted that some weapons had been recovered.

    It was also learnt that more troops were deployed in Borno State – over 100 were killed last week in some villages. Yesterday, more troops were moved from military formations in the Southeast to Borno.

    The Federal Government is trying to strengthen military collaboration with neighbouring countries to curtail the insurgents.

    According to a source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has directed the troops to draw “the battle line with Boko Haram.”

    The source said: “The DHQ said the era of being on the defensive is gone; it has directed the troops to take the battle to the insurgents in the forests and hills, especially the Sambisa Forest and Gwoza and Mandara hills in Borno State.

    “The troops have also been mandated to embark on intensive combing of villages and towns in Borno State.

    “The DHQ has indeed declared a total war against Boko Haram in Borno State. The sect has moved against the state and its days are numbered.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Additional troops from military formations in the Southeast have been deployed in Borno.

    “No matter what, the troops will surely overrun them very soon. We are already strengthening military collaboration with all our neighbouring countries.”

    In an official statement, the Defence Headquarters, through its spokesman, Maj.Gen. Chris Olukolade, said some perpetrators of the dastardly attacks on towns and villages in Borno State had been arrested.

    It accused fleeing insurgents of mass killing from village to village in reprisals.

    The statement said: “The ongoing onslaught against terrorists in some parts of the country will not be deterred by the unfortunate attacks being carried out against troops and innocent civilians by the insurgents.

    “The terrorists who move from village to village attacking innocent civilians are those escaping from the onslaught against their makeshift hideout along the border and entry points from neighbouring countries.

    “The fighting patrols by air and land are being stepped up in the forests and hills of the affected areas and other parts of the Northeast where the Boko Haram terrorists are hiding.

    “The security forces will continue to employ necessary fire power to enhance the effectiveness of the mission until the terrorists are duly curtailed.

    “Meanwhile, locations that are prone to attacks are being reinforced while the general area is now under heightened surveillance and patrols.

    “Some suspected perpetrators of the recent assault have been apprehended and weapons recovered from them.

    “While appealing for the patience of the general public, the citizens in the affected areas are encouraged to provide security agencies with timely information to forestall the activities of the fleeing terrorists whose attacks on soft targets are intended to provoke fear and create a false sense of invisibility.”

     

  • North’s governors decry sect’s insurgency

    North’s governors decry sect’s insurgency

    Governors of the 19 northern states rose from their regular consultative meeting in Kaduna yesterday, urging the Federal Government to stop the insurgency in the Northeast from spreading to other parts of the country.

    In a communiqué read by Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) chairman Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, the governors also resolved to send a delegation to the proposed national conference. Those they described as the best brain in the region will be members of the team.

    The governors also advised the government to come up with a national policy that will settle nomads and provide adequate grazing reserves and cattle routes as a way of addressing the frequent clashes between Fulani nomads and farmers.

    At the meeting, which is the longest in recent times, the governors decried the security situation in the Northeast, caused by the deadly activities of the Boko Haram, urging the Federal Government to arrest the situation immediately. They condemned the killing of about 100 people in a village in Borno State at the weekend.

    They said the situation in the Northast should be of national concern to avert its spread to other parts of the country, adding that in view of the continuing threat from the insurgents, there was urgent need for the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel with superior military equipment to the troubled sport. Besides, the government, they said, should adopt measures to boost their morale to enable them fight the insurgents and other threats to security.

    The governors appeal to the federal government to take steps to secure the country’s porous borders by restricting trans-border movement, especially in the Northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. The Federal Government, they counselled, should implement all past reports on security challenges.

    While expressing concern about activities of cattle rustlers in the region, the governors concerted efforts from member states to tackle the increasing security challenges caused by cattle rustlers and the proliferation of arm banditry in most parts of the northern states. They urged the Federal Government to consider a national policy to settle nomads and provide adequate grazing reserves and cattle routes so as to address the frequent clashes between nomads and farmers.

    On the national conference, the governors resolved to nominate the best of brains from the North, with a united agenda to represent it at the forth coming National conference.

    Addressing his colleagues before the closed door meeting, Aliyu, who is the governor of Niger State, said the time had come when as governors, they must muster the desired political will to stop the mindless killings by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    He said: “We woke up today to hear what has been happening in Borno State in particular but in the Northeast in general and many of the northern states; we must take a position so that we create the political will, if it is lack of political will on our part; we must create that political will, so that from our own political will, it will transcend to the Federal Government and to the people of Nigeria.

    “The situation is going beyond the traditional description that we give of Boko Haram and I think we need to really appreciate the gravity of the situation. Many countries will go to war for the death of one person, but it appears we are becoming a little callous, that we don’t seem to care much about what is happening and we must continue to encourage the Federal Government to do really what it is supposed to do.

    “We need a concerted effort and coordinated effort also on transformation of Almajiri system of education in northern Nigeria. I think time has come where we will say that the proper integration beyond just building primary schools and schools generally but to find a way to integrate them properly so that in the next five years at least that system would have been integrated in our system.

    “We must take a concerted effort together. Many are beginning to think that we even need to settle nomadic people in our states. Many countries with similar nomadic movement of cattle were able to settle them.

    “Some of them over 100 years ago and we should begin to think towards that direction. We must begin also to protect those who rear cattle and livestock generally because of what we notice is happening all over the northern part where cattle rustling has become an issue.

    The meeting was attended by the governors of Kaduna, Niger, Kano, Kebbi, Kwara and Benue. Kogi, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi were represented by their deputy governors. Plateau, Nasarawa, Adamawa and Taraba states did not send representatives.

     

  • 20 Boko Haram men arrested

    Neighbouring Niger Republic has arrested about 20 Boko Haram Islamist militants suspected of planning attacks in Niger’s south east, security officials said yesterday.

    The alleged plot to strike Diffa, a Nigerien town that borders Borno state, highlights the cross-border threats following army’s offensive against militants that have pushed thousands of refugees and some insurgents across the border into Niger.

    Niger’s army chief General Seyni Garba told troops in Mali during a visit that the militants were preparing attacks on markets and other gathering places in retaliation for Niger’s stance against extremists in the region.

    Niger has emerged as a firm ally of France and the United States in the fight against al-Qaeda-linked groups in the Sahel. It is a base for French and US surveillance drones and Niamey has deployed 650 troops to neighbouring Mali to back a French-led campaign against Islamists there.

    “The bloodbath planned by the terrorist organisation to punish our country has fortunately been avoided,” Garba was quoted as saying in yesterday’s edition of Le Sahel, a Niger Republic-owned newspaper.

    Garba, speaking while visiting Nigerien troops in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, said the arrests took place in Diffa. He did not say how many militants were held or when the detentions took place.

    A Nigerien security official told Reuters that 20 Boko Haram militants, all Nigerians, were arrested in the sweep late last month.

    “It was a cell that was planning attacks on Diffa and the surrounding areas,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

    Another military officer said the cell was identified by Niger’s anti-terrorism unit and placed under surveillance as soon as they entered Niger’s territory.

    While much of the Western security focus is on Niger’s vast northern desert zone that borders Mali, Algeria, Libya and Chad, officials say the spillover from the conflict in northern Nigeria is equally worrying for the Niamey government.