The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • ‘Dialogue with Boko Haram’

    The Executive Director, Voice of Christian Martyrs, Nigeria, Rev. Isaac Newton, has appealed to the Federal Government to stop the killings of members of Boko Haram sect as that would lead to further loss of lives and properties in parts of the North.

    Newton spoke in Lagos after a recent visit to the European Parliament.

    He condemned the recent massacre of over 185 persons in a raid by the Nigeria Army in Baga, Borno State.

    Newton advised government to toe the path of dialogue and peaceful means in solving the Boko Haram menace, while urging it to place the security of lives and property as utmost priority.

  • The Boko Haram menace

    The Boko Haram menace

    Nigeria is a complex entity and sometimes I just pity our leaders’ helplessness in a system where people who are in positions and are expected to be very objective in state matters do otherwise. I am referring to the call by the highly respected Sultan of Sokoto, that Boko Haram should be granted amnesty. Without mincing words, I have great respect for the Sultan because from the little I have known and followed about him, he is a detribalised Nigerian. But on this issue of giving amnesty to Boko Haram, I wish to say, he goofed.

    On the other hand, my thinking tells me, going by his precedence, that he may have been under pressure from some unknown forces, or is this call a cry of helplessness? If the issue of Boko Haram is politicised then the end will not be close. You can only grant amnesty to a known offender. The question now is that who are the representatives or leaders of Boko Haram, what are their grievances, what are the objects of their rebellion? For me, we are shying away from the root of the crises staring glaringly at us.

    My worry is the daily emasculation of socioeconomic life of northern Nigeria and by extension the whole nation by the actions of Boko Haram.These are trying times for our nation, but we must all stand for what is right regardless of whose ox is gored. I can still remember during the critical days of militancy in the Niger Delta, that the militant groups and their leaders were known. That was why elders from the region, like Chief E.K. Clark, went to the creek several times to negotiate with them. Can you negotiate with spirits? Let’s face the fact, Boko Haram is faceless and have not been able to state categorically what their grievances are except that western education is forbidden according to them. If that premise is anything to go by, then it will be safe to conclude that Boko Haram is an ideology. Even at that, let the leaders come out and identify themselves. It is at this juncture that I call on the elders from the north to stand up to the situation, after all what are elders for? Granting amnesty to Boko Haram is like running around the issue. We must rise up collectively to fight against this crippling phenomenon. If we must see the end of this ugly trend, the north has a major role to play. May God keep and strengthen our nation.

     

    Alexander Ighoro

    Warri, Delta State.

  • ‘Boko Haram will outlive Jonathan’s govt’

    The founder of Mountain of Blessing Miracle Centre (Oke Ibukun), Abuja, Pastor Akintunde Elijah, is a 54-year-old blind cleric. He spoke with Olugbenga Adanikin on his ministry and the nation. Excerpts:

    Call to the ministry

    I was formerly a contractor and lived in a place called Alagbado Kollington in Lagos. That was where I started my building and block supply business. I also had a block- fabricating factory. I was also a transporter with vehicles that carry sand. Those were the things I did but I was told from the beginning that I would work for God because I wasn’t like this before.

    I didn’t accept the call because I had no problem. My business was running smoothly and nothing was wrong with me. Like I told you, I had companies and boys who worked for me. But I did not want to be a full-time pastor. I was under Pastor Adebiyi of Pentecostal Mission before I left.

    I would just operate there and go back to my office. I was doing this until I lost my sight and couldn’t see anything. Then God told me to move to the North. God later sent somebody to me to leave for the northern parts that He would tell me what to do. That was how I came down to Abuja.

    I have been here for 13 years now. When I got to Abuja, I knew nobody. I lived at Airport Road for complete seven years. The Express was where I slept all through the period. Five of my workers that came with me and I did not sleep in a house. We used iron sheets to build a makeshift house by the roadside before demolition came and we were sent packing. Because there was no money to secure an apartment, we started sleeping in Federal Housing Authority (FHA) uncompleted building.

    I used to go to the mountain to pray. My people would walk me there to pray until God revealed to me to come to Kaduna Road and that led us here. We have been here for over five years now.

    On miracles in the church

    We just offer fervent prayers because we do all night here from January to December. There is no rest except for Saturdays and Sundays. The Spirit of God leads us. In some situations, we are asked to pray into water and give to people. Barren women may be anointed with oil and by the special grace of God they conceive. There are many that we can’t start counting but we are being led by the Holy Spirit.

    Causes of rifts among churches

    What caused this is that not everyone called is chosen by God. I must not deceive you, if God did not call me with my sight I wouldn’t have been a pastor. I can’t deceive myself. Before I was called, I was using four vehicles: a Land Rover Jeep, Volvo and Toyota Hiace. That jeep is now N11million, the Hiace was 1.7million and I had a trailer. But God collected everything from me.

    So, most who call themselves men of God are not called by God. At times when we go to the mountains to pray, the offering could be just N400 to N500 and we have about 80 members in attendance. What can we do with N500? That is why most Christians deviate. It is not every Christian that can endure. The only thing I can say is anyone who is willing to work for God must be ready to bear the pains.

    I wore rags for complete seven years and I was working for God. Apart from that, most people don’t have the boldness to stand firm in the journey of Christianity because they don’t want to stand for spiritual battles. They battle and lust for money. I’ve been working for God for the 24 years and as I speak no one has ever given me N20, 000. So, lack of endurance, love of money and lack of humility are causes of deviation among Christian leaders.

    On Boko Haram

    Sorry to say, but the end of Boko Haram insurgency is in the hands of the Federal Government. If government wants it to end today they will, because already it is Boko Haram that is ruling this country. You see before the insurgency will end we need to be filled with prayers and fasting. A bigger storm is coming. Even after the 2015 election, we won’t see the end of Boko Haram. This is what God has shown.

    Those who call themselves Boko Haram, according to the vision I am seeing, are not poor. They do not lack money. Government can only preach truce to them by trying to give them money but that is not their problem. The issue is that they don’t want the person currently in power.

    That is why we can’t say it will end this year or it will end in the next election. The only solution to Boko Haram is when the President repents. But that it will end? God has not revealed that. He should repent in the sense that he should do the will of God and quit doing the will of man. He is doing the will of man. God gave me the grace to tell him when he was newly elected into office but the people I sent didn’t see him to tell him that his government will shed blood.

    For example now, a suicide bomber must have been given a huge amount of money. And it is not just one, two or three suicide bombers like that. The amount these people have spent on bombs run into billions. And you know there are many other things happening which are not caused by Boko Haram but in the name of politics, some now commit atrocities.

    Advice to men of God

    If we want this country to prosper, influential pastors should quit from the love of money. Let’s not deceive ourselves, Nigeria is where it is because of our pastors. Pastors are the ones destroying this country. Inability to preach the truth is destroying Nigeria. Every person in power has pastors they go to for prayers who do not tell them the truth because of what they stand to gain. So the challenges we all face in Nigeria are caused by those who call themselves religious leaders. So if we want these tribulations to die down, it is in the hands of the government and religious leaders.

  • Boko Haram commander killed in Maiduguri – JTF

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) on Saturday confirmed the killing of a suspected Boko Haram commander, Mohammed Chad, during a special operation in Maiduguri.

    JTF’s spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, made this known via a statement in Maiduguri on Saturday.

    “A special operation was conducted at Ruwan-Zafi area of Maiduguri by troops of the JTF and operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) last Friday.

    “The operation led to the death of a notorious terrorist commander, a.k.a. Mohammed Chad, an indigene of Marte,  Borno, who had been on the wanted list of the JTF,” the statement said.

    It said that the late Chad was linked to many terrorist attacks in Borno and other states in the recent past.

    “Intelligence reports indicate that he was involved in the planning and execution of many terror attacks in and outside Borno.

    “For instance, he masterminded the attack on Sanda Karami Secondary School at Ruwan Zafi on March 13, where a teacher was killed and some female students injured.

    “He is believed to be the successor to the late Ba’ana Assalafi, a key commander who lost his life during a shootout with security agencies in Sokoto on March 13,’’ the statement added.

  • Boko Haram got $3.15 m to free French hostages

    Islamist sect, Boko Haram was paid an equivalent of around $3.15 million by French and Cameroonian negotiators before freeing seven French hostages this month, Reuters reported Friday quoting  ‘a confidential Nigerian government report.’
    It said the  memo did not specify  who paid the ransom for the family of seven, who were all released on April 19.
    Cameroon was said to have  freed some Boko Haram detainees as part of the deal.
    France and Cameroon reiterated denials that any ransom was paid. Nigerian authorities declined to comment.
    Armed men on motorcycles snatched Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, his wife, brother and the couple’s four young children, the youngest of whom was four years old, on February 19 while they were on holiday near the Waza national park in north Cameroon, some 10 km  from the Nigerian border.
    The Nigerian memo,according to Reuters, suggests that 1.6 billion CFA francs ($3.15 million) was paid, but that right up until the last minute Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had insisted on double that, before agreeing to reduce it if some Boko Haram members in Cameroonian jails were freed.
    Reacting to the report, a French foreign ministry official said that France has passed a clear message that it does not pay ransoms. Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said “Cameroon did not pay any ransom”.
    A spokesman for Nigeria’s government declined to comment.
    The report suggests Nigerian security forces decided not to try to rescue the hostages so as not to endanger their lives. A botched rescue attempt of a British and an Italian hostage believed to have been held by Islamist sect Ansaru in March last year resulted in both hostages being killed.
    French news network i-tele reported earlier yesterday  that a ransom had of $7 million had been paid, suggesting either Cameroon President Paul Biya or GDF-Suez had paid it.
    Eight French hostages are being held in the Sahel region, although the fate of one of them is unclear after al-Qaeda’s north African arm last month said it had beheaded Philippe Verdon.
    Hollande has said Paris has ended a policy of paying ransoms for hostages, but suspicion that the country still does despite official denials has been a source of tension with the United States.
    France brushed off an allegation by a former U.S. diplomat that it paid a $17 million ransom in vain for the release of four hostages abducted in 2010 from Niger.
    Hollande told the family of the Sahel hostages in January that the new policy also meant that he had told companies and insurance firms to not pay ransoms.

  • Yobe clash death toll hits 25

    At least 25 people were killed in a clash between the Joint Task Force and suspected Boko Haram members who robbed a bank and attacked a police station in Yobe State, police said on Friday.

    The military had earlier said seven people were killed in the shootout on Thursday.

    “Five policemen and 20 gunmen have been confirmed dead and over nine million naira ($56,600) was carted away from a commercial bank,” Reuters quoted Yobe State police commissioner, Sanusi Rufai, as saying in a statement, adding that the loot had been recovered.

    The Boko Haram sect and offshoots such as the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, as well as associated criminal networks, have posed the main threat to the stability of Nigeria since a 2009 amnesty for militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta calmed violence there.

    Thursday’s shootout followed a major military assault on a Boko Haram hideout by allied forces from Nigeria, Chad and Niger last week that killed dozens of people and may have been one of the deadliest since the Islamists launched an uprising in 2009.

    The Nigerian Red Cross is trying to check reports from locals that 187 people died in that battle. The military said the figure is inflated, but it has barred any access to aid agencies wanting to investigate.

     

  • Aisha Wakil named member of amnesty committee

    Aisha Wakil named member of amnesty committee

    President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed  Aisha Wakil as a member of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North.

    Some members of the 26-man committee announced by the Federal Government last week had rejected the appointment.

    The committee, which is expected to find lasting solution to the crisis in the northern part of the country, is expected to be inaugurated today by President Jonathan.

    The statement issued Monday by Special Adviser to President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati reads: “The inauguration by President Goodluck Jonathan of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North and the Committee on Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons originally scheduled for 10 AM tomorrow, Wednesday, April 24, 2013 has been brought forward to 9 AM.”

    “President Jonathan has also approved the inclusion of Barrister Aisha Wakil as a member of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North which has been given the task of identifying and constructively engaging key leaders of Boko Haram, and developing a workable framework for amnesty and disarmament of members of the group.”

    “As earlier announced, the inauguration of both committees will take place at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa. All members of both committees are expected to be seated by 08:30 AM in readiness for the prompt commencement of the inauguration at 09:00 AM.”

    “Members of the committees who reside outside the Federal Capital Territory are advised to arrive in Abuja today ahead of tomorrow’s inauguration.”

    “On arrival in Abuja, they may contact Mrs. Esther Gonda, Permanent Secretary, Special Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for further information and logistics support.” It stated

  • Several killed in JTF, Boko Haram clash in Borno

    Several killed in JTF, Boko Haram clash in Borno

    … Army disputes figure

    Intense fighting between the military and members of the Boko Haram sect in Borno State is reported to have killed at least 185 people, however the army has disputed this figure.

    Rocket-propelled grenades and heavy gunfire bombarded the remote town of Baga near the border with Chad for hours on Friday evening, officials told BBC on Monday.

    Some 2,000 homes were reportedly destroyed, causing many of the deaths.

    Nigeria faces a long-running insurgency in its predominantly Muslim north.

    The Boko Haram insurgency has left thousands of people dead since 2009.

    Residents of Baga fled into the bush and only returned on Sunday afternoon to find much of the town destroyed and human and animal corpses strewn through the streets.

    One local journalist said this marked a significant escalation in the insurgency in the area, with the militants using heavier weapons than in previous attacks.

    One resident, Bashir Isa, told Associated Press: “Everyone has been in the bush since Friday night; we started returning to town because the governor came.

    “To get food to eat in the town now is a problem because even the markets are burnt. We are still picking corpses of women and children in the bush and creeks.”

    Residents said most of the bodies had been burnt beyond recognition in blazes that had destroyed much of the town.

    Local official Lawan Kole said that 185 people – including civilians, members of the security forces and attackers – had been buried.

    However, the Joint Task Force spokesman in Borno State, Lt Col Sagir Musa, told the AFP news agency that such a high number of deaths was “unthinkable.”

    “On my honour as an officer, nothing like that happened.”

     

     

  • ‘Amnesty to Boko Haram should be conditional’

    ‘Amnesty to Boko Haram should be conditional’

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed spoke with ADEKUNLE JIMOH on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crises, national insecurity and other partisan issues.

    What is your reaction to the allegation that you and some PDP governors are planning to defect from the party?

    In Nigeria, we play politics with everything. It is not true that I am planning to leave the PDP. It does not make sense for me to leave the PDP for another party. PDP is the biggest party in Africa. Why would I be dumping a big party for a small party? It does not make sense to me, personally. Why would I move from a national party to a regional party? As it is today, PDP is the biggest party in Africa and the only national party. Other parties are regional. And by the grace of God Almighty, it is the ruling party in Kwara State. So, there are the reasonswhy I will continue to remain in the PDP. I will continue to strengthen the PDP because it is the only fair platform today that has been able to manage its differences. Other parties also have differences, which have reduced them to the regional levels they are.

    They all started as national parties, but became regional levels because they could not manage their differences. We take opinions and try to correct our stance because we do not have monopoly of wisdom. We are open to corrections from well meaning Nigerians who can suggest alternative ways by which we can deliver service.

    Plans are underway to grant amnesty to the members of the Boko Haram sect. What is your opinion?

    It is unfortunate that, in Nigeria of today, we are faced with an unprecedented security challenge. I must commend the Federal Government in its effort to check all sorts of violence, whether in form of Boko Haram or attack on ethnic groups as we have in the clash between ethnic nationalities and nomads. We have other security challenges in forms of kidnapping, attack on Federal Government installations such as crude oil pipelines. They require a very critical look.

    Amnesty is very simple. What do we mean by amnesty? It means that we should pardon those who have committed crimes against the state. That is what it means. Start with our brothers and sisters in the Southsouth. They had a grievance about degradation of their environment, largely from exploration and exploitation. On the strength of that, they felt that they needed something to make them feel part and parcel of the country, hence they tried to frustrate the lifting of crude oil.

    The Federal Government suggested amnesty for the militants at that time. It could be recalled that when amnesty was suggested for the militants, it was vehemently opposed by Nigerians who wanted to know why we give amnesty to those who have wilfully taken up arms to destroy Federal Government and oil companies’ installations?

    However, it became clear that the path to amnesty was a possible path to peace because the whole essence was to achieve peace. When there is peace, then we can talk about justice. When we talk about justice we can now talk about equity.

    Peace has to come first. As we have it today, there is an insurgence of an Islamic group in the North in the name of Boko Haram. We all know that it has nothing to do with Islam because, for those of us who are Muslims, we know very well that there is nothing that they preach that is in consonance with the tenets of Islam.

    Everything they stand for negates the very principle and policy of Islam. However, they have engaged in wanton destruction of lives and property of innocent Nigerians. The question is: how do we arrest this situation? What were the problems that led these young men into taking up arms along with non-Nigerians to create havoc on our people? Destroying everything we stand for, trying to create problems that could probably escalate into civil war. We begin to see the relevance of amnesty, forgiveness of this group of people. What is the cause of amnesty and what is the result of amnesty, if we grant it? What have they brought to the table that they stand for? The Southsouth youths came out with an environmental degradation issue, joblessness, lack of infrastructure. It was understood. It was clear. And there were negotiations and amnesty was brought in. Since then, we have a peaceful environment, at least in our context.

    Amnesty is desirable for the Boko Haram to the extent that they are able to bring to the fore, the issues they have against the system. These are the areas they think they have been short-changed as a people, as Nigerians. Then, we can begin to look at what manner of peace and pardon will be made available to this class of people. We can then come together again and move on as a people. So, it is neither here nor there. We cannot stand up and say amnesty is not desirable or amnesty is desirable. We must begin to look at the issues that will determine whether they deserve amnesty or not. Let us see, firstly, the face of the people we are speaking with.

    Secondly, what is their grievance against the system? What is it that they have against innocent women and children that they are throwing bombs at? What is it that they feel should be done rightly that is not done right? This implies that the concept of dialogue should come in first. When dialogue comes in, then, the issue of amnesty will follow. I feel that with that kind of approach, we will begin to see some succour coming to our people that find themselves in this tough terrain where there is a high level of insecurity and they cannot on their strength carry out their normal activities. We need to give it a critical look. To the extent that we are facing a challenge which we have never seen before, we must approach it in a way and manner we have never done before.

    If we begin to allow the thing to be politicised, that is, these are Muslim dissidents, or these are a group of aliens or these are just people who are just out to create problems and we try to shove them away with a wave of the hand, we will not be solving the problem. The cost of peace is not too much.

    To the extent that I do not support amnesty for every group that comes up, having gone into willful destruction of lives and property, having gone into creating problems for the country and now, we begin to see it as a way of getting our own share of the national cake. It should not be misunderstood. Because, before you know it, another group will stand up in one other guise, create mayhem and ask for amnesty. On the strength of that, an armed robber could as well ask for amnesty. So let us be very careful about how we design amnesty.

    We must understand what is on the table. Whoever is talking about amnesty, must bring something to the table.We will then look at it and see how they fit into driving us as a nation to desired level of progress and growth in the comity of nations.

    The Federal Government is assisting the state in the area of road construction…

    The issue of roads cannot be taken for granted, especially as it relates to economic growth and safety for our people. On the strength of that, from the inception of our administration we’ve taken it upon ourselves to ensure that all our state and rural roads are put to proper useable levels. We have also made several efforts in getting all Federal Government roads rehabilitated and made motorable for our people in Kwara State. Our effort is already yielding fruits. We have drawn attention to the Ilorin-Kabba Road that is in a state of disrepair. This has not only hindered movement of our people but also encouraged armed robbers to attack vehicles plying the road.

  • ‘Nigeria may regret amnesty for Boko Haram’

    The Prelate of the First African Church Mission, Nigeria and Overseas, Primate Emmanuel Koya, has warned that the proposed amnesty package for members of the Boko Haram sect will backfire.

    He said amnesty should only be considered for repentant members of the sect willing to openly lay down their arms.

    Koya spoke with newsmen during the centenary celebration of the church in Lagos.

    He explained: “Amnesty is good but should only be given to repentant militants and not faceless groups who are showing no sign of repentance and are ready to cause more mayhem in the country.

    “I pray that Nigeria will not regret the amnesty package being offered to Boko Haram sect, which is done without the necessary steps in disarming them against the wide spate of killings, maimings and destruction of lives and properties.”

    He charged churches to continue to preach the gospel of peace despite the many attacks against them.

    On the significance of the celebration, the Archbishop of Lagos West, First African Church Mission, Most Rev Paul Onanuga, said it was a testimony to the faithfulness of God.

    The Chairman, Lagos House Committee on Transport, Commerce and Industry, Hon Bisi Yusuf, expressed delight to be part of the celebration.

    He said: “I am happy to be part of this centenary celebration of this church that has helped in spiritual, environmental and educational needs of the people in Ipaja area.

    “We only urge them to continue to do more for the betterment of the society”.