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Tag: boko haram

  • Attack on Borno community sad, inhumane – Shettima

    Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Monday described the Boko Haram insurgents’ Sunday night attack on communities in Jere Local Government Area of the state as “sad and inhumane”.

    Shetiima told newsmen when he visited the over 80 victims of the attack on treatment at the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri that the attack indicated high level of atrocities committed by the insurgents.

    “It is very sad which no any sensible human being could inflict on another person; such level of dexterity, such level of atrocity but this is a  war between light and darkness, and in the fullness of time truth shall always triumph over falsehood.

    “We have repeatedly said they have been sufficiently decimated and these decimated monsters berks in the oxygen of publicity they are targeting soft targets, senselessly and criminally opening fire on innocent souls.

    “Yesterday, we witnessed that very sad episode, we will continue to intensify our efforts to safeguard life and property, and we are talking with security agencies that are doing their utmost best to secure the state.

    “Appreciable progress has been made but such hiccups are inevitable. I will visit the communities to see what measures need to be put in place to forestall future occurrence,” he said.

    Shettima assured that the state government would provide free treatment to the victims and provide necessary support during their period of recuperation.

    The governor also condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack.

    Meanwhile, the Police in Borno had confirmed 20 persons killed and 84 others wounded in the attack.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Damian Chukwu, disclosed that five mutilated corpses of male suicide bombers were recovered and two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) vests were diffused by men of the command at the scene of the attack.

    He said: “On 01/04/2018 at about 20:20 pm; Boko Haram terrorists in an attempt to infiltrate into Maiduguri through Bale Kura, Bale Shuwari, Jamine and Alkaramti villages in Jere local government area of the state, in the outskirts of Maiduguri detonated IEDs.

    “They were promptly repelled by military and police reinforcement. In the process about 84 persons were injured and 20 others killed.”

    Chukwu added that normalcy had been restored to the area and called on people to go about their lawful businesses. (NAN)

  • 15 kill, 55 persons injured in fresh Boko Haram attack in Maiduguri

    No fewer than 15 persons are feared  dead and  55 others sustained injuries in a Sunday night attack by Boko Haram insurgents at Bale community in the outskirts of Maiduguri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria  (NAN) reports that echoes from sporadic gunshots and multiple explosions which lasted for hours on Sunday evening, were heard from the  outskirts of the city.

    Competent security sources told NAN that a number of insurgents attacked Bale-Shuwa and Bale-Kura communities near Maiduguri in an attempt to infiltrate the town at about 8: 00 p. m.

    The source disclosed that the insurgents parked their vehicles few meters away from a security check point and sneaked into the community.

    The source  added that the security operatives engaged in fierce gun battle with the insurgents who detonated Improvised Explosive Devices  (IEDs) and shot sporadically.

    “Dozens of people including women and children were wounded from the explosion and gun shots.

    “Due to darkness dead bodies were not evacuated immediately  because there were suicide bombers among the attackers,” the added.

    However, the  Commander of the Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen. Rogers  Nicholas, denied any death on the side of his soldiers or civilians  in the attack.

    Reacting to NAN inquiry in a text message he said, however, that some of the Boko Haram insurgents were killed.

    “That’s not correct.  There was an attack which was repelled and some Boko Haram insurgents were killed by gallant soldiers.

    “However,  Boko Haram came with suicide bombers who denoted their vests while running from the troops fire in a nearby community and that led to 14 civilians being injured from the blasts.”   (NAN)

  • Troops kill 4 Boko Haram insurgents, neutralise 4 suicide bombers

    Nigerian Army on Saturday said its troops killed four Boko Haram insurgents at Malumti village in the fringes of Sambisa Forest.

    Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, made the disclosure in a statement in Maiduguri.

    Nwachukwu stated that the insurgents were killed by troops in an ambush while trying to escape ongoing clearance exercise under “Operation Deep Punch II” on March 30.

    He said the troops recovered a Toyota Land Cruiser, one AK 47 Rifle , 15 Rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, one magazine and 47 Jerry cans of petrol from the insurgents.

    He added that “the insurgents were routed out of the Sambisa Forest by troops under Operation Deep Punch II, rummaging  for food and logistics when they met their Waterloo.”

    Nwachukwu disclosed that gallant troops deployed at a checkpoint in  Muna Garage in the outskirts of Maiduguri also neutralised four suicide bombers on Friday.

    He explained that the bombers, comprising a male and three females were killed while attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri metropolis.

    He noted that “the insurgents, attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri metropolis through Muna Zawiya area at about 9.30 p.m., were spotted by vigilance troops who fired shots, hitting one of them, thereby triggering simultaneous explosions which killed all of them.

    “Regrettably, 18 persons were injured in the incident and have been evacuated for medical attention.”

    According to him, troops and members of  the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were  conducting cordon and search operation in the area for any other suicide bomber lurking around.

    Nwachukwu urged the public to be vigilant and report suspicious persons and activities to security agencies.

  • Amnesty for repentant Boko Haram members and the audacity of victory

    I am an ardent follower of the cause of humanity. So, I will be unfair to myself if I view certain issues of humanity from the same narrow prisms like others. Invariably, it would mean my knowledge as a student of human rights and international humanitarian law, coupled with my researches and interactions with multiple conflict resolution experts across the globe is useless to me. I say this without haughtiness.

    In Nigeria, we know that Boko Haram terrorism was a creation of a few people sometime in 2009 in the North-East region of the country. But overtime, it developed into a true monster, a nightmare and a sour grape with unimaginable tentacles.

    It became a symbol of pains and sorrows in our national life. We lost our dignity in the comity of nations by the sheer freedom we allowed Boko Haram terrorists exhibit in atrocities and heinous crimes against humanity.

    I wept endlessly the day military authorities authentically established the existence of Boko Haram child-soldiers and teenage female bomb carriers they hypnotized into committing these satanic acts at designated destinations.

    But the Almighty God in His infinite mercies has through the Nigerian military shown us a today, which is far better than the yesterday’s years of turmoil under Boko Haram Haram Terrorism (BHT). If we believe in the existence of God Almighty and listen to our inner voice of conscience, we shall hear the truth and truly empathize with some Boko Haram insurgents.

    I believe other Nigerians also know that at the turn of 2015, Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) foot soldiers were in multitudes. And the recruitment of innocent Nigerians into this devilish sect was also done diabolically and frequently. Some were charmed; while others were forcefully captured and indoctrinated into the ideology of the sect much against their wish. They were threatened with death and all manner of intimidations into submission.

    The everyday cries and sorrows of Nigerians over BHTs sequel to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari sprouted from the huge reservoir of foot soldiers the terrorists kingpins had amassed. They declared total war against the rest of us. But I can comfortably and assertively say, we have a breather from this bile of terrorism that reigned from 2010 to early 2015. It is no longer ceaseless bloodbath, tears and sorrows as it used to be in the past.

    And I do understand that winning such war completely is beyond the force of guns and booths. The stick and carrot approach is also a veritable instrument in resolving such conflicts in most parts of the world. We must understand that artillery exchange of gunfire alone do not terminate wars, but dialogues on the dialogue table, with concessions on either side, assist tremendously in facilitating the process of peace.

    Therefore, I was taken aback, when loud murmurings greeted hints by Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is tinkering with the possibility of granting amnesty to repentant Boko Haram insurgents. I read the deluxe of opposition to the idea, but found nothing or a point strong enough to cancel the idea of amnesty to repentant insurgents. But they were handsomely replete with baseless sentiments of either religion or ethnicity.

    I was almost weighed down. Analysts, commentators, mob attackers and critics left the core of the issues and dwelt on trivialities. We forgot easily that the orthodox religion we practice in Nigeria, whether Christianity or Islam all preach forgiveness of those who offend us. Not just that but also as a way of making our victory total.

    I am amazed at how every Nigerian places himself a professional or expert to advise government on every national issue. So, we were the least to remember that the guilt of some Boko Haram members is through vicarious liability by demonic indoctrination.

    Some of them who regained consciousness have willingly surrendered themselves to the Nigerian military. Yet others are still held by the goons of terrorism because they are skeptical about the fate that awaits them should they surrender. Invariably those who left this angle out, got it completely wrong.

    But we all know the severity of the Boko Haram scourge before now and the efforts at quelling it at the moment. BHT reached frightening dimensions long before 2015. The international community had already branded Nigeria a failed nation-state. We allowed it to breach our sovereignty to shameful limits; hence we could not defend our civilian population from the matching swords of rampaging terrorists.

    For instance, Boko Haram attempted to take over Giwa Barracks in Borno State, but succeeded in taking over the Police College Gwoza and palaces of some Emirs in the North. They deposed these Emirs, appointed new Emirs and foisted their emblems in every territory they captured. Nearly 23 LGAs in the Northeast were under the control of BHT at the turn of 2015.

    With the peace that has substantially returned, we embarked on an adventurous and humanitarian journey to the North-east in 2016. And in Maiduguri, we met the Shehu of Borno, a leader directly at the heat of the furnace of terrorism. He is a revered, very powerful and influential traditional ruler.

    We had a chat with him and the Shehu of Borno indeed confirmed to us that the situation was so bad that about eight of his Chiefs had to vacate their palaces and flee to hibernate with him in Maiduguri.

    But he was honest enough to inform us of the changed tides on terrorism by 2016. He was vehement that the Nigerian Army, under the leadership of the COAS and leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai, have succeeded in pushing the insurgents out of his domain.

    The Shehu of Borno confirmed that all his Chiefs have returned home and mounted their thrones. I went round the state to confirm same. At Kwajafa, the Chief also confirmed what the Shehu had told us.

    And apart from Borno or the Northeast, we are all living witnesses to hellish experiences of Nigerians with terrorists in Abuja. The Federal Capital Territory was so frightened by terrorists to the extent that even the Police High Command could not navigate its office premises without blockage for the fear of BHT. Even diplomats at the United Nations country office in Abuja were scared-stiff. But by 2016 all these vanished.

    The kidnap of the Chibok schoolgirls at that time was to crown the supremacy of Boko Haram over the Nigerian state. And our reactions only worsened the matter by demonstrating and trumpeting to the whole world our status as a failed state.

    What we cannot take away from the current efforts in our appraisal of the anti-terrorism war is that the BHTs have been decimated and defeated through the efforts of our military. No matter the pretenses, we cannot dodge this reality with the empirical evidence around us.

    Added to it, we must not lose sight of our humanity by acknowledging the fact that in the course of the military’s prosecution of this delicate war, it made enormous sacrifices more than what any of us can ever imagine, by even paying the supreme price. We cannot discuss the terrorism war anywhere without giving them the desired kudos and place in history for the selfless and patriotic service to our country.

    It is the Military’s commitment to this cause that even compelled Boko Haram’s return of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls timely, without any bruise on either side, in sticking to the agreement reached on their release.

    Unfortunately, some of us believe more in the conspiracy theories. So, we are not prodded to first appreciate why it was convenient for Boko Haram to keep more Chibok girls for years, despite all the international and local pressures on them to return them, but why insurgents had to release the Dapchi girls almost immediately.

    That’s the fruits or potency of dialogue and forgiveness in war situations. It has extinguished the fire of vengeance and established the first test case of insurgents’ trust that the FGN can be gentlemanly enough to honour its promise of pardon to all repentant insurgents if those still hiding decide to lay down their arms . And more would lay down their arms.

    Consequently, there have been efforts by conflict experts across the globe having seen the level of success made by the current administration under President Buhari and the military to consider safe corridors for those who willingly lay down their arms. Some terrorists out of frustration and lack of escape have embarked on suidiced mission to end the war themselves and from investigations many still want to abandon their commanders but no solid assurance that the people could ever forgive their atrocities in a hurry.

    It therefore gladdens my heart to hear about plans by the Federal Government to offer an exit program to members of the insurgent group who are ready to lay down their arms. This should be seen more as a testament to our collective humanity as a people and the efforts of the Nigerian government to humble these evil men to a point where they have abandoned their ideology. . Already, many of the Boko Haram commanders have surrendered and many more are still willing to surrender. But they want to be assured of the sincerity and commitment to this promise by government.

    In essence, the planned exit program or soft-landing proposed by stakeholders is important to safeguard the lives of all innocent Nigerians or families dragged into the sect outside the main ideology which its core promoters had proclaimed. It’s permissible and practicable in any jurisdiction around the world and has worked perfectly well.

    Nigerians have seen this worked in the instance of the Niger Delta militancy. It is now the prime responsibility of the international partners and civil society organizations to work conscientiously and assiduously to ensure all parties keep to their bargain for disarmament through the amnesty. This shall quicken the death of terrorism and return permanent peace to our devastated and ravaged communities.

    Agbese is a human rights law researcher @ the Middlesex University London, United Kingdom.

  • Dapchi girls: CAN praises Leah for standing for her faith

    … Boko Haram trying to set us against each other, Ahmadiyya

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has praised the lone Dapchi girl Leah Sharibu, being held captive by Boko Haram for standing for her faith.

    CAN says that people saying that Leah should have denounced Christ and repented later do not understand the tenets of Christianity.
    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) CAN President, Rev. Dr. Jonah Samson explained that Christianity is all about conviction and not denial.

    Speaking at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Nigeria, Northern Region, 6th Northern Region Jalsa Tarbiya, 3rd national peace symposium that was held in Abuja. Samson who was represented by Rev. Dr. Samuel Kajeyale said,

    “In the aspect of people saying that Leah should have denounced her faith, it is not possible. If you know what Christian beliefs is all about, it is all about conviction and denial is not part of the tenets of Christianity, if you have given your life to Jesus and made him the lord of your life, people might want to say Peter denied Christ but look at the context of Peter’s denial, immediately he denied Christ he asked for forgiveness, we should ve very careful of looking at a portion of the bible and not looking at it holistically, if you are not given the opportunity of repentance and after the denying Christ you are killed, what becomes of you? That is the issue.

    “So that girl as far as we are concerned, we are praying for her because of her conviction. When you look at the nation holistically, we have the freedom to practice our religion, religion should be by persuasion not imposition, if we allow religion to graduate to imposition, what we are going to reap in the society is total chaos.”
    Amir sahib (National Head), Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Nigeria. Dr. Mashhud Fashola at the occasion called on Nigerians to beware of Boko Harams attempts to set Christians against Muslims.

    Fashola said that the sect is exploiting religion for the purpose of conflict.

    His words, “This is trying to make us as a nation set ourselves against eachother, we may not know thise causing problems, we may call them a particular name and they may not be the ones causing the problems, so what we need is dialogue

    “In religion their is bad leadership, when religious leaders are not preaching discipline, morality and selflessness, they are alao looking for money, they are materialistic it will cause problems. Some of our leaders too are looking for their own pockets rather than fighting for the development of the nation and eradication of poverty. Leave religion apart, poverty knows no religion, if you dont address poverty, you cause problems in the nation, extremists will play on those deprived and preach wrong ideologies.

    “As for Boko Haram, the government is not Boko Haram if Boko Haram sizes someone and refuse to return the person, it is not the fault of the government, let us put the blame on Boko Haram, Boko Haram is trying to create conflict, wants to set us against eachother and exploiting religion for that purpose, their take is not on religion, they know that when they create religious crisis, their will be crisis in the country, we should be very careful not to make them cause us to fight eachother. For me, what Boko Haram is doing is to cause disunity and instability in the country.”

  • Boko Haram and western education

    SIR: Following the return of 104 students of Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi in Yobe State, their abductors reportedly left a caveat that their parents should never again send them to school.

    The group which was founded by late Mohamed Yusuf in 2002 in Borno State claims their philosophy is based on Sunni Islam. It sees western civilization as being sinful and abhors modern science and technology.

    Now, for a group which claims to be Sunni Muslims to openly deprecate education that comes from the West smacks of hypocrisy or ignorance of Sunnis’ world-view. For instance, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and in fact, about 90 percent of Muslims in the world are Sunnis, many of whom have embraced Western civilization. Recent surveys of Muslims’ demographics show that out of the 1.8 billion Muslims, 1.6 billion are Sunnis. Dubai in United Arab Emirates which has become a global delight, a modern day wonder of Western technology is populated by Sunnis. Though the country’s public school is based on Arabic curriculum, most private schools follow Western curricular.

    If core Islamic nations have embraced Western civilization in some ways, then what kind of a country does Boko Haram seek to actualize in this globalized world? It should be noted that Sharia law which governs religious, political and socio-economic lives of Muslims in Islamic countries does not do away with Western education. Also, Arabic education based on Islamic orientation is not tantamount to extirpating Western culture in its entirety. It should therefore be clear to all that such a world as envisaged by Boko Haram proponents is only possible in a psychologically imbalanced state of mind which is perpetually harassed by narcotics.

    They obviously know that what they pretend to fight for is an impossible task. But how can they rationalize these senseless killings if not by trying to find justification in some religious fallacies, deceits and distortions?

    For the Northeast, a region already rated as the poorest in the country, recording its superlatives only in the negatives to have been promised a socio-political system devoid of Western influence, then the entire area would have become a ghost town in no time. Already the high illiteracy rate coupled with abject poverty and diseases there have made living a harrowing experience. Aids occasionally come from international agencies in response to these humanitarian crises; imagine shutting the doors against such interventions in the name of not having anything to do with Western education.

    Western education is the tool for the advancement of humanity; therefore no normal life is possible nowadays without it. Government should rise to the occasion and ensure that adequate sensitization and security measures are put in place to encourage parents to continue to send their children to acquire Western education in spite of the assailants’ threats.

     

    • Itaobong Offiong Etim,

    Calabar.

  • Yobe FG committed to securing release of Dapchi schoolgirl – Gaidam

    Yobe Government has assured of its partnership with the Federal Government to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu, the lone Dapchi schoolgirl still in Boko Haram captivity.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam stated this on Thursday in Damaturu when the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating the abduction of the Dapchi schoolgirls visited the state.

    Gaidam, who was represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Abubakar Ali, said the release of the girl was a matter of priority to the government and people of the state.

    He expressed the hope that the findings of the committee would help to provide a permanent solution to abduction of students and Nigerians generally.

    He urged the federal government and security agencies to employ a comprehensive strategy to clear mines and mop up the remnants of insurgents in the North-East.

    Read Also: Boko Haram tried to capture Yobe Government House – Senate

    The governor also called for effective de-radicalisation policy to curb the menace of violent crimes in the sub-region.

    He commended security operatives for the relative peace achieved in the states affected by insurgency.

    He called on stakeholders to support and cooperate with the committee to find lasting solutions to abduction and other problems associated with insurgency.

    The Chairman of the committee, Mr Buba Yakubu, said the committee was on a fact-finding mission to determine the immediate and remote causes of the abduction of the students.

    “The committee does not intend to witch-hunt anybody but to identify the problems, find solutions and forestall future occurrence,” he said.

    NAN

  • Troops arrest three Boko Haram terrorists

    The Nigerian Army on Thursday said 3 Boko Haram Terrorists have been arrested by troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole in the northeast of the country.

    The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Texas Chukwu said in a statement in Abuja that the terrorists, Adam Yagga, Musa Kamsulum and Abba Djidoum are all from Darajimal in Bama Local Government of Borno state.

    Brig. Gen. Chukwu said: “Troops of 23 Brigade Nigerian Army under Operation LAFIYA DOLE on 28th March 2018, acting on a tip off arrested 3 suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Ngurore. The suspects, Adam Yagga, Musa Kamsulum and Abba Djidoum are all from Darajimal in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.

    “One of the suspects, Abba Djidoum, with series of Gunshot wounds on his thigh, confessed to have operated with the Boko Haram terrorists at fringes of Izza, Wudula and Blakule in Bama LOk cal Government Area of Borno State.  Suspect is undergoing preliminary investigation with 23 Brigade Provost Company.

    “We commend patriotic members of Civilian vigilante (Civilian JTF) for their resilience and continued cooperation with troops, and urge members of the public to emulate their vigilance and security consciousness by reporting any suspicious persons or objects to the nearest military location.

    “We wish to remind repentant Boko Haram fighters that the window of opportunity to embrace the Federal Government Amnesty program is still open for them to surrender and lay down their weapons. It is also gratifying to report that the troops’ morale remains high as they dominate the general area with a robust fighting patrol in continuation with the clearance operations.”

    Read Also:Troops kill four militia men in Bauchi

  • Govt, Boko Haram in ceasefire talks

    The Federal government is in talks with Boko Haram about a possible ceasefire, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said yesterday.

    According to him, the talks have been going on for some time.

    He told reporters in Lagos that ”unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now”.

    “The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers’ wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. The talks did not stop thereafter. Therefore, we were able to leverage the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted,” Mohammed said.

    He did not give details of the talks. The popular thinking is that it is likely that the government has been discussing with the Al Banawi faction, which is believed to have abducted the Dapchi schoolgirls.

    The minister said the Federal Government would reinvigorate national security to prevent further abduction of school girls in the Northeast.

    He said efforts to bring back the remaining Dapchi and Chibok girls safely through negotiation and dialogue would be intensified to draw the curtains on the sad episode.

    Mohammed said the early release of abducted Dapchi girls had rekindled public belief in the government’s ability to rise to the occasion in the period of emergency.

    He said: “This Administration remains committed to the fight against terrorism and insurgency. The security services have since been directed to put in place further measures around all schools vulnerable to attacks to ensure the safety of pupils/students and teachers and school workers. The President has also tasked all the security agencies to work to ensure that we do not witness any recurrence of these incidents.

    “While the military efforts are necessarily ongoing, we are willing to continue engaging in a meaningful dialogue, which is not only about the release of hostages, but intended at a broader engagement on conflict mitigation, reduction of the violence, possibility of ceasefire, protection of civilians, and increased humanitarian access. Government is therefore willing to engage on measures which can lead to stopping the bloodshed and finding long-lasting solutions to the conflict.”

    The minister lamented what he described as the politicisation of security by the opposition, urging the media to refrain from disseminating materials that may sabotage efforts to end the insurgency and secure the release of remaining girls.

    He frowned at the fake news about an Army Sergeant, David Bako, who allegedly claimed that he was part of a conspiracy by the government to abduct the Dapchi girls.

    Mohammed said: “This is a classic example of disinformation and fake news. I can tell you categorically that this David Bako is fake. There is no such soldier in the Nigerian Army.

    “There was no conspiracy anywhere. The intention of those behind the disinformation and fake news is to cause disaffection between Christians and Muslims, and between Southerners and Northerners.”

    Shedding light on how the Dapchi girls were released, the minister said their release followed an “intense back-channel engagement”, adding that the feat was achieved through the cooperation of a friendly country, international organisation and trusted facilitators.

    He said 107 persons, comprising 105 Dapchi schoolgirls and two non-students, have been released by the insurgents, adding that six school girls were still with the abductors.

    Mohammed maintained that the government neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the girls’ release of the girls.

    He added: “The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill, following relentless efforts by the government to find long-lasting solutions to the conflict.

    “The insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture. All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls.

    “Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, 19 March. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls. This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military.”

    The minister emphasised that the girls were freed early, following prompt proactive actions, including fact-finding by a government delegation, presidential directive to Service Chiefs and the Police Inspector-General to take charge and aerial surveillance of the area by the Air Force.

    Mohammed chided the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for turning the national tragedy into a platform for dirty partisan politics, instead of forging unity in an atmosphere of sober reflection.

    He added: “A terror attack on any country is an attack on all countries. Perhaps we should ask the PDP what, indeed, the party knows about the abduction of the Dapchi girls, going by its statement that their abduction and release were stage-managed. The party made itself a laughing stock within and outside Nigeria with that statement.”

    “What called for non-partisan celebrations was rather thoughtlessly turned into politics, bad, despicable politics that has no place in any democracy.

    “At times of national tragedies, countries unite. This is the norm everywhere.

    “Indeed, there should be a new criterion for withdrawing the registration of a party like the PDP which has failed both as a ruling and an opposition party!

    “If a party cannot rule and cannot be in opposition, what else can it do?’’ he said.