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Tag: boko haram

  • Boko Haram kills three soldiers in Borno

    Boko Haram kills three soldiers in Borno

    … Six others injured

    The Nigerian Army on Monday confirmed the killing of three soldiers in a Boko Haram attack at Magumeri area of Maiduguri, Borno State.

    Six others were seriously injured in the attack.

    The Deputy Director, Public Relations, 8 Task Force Division, Col. Timothy Antigha, who disclosed these in a statement, urged residents of Magumeri to remain calm and go about their legitimate activities without fear.

    The statement reads: “about 6.00pm yesterday, 26th November 2017, suspected elements of Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack Magumeri.

    “As a prelude to the intended attack on the town, the terrorists attempted to dislodge the Forward Operational Base in Magumeri, Borno State.

    “However, soldiers of 5 Brigade Garrison located in the town repelled the attack. The troops fought gallantly. Unfortunately, three soldiers lost their lives, while six others sustained injuries. The bodies of the late soldiers and the wounded ones have been evacuated. The wounded soldiers are receiving medical attention. Some platforms were also attacked and damaged by the terrorists. Further developments regarding the incident will be communicated accordingly.

    “The 8 Division wishes to assure all residents of Magumeri that everything is being done to ensure their safety and security. To this end, they are to continue pursuing their legitimate activities without any fear.”

     

     

  • Boko Haram kills three soldiers in Borno

    •Stray bullet kills five-year-old boy 

    Three soldiers were, at the weekend, killed by Boko Haram insurgents in Magumeri town, Borno State. Six people were injured.

    Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 8 Task Force Division, Col. Timothy Antigha, spoke yesterday.

    Antigha said the soldiers died while repelling insurgent’s attack on Saturday. He added that six soldiers were injured while some platforms were damaged. Bur troops repelled the attack and normalcy has been restored to the area.

    He said: “About 6 pm yesterday (Saturday), suspected Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack Magumeri. As a prelude to the intended attack, the terrorists attempted to dislodge the Forward Operational Base in Magumeri. However, soldiers of 5 Brigade Garrison repelled the attack; the troops fought gallantly.

    “Unfortunately, three soldiers died while six others sustained injuries. The bodies of the deceased have been evacuated and the injured taken to our medical facility for treatment.

    “The 8 Division assures residents of Magumeri that everything is being done to ensure their safety and security. To this end, they are to continue pursuing their legitimate activities without any fear”.

    A five-year-old boy also died after he was hit by a stray bullet. Two women and a teenager were also injured.

    Secretary of Magumeri council Wakil Malam-Tawu said a clinic, mosque and shops were also razed in the attack, adding that those injured have been discharged after treatment.

    He said: “The people have returned to their homes. It was only one child of about 5 years who was killed, and three other people injured by stray bullets.

    “Also, a rocket launcher hit one of our health clinics, a mosque and some shops along the main road. When I visited Magumeri this morning (yesterday), the town was very calm. We have also visited the boy’s family to condole with them.”

    Malam-Tawu dismissed as ‘misleading’, reports that the insurgents had taken over the town. According to him, normalcy has been restored.

  • Boko Haram attacks on soft targets, last kicks of a dying horse – Buhari

    Boko Haram attacks on soft targets, last kicks of a dying horse – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday that Boko Haram’s wicked methods of using innocent children for suicide bomb attacks on soft targets are “the last kicks of a dying horse’’.

    The President said this at the commissioning of the Pulaaku Radio Station in Yola, Adamawa.

    Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed reiterated that Boko Haram had been degraded.

    “Let me be clear, Boko Haram has been massively degraded and its surviving members put on the run.

    “Instead of being hunters, they are now the hunted.

    “In their desperation to stay relevant, they have resorted to the wicked and dastardly act of using innocent under-aged children to carry out suicide bomb attacks.

    “What we are witnessing now are the last kicks of a dying horse.

    “A dying horse manages to engage in some kicks. These kicks may be dangerous, but they don’t last long.

    “Progressively, they become weaker and weaker until the horse finally gives up.’’

    Buhari said that the war had moved to the next phase, which would be intelligence-driven.

    In carrying out the second phase of the war, the President said he had approved the establishment of an intelligence
    fusion centre in Maiduguri.

    He said the centre which would gather and share intelligence among security agencies in the country would
    go a long way in ending the campaign of suicide bombing.

    According to him, the commissioning of the Radio Station is, therefore, timely at the time it is needed to leverage information and communication to rev up the intelligence-driven phase of the war against terror.

    The President called on the media, especially radio and television to continue to play their part by offering their platforms to communicate useful information to the populace.

    He said the government would also build on the nationwide campaign inaugurated in 2016, with the payoff line: “If you see something, say something’’.

    “It simply means that we need everyone to be involved in getting the necessary information to tackle the terrorists.

    “They are not ghosts, and some of them live among us.

    “We must all, therefore, support our gallant troops, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice in this war, by providing information that can help rid our communities of terrorists,’’ he said.

    The President seized the opportunity of the event to again, condole with the government and people of Adamawa over recent cowardly and inhuman attacks by the terrorists in the state. (NAN)

  • Stray bullet kills boy, wounds three in Boko haram invasion

    Stray bullet kills boy, wounds three in Boko haram invasion

    A 5-year old boy was on Saturday killed in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents at Magumeri town, headquarters of Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno.

    Alhaji Wakil Malam-Tawu, the Secretary to the Council, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday that the boy was killed by a stray bullet.

    Malam-Tawu said that two women and a teenager also sustained gun shot injuries in the Saturday night attack.

    He explained that a clinic, mosque and shops were also razed in the attack, adding that those injured were treated and discharged.

    Cue in audio

    “The people have returned to their houses and slept at Magumeri while others came back in the morning. It was only one child of about 5 years old that was killed and three other people wounded by stray bullets.

    “And also a rocket launcher hit one of our health clinics, including a mosque and some shops along the main road.

    “This morning I visited Magumeri; the town is very calm, we paid a
    sympathy visit to the person who lost his child to condole him.

    “We also paid a visit to the areas where rocket launchers hit some of our structures.”

    Cue out audio

    Malam-Tawu also dismissed as ‘misleading’ reports indicating that the insurgents had taken over the town, noting that normalcy has been restored to the area.

    NAN reports that the Nigerian Army had announced that three of its
    troops were killed and six others wounded while fighting to repel the insurgents’ attack in the town.

    Col. Timothy Antigha, Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 8 Task Force Division, said in a statement that the insurgents attacked and damaged military formations in the area.

    Antigha added that the troops had successfully repelled the attack
    while normalcy has been restored

  • Borno to convert Boko Haram leader’s house to museum

    Borno to convert Boko Haram leader’s house to museum

    The Borno Government says it will convert the house of the former leader of Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Yusuf, to a museum.

    The state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Dr Mohammed Bulama, disclosed this at the sidelines of the 9th National Council for Culture, Tourism and National Orientation held in Dutse, Jigawa.

    The Council with the theme “Tourism and Culture as Panacea for Nigeria’s Economic Recovery’’ was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

    Bulama said in an interview that the museum would help to archive all things related to Boko Haram insurgency to attract tourists and for the benefits of future generation.

    “We are going to convert the house of the leader of the Boko Haram sect Mohammed Yusuf where the insurgency all started from, to a museum.

    “The place is called Maarcas; we want to build a museum there where all the things that had happened relating to the insurgency will be archived.

    “We want to document and archive all that had happened so that our future generation will be able to have first hand information,” he said.

    Yusuf, sect leader and founder of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram was killed in 2009 and his group has continued to constitute serious security threat to Borno and other states in the North-east.

    The Commissioner said the State was also planning to turn the Sambisa forest, which used to be the insurgents’ haven, to a tourist centre by reviving the already existing games reserve in the forest.

    “Last year, Gov. Kashim Shettima made a pronouncement to the effect that every Dec. 22, will be declared a public holiday in Borno because that is the day the military declared that they had captured Ground Zero in Sambisa forest.

    “What we intend to do when stability is fully achieved is to convert the forest into a tourist attraction in order to show the world what has happened.

    “Before insurgency, we used to have a game reserve in the Sambisa forest, we are going to revive that,” he said.

    According to Bulama, Borno is very rich in culture and diversity; and the government would use the security situation in the State for tourism advantage.

    Bulama said that the meeting in Dutse witnessed very robust contributions in form of memorandum presentations and intervention by participants and other stakeholders in the culture and tourism sectors.

    Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, the Director General of National Council for Arts and Culture, who also spoke at the event, said that “culture and tourism are intertwined and cannot be separated.”

    He explained that “culture is the brand that tourism sells” and it should be approached based on the strength and rich potential of each state or political zone.

    Runsewe said the meeting would enable stakeholders strategise on harnessing the potential in culture and tourism to become a new oil for the country.

    Speaking in the same vein, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari, said his Agency would use its various platforms to sensitise the people on the country’s diverse cultural heritage and tourism potential.

    He said the Agency would work with all States and stakeholders to boost local tourism for employment generation and other economic advantages.

    NAN

  • Army repel insurgents’ attack in Magumeri, Borno

    Army repel insurgents’ attack in Magumeri, Borno

    Nigerian Army on Saturday repelled an attack by Boko Haram insurgents at Magumeri town, headquarters of Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno.

    A competent security source told our correspondent that the insurgents attacked a military formation at Magumeri, about 32 km from Maiduguri the state capital.

    The source said that the insurgents attacked the area at about 6 p.m. and shot sporadically in an attempt to infiltrate the town.

    The source revealed that the troops and other security personnel engaged the insurgents and successfully repelled the attack.

    “The insurgents could not infiltrate the town and they were forced to flee after hours of gun battle.

    “No one can ascertain the level of casualties at this time,” he said.

    However, Kaka Audu, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force ( CJTF ) in the area, said that the insurgents attacked the town from the military check point and Bengel area of the town.

    Audu disclosed that some of the insurgents that attacked from the Bengel axis managed to enter the town and torched some buildings before they were finally pushed back.

    “We came back from a joint patrol with the military around 6 p.m. because intelligence report showed that the insurgents were gathering at the outskirt of the town.

    “Few minutes later, the insurgents attacked with full force from two directions. There was reinforcement from the military and the attack was repelled.”

    Audu noted that powerful echoes of gun shots and explosive devices prompted residents to flee to nearby forest.

    The local militia added that most of the residents, who had earlier run to the bush, returned to their homes later.

    The military authorities are yet to comment on the incident.

    Boko Haram insurgents had in July attacked an oil prospecting team on exploration exercise in the area.

    The insurgents killed several members of the team and abducted five staff of University of Maiduguri.

    NAN

  • Boko Haram: Hunters kill one, recover 154 animals

    Boko Haram: Hunters kill one, recover 154 animals

    Some hunters from Gur village in Biu Local Government Area of Borno in conjunction with hunters from Damaturu on Thursday intercepted suspected Boko Haram terrorists cattle rustlers and killed one of them.

    Army Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman said in a statement on Friday that the encounter took place at Burashika village in Biu.

    Read Also: Four suicide bombers, teenager killed in Maiduguri attacks

    Usman said the hunters recovered one AK-47 rifle mounted with magazine of two rounds and 48 cows, 58 goats, 36 sheeps and 12 donkeys.

    He added that the recovered livestock had been handed over to security operatives in Gur village, pending identification by their rightful owners and handover.

  • Boko Haram: Lagos Assembly calls for intensified to end attack

    Boko Haram: Lagos Assembly calls for intensified to end attack

    The Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intensify efforts to wipe out all manner of insurgency.

    The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Publicity and Strategy, Mr Tunde Braimoh, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Braimoh, who spoke on behalf of the House, said that the latest bomb attack by the Boko Haram sect in Mubi, Adamawa, was regrettable.

    “We implore President Buhari to renew his resolve to abate all manner of insurgency and incivility and wipe out same.

    “The Adamawa blast is most excruciating.The irritants reared their ugly heads again as one was beginning to heave a sigh of relief.

    “Considering the assiduousness deployed against the matter by President Buhari, one had thought the worst was over.

    “We commiserate with the families of those innocent men, women and children who lost their lives, and pray for repose of their souls,’’ Braimoh said.

    The lawmaker said that such a blast should not be allowed at a time like this “when well-meaning citizens are striving to rebuild Nigeria.

    According to him, insurgency is repressive to the growth and development of any nation.

    NAN reports that a suicide bomber, who disguised as a worshiper, killed dozens of people and injured many during an early morning prayer in a Mosque in Dazala area of Mubi on Tuesday.

    The attack was the first in three years in Mubi.

  • NLC alarmed over Boko Haram resurgence

    NLC alarmed over Boko Haram resurgence

    The Nigeria Labour Congress( NLC ) has expressed concern over the resurgence of strikes at vulnerable targets by Boko Haram in the North East.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, described the killings as reprehensible.

    “The Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to commiserate with the government and people of Adamawa State over the killing of 50 worshippers in Mubi by a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber.

    “We also condemn the slaying of 30 herders by yet to be identified assailants. These cold-blooded killings are shocking and reprehensible. We demand that the perpetrators be found and brought to book.

    “On the killings of worshippers in the mosques, we are worried by this resurgence of strikes the by Boko Haram elements operating from fall back positions.”

    Wabba, while urging security and intelligence officers to do more, said that the NLC appreciated the difficulties associated with policing an area as vast as the North-East.

    He also called for the strengthening of security awareness and intelligence gathering among the local populace as well as the de-radicalisation campaign generally by the military personnel.

    “We believe the Boko Haram insurgents have been defeated. What we are witnessing may not be another phase of the war hopefully but a desperate attempt by a handful ragtags to create one by striking fear in the hearts of the people,’’ he added.

    In a separate statement, the NLC commiserated with the government and people of Anambra over the demise of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme.

    Wabba described the late Ekwueme as a “Jewel in the Pack”, adding that his death had robbed not just the political class but the Nigerian nation, the wise counsel of “one among a few who have seen it all”.

    “Dr Ekwueme was a distinguished architect, intellectual, affable politician, a credible personality and a respected elder statesman rolled into one.

    “His death represents a curtain call on (not a final one though) the second Republic politicians, much vilified for their excesses but whom history mercifully redeemed by the more daring excesses of successor rulers or politicians.

    “We make bold to say that even when it was a patriotic act to condemn the Second Republic politicians, Ekwueme was a jewel in the pack as he was neither found wanting in government nor by the probe panel set up by the soldiers that overthrew that government.

    “Indeed, of him, it was said that he left government poorer than he joined it,” Wabba said.

    He stressed that the least that could be done in Ekwueme’s memory was to imbibe his “endearing personal qualities”.

  • Boko Haram: NAF honours pilot who died in service 

    Boko Haram: NAF honours pilot who died in service 

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Thursday immortalised a pilot, Squadron Leader Promise Gbenekannu, who died in the cockpit while providing logistics support to troops fighting terrorist group, Boko Haram.

    Enlisted into the military on September 24, 2000 and commissioned September 24, 2005, Gbenekannu, 35, suffered a cardiac arrest and died on May 18, last year, while piloting one of the C-130 aircrafts in Borno State.

    Despite the sudden seizure, the young officer was said to have successfully landed the logistics aircraft before he passed on.

    For his sacrifice and diligence, the Chief of the Air Staff  (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar named a newly constructed 6 by 3 block of flat inside the Sam Ethnam Air Force Base after him.

    The officer’s widow, Dr. Justina Gbenekannu, who was at the event said she was happy her husband gave his all in the service of the nation.

    She said he led a short but fulfilled life, thanking the NAF for honouring him.

    The woman said: “Life has not been the same after the passing of my husband. It has not been easy coping with two kids alone. Sometimes, it gets me down emotionally.

    “But I am happy because he led a fufilled life and as short as it was, his name has been written in the anals of the NAF

    “If the dead could see, I know that he would be happy wherever he is because of the honour.

    “The NAF is proud of him and we, his family members are also proud of him. He died in active service. “We were married for two years and four months. Those were the most favorable moments of my life.

    “He was a humble man. He was a husband and a father. There are times I wished he was here to continue playing his role as a father to our kids. Our kids will miss him because they won’t be able to say exactly how he was because they are still very young.”

    Abubakar, who was represented at the inauguration by the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ibrahim Yahaya said the project formed part of infrastructural renewal programme of the NAF, which was initiated in all bases for the good of personnel and their families.

    He said: “The project has been named after one of our fallen heroes who died onboard the C-130 aircraft while on a logistics support mission for troops fighting insurgency and terrorism in the North East. The fallen hero was a C-130 pilot Squadron Leader Promise Leton Gbenekannu.

    “The Sam Ethnan Air Force Base being one of the foremost bases in the NAF and the home of logistics command, is critical to the successful conduct of NAF operations

    “It is therefore, only appropriate that such a base received a commensurate attention in terms of the provision of facilities for the general wellbeing of the personnel and their families.

    “We have embarked on the construction of new quarters, as well as renovation of dilapidated buildings to address the infrastructural decay of the past.

    “Accordingly, providing decent housing for officers, airmen and airwomen remain one of the first priorities of our policy thrust towards ensuring that NAF personnel and their families live in befitting accommodations and are better positioned to respond to various exigencies of the service.

    “Arrangements are in top gear to address many other areas of infrastructural deficit including the renovation of more accommodation facility, as well as rehabilitation of roads and drainage systems in the base.

    “It is hoped that this would create enabling environment and motivation for personnel to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently.”

    Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the military, Abubakar said: “This has enhanced our ability to conduct counter insurgency operations and also contend with other emerging security challenges across the country.

    “We must sustain our efforts to reposition the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.

    “We acknowledge that the human being is the most important in every organisation and equipping them appropriately is central to the achievement of success in securing Nigeria’s air space

    “We therefore remain committed to continuous upgrading, reforming and building of new facilities of part of capacity development drive in all NAF units.”