The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Eid celebration: Ram dealers laments low sale in Borno

    Eid celebration: Ram dealers laments low sale in Borno

    Less than six days to Eid-el-Kabir celebration, ram dealers in Maiduguri are lamenting low patronage by customers.

    Eid-el-Kabir celebration is marked on the 10th day of the 12th month of Islamic calendar known as Zul-Hajj and entailed the sacrificing of rams by Muslims.

    A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Kasuwar Shanu and other sales outlets indicated that ram prices had shot up by about 50 per cent in the past one year.

    An average bull was sold at N120,000 as against N80,000 last year, while a thorough-bred bull attracts as much as N200,000 as against its old price of N150,000.

    A medium size ram was sold at N30,000 as against its previous price of N15,000, while a well bred ram sold for between N60,000 and N100,000.

    The price of sheep and goats also indicated similar hikes as it was sold at N20,000 and N15,000 as against its previous price of N15,000 and N10,000 respectively.

    Some of the dealers, who spoke to NAN, attributed the situation to low supply of animals in the area.

    Alhaji Hassan Adamu, a cattle dealer, said they were recording low sales due to hike in prices because the demand surpassed the supply.

    “Cattle, sheep and goats are imported from Chad and Niger Republics.

    “Traders from other places are no longer coming to Maiduguri due to Boko Haram insurgency. The ban imposed on cattle movement also pushed up prices,” he said.

    Commenting, Ba-Aji Musa, the Chairman of Livestock Dealers Association of Maiduguri, said that the Boko Haram insurgency had paralyzed livestock trade in Borno.

    Musa noted that all the supply routes and major cattle markets were attacked by the insurgents in the last six years.

    “The cattle markets in Banki, Mongonu, Kirniwa and Gwom were closed down due to insurgency.

    “Animals are no longer supplied to Maiduguri from neighbouring countries.

    ‘’Cattle transportation is banned along Kano, Monguno and Damboa roads, the only supply route is by foot from nearby villages,” he said.

    According to him, more than 30 trucks with an estimated 10,000 cattle were transported from Maiduguri to other part of the country on daily basis before the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The chairman called on the government to expand the scope of agriculture support programme to livestock farmers to encourage growth.

    Also, Buba Audu, a resident, said the hike in prices was a source of concern to them, as most families could not afford exorbitant prices.

    Audu called on traders to reduce prices to enable Muslim families slaughter ram and celebrate the season in a happy mood.

  • Two Boko Haram factions ready for talks with FG, says Ex-Commander

    Two Boko Haram factions ready for talks with FG, says Ex-Commander

    Two factions of the Boko Haram insurgency group may be ready for talks with the Federal Government, Abdulkadir Abubakar, a former commander of the group has claimed.

    Abubakar, also known as Abu Muhammad, was the chief intelligence officer of the Boko Haram group and one of its top commanders, until his arrest in June by the military in Buni Yadi in Gujba local government area of Yobe State.

    Abubakar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at his cell in Maiduguri that Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions of Boko Haram were willing to dialogue and cooperate with the government to defeat the most visible leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.

    According to him, Shekau, whose capture, dead or alive, the military high command has ordered, has been the major obstacle to peace, since the insurgency began in 2009.

    “Shekau is not willing to surrender due to his high handedness. Unfortunately, the government and military authorities accorded priority on dealing with Shekau, who is blood thirsty.

    “Albarnawi has indicated interest to dialogue with the government to end insurgency and provide a lasting solution to the crisis. Albarnawi discusses this with members of his circle. And I can assure the government that he would cooperate to achieve peace.

    “The two factions are willing to cooperate with Nigerian Government to defeat Shekau,” he said.

    Abubakar’s claim about the readiness of the factions to dialogue with the Nigerian authorities could not be verified as he had been incarcerated since June. But he insisted that the groups are predisposed to a peaceful resolution of the eight year-old crisis.

    Abubakar claimed to have undertaken various espionage missions and provided intelligence to the insurgents, which enabled them to
    hit a long list of targets, among which were the abduction of 275 students at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok and the massacre of students at Federal Government College, Buni Yadi. Over 20 students were murdered at Buni Yadi.

    He also claimed to have been involved in other attacks on schools in Maiduguri,  Damaturu, Postikum and Mamudo.

    The detained Boko Haram commander expressed his willingness to give the military useful information to crush the insurgents and arrest Shekau.

    “I am cooperating with the military and I am ready to provide information on the whereabouts of Shekau. Shekau has left his enclave in Sambisa and moved deep into Mandara Mountain. I know the area where he is hiding and willing to provide a guide to the military.

    “The intensified military offensive has weakened Shekau’s position and that of the other groups,” he added.

    Abubakar revealed deep divisions and power struggle among the insurgents, claiming the Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were opposed to Shekau’s leadership style and his bloodthirstiness.

    He also blamed Shekau for many attacks on civilians by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    “During the early days of the insurgency we fought for what we thought was a just cause, to establish a caliphate where human beings are valued, cherished and respected.

    “After annexing vast territories, Shekau began to demonstrate his cruelty and atrocities against humanity.

    “In view of the high level atrocities committed by the group,some of the top commanders including myself, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur challenged Shekau, demanding an immediate end to the ugly saga.

    “Thereafter, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur parted ways, and formed their groups. Shekau is responsible for suicide bombings and attack on soft targets in the North-East.

    “The Albarnawi and Mamman Nur groups never attacked schools, religious places of worship, markets, women and children. Our fight was strictly with security forces. Even the kidnapped oil workers would not be killed by the group,” he said.

    According to him, both Mamman Nur and AlBarnawi opposed the abduction of the Chibok school girls, women and children.

    “Shekau is fond of using the girls and other abducted women as sex toys, and suicide bombers. He kills on the pretence of punishing for lies, theft, and rebellion. Shekau kills without justification.

    “Shekau arrogated to himself the powers to accuse, prosecute, convict and punish in total contradiction to Islamic teachings. Children and women also starved to death in Sambisa due to Shekau’s cruelty”, he said.

  • Suspected Boko Haram fighters kill 11 in Cameroon

    Suspected Boko Haram fighters killed at least 11 people and abducted eight others in an overnight raid on a village in northern Cameroon near the Nigerian border, officials said yesterday

    The attackers burned down more than 30 houses in Gakara village, just outside the town of Kolofata, which has been a frequent target of suicide bombings by the group.

    An army colonel put the death toll at 11, while a district official said 15 people had been killed.
    “The attack happened around midnight. The Boko Haram assailants arrived. They set 32 houses on fire … killed, pillaged, and traumatised the population,” said the district official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

    Many people fled the village for a camp near Kolofata that houses thousands displaced by Boko Haram violence, he said.
    The mayor of Kolofata confirmed an attack had taken place, but said he did not know the death toll.

  • Suspected Boko Haram militants kill 11 in Cameroon

    Suspected Boko Haram militants kill 11 in Cameroon

    Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 11 people and kidnapped eight others in an overnight raid on a village in northern Cameroon near the Nigerian border, officials said on Friday.

    The attackers burnt down around 30 houses in Gakara village, just outside the town of Kolofata, which has been a frequent target of suicide bombings by the terror group.

    An army colonel put the death toll at 11, while a district official said 15 people had been killed.

    The mayor of Kolofata confirmed that an attack had taken place but said he did not know the death toll.

    Boko Haram attacks have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 2.7 million during the group’s eight-year insurgency to carve out an Islamic caliphate in the Lake Chad region.

    “The attack happened around midnight.

    “The Boko Haram assailants arrived and set 32 houses on fire. They killed, pillaged, and traumatised the population.

    “Many people fled the village for a camp near Kolofata that houses thousands displaced by Boko Haram violence,” the district official told Reuters.

  • ’68 Boko Haram members surrender in three weeks’

    The Army has said 68 Boko Haram insurgents have surrendered to armed forces at locations in the last three weeks.

    A statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Theatre Command, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said onslaught on the terrorists’ enclaves had been intensified, which denied them of logistic supplies.

    He urged the insurgents to surrender to the military and assured them of safety.

    The statement said: “Troops in the last few weeks have intensified onslaught against Boko Haram terrorists through coordinated air and artillery bombardments of their enclaves.

    “These bombardments are backed by long range patrols and ambushes targeted at preventing fleeing insurgents from escaping and denying them access to logistic supply. The sustained operations have pushed the terrorists to the brink of defeat, with many of their foot soldiers surrendering to troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.

    “Sixty-eight insurgents have renounced terrorists’ activities in the last three weeks. They surrendered, saying life has become unbearable following the blockade by troops and bombardments. Those who have surrendered are undergoing rehabilitation and de-radicalisation programmes organised by the Federal Government through Operation SAFE CORRIDOR.

    “The operations by troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE are yielding result and have put pressure on the terrorists. These have contributed to the plea by one of the factional leaders of the group calling for international support.

    “The Theatre Command urges insurgents to have a rethink and discard the hypocritical ideologies espoused by their leaders. They can surrender to any military location nearest to them. The command assures them of safety and well-being if they surrender.”

  • Buratai bags Presidential Award for Excellence

    Buratai bags Presidential Award for Excellence

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Yusufu Buratai has bagged the Presidential Award for Excellence.
    The army boss is being honoured for his victory over the Boko Haram sect in the north eastern part of the country.
    The Institute of Management, which is conferring the award on the COAS said, Buratai has been able to humble the insurgents within the last two years.
    A statement issued by NIM said Buratai has been able to restore the confidence in the military.
    The statement said, “In less than two years of Lt. Gen Tukur Yusufu Buratai becoming the Chief of Army Staff, the tide has changed to a much safer north east, and thereby restoring confidence in the Nigerian Army as a reliable agent for National Security. Many captured/deserted cities and towns were recovered and normalcy gradually restored”
    “This rare feat could not have been possible without the intervention of Lt. Gen Buratai, who upon the assumption of duty, swiftly demonstrated his leadership skills and military prowess coupled with patriotic zeal, to tackle headlong, the nefarious activities of the insurgents, which threatened our national cohesion.
    Lieutenant General Buratai was born in November 1960, at Buratai town, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State. He started his primary school in Kaduna and completed it at St Patrick Primary School Maiduguri, and thereafter, proceeded to Government Teachers’ College Potiskum, now in Yobe State, where he completed and subsequently obtained his Teachers’ Grade 2 certificate with flying colours, graduating with distinction.
    An iconic example of a citizen who places national interest above personal one, whose zeal to serve the nation with his life is inborn.
    It is this inalienable zeal to serve the nation with his life that made him apply and gain admission into the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna as a member of the 29th Regular Combatant Course (29 RC) on 3rd January 1981.
    On successful completion of his Officer Cadet training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 17th December 1983 into the Infantry Corps.
    In another development, the Nigerian Army School of Finance and Administration Apapa has been Awarded the Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Award for Institutional Excellence.
    This according to observers, is another plus for the Chief of Army Staff whose administration has remained committed to institutional reforms in the Nigerian Army,  to ensure the highest form of transparency and accountability in the Army’s financial conduct.
    An officer in the Finance School who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to do so said the Chief of Army Staff’s  reforms in the finance unit of the Army is fast bearing fruits as officers and soldiers have continued to receive training at workshops and seminars, exposure to standard financial practice and due process as a way of eliminating every form of corruption anywhere in the Nigerian Army.
  • NEMA distributes 7,000 tonnes of food items to IDPs in Borno – Official

    NEMA distributes 7,000 tonnes of food items to IDPs in Borno – Official

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it distributed over 7,000 metric tonnes of assorted food items to persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno in the past two months.

    Mr E. Umesi, the NEMA Coordinator of Emergency Food Intervention for the Northeast, made the disclosure on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    Umesi said that the agency distributed the food items to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri and other liberated communities.

    According to Umesi, “We went to do enumeration of liberated areas; we have virtually done that everywhere, even in areas where people find it difficult to live we went there.

    “We have gone to Mafa, Dikwa, Gwoza, Bama, Benishiek and Jekana.

    “Last week, we were at Biu and Hawul Local Government Areas, where we distributed food items in Biu, Kimba, Kwaja, Kwajafa, Shafa.

    “We were able to distribute food items in 10 of the liberated communities; so far we have distributed over 200 trucks”.

    He explained that the intervention had allocated about 15,000 tonnes of food items to Borno, adding that NEMA has registered over 1.8 million displaced persons in the state.

  • 68 Boko Haram surrender in three weeks – Army

    68 Boko Haram surrender in three weeks – Army

    The army has disclosed that a total of 68 Boko Haram insurgents have given up their intention to fight against the Nigerian forces at different locations in the theatre in the last three weeks.

    According to a statement signed by the Deputy Director Army Public Relations in the Theatre Command, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu also mentioned that heavy onslaughts on the terrorists’ enclaves have been intensified in air and artillery bombardment denying them of logistics supplies.

    Col. Nwachukwu in the statement called on the insurgents to have a second thought on thier ideologies and surrender to any military location in the theatre while assuring them of their safety and protection from the army.

    The Statement reads; “Troops in the last few weeks have intensified onslaught against Boko Haram Terrorists through coordinated air and artillery bombardments of BHT enclaves across the Theatre.

    “These bombardments are backed by long range patrols and ambushes targeted at preventing fleeing Boko Haram Terrorists from escaping and also denying them access to logistics supply. The sustained operations have further pushed the terrorist group to the brink of defeat with many of its foot soldiers surrendering to troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.

    “So far, a total of 68 insurgents have denounced terrorists activities within the last 3 weeks. These surrendered terrorists also reported that many of the enclaves have become untenable and life has become unbearable for the Boko Haram Terrorists owing to the blockade emplaced by troops and the sustained bombardments. Those who have surrendered and turned a new leaf are currently undergoing rehabilitation and de-radicalization programmes organized by the Federal Government through Operation SAFE CORRIDOR.

    “Undoubtedly, the ongoing operations by troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE are yielding results and have put enormous pressure on the Boko Haram Terrorists.  Evidently, this has contributed to the recent plea by one of the factional leaders of the group calling for international support.

    “The Theatre Command therefore urges all Boko Haram insurgents to have a rethink and discard the hypocritical ideologies espoused by their leaders. They can surrender to any military location nearest to them. The Theatre Command assures them of their safety and well-being if they surrender willingly”.

  • IPOB, non-violent, peaceful mass movement – Kanu

    IPOB, non-violent, peaceful mass movement – Kanu

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will never resort to armed conflict or rebellion, notwithstanding the killings, arrest and arbitrary detention of its members, says its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    Kanu said this in an interview with newsmen at his Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia country home, on Wednesday, while reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s national broadcast on Monday.

    He, however, said that the group had formed a security outfit, known as ‘Biafra Security Service’ to checkmate the activities of suspected herdsmen in the South-East.

    “IPOB is a peaceful mass movement.

    “It is non-violent and our people carry no arms; so, it is wrong for anybody to compare the group with a terrorist group such as Boko Haram.’’

    “There is no record of where people fought or engaged in open altercation in any of IPOB gatherings.

    “We are the most disciplined, well-behaved mass movement anywhere on the face of the planet.”

    He, therefore, implored Buhari to adopt a peaceful approach and dialogue rather than threat in dealing with separatist groups in the country.

    Kanu said it would be counter-productive for security agencies to apply the same measure used against Boko haram insurgents on IPOB.

    According to him, the plan to use brute force rather than dialogue to deal with Biafran agitators will not work.

    “In this debate for freedom, everybody has to be heard.’’

    He expressed dissatisfaction with the comparison of IPOB to Boko haram, which he described as an “internationally recognized terrorist organisation”.

    “It is well-known that IPOB has remained a peaceful, non-violent organisation since its formation,’’ Kanu said.

  • 68 Boko Haram insurgents surrender in Borno–Army

    68 Boko Haram insurgents surrender in Borno–Army

    The Nigerian Army on Thursday said 68 Boko Haram insurgents surrendered to troops in Borno in the last three weeks.
    Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, said in a statement released in Maiduguri.
    Nwachukwu said that the military had intensified campaign through coordinated air and land offensive against the insurgents.
    “Air and artillery bombardments were backed by long range patrols and ambushes targeted at preventing fleeing Boko Haram insurgents from escaping and also denying them access to logistics supply,” he said.
    Nwachukwu said that the sustained operations had brought the insurgents to the brink of defeat thereby forcing many of them to surrender.
    “In their testimonies, the insurgents revealed that most of their enclaves are untenable which made life unbearable for them.
    “The relentless offensive forced many of them to surrender to the troops.
    “Those who surrendered are currently undergoing rehabilitation and deradicalisation process under the Federal Government’s Safe Corridor operation.
    “Undoubtedly, the ongoing operations by troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE are yielding results by putting enormous pressure on the insurgents.
    “Evidently, this led to the recent plea by one of the factional group leaders calling for international support”.
    The command’s spokesman called on Boko Haram insurgents to renounce their heinous acts and surrender.
    Nwachukwu reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to guarantee their safety and well-being. (NAN)