The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Borno State

  • We have recorded success against Boko Haram – Army

    The Nigerian Army on Saturday said it had recorded significant successes in the campaign against Boko Haram insurgency in the past four years in the country.

    Bri.-Gen. Bulama Biu, the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, said this at a social gathering organized to mark the 2018 Nigerian Army Social Activities (NASA), at Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.

    Biu said that the successful celebration of NASA in Maiduguri highlighted the military’s triumph over the insurgents and restoration of peace to the war-torn region.

    He noted that the military had successfully restored normalcy and  peace in Maiduguri and other parts of the region, compared to the chaotic situation bedeviling the area in the past years.

    Biu explained that the military had re-opened major high ways and roads, hitherto closed due to the insurgents attacks and rescued thousands of people from insurgents’ captivity.

    “Today’s occasion offers us unique opportunity to celebrate the prevailing peace in the northeast, particularly in Borno which by God’s grace, has been achieved through the doggedness and boldness of our troops and the stakeholders.

    Our officers and soldiers, therefore, deserve to celebrate their year of success over the terrorists having toiled tenaciously to keep the peace of the land through their sweat and blood with many paying the supreme sacrifice.

    There is no doubt that we have conducted many successful operations in 2018; we are  determined to conduct more until Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal elements are completely purged out of our land.

    Through our successful operations, many roads, hitherto closed due to the insurgents activities, have been reopened and secured to promote hinterland economy.

    Also, several people were rescued from captivity while many resettled back to their homes with adequate support for their farming activities,” he said.

    Biu added that the army, under its stability operations, had restored peace, essential services and provided humanitarian services, to support the populace directly or through coordinated efforts with development organizations.

    Read also: Dickson to Army: fish out killers of Govt House photographer

    According to him, the army will intensify campaign to clear remnants of the insurgents in the region.

    Elaborating further on NASA, Biu said the event was designed to enable the army to appraise its performances in the past one year, celebrate successes, and enable personnel and their families to partake in series of relaxation activities.

    Biu said that it also availed the army unique opportunity to promote mutual understanding with communities and other security organizations.

    While commending Gov. Kashim Shettima over his support to the military, the commander called on people to support the military, to ensure successful implementation of the counter insurgency campaign.

    Maj.-Gen. Benson Akinroluyo, the Theater Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, also commended the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and other security agencies for their contributions in the successful execution of the war against insurgency.

    Akinroluyo reiterated the commitments of the military to ensure total defeat of the insurgents and restoration of peace to the northeast region.

    Alhaji Usman Durkwa, the Deputy Governor of the state, lauded the military over the successes recorded in the campaign against the terrorists.

    Durkwa said “in the past 10 years, our military, in conjunction with other security formations, contributed greatly in the fight against insurgency and other criminal activities in the northeast.

    They have had sleepless nights in their efforts to safeguard the lives and property of our people. This has been the result of the relative peace our communities are enjoying today”.

    He pledged government’s support to the military to enable it to discharge its mandate effectively.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlight of the events featured dance by various cultural troupes, including Kanuri, Igbo, Yaruba, Tiv and Idoma.

    The event was attended by the Speaker, Borno House of Assembly, Mr Abdulkarim Lawan, representatives of the United Nations (UN) agencies, humanitarian organizations, military commanders and other security organizations. (NAN)

  • Boko Haram: I slept in tents to encourage my people return home – Borno monarch

    The Emir of Akira-Uba in Borno State, Alhaji Abdullhi Ibn-Muhammed, has said he used to sleep in tent when he returned home after the liberation of his kingdom from Boko Haram insurgents.

    Recounting his ordeal, Mohammed, said he voluntarily returned home and slept for several weeks in tents to build confidence and encourage his subjects to also return home.

    Mohammed spoke yesterday  when Brigadier General  Bulama Biu, the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Uba.

    Ibn-Muhammed said that when the insurgents sacked the town in 2014, his people ran for their lives and became Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various places.

    He said: “When the town was reclaimed by the military, I took courage to return to my palace along with the members of my traditional institution. We returned and saw that most of the structures were razed. They burnt my palace; some of the structures that remain standing are the brick fireplaces of homes.

    “Despite all these challenges, we came back and stayed. Some of us were taking shelter in makeshift tents. I slept in my burnt palace. And sometimes when it rained, we had to put ourselves together in one place and cover ourselves.”

    He commended the military for their efforts in safeguarding the peace, security and territorial integrity of the country.

    “It is because of the commitment you have given towards ending the lingering crisis of Boko Haram that we are enjoying relative peace in our community,” he said.

    We in Askira will always thank you for making it possible for us to come back home.

    “It is a well known fact that fighting insurgency is a difficult task. It is very difficult because you don’t always know where the next attack will come from but the army has done tremendously well and lived up to expectation.

    “War cannot be completely won within a short period of time. It requires continuous efforts of mobilization, fighting, sensitization, enlightenment and support from all stakeholders.

    “The government should continue educating them (insurgents) to drop their arms, embrace peace as well as meaningful reintegration.

    “Those taking arms should understand that they cannot fight the government.”

    The emir said Boko Haram has “nothing to do with Islam because most of their victims are Muslims.”

    He added: “the Muslims are the worst affected population of this war. They kill both Muslims and Christians.”

    Ibn-Muhammed further appealed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to establish and deploy a permanent battalion in Askira-Uba for the security of his people.

    Brig.-Gen. Biu said he was at the palace to pay homage to the monarch and to thank him for all the support and cooperation he had been giving to the troops of 28 Task Force Brigade.

    Biu said he was on operational trip as part of the effort to boost morale of the fighting troops and to interact with them on some of their concerns.

    “We are in Konduga, Kawuri, Bama, Gwoza, Pulka, Madagali, Michika where we sympathised with the people on the March 14 incident and now we are here.

  • Buhari, seven APC Governors meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with six governors from the north and the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting held shortly after the President returned to Abuja after spending five days in Daura, Katsina State, where he voted in the governorship and state house of assembly elections.

    The governors are members of All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The northern governors at the meeting included Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, Nasir el-Rufai, of Kaduna state, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state, Abdulaziz Yari, Zamfara state, Abubakar Badaru, Jigawa state, and Kassim Shetima of Borno state.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

     

  • APC leads in Borno with 13 LGAs

    The APC has taken lead in all the 13 LGAs so far collated in the Borno State governorship election.

    The party is maintaining a whooping lead with 2,019,942, 512  votes from 13  local government with the PDP trailing behind with  285,414  votes.

    Read Also: Elections: Borno declares Friday public holiday

    Borno has 27 Local Government Areas.

    The  Collation is going on smoothly  at Sir Kashim Ibrahim College of Education (KICOE). Conference hall Maiduguri.

    Collation has been suspended for lunch and prayers and to resume immediately after the prayers.

     

  • Shettima decries low voters turnout

    Borno state governor Kashim Shettima has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the governorship and State House of Assembly elections but however regretted the low turnout of voters in Maiduguri.

    According to the governor, the turnout of voters in the rural areas is more than what was witnessed in Maiduguri metropolis.

    Shettima has also praised the people of  Ngom and Kubu Villages  of Mafa local  government area   for coming out en-masse despite Friday attacks on their villages  to vote for their son, the APC governorship candidate in the state.

    He expressed confidence that his party, the APC will emerge victorious at the poll, adding that, “Prof Zulum will Isha Allah emerge victorious and continue with the good work of building Borno which we have started”.

    Read Also: Shettima, Ndume, Kyari win Senate seats

    Shettima who spoke with journalists after casting his vote at Alhaji Kukawa Polling Unit in Jabbamari area  of Lawan Bukar Shehuri ward Maiduguri said, ,”actually the election was impressive but  with low turnout within the state capital while outside the state capital, people impressively turn out enmasse to vote for APC and their candidates”.

    He  added that “Borno will soon regain it loss glory as home of peace and all the destroyed communities will soon bear a new look as government  has planned and institutionalized machinery for the immediate reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of all the remaining IDPs and rebuilding of basic infrastructural facilities ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgents in the remaining communities that are yet to return”.

    He noted that government will also release additional funds for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools, hospitals and roads to link most of the major communities displaced by the insurgents.

  • Polls: Voting begins in Maiduguri, parts of Southern Kaduna State

    Voting into the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections has already commenced in Maiduguri, Borno State, and some parts of Southern Kaduna State.

    In Maiduguri polling booth opened at about 8: 00 am; in most polling units visited amid tight security.

    At Bulama Yusuf I and II polling units in Bolori area of Maiduguri, election workers arrived the centers as early as 7: 00 am and commenced the exercise at 8: 00 am.

    Read Also: Over 30, 000 fresh IDPs arrive Maiduguri – UN

    The situation was the same in several polling units visited at Gwange, GRA Gomori areas of Maiduguri.

    Similarly in parts of Southern Kaduna State, voting commenced as witnessed in Jema’a, Kaura and Zangon Kataf local government areas.

    Also, security agencies were at their duty posts while voters conducted themselves peacefully while the exercise progresses.

    NAN

  • Elections: Borno declares Friday public holiday

    Borno State Government has declared Friday as public holiday to enable civil servants and other people prepare for the Saturday governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.

    The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Mohammed B. Bulama in a statement in Maiduguri said the holiday exempts banks and other institutions providing essential services in the state.

    The statement thanks Borno people for their commitment in the last presidential and national assembly election while calling on them to do same come March 9 on Saturday.

    The statement reads: “This is to inform the general public that tomorrow, Friday, 8th March, 2019 has been declared a public holiday by the Borno State Government. Banks and other institutions providing essential services are however exempted.

    Read Also: Buhari wins by landslide in Borno

    “This is to once again enable all the good people of Borno State, including public servants, to adequately prepare to participate in the Gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly Elections on Saturday, 9th March, 2019.

    “We would like to once again congratulate all Bornolites for trooping out in their hundreds of thousands, despite all the odds, to democratically choose their leaders during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections some two weeks ago and urge them to even do more this weekend.”

  • Fed Govt knocks Cameroonian govt over deportation of 40, 000 Nigerians

    The Federal Government has condemned the reported deportation of 40,000 Nigerians, who were living in Cameroon as victims of Boko Haram from Rann Local Government of Borno State.

    The government said it appealed to Cameroonian authorities not to chase out the victims of Boko Haram from Rann living in their country.

    The Honourable Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Sadiya Farouq, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

    She explained that the Federal Government made a passionate appeal for the refugees not to be chased out when Cameroonian authorities threatened to expel them from their country.

    Farouq said the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take appropriate steps on the matter in due course.

    The statement reads: “It is highly regrettable and sad to note that despite the passionate appeal made by the Nigerian Authorities to the Government of Cameroon not to chase out the victims of Boko Haram attacks from Rann Local Government of Borno State, this appeal has been ignored.

    “Information reaching us is that the Cameroonian Government has thrown out the Displaced Persons from Rann who ran into Cameroun for safety in total disregard for the appeal and a clear breach of the United Nations Charter and Convention on the protection of Displaced Persons which both countries endorsed.

    “The United Nations Convention on Refugees and its 167 Protocol states that: ‘no contracting state shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his or her life or freedom will be threatened on account of his or her race, religion or nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.’

  • PDP disputes Bauchi, Borno, Yobe presidential results

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has queried the non-use of Smart Card Readers in last Saturday’s presidential election in some part of the country.

    The party asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to project what the Smart Card Readers captured as accreditation figures before the collation continues.

    The protest, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, however said should be channeled to the commission’s headquarters.

    Speaking on Tuesday at the ongoing Collation of result of presidential election in Abuja, PDP agent, Mr. Osita Chidoka queried why the card readers were not compulsory in some parts of the country when they were elsewhere.

    Chidoka, who was categorical about results from Bauchi, Borno and Yobe, said the party has documented its observations as an official petition to the commission.

    He said: ” The issue before us, Mr. chairman is that we feel strongly about and the chairman of the PDP has written you a petition.

    Read Also: PDP rejects results in Kano

    “We are worried that the promise you made, the commitment you made and INEC made that as we are doing this collation of results, you will give us the details of accreditation captured by the card reader in the country.

    “Yesterday (Monday) my colleague raised the issue and we thought that when we come back this morning as we are listening to the states, we will be seeing the accreditation by the states by the card reader.

    “This Mr. Chairman, I like it to be on record that we want to see the accreditation for Bauchi state, for Borno state and Yobe in particular and of course, for the rest of the country because the number as we are seeing, it seems to me that we live in two countries.

    “Why people in the south have issues with the SCR, why complaints were all over the place, we seem to have quiet and peaceful elections in places where the people have complained of  severe cases of insecurity and harassments by the military and bandits.

    “So, we would like you Mr. Chairman and I forward this letter to you to say that we will appeal that if it is possible Mr. Chairman, that before we proceed to the next state, you should please project to us what the card reader has captured as the accreditation  in these states.”

    He added: “We are supposed to read from the card readers the electronic collation as against the manual information that we are getting to process information here.

    “While it isn’t yet signed into law in your guidelines it was made clear that no voting should take place where there are no card readers.

    “So, Mr. Chairman, we must appeal to you that we would like you to project these accreditation as done by the card readers.

    “Please, if any of your staff is available he can please, take a copy of this letter from the chairman of the PDP saying that what we are doing here will require us to have the accreditation as done by the electronic card readers.”

    However, in his response INEC boss urged the protesting party to submit its letter to the commission’s headquarters.

    He assured PDP the commission will surely look into the petition and respond accordingly.

    “Thank you Mr. Chidoka. But there is a procedure for submitting correspondence to the Commission.

    “We haven’t shut down our office. This is the International Conference Centre where we are using as collation centre.

    “Kindly submit your letter to the office, it will be acknowledged. Your letter will now be studied and we will respond, accordingly.

    “I believe that there are details in the letter that we need to study,” Yakubu said.

  • Borno voters defy bomb scare

    Despite the early morning bomb scares and sporadic gunfire across Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, voters came out to exercise their civic obligation.

    There was also large turnout of voters at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno State, where many residents voted.

    Though one of the military missiles was misfired into the Teachers’ Village IDP camp, the development however did not deter the people from coming out to vote for their candidates.

    Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima expressed happiness over the massive turnout of voters despite the early morning security development.

    He commended the people for their resilience and commitment to entrenching democracy in the country, by coming out en masse to vote for their candidates.

    The governor, who voted at Lawan Bukar Ward, called on the people to continue to be law-abiding.

    Speaking with journalists after casting his votes, the governor said: “I am happy that the people of Borno defied the threats and came out to exercise their civic responsibility.”

    Security sources informed that the planned attack was massive, as the insurgents were sighted at two entry points into the capital city with heavy equipment.

    “Based on intelligence, the army had swiftly launched an offensive attack, while the Air force supported with air patrol hovering over the capital city.

    “Two live rocket-propelled bombs misfired by the military in defence of the city landed in the Teachers village camp, but fortunately, no one was hurt,” the source informed.