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Tag: borno

  • Northern governors calls for Monguno’s release

    Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) on Saturday demanded for the immediate release of elder statesman and Nigeria’s first Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr Shettima Ali Monguno kidnapped on Friday in Maiduguri.

    Describing the action as  totally unacceptable, the Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo in Minna said that it was sad that for an elder statesmen who have served the nation selflessly to become the target of kidnappers who are now on rampage across the country.

    According to Aliyu, “It is bad enough that several innocent citizens have been killed by unknown gunmen in the troubled Borno State in recent times. Adding the fear of kidnapping of elder statesmen who have served their father land selflessly to their burden is unbearable”.

    The statement called on security agencies to act swiftly to trace and arrest those behind the abduction of Monguno, to serve as a deterrent to those who may want to now target our elder statesmen, or any Nigerian for that matter.

    It hailed the Borno State Government for the steps taken so far to rescue the 92-year-old from his abductors, while assuring Nigerians that the forum was working closely with the federal government to tackle the challenges of insecurity decisively.
    End.

  • ACF ENDORSE PROBE OF BAGA KILLINGS

    ACF ENDORSE PROBE OF BAGA KILLINGS

    The northern social political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday endorsed a probe of the killings in Baga community of Borno state, saying that the incident coming at a time when the nation was looking forward to an amicable resolution of the insecurity in the land was unfortunate.

    In a communique at the end of its meeting in Kaduna, the forum said that aa thorough investigation should be carried out and those found guilty prosecuted to serve as a deterrent for others.

    The communique which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani also welcome the coming together of the form and the Northern Elders Forum to try and find lasting solution to the insecurity in the land.

    The statement reads “The meetings were well attended by members and chaired by the NEC Chairman in the person of Alhaji Aliko M. Mohammed, Dan Iyan Misau. General J.T Useni chaired that of BOT. Many issues of national importance with direct bearing on the North were discussed; and it was resolved that the following statement be issued

    “The Forum noted with shock the reports of violence between the JTF and the sect which destroyed many lives and properties in Baga village in Borno State. Severe shock in the sense that apart from such monumental losses, the violence has come at a time when the talks of amnesty leading to constructive dialogue is expected to inform cessation of hostilities and take advantage of the efforts being made to bring an end to the untold hardship brought about by destruction of lives and properties.

     

    “And given different accounts of the same circumstance of such violent destruction, Arewa Consultative Forum endorsed thorough investigations by the authority of what happened with a view to unveiling the facts needed for retribution to offenders as deterrent against future occurrence.

    “To that end, both the government and the governed must avoid generalizations that are not well informed by hard facts. Nigerians and the media must be wary of half truths, lest they worsen the already dire and complex situation in demand of highest level of imagination, commitment and determination that often come with patriotic courage and political will.

    “The meetings also considered the circumstances of withdrawals from the Amnesty Committee by some members; and resolved that even though consultations ought to precede announcements of names of members in view of the dire nature of the assignment, that should not make some members reject their membership of the Amnesty Committee.

    “The Forum, therefore, called on such members to reconsider their decisions in overriding interest of the North, the nation and for humanity. This is because no sacrifice is too much to bring about peace across the nation. It is no time for blame game but for consciously directed collective efforts needed to make insecurity history.

    “The Forum welcomed the consideration and coming together of the various Northern platforms, especially of ACF and Northern Elders Forum, for the express purpose of unleashing their synergy through confronting the collective challenges facing the North and the country as a whole. This is more so that most members of the different groups are still members of Arewa consultative Forum in pursuit of the same aims and objectives”.

  • Still on the bloodbath in Baga, Borno

    In spite of the controversy surrounding the Friday clash between Boko Haram militants and soldiers of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) in Baga, Borno State, enough is known to lead us to question the attitude of the federal government to the crisis. Though President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a full-scale investigation, it is disturbing that four days after the clash, there is still no authentic list of casualties. If the Jonathan inquiry is to be relevant, it should grapple with more fundamental questions like the factors that triggered the clash, whether rules of engagement were breached or not, an assessment of the magnitude of force used, and how the militants deployed themselves in Baga.

    There are at least two other very important issues that require the attention of both the government and people of Nigeria. One is the issue of the operations of the MJTF itself. Nigerian military authorities had admitted shortly after the clash that Nigerien and Chadian troops were involved in the Baga operation. It is, therefore, important to probe the MJTF’s operations in order to get answers to the following puzzles: when was the multinational agreement signed, and what are its outlines? When did it take effect, and what has been the experience so far? Does the agreement empower multinational troops to enter one another’s territories? What role did Chadian and Nigerien troops play in the Baga invasion?

    The second issue involves the obnoxious and unacceptable lockdown of Baga after the invasion, thus preventing relief and medical help and supplies from reaching the ravaged town and its deeply traumatised victims. Is that behaviour consistent with the rules of war, especially in domestic crisis? Reports from Borno State indicate that by Tuesday, humanitarian agencies were still struggling to be allowed access into the town to offer succour to distressed residents. The fighting took place last Friday, but four days after, significant help was yet to reach the town. Perhaps the federal government needs to be educated afresh on the purpose of government.

    While it is necessary to ask all these questions and receive answers to them, it must be pointed out that the involvement of Nigerien and Chadian soldiers in the attack, if it is of any significance, does not absolve Nigerian troops of responsibility for extra-judicial killings and deployment of irrational force in the pacification of the town. While the investigation ordered by the government continues, it is important for the National Assembly to also inquire into the clash along the lines itemised above. They will find it imperative to censure the president for his unhelpful public utterances during his belated and angry visit to the twin states of Borno and Yobe. After all, those who used the media to incite the Rwandan genocide were later tried for crimes against humanity.

    The last has not been heard of the Baga battle. But the people and governments of Nigeria, and especially the National Assembly, must ensure that such killings never reoccur. While it may be necessary to use firm measures to combat insurgency, care must be taken to ensure that such measures do not become counterproductive nor aggravate the insurgency in the region. Meanwhile, the JTF should be compelled to allow relief into the town. The state government has a responsibility to urgently take the lead in the provision of that relief if we are not to become a cruel, barbarous and unfeeling people.

     

  • Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate President David Mark on Tuesday directed the Senate Committee on Defence, Police, National Security and Intelligence to investigate the mayhem in Baga, Borno during a military face-off.

    Mark gave the directive following a point of order raised by Sen. Maina Lawan (ANPP-Borno) on the mayhem in Baga.

    More than 180 persons had been reportedly killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in Baga town during an assault between the military and insurgents in the area.

    The senate president said that the Senate would not apportion blame yet on who was responsible for the death of several civilians during the assault.

    “The number of people who are being named to have been killed regardless of who did it is totally unacceptable, that number is just too much.

    “Just as Sen. Magoro and Salihu will say fighting in built up area is a very difficult operation.

    “That notwithstanding, there must be standard rules of engagement and those rules of engagement will not include mass killings or extra judicial killing of any form.

    “But I do not want any debate on it because there is already a committee that has been set up by the executive to probe it.

    “But we in the legislature will set up a committee to investigate the facts and whether the reports we got are correct or not.

    Mark appealed to those who would appear before the committee to have the courage to come up and testify.

    “The problem is not setting up a committee, it is whether people will come and give evidence before the committee but I urge Nigerians who know the facts to appear before this committee,’’ he said.

    Mark gave the joint committee two weeks to report back to the Senate and later invited the legislators to observe a minute silence in honour of the victims of the attack.

    Earlier, Sen. Lawan described the level of destruction in his senatorial zone as “outrageous’’ and warned of ongoing humanitarian crisis in the area.

    He demanded full-scale investigation into the incident in Baga community and called on concerned agencies of government and individuals to come to the aid of the surviving citizens.

    “My zone the Borno North Senatorial district is today a no-go area for normal operations of government, be it business or social.

    “In particular, I wish to draw attention to several national dailies in the last three or four days and very wide an extensive coverage of all the international electronic media.

    “These news items are largely true and still coming closer home, my hometown of Baga is today in total ruins with 180 to 200 human lives lost and numerous others unaccounted for.

    “More than 2,000 homes destroyed, 62 cars and 284 motor cycles and tonnes of food stuff destroyed.’’ he said.

    Lawan continued: “At this stage I would not want to enmesh in the blame game on whether it is the multinational joint task force or the JTF or the insurgents that carried out the atrocities.

    “But it appears the killings bear the hallmark of Odi (killings), however whoever did it, that level of atrocity is outrageous, unacceptable and condemnable in any civilised society even in societies at war,’’ he said.

    Lawan also thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for setting-up the amnesty committee toward resolving the insurgency in the northern part of the country.

    He however advised that “the ultimate solution to this urgency is a genuine dialogue that must necessarily address the immediate and remote underlining causes of the insurgency.

    “Two years ago, I said on the floor of this Senate that boots and bullets cannot solve the problem, let’s put our thinking caps on and take advantage of this amnesty initiative and face the problem headlong,’’ he said.

  • Baga killings: Borno to rebuild houses

    Baga killings: Borno to rebuild houses

    The Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima yesterday raised a stock-taking committee on the mass killing of innocent citizens in Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area during a confrontation between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and Boko Haram.

    He has also mandated the Ministry of Works to start the reconstruction of demolished houses in the town.

    Besides, the governor has opened up talks with the military to get its side of the Baga bloodbath.

    A statement issued last night by the governor’s Special Adviser (Communications), Alhaji Isa Umar Gusau, said the governor felt the incident was “gruesome and highly condemnable”.

    It, however, faulted the casualty figures in the media and claimed that a competent authority was trying to verify the death toll.

    The statement said: “Following the very unfortunate and barbaric destruction of lives and properties in Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area in Borno State at the weekend, Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday ordered immediate release of relief materials, including food items and clothes after which he ordered the State’s Ministry of Works to immediately mobilise to sites in Baga town and start the reconstruction of houses that were destroyed even before a committee he set up is expected to investigate and submit a report on the cause of the crisis, take records of all those killed or injured, take stock of all houses destroyed and recommend compensation.

    “The number of persons killed as well as houses destroyed has not been accurately ascertained by any competent authority as government awaits the report of its committee or any reliable source of information.

    “ A news report claiming 185 persons were killed and 200 houses destroyed, published in a Nigerian newspaper and a news agency on Monday, April 22, 2013, were solely based on accounts by some residents in Baga, who spoke with the governor during his visit, as the author (s) reported the news without any independent verification for accuracy and with no form of investigation whatsoever.

    “Governor Shettima, however, believes that regardless of the number of persons affected, the incident was gruesome and highly condemnable since the life of a single human being is as important as the lives of thousands of humans.

    “Governor Shettima had on Saturday, visited the town for on the spot assessment during which he strongly condemned the incident while he met with military authorities to get their side of the story before the committee he set up completes its findings to determine the next line of action.

    “The Governor also ordered release of funds to the Ministry of Works to gather all consumables and move earth moving equipment and brick making machines to Baga town to begin reconstruction while he held several meetings with stakeholders from Kukawa Local Government to take firm measures that will further ameliorate the condition of surviving victims and other residents.”

    The statement assured the people of the state of the governor’s readiness to take firm measures to protect lives and property.

    The statement added: “Governor Shettima is taking other firm and appropriate measures that will ensure the security of lives and properties in Borno State.

    “He, once again, commiserates with families of deceased victims and those who sustained injuries or lost properties, noting that Government is working round the clock to ensure an end to the security challenges in the state.

    “The Governor expressed strong optimism that the ongoing efforts for peaceful resolution of the crisis through the amnesty programme being worked by the Federal Government will help in solving the problem.

    “He called on the amnesty committee members to be resilient as the task before them is such that will not entertain any failure as there is no alternative to peace for any society that desires progress.”

     

     

  • Jonathan orders investigation of killing of 185 in Borno

    Jonathan orders investigation of killing of 185 in Borno

    Having received preliminary briefings from the Military High Command on the incident, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a full-scale investigation into reports of high civilian casualties in the confrontation between Nigerian soldiers and insurgents at Baga in Borno State at the weekend.

    About 185 persons including women and children were over the weekend  reportedly killed during a shoot out between mend of the Joint Task Force and Boko Harm insurgents. The victims died of gun shots during the face-off  and fire which  burnt major parts of the town.

    Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, in a statement noted that  the preliminary briefings indicate that the casualty figures being reported by the foreign media may be grossly exaggerated but said  President Jonathan has  assured Nigerians and the global community that the Federal Government  places the highest possible value on the lives of all citizens of the country.

    He said the  administration will continue to do everything possible to avoid the killing or injuring of innocent bystanders in security operations against terrorists and insurgents.

    “Rules of engagement for the military and security agencies are already in place for this purpose and the investigation ordered by President Jonathan into the incident in Baga is to amongst other things, determine whether or not these rules were fully complied with.

    “The President has also ordered the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and Federal health agencies to liaise with the Borno State Government and take urgent steps to provide immediate relief and medical support for all who suffered losses and injury in the fighting at Baga.
    He commiserates with all those who have regrettably lost their lives in the fighting, including the soldiers who gallantly made the supreme sacrifice in the operation against terrorism, insurgency and insecurity in Nigeria.

    “The President is deeply pained by the continuance of these needless deaths and will continue to do all within his powers to achieve lasting peace, security and stability in all parts of the country.

    “It is his hope and expectation that the National Committee which he will inaugurate on Wednesday for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of security challenges in the North will contribute significantly to ending the continuous  loss of lives to wasteful violence. ” Abati stated.

  • Borno denies closing schools after attacks

    Borno denies closing schools after attacks

    The Borno Government on Wednesday denied speculations that it ordered the closure of public schools in the state following recent attacks by suspected terrorists.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mr. Inuwa Kubo, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    Kubo noted that schools would remain opened in spite of the ugly incidences across the state.

    “We are continuing with the normal school calendar, and as we continue, obviously, we will have our examinations as scheduled.

    “And most importantly, people should go to schools and see for themselves whether classes are going on or not,’’ he said.

    Kubo said students would also sit for the upcoming West African Examination Council and National Examination Council examinations across the state.

    “Our students are going to sit for WAEC and NECO examinations when the time comes.

    “I do not want to say what arrangements we are making but I am telling you that classes are going on in schools,’’’ he said.

    Kubo said that government had also made arrangements for students whose schools were destroyed to continue with their classes.

    “Even in those schools affected, we have made arrangements for their classes to continue so they can prepare and sit for WAEC and NECO examinations.

  • Gunmen kill PDP chiefs in Borno

    There may be no end yet to the orgy of violence and incessant killings in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as gunmen in separate attacks on Tuesday shot dead two chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Southern Borno Senatorial District and Shehuri ward at about 8pm.

    The PDP chieftains are Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Gula, PDP zonal vice chairman of Southern Borno Senatorial District; and Hajiya Gambo, the PDP women leader for Shehuri ward in Maiduguri metropolis.

    A top official of PDP, who does not want his name in print, disclosed that Alhaji Gula and Hajiya Gambo were trailed to their respective residences by the gunmen, before they were shot dead before their spouses.

    He said: “they were killed in cold blood near the Maiduguri International Hotel (MAIH) and Shehuri ward of the metropolis, before the Joint Task Force (JTF) and police cordoned the areas for over an hour to prevent further attacks and killings. The bodies of the slain party officials have already been buried on Tuesday, according to Islamic rites at the Gwange cemetery.”

    Speaking on the motives behind the assassination, he said: “prior to their killings by unknown gunmen, Gula and Gambo actively participated at the Town Hall meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan last Friday at the Government House Multipurpose Hall over the Boko Haram insurgency and withdrawals of JTF from Borno State.

    “These killings are a clear case of cold blood murder and are condemnable. Security agents must unravel the circumstance that led to the gunning down of these PDP officials at their residences in Umarari and Shehuri wards.”

    The Borno police commissioner, Alhaji Yuguda Abdullahi Tuesday confirmed the separate incidents in a telephone chat.

     

  • ACN to Jonathan: Borno,Yobe visit a failure

    ACN to Jonathan: Borno,Yobe visit a failure

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday picked holes in President Goodluck Jonathan’s response to the amnesty request for members of the Boko Haram sect during his last week’s visit to Borno and Yobe states.

    The opposition party said the tactless handling of the crisis has aggravated the insurgency that has claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent Nigerians and foreign nationals.

    In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said while the decision to grant amnesty to any person or group is the prerogative of the government, the argument advanced by the President for denying amnesty to Boko Haram members is as illogical as it is puerile.

    It said for a President who has unwisely stayed away from the beleaguered part of the country for too long, last week’s visit only succeeded in inflicting additional pain and insults on the victims of the insurgency, who could have used a little dose of succour and empathy from their leader.

    The party said: ‘’There is no doubt that there has been an upsurge in attacks and killings since the President’s visit, with the clashes between the JTF and the insurgents leaving many dead, drive-by shooting in Kano claiming the lives of innocent people and the unfortunate killing of foreign hostages who were abducted last month in Bauchi.

    ‘’If this upsurge can be used as a barometer to measure the success or otherwise of the President’s visit, then one can only reach one conclusion: The visit is a total failure!’’ ACN said.

    The party also expressed shock at the way the President, openly displaying anger when what was needed was temperance, talked down on the people, who have suffered so much in the hands of Boko Haram, at his town hall meetings.

    It said the misplaced anger of the nation’s number one citizen, who virtually tongue-lashed the prominent citizens who spoke on behalf of their people at the town hall meeting, can only attract sympathy for the insurgents among the beleaguered population, thereby worsening the crisis.

    It went on: ‘’The President wanted to appear tough in dealing with the Boko Haram insurgents. There is no problem with that, except that he directed his anger at the wrong people, the same people who have been victimized by Boko Haram. This is called double whammy,’’ On the President’s argument that amnesty cannot be granted to ‘’ghosts’’, CAN said he simply missed the mark.

    ‘’If the President claims that Boko Haram members are ghosts, who then are the members of Boko Haram that the JTF regularly claims to have arrested or killed? Does it mean the 52 Boko Haram members that the JTF claimed to have killed, in its latest statement dated March 9, are actually ghosts?

    ‘’What about the Boko Haram members that are being tried in court? Could the government have been trying ghosts?

    And what about those Boko Haram members who were declared wanted last year? Are they also ghosts? Also, the government’s spokesmen have said publicly that the government is talking with Boko Haram through back-channels.

    So, the Jonathan Administration has indeed been talking to ghosts?

    ‘’Mr. President, there is nowhere in the world where insurgents have erected a headquarters building and put up a sign to say ‘we are insurgents, come and get us.’ By their nature, insurgents don’t engage in a march past, displaying their weapons. That is why intermediaries are used to reach out to them,’’ the party said.

    ACN said while it strongly condemns the Boko Haram insurgents, their senseless killing of innocent people and attacks on the security agents, it believes that the use of force is not the only option open to the government to end the crisis.

  • Jonathan and Borno elders

    Jonathan and Borno elders

    Whoever advised on the visit by President Goodluck Jonathan to the troubled North-east states of Yobe and Borno last week ought to have realised by now that the visit did neither the administration nor the states any good. Merely on account of its advertised objectives, the visit was an unmitigated disaster – a public relations fiasco for the visitor as much as for the hosts.

    Whereas no one expected that the chasm between the federal government and the stakeholders in the two states would be bridged on mere account of a presidential visit; it was certainly not expected that disagreements would blow open as it did both in Damaturu and Maiduguri. In both places, the two sides not only blew the chance to advance the cause of peace, the outcome lent little optimism to any prospects of peace in the foreseeable future.

    Of course, it is disappointing that the visiting leader had nothing of soothing words for the people. For the hapless throng that have endured the affliction of the Boko Haram, the president neither saw need to offer his words of comfort nor did he find it necessary to express solidarity.

    His hosts on the other hand seemed utterly ill-prepared for what was supposed to be a long anticipated visit. As it turned out, neither side offered practical suggestions or roadmaps on the way forward. Representatives of stakeholders in the two states in fact stopped short of declaring the insurgency as more tolerable than the operations of the military Joint Task Force (JTF), recycling as it were, their age-long request for the JTF to be removed from the streets without telling the government what plans they had in place to secure the peace – a demand the President wisely rejected.

    As it is, there will be no shortage of finger-pointing as to who to hold responsible for the bungled visit. The natural tendency for most Nigerians is to revert to their default settings in heaping all the blames on the federal government. However, the event of the past week has not only borne out my contention that the leaders in the region have not been entirely helpful, the signs are that they are no less complicit in the crime of abdication than the federal government that they are wont to accuse.

    Let’s look at what the leaders suggested as the way forward out of the crisis. Like the militants in the Niger Delta, the leaders want amnesty for the terrorists. Now, I must say here that I’m open to the debate on the shape of amnesty to be granted to mass murderers. The debate might as well begin, even now. However, my questions are – suppose the government proclaims amnesty, how about the fundamentalist ideology which feeds the insurgency? Would it also be the responsibility of the federal government to extirpate it?

    Now to another equally contentious issue – the demand for the withdrawal of the JTF. I recognise the deliberate misplacement of ‘effect’ for ‘cause’, an elite problem designed to obfuscate issues. So the JTF is the problem because a handful of service personnel violate the rules of engagement? And that to constitute the ground to demand for the withdrawal of the personnel on internal security duties? What happens after? Turn out the vast territories to the Boko Haram or their cousins the AQIM?

    It is hard to imagine that the elders actually believe that the JTF is the problem. No doubt, internal security operations are by their nature, fraught with unique challenges. While these are not deniable, the challenge is for the elders to highlight them so that they could be dealt with. What should not be missed is the larger picture: these men were drafted in to deal with a problem that went out of control. I shudder to imagine what the situation will be without the men of the JTF. Or would the elders have preferred that Boko Haram overrun the region with the federal government left to negotiate the status of the region after?

    Finally, on this point, has anyone bothered to ask the primary targets of those terror attacks what they think of the JTF? I mean the churches and other so-called symbols of western civilisation which the sect finds to offensive? Are these institutions not entitled to the protection of the law also?

    Here is a word for those who look up to Abuja for solution to the problem. Abuja is a wrong place to look for solutions. First, the fat cats in the territory have no ideas to give; not with so much security funds to gobble! Secondly, the problems are by their very nature, local!

    At best, what Abuja can do is give federal muscle to local initiatives. No matter what anyone thinks, Abuja is in the least position to take on the fundamentalist ideology driving the insurgency. Community and opinion leaders will do a far better job of that. The same is true of the search for peace; it cannot be imposed from Abuja. The people have to be willing to assist security agencies to do their job. Ditto for development. The people just have to be willing to give it a shot.

    Last week, I heard Borno Governor Kashim Shettima talk about a Marshall Plan for the North-east. That is at least good thinking. I hope he’s not referring to a plan crafted in Abuja for the people of Borno – a plan that can only help feed the fat boys in Abuja. He should get to work to produce a roadmap for development for his dear state. When all is said and done, he will find that good ideas have a way of attracting cash. Ask the people of Niger Delta where cash seems to be looking for good ideas. Dare to ask if the people have seen development with trillions of federal money poured into the region post amnesty. I assume of course that the North-east would not succumb to the template of appeasement made for the Niger Delta.

    Now, what do I think of the role of the revered elders? Simple: they need to get back to the drawing board. Asking Jonathan to impose peace on their region is tantamount to abdication – worse than death. The same way that their request on the President to surrender the law enforcement option is unhelpful and counterproductive. Surely, some things must be better than politics. Beyond politics, what the leaders need at this time are courage and openness. After all, the fire is right at their door-steps.