The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Buni-Yadi

  • Army neutralises Boko Haram insurgents in Yobe

    The 27 Task Force Brigade and Nigeria Army Special Forces School, Buni-Yadi, Yobe, on Sunday neutralised scores of Boko Haram insurgents who attacked the military base.

    Major Nureni Alimi, the Assistant Director, Public Relations, 27 Task Force Brigade, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.

    Alumi said many insurgents were killed, others received gunshot injuries while a cache of Anti-Aircraft ammunitions, bombs, Rocket Propelled Guns and two Gun trucks were recovered.

    “Troops of the 27 Task Force brigade and the Nigeria Army Special Forces school in Buni-Yadi, Gujba Local Government, Yobe successfully defeated Boko Haram terrorists that launched an attack on the military base” it said.

    Read Also: Troops kill two Boko Haram insurgents, rescue two women

    “The terrorists came to engage the Brigade around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday January, 20, 2019, daring the troops for almost two and half hours.

    “The gallant troops stood their ground and thoroughly dealt with the insurgents, the troops were in high spirit and jubilated at the victory with high morale,” it added.

    Alimi also disclosed that four soldiers sustained minor injuries and were presently receiving treatment in the Brigade medical facility.

  • Police rescues 13 abducted victims in Borno

    Police rescues 13 abducted victims in Borno

    …As top Boko Haram commanders surrender to the command

     

    Borno State Police Command has recorded successes both in the fight against the insurgency and counter insurgency operation as the command undertook a successful rescue operation that saved the lives of 13 abducted victims from the hand of Boko Haram terrorists.

    The Command also received some top Boko Haram Commanders who voluntarily laid down their arms and gave up the fight and the ideologies of Boko Haram to become responsible citizens.

    The Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Isuku Victor in a press statement had informed that the command striking unit responded to a distress call of an abduction from the Biu Area Command with some team of investigators and undercover operative  and local hunters which led to the rescue of the victims including children and adults with the recovery of different arms and ammunitions.

    The statement read in part; “On the 19/8/2017, the Area Commander Biu, reported a case of abduction of six (6) children i.e four (4) males and two (2) females.  The Command striking unit (SARS) and team of investigators were promptly dispatched to the area. The said deployment and the use of undercover operatives led to the arrest of five (5) persons who made confessional statements and revealed the location where the abducted children were kept.

    “On the 8/9/2017,through community policing partnership and networking,  the Command with local hunters and vigilante members dominated the hostage scene and after about an hour gun battle with the hoodlums in the forest, near Kumaya village in Buni Yadi general area of Yobe state,”.

    The Statement added that the following arrests, rescues and recoveries were made:
    (A) Two (2) of the hoodlums died following injuries sustained in the gun battle.
    (B) Two (2) AK47 rifles used by the hoodlums were recovered.
    (C)  The six (6) earlier abducted victims were rescued.
    (D)  Seven (7) other abducted persons were rescued, bringing the total number of persons rescued to thirteen (13).
    Two (2) members of the search party were injured on the course of the exchange of fire.  They are, however, responding to treatment and are in stable condition.

    Mr. Isuku also disclosed that the thirteen (13) rescued victims were formally handed over to the His Excellency, Alhaji Mamman Durkwa, Deputy Governor of Borno state, Wednesday at the Government house.

    Explaining on the repentant Boko Haram members, Mr. Isuku said; “The Counter terrorism efforts of the Nigerian military, code name “Operation Safe Corridor ” recorded another victory with the unconditional surrender to the police by high profile repentance  Boko Haram  terrorists.

    “On 10/9/2017, at about 2100hrs, the intelligence arm of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) of the command, were able to negotiate a peaceful surrender of repentant Boko Haram terrorists with their families.

    “One Ibrahim Dala (alias Abu Ali), formerly of Kawar Mela ward, Maiduguri, an Amir (commander) of the Mamman Nur faction, along with Audu Mustapha Bukar, ‘m’ 20yrs and Laminu Mustapha Modu, ‘m’ 25yrs, all residing at Talala insurgents camp in sambisa forest, surrendered themselves unconditionally to Borno state police command.

    Audu Mustapha Bukar and Laminu Mustapha Modu, both of whom are from Ngallamari village, claimed to have been held hostage by the sect sometime ago and we’re conscripted,” the statement informed.

    He gave the names of the other who repented as:

    (a) Alhaji Ali ‘m’, 25yrs of Alagarno village
    (b) Abubakar Mele ‘m’, 30yrs of Yasko village
    (c) Modu Umar ‘m’, 20yrs of Bursum village
    (d) Modu Maina ‘m’, 15yrs of Bursum village
    (e) Ali Kolo ‘m’, 20yrs of Alagarno village
    (f) Bintu Abukar ‘f’, 14yrs of Yasko village
    (g) Falmata Abukar ‘f’, 15yrs of Yasko village
    (h) Hauwa Ali ‘f’ 15yrs of Alagarno village
    (i) Husam Ali ‘f’ 14yrs of Alagarno village.
    (j) Mallam Modu ‘f’ 16yrs of Bursum village.

    Mr. Isuku also disclosed that the children numbering five (5), are between the ages of 1yr to 8yrs old respectively, adding that, “They have since made useful statements that will assist in the counter Insurgency campaign of the military. Presently, they’re undergoing preliminary profiling preparatory to transfer to the military”.

  • Doctors offer free medical services to liberated communities in Yobe

    Doctors offer free medical services to liberated communities in Yobe

    It was a big relief for the people of Buni-Yadi as free medical services were taken to their door steps from a group of over 25 doctors drawn from three Non-Governmental Organizations from different parts of the country.

    The doctors who came together under ‘The Fallen Heroes Free Medical Outreach’ was put together by Smile Mission Health Care; Maigoje Foundation and EDUSHINE Educational Support Foundation exceeded their target of 300 people and treated over 650 residents who turned out for the services.

    According to the organizers, the choice of Buni Yadi was as a result of the massive destruction of all medical services in the area. They services was also conducted in honor of the brutal killing of 29 students at the Federal Government College Buni Yadi along with some soldiers who equally lost their lives.

    Facilitator of the  from Yobe state offered free medical and healthcare services to returning residents of Buni/Yadi community, as its hospital and healthcare centers were destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014.

    One of the organizers, Dr. Mohammed Goje, Chairman of Foundation, who hails from Gujba Local Government  said that the doctors came from various places including Kano, Abuja, Lagos, Maiduguri and Damaturu, the state capital to provide services to liberated communities in the state.

    His words: “The decision to mobilize the medical team to this community; was borne out of the fact that there is no single functional medical facility in the area; since the Boko Haram destruction of General Hospital, Buni-Yadi.”

    He said that the free medical outreach; has targeted 300 residents for treatment but over 1,000 people with various ailments; however turnout for the “free medical and healthcare services. The huge turnout of people for this service is a confirmation of the medical demand of this area. We are therefore going to compile a report that would be submitted to the Hon. Commissioner of Health to onward passage to the governor for action. From us, it is likely that we will be back here looking at the huge demand from the people,” Dr. Goje said.

    Dr. Saleh Abba, who led the medical team said that specialists including gynecologists, pediatricians, dentists, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and others attended to patients, who had returned, after the community was liberated by the military in 2016.

    His words: “We have also carried out minor surgery operations, consultations and other services ably assisted by pharmacists, nurses and laboratory scientists.
    “The outreach is offering the service for just one day which unfortunately is grossly inadequate considering the large number of patients in this town,” Dr. Abba said.

    Mohammed Usman, 40, a beneficiary of the program call on the Federal and State Governments to provide the community with a temporary medical facility, before the destroyed hospital and other health centers are wholly  rebuilt.

    “Two years after our return to this liberated Buni/Yadi community, we have no medical facility, as they were destroyed in the three-year insurgency. Some of our women died from avoidable circumstances in child birth because, we have to travel to Damaturu, to access hospital,” he lamented.

    The Nation findings gathered that the Buni Yadi General Hospital which was destroyed by the insurgents is currently under reconstruction by Yobe State Government, just as skeletal medical services have also commenced at the hospital.

     

  • ‘Our years of horror’ My mother died of shock when Boko Haram slaughtered my father—Buni Yadi resident Modu Bala.

    ‘Our years of horror’ My mother died of shock when Boko Haram slaughtered my father—Buni Yadi resident Modu Bala.

    Residents of Borno and Yobe states believe they owe the Buhari administration a lot of gratitude for the peace they currently enjoy after the horror years of unmitigated attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, reports JOEL DUKU.

    MODU BALA, a resident of Buni Yadi community, Borno State, had a hectic time responding to questions as he fought back tears repeatedly. He, however, pulled himself together to rain curses on Boko Haram insurgents for the heinous crime they committed against Nigeria and the Northeast in particular. His joy, however, lies in the way the Buhari government has chased the insurgents out of town. Modu, whose father was slaughtered by the insurgents like a ram, later lost his mother who could not recover from the shock of her husband’s death.

    What would you say about the current security situation in Yobe State?

    Honestly, there is significant improvement and kudos to the Federal Government as well as the army and other security agencies. They have done well and we are enjoying relative peace now. Although when such incidents happen, there will still be trauma, and that is what we are still facing now.

    For example, I have not made use of my generator since the last major attack on December 1, 2014 in Damaturu. I feel like the noise of the generator will make me unaware if anything is happening in the tow. It’s just the trauma that is creating fear. And anytime I travel out of Yobe State and see other people move freely without fear, it always seems strange to me because in Yobe, it is not so, but seriously our situation has improved, as we can now travel within the state and beyond.

    Did you incur any personal loss during Boko Haram attacks?

    Of course, you see, Boko Haram slaughtered my father and the trauma resulted in the death of my mother. If you live in Borno, Yobe or Adamawa state, you must experience at least one episode; you must have been affected directly or indirectly. So as far as Boko Haram is concerned, a lot has happened. But we hope for the best.

    Did you have to relocate either within or outside the state?

    Of course, you know my home town, Buni Yadi, was the epicenter and operational base of the insurgents. There was a time it was attacked and we had to relocate our families. About that time, I had more than 40 people in my house, and because it could not take us, we had to relocate some of our relatives to Potiskum and other places. Those were the issues we faced at that time. I relocated my wife and children to a place outside the state and I was operating a mobile house, carrying my clothes and shoes in my car where ever I went.

    How did you feel re-uniting with your family and what made it possible?

    Now, everybody is enjoying reuniting with their families after all the problems. My people have now moved back to Buni Yadi without any fear, though most of us have lost a lot of relatives. We became reunited because of the peace that has come now, and it is our fervent hope that it will be sustained.

    What is your greatest fear at the moment about Boko Haram?

    My greatest fear is suicide bombing. At least you can run when you hear the sound of a gun, but suicide bombing is very dangerous. I however pray that it does not befall us.

     

    Mohammed Fanami from Adam Kolo area of Maiduguri said he was in school in Yola throughout the period of the high wave of attacks in Maiduguri, but his greatest fear came each time he returned home on holiday.

    He said: “As a student, whenever I was at home for holidays in Maiduguri, I always felt that they could come and attack us at home. Even around the school at Yola, they made attempts but nobody was harmed. All the residents around the school moved to town out of fear.”

    He is optimistic that the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents will soon be routed out from Borno communities for his people to move freely in any part of the state.

    “Borno will soon regain its true status of home of peace. The pockets of Boko Haram insurgents who don’t want to embrace peace will be cleared by the military in no time. I have complete confidence in our security forces,” Mohammed boosted.

    Abdullahi Sule, a civil servant in Borno State, who lives near Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, said his fears then were worse than his feelings. Living with his family in such an area was a nightmare for him. But the 45-year-old Borno indigene feels safer now more than ever.

    “As you can see, Maiduguri is now safer than Lagos and Abuja. We are enjoying peace here. I say we are safer here because we have a better understanding of security here more than those areas through our experiences with Boko Haram. We are more security-conscious than those people,” he boasted.

    Recalling the horrific days of Boko Haram attacks, Sule said: “Whenever there was an attack and we heard the sound of bombs and guns, our families were always scared. Sometimes we would lie flat on the ground in our houses for fear of stray bullets. But now we are going about our daily activities without fear. It is a thing of the past and we pray it will never happen again.

    “Now our major fear is the suicide bombers, because those ones do not care. They are out to kill. We can avoid such by alerting the security on a suspect in our midst. There was a time I left my area with my wife and children for five days to another part of the town. Although there were many of us accommodated in a big house, my wife and I carried just a pair of clothes. It was not easy. We came back when everything had settled. We thank God for President Buhari.”

    Modu Aji, a Red Cross volunteer from Customs area in Maiduguri, says he has forgotten about Boko Haram except for memories of horrific sights of dead bodies that littered the streets.

    He said: “I always recall those times we saw dead bodies on the streets. Bad sights of shredded bodies cut into pieces. I even relocated my family to a village in Yobe State because at that time, we felt the villages were safe. But presently, we feel safe even though we sometimes remember those episodes. Everything is calm now.

    “I have never seen such in my life. It has cost the state backwardness in development and achievements. But I believe that this will never happen again because the Federal Government and even the states are taking things seriously in order to curtail insurgency. We hope that with God and the security agencies, Boko Haram is now a thing of the past.”

  • Boko Haram blows bridge in Yobe

    Boko Haram blows bridge in Yobe

    Boko Haram continued its onslaught in the Northeast yesterday, blowing up a bridge linking Buni Yadi with Damaturu in Yobe State.

    The insurgents attacked Katarko, hitting a military facility, before entering the town. Eight people were killed.

    Katarko is 22 kilometers south of Damaturu, the state capital. It is in Gujba Local Government Area, one of the strongholds of the Boko Haram insurgents.

    Eyewitnesses said the insurgents stormed the town around 7:30pm and operated unhindered till 2.00am yesterday.

    The attackers, according to an eyewitness, simply identified as Modu, went straight to the   military base in the town.

    “They came here and launched an unsuccessful attack on the military base before embarking on some selective killings within town, leaving us with eight casualties at present being prepared for burial,” Modu said in the telephone.

    Another resident, Mallam Garba, a witness, said soldiers guarding the bridge were outnumbered and outgunned by suspected Boko Haram militants. The bridge is the fifth to have been blown up in the past three months.

    Abbas Gava, a civilian security volunteer, said during the rainy season the road will now be impassable, further isolating areas that have been under constant attack for months.

    Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in five years of insurgency, including hundreds of children. Yobe State, along with Borno and Adamawa states, has been under emergency rule for more than a year, but Human Rights Watch says the insurgency continues to grow more violent and more far-reaching.

    It was also gathered that the insurgents vented their anger on the bridge linking Buni Yadi and Damaturu, whose section was blown off.

    It was gathered that it is  the first time Boko Haram militants attacked Katarko, since the commencement of hostility by the insurgents in 2009.

    Also yesterday,  two Boko Haram suspects were arrested in Damaturu metropolis for possessing Improvised Explosive Devises (IED) with the intention of causing havoc.

    Security authorities  declined comments on the arrest but  residents confirmed that the suspects were arrested at separate locations.

    A security source said: “Some suspects were arrested in connection with such act but investigation is going on to ascertain the weight of their intentions”.

    In Cameroon, Security Forces rescued the wife of the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, who was abducted on Sunday by suspected members of the extremist Boko Haram sect, the BBC Hausa service reported.

    The wife of Deputy Prime Minister and her maid were kidnapped in Cameroun’s northern town of Kolofata.

    The attackers stormed their residence and took the woman away.

    A military commander in the area said Boko Haram militants engaged Cameroonian soldiers in the town for some time.

    The deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Ali, escapeed to a neighbouring town, commander Feliz Formekong said.

    A local religious leader, Seini Lamine, was also abducted from the town in a separate incident.

    Mr. Lamine, who is called the Lamido, is the mayor of the town.

    Cameroon said it strengthened security at its border in April after Boko Haram abducted nearly 300 school girls in Chibok, Borno State.

  • Boko Haram kills 54 in Yobe, Borno attacks

    Boko Haram kills 54 in Yobe, Borno attacks

    •24 soldiers, 21 policemen dead •Cameroon troops at Nigeria’s border

    Boko Haram has attacked security agents in Buni Yadi, headquarters of Gujba Local Government, killing 24 soldiers and 21 policemen including a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), sources said yesterday.

    In attacks on two Borno State villages also on Monday, nine people were killed.

    Buni Yadi village has repeatedly come under Boko Haram attacks. It was there that sect members killed 55 pupils who were sleeping in their dormitory last year. It is 55 kilometres south of Yobe State capital, Damaturu.

    Residents said the hoodlums came into the town with one Armoured Personal Carrier vehicle (APC) and six Hilux vans, shooting in the air through the town as they headed for security formations where they lunched their dastardly attacks.

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) and the police in Yobe State have been reluctant to release the casualty figure but Police Commissioner Marcus K. Danladi confirmed the incident.

    “I am just coming back from Buni Yadi and I need to sit down to gather my facts together before giving it out,” CP Danladi said.

    Police spokesman Nansak Chegwam also said details of the incident were sketchy, adding that investigation had begun.

    Officials said 54 people were killed in the two attacks.

    Police constable Abdullahi Mohammed said the suspected Boko Haram members killed 24 soldiers and 21 policemen in the attack on Buni Yadi.

    A Borno State local government official, Nglamuda Ibrahim, said gunmen killed nine people in two remote villages, also on Monday night.

    Ibrahim said in Ashigashiya town the armed men shot at villagers, burned their homes and held control over the area and hoisted their white flags with Arabic letters.

    A source with the Joint Task Force also told VOA’s Hausa Service that 24 soldiers and 21 policemen were confirmed dead following the attack.

    The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen took away an armored tank and many vehicles.

    There has been no word on civilian casualties.

    A Hausa Service reporter who is in northeastern Nigeria said  militants were also attacking motorists on highways leading in and out of Maiduguri.

    Drivers said snipers wait in trees to fire at passing cars, which are then attacked by gunmen hiding in bushes by the side of the road.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Hassan Thlama, a Superintendent, the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) were among those killed, it was gathered.

    The attackers stormed the town around 6:03 pm and unleashed terror on the security.

    A senior officer of Gujba Local Government, who pleaded for anonymity said the police barracks, the Divisional Police Station, and the military base in the area were burnt down.

    Other places razed by the insurgents include; the palace of the district head of Buni-Yadi, Alhaji Abba Hassan Muktar ,a personal houses and  the palace of the Emir of Buni-Yadi, Alhaji Muktar Ali Gangaran were also vandalised by the insurgents.

    Witnesses said the insurgents were armed with various weapons and petrol bombs.

    A resident said the attackers drove in pick-up trucks, armoured tanks and motorcycles.

    Abubakar (not real name) said the attack was clearly targeted at security operatives, unlike past attacks in which civilians also fell victims.

    He said: “We were shocked and terrified in the evening when a gang of armed Boko Haram burst into this town, chanting that they were here for the soldiers and policemen; and not the civilians. Don’t panic, we will not touch you. All of you are safe today (Monday). As they attacked the military posts, they proceeded to the police station, the magistrate’s court and our council secretariat complex; and put fire on them.

    “Some of the people, however, fled their houses and shops for safety, despite assurance of attackers not to kill anyone of them. Residents living near the police station and military posts however; fled to nearby bushes and farmlands.”

    It was gathered that security operatives moved to Buni Yadi to ascertain the impact of the attack. A top emergency security meeting was summoned by the state government in Damaturu, the state capital. Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu met with the Police Commissioner, the JTF Commander and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) where he was briefed on the incident.

    Military and hospital ambulances were also sighted along Maiduguri road in Damaturu with heavy military escorts.

    Another village, Chinene in Gwoza Local Government, Borno State was attacked.

    Two churches, shops and residential houses were set ablaze.

    Chinene village is southeast and a border community with Cameroon, which is about 130 kilometres drive from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

    Cameroon yesterday began deploying large troop reinforcements to buttress its border with Nigeria against the threat posed by marauding Boko Haram militants, security officials said.

    “The deployment has begun. Today, soldiers have started being sent to the border regions,” a senior police official in the area told AFP on condition of anonymity.

  • Wanted: A war cabinet    

    Wanted: A war cabinet    

    It was a catalogue of deaths and destruction last week when the Boko Haram terrorists went on a killing-spree in the three Nigeria’s northeast states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. The attacks started on Tuesday at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State, where no fewer than 43 students were killed. From there, they moved to Shuwa, in Magadali Local Government Area of Adamawa state where a teachers’ college, a secondary school and a Catholic covent were attacked. By Saturday, it was the turn of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where a twin-bomb explosion tore through the heart of the city, killing more than 50 people. Mainok, a village about 50 kilometers from Maiduguri, also had a taste of the orgy of violence and blood-letting.

    The attack on the Government College, Buni Yadi, bore the full imprimatur of a similar one on Saturday, September 28, 2013 at the College of Agriculture, Guijba, in the same state. In that attack, more than 50 students of the school met their untimely death. The terrorists attacked the college at midnight when most of the students were deeply asleep. That also, was not without precedence. In June 2013, the terrorists killed eight pupils and a teacher during an attack on Government Secondary School, Damaturu, capital of Yobe State. They also killed 29 pupils at Government Secondary School, Mamudo, also in the state.

    On Saturday, April 13, 2013, an unspecified number of students of Monguno Secondary School, in Monguno Local Government of Borno State, were killed as they returned home on foot and bicycles from the centres where they wrote the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE). Before that daylight massacre, six secondary school teachers, including a principal, were also hacked down by the terrorists in the same local government area.

    It is sad that our so-called security forces have always been caught napping each time these marauders come calling. In the killings of the school children who were accosted on their way from their examination centres in April 2013, no security agent was sighted at the scene of the slaughtering until more than three hours later. The same scenario has played out again and again. It was the same story at the School of Agriculture, Gujba. In the recent incident at FGC, Buni Yadi, the killers did not only have the luxury of time to carry out their devilish act, they also proved that they were out to destroy the hopes of tomorrow by separating the girls from the boys. While they mowed down the boys, they simply drove the girls away from school and advised them to go and get married instead of wasting their time at school. That is true to their name Boko Haram, which means “education is bad.”

    What is more sickening in all these, especially in last week’s incident, is the fact that the security agents who were stationed within the proximity of the schools left their checkpoints shortly before the terrorists came calling. Now, the security agents are running helter-skelter to unravel those who might have been complicit in the attacks among the local populace. Talk of medicine after death. By the way, why is it that these security agents, with the hordes of intelligence officers in their midst, have never for once nipped these attacks in the bud while the so-called rag-tag terrorists are daily giving them a bloody nose?

    There must be something wrong somewhere. It is either a failure of intelligence or non-intelligence at all, as the case may be (if I am permitted to put it that way). It is obvious that some people are aiding and abetting these criminals within the local population and among the security agents as well. For how long will the blood of our children be spilled like rotten milk on the altar of greed, selfishness and vaulting ambition of our overfed politicians both in uniform and babaringa? Every time, you hear about a fleet of vehicles consisting of more than 10 or 15 attacking a particular location. Why is it impossible for the security forces to pick them as they move along? I am quite aware that because of the dry season, almost everywhere in the affected areas is motorable at this time, but if the security forces are doing their work well, these terrorists should still be spotted.

    It is rather superfluous that while the brigandage and blood-letting that have been going on in the northeast of the country in the last four or five years (2009 – 2014) continue to spiral out of control, up till this moment, no single person has either been fingered or arrested on account of being the sponsor of this brazen terrorism against our fatherland. The other day, a former governor of one of the states in the Northeast was allegedly arrested in Cameroun by a Camerounian security officer who said he was convinced that the former governor is one of the financiers of the Boko Haram insurgency. The former governor was arrested on his way to see the governor of Northern Cameroun.

    Although the former governor in question was later released by an order from the Vice-President of Cameroun, after he quickly reached out to people, he is strongly suspected to have played a role in the rise of Boko Haram in the first instance and so, it will be difficult to isolate him from the unrelenting assault of the criminal gangs on the country. There is also this belief that this former governor may not be a Nigerian as he is said to hail from neighbouring Chad Republic, where he currently operates an airline and maintains a mansion. After his tenure as governor many years back, it was to Chad that he went to cool off and observe developments in Nigeria from the sideline until his recent visit to the country which sparked off a wave of violence in his native state.

    By now, I believe the security agencies should have the list of suspects who are collaborating with these terrorists in one way or another to wreak havoc on unsuspecting Nigerians, but, perhaps, because of political expediency, nobody wants to touch them. That is why some people think that if the President announces today that he will not be contesting the 2015 presidential election, the whole Boko Haram brouhaha will die a natural death. Since the President has an inalienable right to contest as President a second time as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution in use in the country, if he wishes, the onus is on the security agencies to do their work properly and contain this avoidable carnage that has continued to cast a dark spot on the image of the country. The only way out of this quagmire in which the country has been enmeshed all this while is the urgent need for the President to form a war cabinet.

    In the first instance, the troops which were deployed to the theatre of war in the Northeast went there purely for peacekeeping operation. Now the whole scenario has snowballed into a real war situation. Therefore, the strategy must change. A senior cabinet minister must coordinate the ‘war’. As things are now, it may be impossible for the National Security Adviser, NSA, the only person who probably performs the role of coordinating the military interventions in the Northeast, to summon any of the head of the services to a meeting – I mean summoning someone like the Chief of Army Staff or the Chief of Air Staff that are both involved in managing the crisis to a meeting – not to talk of the Chief of Defence Staff. They will just ignore him because the NSA is more or less a Staff Officer to the President. That is why there is need to quickly put a war cabinet in place.

    The war cabinet, as envisaged, will consist of seasoned Generals, both serving and retired, as well as some respectable and responsible civilians, whose duty will be to take care of the political angle to this festering crisis. It is time to end this genocide!

  • Yobe killings: FG to tighten security around federal colleges

    Yobe killings: FG to tighten security around federal colleges

    Following the killing of some students of the Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi, Yobe, on Tuesday, the Federal Government has said it will improve security around federal unity colleges in the country.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike on Tuesday.

    It said Wike, who condemned the attack on the innocent students, said the ministry would continue “to liaise with security agencies and relevant stakeholders to improve security around all federal unity colleges.”

    According to the statement, the minister, after receiving the news of the terrorist attack, immediately reached out to the management and staff of the school to commiserate with them.

    Wike also commiserated with the families of the bereaved and prayed God to grant the bereaved families the strength to bear the unfortunate loss.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that insurgents on Monday attacked the college at about 11.30pm, killing 43 students.