The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Chad

  • Chad to round up beggars, foreigners after Boko Haram attack

    Chad to round up beggars, foreigners after Boko Haram attack

    Chad plans  to round up beggars and some foreigners as part of a security clamp-down, days after two suicide attacks on its capital blamed on Boko Haram .

    The apparently coordinated blasts at two police stations  on Monday killed 34 people and injured dozens in the largest attack of its kind in the country.

    Chad’s Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet said yesterday that  the detained beggars and foreigners would be held in a centre in Baga Sola, a town near Lake Chad, close to the Nigerian border.

    He gave no details  on how the round-up would improve security or the nationality of the foreigners.

    Deubet also said that boating and fishing would be banned on parts of the River Chari that flows into the Lake Chad. Boko Haram militants have launched several deadly attacks around the lake, often arriving in motorised canoes from Nigeria.

    Chad is a member of the multi- national forces battling Boko Haram.

    Its capital,N’Djamena  is a command centre for the  regional anti-Boko Haram task force.

    It banned religious head-to-toe burqas earlier this week on the grounds that they might be used as camouflage by militants, though residents say people on the streets of N’Djamena have continued wearing them.

  • Chad bombs Boko Haram camps in retaliatory attack

    Chad bombs Boko Haram camps in retaliatory attack

    Chadian warplanes bombed Boko Haram positions in Nigeria to avenge Monday’s twin suicide bombings in its capital N’Djamena, which it blamed on the Islamist sect.

    More than 50 people are believed to have been killed in the attack.

    Chad’s military vowed it would continue its “merciless” pursuit of the armed group “so that no drop of spilt Chadian blood goes unpunished”.

    “In response to the cowardly and barbaric acts perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists… the armed forces carried out reprisal air strikes on the terrorists’ positions in Nigerian territory on Wednesday,” the military said in a statement yesterday.

    Six Boko Haram bases were destroyed in the air raids, which caused “considerable human and material losses”, it said, without giving further details.

    But the Nigerian military said there was no such attack on the country’s territory.

    Monday’s attacks on the police headquarters and a police academy in N’Djamena were the first in the capital of the central African country, which has taken a lead role in a regional offensive against the Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

    No group has claimed responsibility but Chad and its allies immediately blamed the Boko Haram, which have carried out a series of bloody attacks in border areas of countries that share a frontier with northeastern Nigeria.

    Chad has also banned the full-face veil and ordered security forces to seize burqas from markets and burn them.

    “Wearing the burqa must stop immediately from today, not only in public places and schools but throughout the whole of the country,” Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi Deubet told religious leaders the day before the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

    Any type of clothing that leaves only the eyes visible is a form of “camouflage” and is now banned, he added, asking religious leaders to spread the message in mosques, churches and other holy places.

    Deubet said security forces in the Muslim majority country had been instructed to “go into the markets and to seize all the burqas on sale and burn them”.

    Anyone found wearing a burqa will be “arrested, tried and sentenced in summary proceedings”, he added

    The Defence Headquarters yesterday denied claims that the Chadian military carried out air strikes on some Boko Haram targets in Nigeria.

    It said it suspected that the areas attacked by Chadian forces might likely be in Niger Republic.

    Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in a statement: “The claim that the Chadian military has conducted air strikes against six terrorist camps in Nigeria is not correct.

    “The fact is that the Nigerian Air Force surveillance mission identified targets tagged as Camp 6 around Bosso town which is not within Nigeria’s territory and alerted the partners accordingly.

    “The places reported to have been struck by the Chadian are therefore most likely to be in Niger Republic and not Nigeria as widely reported in the international media.

    “Although the terms of the multilateral and bilateral understanding with partners in the war against terror allow some degree of hot pursuit against the terrorists, the territory of Nigeria has not been violated as insinuated in the reports circulated in some foreign media.

    “The Nigerian military will continue to cooperate with partners in the mission to exterminate or contain terrorists strictly in conformity with existing terms of the Concept of Operation at strategic, operational or tactical levels.

    “It is however important that issues are accurately reported while avoiding misleading or unnecessary sensationalism from any quarter.”

  • United Nations condemn Chad bombing

    United Nations condemn Chad bombing

    The United nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the bombings in N’Djamena, Republic of Chad, which reportedly killed more than 25 people and injured dozens of others.

    The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Chad. He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack. 

    Mr Ban Ki-moon commends Chad for its courageous role in the fight against Boko Haram, while stressing the importance of enhanced collaboration among countries in West and Central Africa to effectively combat the threat of Boko Haram.

    In that regard, he welcomes positive developments on the operationalization of the Multi-National Joint Task Force. 

    The Secretary-General reiterates that States must ensure that all measures taken to address the terrorist threat of Boko Haram comply with all their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.

  • Operation bomb Chad: Keshi drops Mikel, Emenike

    Operation bomb Chad: Keshi drops Mikel, Emenike

    •Invites Enyeama, Musa, 13 others to Eagles’ camp

    For the first time in a long while, Stephen Keshi has dropped Chelsea star, John Mikel Obi, from the list of foreign-based players for the June 13, 2017 Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier against Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna.

    An indication to this development emerged a few days ago when Keshi told SportingLife that Mikel was the only foreign-based player that did not pick his calls when he made efforts to contact some of the players ahead of next month’s clash.

    Another prominent Europe-based player missing in the squad is Fernbache striker, Emmanuel Emenike, who has endured a turbulent season with his club in the Turkish Super League.

    It would be recalled that Emenike was not part of the squad that played in the Eagles’ last two friendlies against the Cranes of Uganda and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in March this year.

    However, the Big Boss kept faith with first choice goalkeeper and skipper Vincent Enyeama and 14 other overseas –based professionals.

    The three –time FIFA World Cup star is joined by defenders Godfrey Oboabona and Kenneth Omeruo, midfielders Ogenyi Onazi and Babatunde Michael and forward Ahmed Musa, who were all at last year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.

    Exciting right back Leon Balogun, Israel –based John Ogu, former Switzerland junior international Steven Ukoh, China –based Aaron Samuel and Odion Ighalo, whose 20 league goals helped Championship side Watford FC to the English Premiership, have also been called alongside former junior international Rabiu Ibrahim.

    New faces William Troost-Ekong, a defender based in The Netherlands, Kingsley Madu of AS Trencin in Slovakia and Portugal–based Anderson Esiti complete the list.

     

    THE FULL LIST

    Goalkeeper: Vincent Enyeama (Lille OSC, France)

    Defenders: Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor FC, Turkey); Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough FC, England); Leon Balogun (Darmstadt 98, Germany); William Troost-Ekong (FC Dordrecht, The Netherlands); Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia)

     

    Midfielders: Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio, Italy); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva); Babatunde Michael (Volyn Lutsk, Ukraine); Rabiu Ibrahim (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Anderson Esiti (Estoril FC, Portugal); Steven Ukoh (Biel-Bienne FC, Switzerland)

     

    Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Aaron Samuel (Guangzhou R & F, China); Odion Ighalo (Watford FC, England)

  • Fleeing Boko Haram terrorists kill seven in Chad village attack

    Fleeing Boko Haram terrorists kill seven in Chad village attack

    Fighters from Boko Haram fleeing an offensive by soldiers from Chad and Niger launched a rare attack on Chadian soil, killing seven people, security sources said at the weekend.

    The two armies drove the insurgents from Malam Fatori, one of Boko Haram’s last major footholds along Nigeria’s northern border last week.

    While they faced little resistance as they entered the town on Tuesday, Chad claimed the joint force killed hundreds of Boko Haram fighters in clashes the following day in which nine Chadian soldiers died and another 16 were injured.

    “Some Boko Haram militants fleeing Malam Fatori towards Lake Chad attacked Maidogo, near Ngouboua, on Thursday, killing seven people,” said a Chadian security source.

    The attack on Maidogo, which is located on an island in Lake Chad, was confirmed by other military sources.

  • Ray of hope from Chad

    Riddle over the death of acclaimed Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau is about to be untangled. This ray of hope came from Chadian President, Idriss Deby. He had at a press conference in that country’s capital N’djamena called on Shekau to surrender or face immediate death.

    Hear him, “Abubakar Shekau must surrender. We know where he is. If he doesn’t give himself up, he will suffer the same fate as his compatriots. He was in Dikwa two days ago. He managed to get away, but we know where he is. It’s in his interest to surrender.”

    Given the controversy on Shekau’s death and accusations against Nigeria’s African neighbours for not cooperating in the war against Boko Haram, Deby’s intervention is significant in more ways than one.

    First, it signifies the accord brokered by the French government for multi-lateral cooperation in the war against the insurgents is beginning to take full shape. Before now, that accord had not been given full cooperation such that the insurgents have had a free reign levying terror on innocent people with reckless abandon.

    If the countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon which share very porous and ill-policed boarders with Nigeria had been cooperating in the fight against Boko Haram, perhaps the insurgency would have been crushed long before now. Because of this seeming nonchalance, the insurgents had exploited to the fullest, the porosity of our borders; fleeing into neighbouring countries when hotly pursued by our soldiers.

    In one of such occasions, our soldiers were rescued by Cameroonian soldiers as they strayed into their territory. There were then reports that our soldiers were even disarmed by the Cameroonian soldiers in keeping with international conventions; provided food and military protection before they were eventually escorted back into the country.

    This matter has been deliberately brought in to underscore the difficulty in fighting Boko Haram in the face of the difficult terrain in which our soldiers have had to operate. It is therefore heart-warming that at last, Nigeria’s neighbours now share our concerns to flush out the insurgents without further delay.

    For another, it also illustrates very vividly the enormous successes the Nigerian military have been making in the fight against the insurgents in the last couple of weeks. These successes are no longer in doubt. Many villages in the war ravaged North-east especially Borno State that is worst hit have been liberated with heavy casualties inflicted on the insurgents.

    It is not surprising that following the heavy artillery power of the ground forces backed by aerial bombardments, the insurgents scamper to the borders seeking escape routes. And there, they are confronted by our foreign neighbours. With consistent push from the Nigerian troops and the cooperation of our neighbours, there is no doubt the days of Boko Haram are numbered.

    We are encouraged by the revelations of Deby. And when a president of a country speaks on such a very sensitive matter in public, we have every reason to take him very seriously. There is no reason not to believe Deby knows where Shekau currently is. He has ordered him to surrender or face dire consequences.

    But if the psychology of such terrorists is anything to go by, it is very unlikely Shekau will surrender himself alive. He would rather die than give up himself to be humiliated and disgraced. So why wait for him to surrender when from all accounts, such an expectation is a very remote possibility? For a group that wires young girls with explosives for suicide missions, self annihilation will not amount to much for its leader. This is more so when we reckon with the weird religious ideology that propels this extremists terror group.

    Going by the weight and certainty with which Deby spoke, the issue of Shekau may even be resolved before this article is published. When we pair this certainty with the fact that Shekau is unlikely to surrender alive, the likely option is that of violent confrontation.

    Either way, Shekau’s time has come unless Deby is not sure of his statements. There is no reason not to believe him. It is therefore the expectation that in the next few days, the world will get to know more about Shekau and the Boko Haram insurgency.

    We will then be entangled in a controversy of another sort. We will hear such tales as the dead man is not Skekau but a semblance of him. We will be confronted with a crisis of identity given several reports before now that Shekau had long been killed in battle field. All manner of theories will be floated especially by those who would not let the present administration take credit for the feat. The authorities will be hard put to convince the people that this is the original Shekau; not the characters that have been mimicking him. May be the saving grace will be the Chadian authorities. Coming from Deby, all shadows of doubt that are likely to be raised over the identity of the sect leader may not be pushed too far.

    This point has to be underscored given that the issue of insecurity in the country has become a serious election issue. The opposition has made it one of its cardinal campaign issues with a promise to ensure the security and territorial integrity of the country. The government in power has reinvigorated the war against terrorism to prove that it has the capacity to tame the monster and take away from the opposition whatever political advantage it seeks to get by exploiting weaknesses in the war against terrorism.

    These are the issues the nation will have to contend with in the way the current escapades against terrorism are likely to be perceived. This is more so when it is realized that one of the major reasons for shifting the elections was to enable the military conclude its military operations in that part of the country. Then, many had queried what feat the government would achieve in barely six weeks in a war that has seemingly defied it these years. Many did not see the possibility of that happening.

    But the signal coming from Deby and the reported recapturing of many villages from the insurgents now give a glimmer of hope that Boko Haram is now living on borrowed time. That would be a major political feat for the government of the day especially with the elections around the corner. It would have proved beyond reasonable doubt that the military had genuine reasons for asking to have the elections shifted for them to conclude their military operations. The government would then exploit that success for electoral advantage.

    But the question will still arise as to why the government had to wait till the last minute before decisively confronting the insurgents. Is it because of the arrival of new equipment or a deliberate strategy to score political points for electoral advantage? These are the issues that will be thrown up if the real Shekau is captured or killed and the insurgency tamed very considerably in the next few days. Whatever the case, it is in the interest of this country that the war is brought to a conclusive end.

  • Chad, Cameroon join forces against Boko Haram

    Chad, Cameroon join forces against Boko Haram

    •Sect kidnaps 80 in Cameroon •5 die in Potiskum blast

    International troops are set to battle Boko Haram – the fundamentalist sect responsible for the insurgency in the Northeast and across the border in Cameroon.

    Boko Haram struck in Cameroon yesterday, attacking a village. It kidnapped 80 citizens, including children and women.

    In Potiskum, the commercial capital of Yobe State – one of the three states under the sect’s brutality, the others being Borno and Adamawa –  a suicide bomber believed to be working for the sect detonated an explosive device at a motor park. Five people, including the bomber, died.

    Yesterday, Chadian troops were deployed in Northern Cameroon to join forces with their hosts to fight the sect across the border with Nigeria.

    The African Union (AU) will next week take a decision on whether to create a force to fight Boko Haram.

    Ghana President John Mahama, Chairman of Sub-regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) told Reuters news agency that ECOWAS will seek approval from the AU next week.

    A contingent of soldiers from Chad has arrived in northern Cameroon where it will deploy to the Nigerian border as part of efforts to contain the Boko Haram insurgency, a spokesman for Cameroon’s Defence ministry said yesterday.

    Boko Haram, which aims to carve out an Islamist state in northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks as Africa’s biggest economy prepares for a Feb. 14 presidential election.

    The group has expanded its operational zone into northern Cameroon over the past year, prompting Yaounde to deploy thousands of additional forces, including elite troops, to its border with Nigeria.

    A convoy of troops from Chad arrived in Maroua, the main town in Cameroon’s Far-North Region, late on Saturday, Colonel Didier Badjeck said while declining to say how many soldiers had been dispatched by N’Djamena.

    “In the coming days, they will be deployed in the war zone on the border with Nigeria so that they can join our defence forces to crush and prevent incursions of Boko Haram into Cameroonian territory,” he said.

    Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who recently appealed for international assistance against Boko Haram, announced last week that he was expecting the arrival of a large Chadian force to support his country’s efforts against the militants.

    Chad has a reputation as one of the region’s best militaries and helped French forces drive al Qaeda-linked Islamists from northern Mali in 2013.

    Despite the growing cross-border nature of the threat posed by Boko Haram, efforts to deploy a joint force from Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon to take on the Islamist fighters have faltered.

    Following increasing involvement of Chadians and Nigeriens in Boko Haram insurgency, the Federal Government may protest to the two countries.

    It was also learnt that hope has finally dimmed on the negotiation between the Federal Government and Boko Haram being facilitated by Chad.

    The military has, however, begun the interrogation of five Boko Haram insurgents, who were captured last week in Biu.

    It was learnt that the five suspects had been relocated to a discreet military facility where they have been making “ useful statements” on the operation of the sect.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the Federal Government is no longer comfortable with the involvement of Chadians and Nigerien in Boko Haram insurgency.

    Security reports on the invasion of Biu clearly confirmed the high presence of Chadian mercenaries among the insurgents, most of whom were killed.

    It was learnt that the government was baffled that the same Chadian government had allegedly been assisting the Federal Government to negotiate with Boko Haram.

    The two  circumstances were described as “tactically irreconcilable” by the government, a top military source disclosed last night.

    The highly-placed source said: “The Federal Government may protest to Chad and Niger Republic over the increasing involvement of their nationals in Boko Haram insurgency.

    “In the spirit of Paris Pact, President Goodluck Jonathan has wielded enormous diplomatic goodwill to carry these neighbours along but they are not reciprocating. Nigeria cannot understand why Chadian troops withdrew from Baga before the insurgents struck and killed over 150 people.

    “From the tactical analysis of the insurgency so far, there are sufficient clues to show that Boko Haram has well-established bases or outposts in these countries.

    “We are in the process of making all our findings on the high number of Chadian elements in Boko Haram.”

    But there were indications last night that hope might have finally dimmed on the ongoing negotiation with Boko Haram being coordinated by the Principal Secretary to the President, Mallam Hassan Tukur.

    A top source, privy to the negotiation in government who spoke in confidence, said: “There is no serious headway because the sect has refused to respect ceasefire agreements.

    “And with more Chadians fighting for Boko Haram, the element of trust in the negotiation is a bit shaky. The insurgents have not been forthcoming at all.”

    The interrogation of five insurgents captured in Biu last week has started at a discreet military facility.

    A competent contact said: “Those captured had been relocated to a military facility for intense grilling where they have made useful statements.

    “We will keep you posted on our findings after a comprehensive investigation is concluded.”

    On the ongoing dismissal of soldiers in some Army formations, the source added: “These were those who refused to fight in spite of the modern equipment provided for them.

    “The law provides for jail terms, life sentence or death sentence. When some of them were sentenced to death, there was public outcry. Are you saying the military must not act when there is obvious case of indiscipline?

    “We also discovered that some of those who spoke with CNN were those dismissed for deliberately refusing to fight against Boko Haram.”

    Suspected Boko Haram fighters from Nigeria kidnapped around 80 people, many of them children, and killed three other yesterday  in a cross-border attacks on villages in northern Cameroon, army and government officials said.

    The kidnappings, among the largest abductions on Cameroonian soil since the militants began expanding their zone of operations across the border last year, came as neighbouring Chad deployed troops to support Cameroon’s forces in the area.

    “According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted,” a senior army officer deployed to northern Cameroon told Reuters.

    He said the early-morning attack had targeted the village of Mabass and several other villages along the porous border with Nigeria. Soldiers intervened and exchanged fire with the raiders for around two hours, he added.

    Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma confirmed the attack, in which he said three people had been killed, as well as the kidnappings, but was not able to say with certainty how many people had been taken in the raid. Around 80 homes were destroyed, he said.

  • Sheriff not on Jonathan’s entourage to Chad, PDP insists

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the All Progressives Congress’ criticism of the alleged participation  of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff  at the recent meeting   between  President Goodluck Jonathan and President Idris Deby  of  Chad in Ndjamena  as repulsive and utterly despicable.

    The PDP insisted, in a statement in Abuja, that the former Borno State governor was not part of the president’s entourage to that country.

    The presidency itself said during the week that Sheriff did not go to Chad with Jonathan.

    PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday in Abuja accused the APC of sponsoring fabrications in the media about the Jonathan-Sheriff rapport.

    “The refusal of the APC to shed its taste for lying, spreading of falsehood and attacks on individuals as means of achieving political control in spite of several counsels by well-meaning Nigerians,” he said.

    “Now that it has become incontrovertible that Senator Sheriff was not on the entourage of the president, we ask: was the APC release an issue of dishing out statements without cross-checking the facts or that of a desperate opposition party adopting the combination of lies, deceit and inciting of people as operational creed to hide its sinister agenda?

    “The APC has again displayed its lack of integrity and penchant for falsehood for which it has become repugnant to Nigerians. It is appalling that the opposition party has remained a camp of dishonest lot whose statements cannot be trusted.

    “We have before us individuals who most likely are used to concocting damaging stories even against their spouses and friends. This despicable trait must be dropped and should not transcend to fabricating destructive lies capable of tarnishing the image of our own dear nation.”

  • Jonathan in Chad for talks on terrorism

    Jonathan in Chad for talks on terrorism

    To forge stronger alliance against terrorism and violent extremism in the region, President Goodluck Jonathan will today in Ndjamena, Chad hold talks with his Chadian counterpart, President Idriss Deby.

    The talks in Ndjamena, according to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, is a follow up to their discussions in Nairobi last week on the sidelines of the African Union Peace and Security Council Summit.

    Jonathan and his host, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, will discuss how to further actualise agreements for greater cooperation against insurgents and terrorists reached by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon at a meeting in Paris earlier this year.

    The statement said: “Their talks are expected to lead to the strengthening of the Paris Accord on joint border patrols, intelligence sharing and the prevention of the illicit movement of terrorists, criminals, arms and ammunition across shared borders.”

    President Jonathan is accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, the Minister of State for Foreign  Affairs,  Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed and the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Professor Sheidu Mohammed.

    Before returning to Abuja tomorrow, President Jonathan will also be a Special Guest of Honour at an international conference on Information Technology and Communication holding in Ndjamena.

  • Girls: Cameroon, Chad to block Boko Haram routes

    Girls: Cameroon, Chad to block Boko Haram routes

    •Negotiation still possible, says govt

    To facilitate the rescue of the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls, Cameroon and Chad may have agreed to block routes in their territories used by Boko Haram, it was learnt yesterday.

    Some of the routes, top security sources told The Nation, have been identified.

    If the routes are blocked, the sect will be confined to its camps in Nigeria.

    A military source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent last night, said all those involved in the planned rescue of the girls have been holding strategy meetings.

    The source said: “The pre-rescue plans have reached advanced stage and very soon, we expect tangible results.

    “Cameroon and Chad troops have identified some camps and movement routes of Boko Haram. They want to block these routes in order to restrict the sect operations to Nigeria.

    “With the blockade, Nigerian troops with neighboring countries’ forces and the foreign counterparts can move in to rescue the girls wherever they are located.

    “We have located where the girls are but the priority now is to see the best way to get these girls out without casualties.

    “We are strategising on how to ensure a successful rescue operation.”

    The Federal Government also spoke  on ongoing efforts to get back the girls, saying it has not foreclosed negotiation with Boko Haram.

    Coordinator of the National Information Centre Mike Omeri told reports in Abuja that all options, including negotiation, were on the cards on rescuing the girls.

    Giving an update on security operations in the Northeast, where Boko Haram is on the rampage, Omeri said.

    He did not state the negotiation steps taken by the government.

    Last Sunday the London’s Mail on Sunday reported that an Australian, Dr. Stephen Davis, as been hired by the government to negotiate with Boko Haram on the girls’ release.

    The negotiator, who is a friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who visited President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja yesterday, told the newspaper that the girls were being kept in Chad, Cameron and Niger.

    He advised against urging force to rescue the girls to prevent them from coming to harm.

    “The Federal Government is totally committed and focused towards ensuring that our beloved children, kidnapped girls, are returned safe and sound.

    “Therefore, as we said before, all options in line with international best practices are open in this case,’’ Omeri said.

    Omeri said the Federal Government had begun the distribution of relief materials to communities affected by the insurgency in the Northeast and Jos, the Plateau State, while scores died in an explosion about two weeks ago, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    According to him, efforts are ongoing to reach victims also affected by the insurgency in other states.

    Omeri called for help from the public, individuals and corporate organisations, for the victims.

    Also yesterday, a coordinator of BringBackOurGirls campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, yesterday said the campaigners were never busy bodies.

    She said no smear campaign would deter  the protesters.

    Ezekwesili said: “Our character and not reputation is what we were brought up to cherish and build. Nothing the authors of falsehood do touches one’s character.

    “The Federal Government’s  failure so far to rescue our Chibok girls is the consequence of the systemic indifference that followed the news of their abduction.

    “Until the Federal Government owns up to the truth of their nearly  three weeks of neglect of our  Chibok girls, it makes it harder for citizens to believe their efforts.

    “Experts say that proactive steps taken within the first 24 hours of abduction increase the probability of rescue. After five days, it is harder.

    “For the sake of the Chibok girls, one pleads that embracing the truth, no matter how hard it is, will help the Federal Government to BringBackOurGirls.

    On the allegation that the campaigners had been crying more than the bereaved, the former Vice President of the World Bank said those saying so were ignorant.

    She added: “Some say we cry more than the bereaved. Well, what do they know? If only they have seen or heard as I have some of the mums and dads of the girls.

    “So, those of you that have voice, never cease to use it for the Chibok girls. They need you and I keep demanding BringBackOurGirls.”