The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Col. Tukur Gusau

  • Minister denies retirement of service chiefs

    Minister denies retirement of service chiefs

    The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has denied that he directed two service chiefs to relinquish their offices and proceed on retirement on or before Dec. 16.

    A statement released by his Public Relations Officer, Col. Tukur Gusau, on Monday in Abuja said his attention was drawn to some online publications purporting that he directed the two service chiefs to hand over on that date.

    There had been reports that the two service chiefs in question are the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin and the Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas

    The statement said: “Please be informed that there was no such communication between the office of the Honourable Minister of Defence and the service chiefs directing any one of them to hand over his office and proceed on retirement.

    “The appointment and replacement of service chiefs is a prerogative responsibility of the office of the President and Commander in Chief.”

  • Army kills seven Boko Haram militants in Borno

    The Nigerian Army on Friday said seven Boko Haram members were killed while trying to attack soldiers in Gwoza local government area of Borno State.

    Gwoza is about 200 kilometers from Maiduguri, the state capital.

    It was once captured by Boko Haram sect before it was liberated by troops.

    The fight reportedly started at about 5.00am and lasted almost two hours.

    Briefing journalists at Pompomari Garrison located in the area, the Media Coordinator Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Tukur Gusau, said although details are still being collated, seven terrorists were killed and some arms recovered during the operation.

    According to him, the arms recovered included – one Toyota Hilux vehicle, 11 AK-47 rifles, one Shilka Gun, one rocket propelled grenade tube and six hand grenades.

    Others were several rounds of Shilka gun and machine gun ammunitions.

    He added that troops pursued the attackers into Sambisa forest with a view to eliminating them, while the Nigerian Air Force also bombarded their locations.

  • Military clears more terrorists’ camps in Borno

    The military on Friday announced another breakthrough in the ongoing operation against Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.

    A statement issued by the Media Coordinator of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Tukur Gusau, said the troops have cleared nine more terrorists’ stronghold in Lassa axis of Borno State.

    The statement reads:
    “In a major boost, troops of 115 Task Force Battallion under 28 Task Force Brigade while on clearance operations from November 3-5 cleared nine more terrorists’ strongholds around Lassa axis.

    The terrorists’ camps cleared included Lassa, Muthavo, Dagu, Kumabza, Isge, Unworo,, Zangore, Kilesaka and Pumpum.

    “During the offensive, four Boko Haram terrorists met their waterloo in the hands of gallant troops of the Nigerian Army. Some of the terrorists fled the place and abandoned their weapons.

    “Some of the weapons abandoned by the terrorists are seven den guns.”

  • ‘178 Boko Haram captives rescued’

    Nigeria’s army said late on Sunday that it rescued 178 people held by the Boko Haram sect in Borno State, the heartland of the insurgency.

    Army spokesman Col. Tukur Gusau, said in an emailed statement that 101 of the those freed were children, 67 were women and the rest were men.

    He added that a Boko Haram commander had also been captured and several militant camps were cleared around the town of Bama, about 70 km southeast of the state capital Maiduguri.

    Boko Haram has been waging a six-year insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast in an attempt to establish an Islamist state adhering to strict sharia law, Reuters says.

    Nigeria’ Air Force also said it helped ground troops repel an attack by Boko Haram around the village of Bitta on the southern edge of the Sambisa forest reserve, a stronghold of the militant group.

    Bitta is also west of Gwoza, a town near the Cameroonian border that was believed to be the militants’ headquarters until a major offensive was launched earlier this year by combined Nigeria, Nigerien and Chadian forces.