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Tag: Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai

Release El-Zakzaky protesters storm National Assembly

Hundreds of members of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, (IMN), Thursday stormed the National Assembly to protest the continued incarceration of their leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky by the Federal Government.

El-Zakzaky was arrested in Kaduna in December 2015 after some members of his group were killed by soldiers for allegedly blocking the Kaduna-Zaria road.

The IMN members were also accused of plotting to kill the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

IMN promptly denied the accusation tagging it a ploy to justify the killing of over 300 of its members by soldiers.

The protesters who gathered at the National Assembly gate were led by the secretary of the academic forum in Nigeria, Abdullahi Musa.

The protesters said that they came to the National Assembly to ascertain the position of the Senate on the continued detention of El-Zakzaky, their leader.

Musa told reporters, “This is the third time we are coming here. We submitted a lot of documents to the National Assembly but we are yet to get any response.

“We submitted the third batch of documents Thursday and we came here today to hear from them.”

Musa noted that although the Federal Government claimed that El-Zakzaky was kept in protective custody, members of IMN believed that government did not tell the truth.

He said, “We do not believe in the so called protective custody. We want him freed so that he can go for his treatment. They have inflicted several injuries on him. What we ask for is that justice should prevail.”

“They killed our member and government has been silent. We want to know what their position is.”

Musa said that members of the movement would continue the protest until their leader was released.

Police Divisional Crimes Officer at the National Assembly, Mr. Frances Anebi, who addressed the protesters, asked them to conduct themselves peacefully.

On November 14, 2016 eight members of the movement were reported killed in Kano.

A police sergeant was also said to have been dead when the police attempted to break a protest mounted by members of the movement.

December 1, 2016
Boko Haram remnants are foreigners, says Buratai

…UN commends Nigeria Army

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has disclosed that 60 percent of the Boko Haram elements operating in the north east region especially on the fringes of Sambisa Forest including the Lake Chad Basin are foreigners.

Lt. Gen Buratai said the information is based on intelligence report extracted from most of the insurgents that were recently captured by the army are discovered to be foreigners.

Lt. Gen. Buratai who disclosed this in Maiduguri Thursday while playing host to the Special Representatives of Secretary General and Head of United Nations Office for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn- Chambas who was on a solidarity visit at the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital noted that the renewed onslaught by Boko Haram will not deter the Army from prosecuting the war to against the insurgents to the end.

He commended the world body for the support given to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) especially at its earlier formation when he was the pioneer commander, adding that, MNJTF has achieved a lot in the fight against terrorism due to the solid foundation that was laid.

The Chief of Army Staff thanked Mr. Ibn Chambas and his entourage for the visit, stressing that, “the UN is committed to achieving global peace, that is why it has committed a lot of efforts and resources in assisting the north east”, while promising the readiness of the Nigerian Army to partner with the UN in restoring peace to the north east region.

In his response, Mr. Chambas commended Nigerian Army for being very professional through the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents, stressing that, “your conduct has been exemplary and it’s in line with international best practices”.

He noted that the UN has consistently condemned the activities of Boko Haram in the region, while praising the neighboring countries for joining hands to fight a common enemy.

Mr. Chambas also informed that the UN is very much conscious of the hardship experienced by the people in the course of the crisis, just as he promised to continue to collaborate with other NGOs in reducing the sufferings of the people.

He also extended his gratitude to Borno State Government, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other humanitarian agencies working in the state to bring succor to the displaced people, promising that the UN will do everything possible to support, rehabilitate and resettle the victims of insurgency.

He commiserated with the Army over the recent killing of soldiers in the frontline by Boko Haram.

“The UN want to sympathize with the Nigerian Army over the unfortunate incident that took place recently in Malam Fatori where Lt. Col. Abu Ali, six soldiers as well as other officers and men who died and paid a supreme price on the hands of insurgents.

“I want to thank the Chief of Army staff and governor Kashim Shettima to host me in Borno, and i urged you (military) not to relent in your gallant effort to degrade remnants of insurgents and restore peace on the land,” Mr. Chambas said.

Mr. Chambas was accompanied on the visit by some high profile UN diplomats.

November 17, 2016
Nigerians must unite against terrorism, says group

Nigerians must stand up and unite against the fight of terrorism in the country following the deaths of Lt. Col Abu-Ali and six other military officers, Human Rights Advocacy group, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has said.

Executive Director of the group, Joyce Adamu, at a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said the reactions that followed the deaths of the gallant military officers bear witness that Nigerians must unit in the fight against terrorism.

She described as unpatriotic and sacrilegious attempts by some individuals to politicize the death of the army officers.

Adamu said: “No one should dance on the graves of these heroes. We are beginning to see that there are people manifesting their loss of humanity and see nothing wrong in attempting to cash in on these tragedies by making insinuations that have no place among right thinking people.

“Most of this depravity is manifested in claims that the army suffered casualty in the Boko Haram attacks because present conditions are worse than what obtained under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“One would have expected that the army and the Ministry of Defence would be allowed to properly investigate what went wrong to account for such casualty instead of jumping to conclusion.

“We observed that these claims are being attributed to people who are not bold enough to reveal their identities and their so called interviews are mostly reported by cloned sites that attempt to pass off as objective, hard-working and credible news organizations.

“To say the least, this is the height of irresponsibility. The deaths of gallant soldiers who laid down their own lives to keep the rest of us safe should not be reduced into parodies and the subject of falsehood.”

She said at a period where the nation is grieving over the death of the soldiers, patriotic citizens who are genuinely interested in the wellbeing and future of the country would be giving encouragement to our troops not to lose courage but to be buoyed by the fallen soldiers in defending their fatherland.

According to her, those who are desperate to castigate President Muhammadu Buhari and COAS, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai for political reasons should at least allow the bereaved families mourn their loved ones with dignity without turning these late heroes into fodder for an ill- advised debate.

“In the wake of these national losses and those before them we should rather as a people be asking for who are the people that are helping Boko Haram terrorists to regroup, re-arm and launch attacks on the scales on which they have done between late September and now.

“We should be demanding for the exposure of those that feeds the cells of the terror group with information on troop’s movement and deployment to the extent that they know when to attack.

Adamu urged soldiers to reinvigorate their fighting spirit and to continue to see their undertaking as service to God, nation and humanity, adding that the numerous tributes to the fallen heroes from Nigerians across all divides are testament that Nigerians appreciate the sacrifices of the military in the fight against terrorism.

November 9, 2016
NAF games: We want to restore Nigeria’s sporting glory

Just weeks after the Nigerian Army concluded its sporting festival, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) showcased some of its finest athletes in a colourful closing ceremony to the NAF Games held in Katsina state. Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye reports

For one week during which Katsina town, northwest Nigeria played host to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Games tagged: Katsina 2016, nothing was the same in the ancient city. Apart from the influx of participants and Air Force personnel, the town also saw an upsurge in business activities with nearly all the hotels fully booked and restaurants and other eateries smiling to the bank.

Katsina state governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari attested to this at the close of the games, he was excited and felt a “binding need” to appreciate the NAF for bringing the games to the state. In an emotion-laden voice, he wished that the spirit of the games would linger at the departure of the athletes.

“From the commencement of this event to date, the people of Katsina have been agog with the thrilling skills and talents exhibited by participants of the various sporting activities; I appreciate the roles of the players and officials who contributed immensely in making Katsina lively throughout this period. I will be ready to receive you again anything you wish,” he said.

The NAF games 2016 did not come without its challenges; the last edition was hosted five years ago and logistics have simply made it impossible for the games to hold. Moreover, getting the five participating commands namely; Mobility Command, Tactical Air Command, Headquarters NAF Command, Training Command and Logistics Command with over 670 personnel athletes from across the country required huge logistics.

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Organising a game of such magnitude could be a “logistics nightmare” according to Air Commodore Charles Oghomwen, the Director of Manuals and the Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the games.

“It has been a lot challenging gathering sportsmen and women all over the Air Force to participate in a huge sporting event like this could be a logistics nightmare. But the athletes have prepared well and the selection process rigorous,” he said.

A colourful event

The closing ceremony proved befitting for the close of curtains on a spectacular sporting events not only in the array of dignitaries but also in the events. Present at the closing event were the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Minister of Defence Gen. Muhammed Dan-Ali, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni.

Others include former Chief of the Air Staff and Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Oluseyi Petirin, heads of sister security organisations, Kastina State Commissioner of Police, members of Kastina state House of Assembly and traditional rulers.

It was also entertaining; it began with a friendly football match between team CAS comprising of senior Air Force officers and Team Governor made up of the more youthful members of the state cabinet and House of Assembly and state Executive. The football match was not only to show the level of physical preparedness of the senior officers and the leadership of the state, but to also build civil-military relationship.

There were little doubts at the start that the governor’s men would humiliate the officers as it comprised the Commissioner for Sports and Director of Sports who were once professional players. But in less than 10 minutes, Air vice Marshal Dayo Amao had opened the score lines for the CAS team. But the governors’ men were to reply with a goal of their own while Air Vice Marshal Ibrahim Kure proved a handful for the governor’s men running rings around the defense before scoring the second goal to defeat the home team.

Other events for the closing ceremony was the tug of war between the Nigerian Army and the NAF teams. Watched by the CAS and COAS, the fierce looking soldiers struggled and panted, the event was won by the Air Force men.

There was also the spectacular display by the L39 ZA jets from the 303 flight training school in Kano, known as the Cobras; the aircraft has a long history of training of NAF pilots who have been deployed to various locations in the Northeast.

The jets flew in breathtaking speed seemingly taking the clouds with them and they made several rounds in different formations.

The future of sports

Perhaps the most excited person would be CAS Abubakar, one of the cardinal points of his leadership has been to build the capacity of the Airmen and Women and turn them into a professional fighting force and sports and physical exercise is one avenue to achieve this.

“ We have renovated all our sporting facilities at all of our commands and we are building new ones, we know we have the potentials and we will continue to support the athletes and build their capacity so they can represent the country in future competitions,” Abubakar said.

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Air Commodore Oghomwen said the purpose of the games aside building professionalism is also to contribute to the development of sports in Nigeria. “All through this process we have officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, also officials from various sporting federations and have identified one or two athletes. We have seen our weaknesses, we will work on them and continue to improve,” he said.

The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Comrade Solomon Dalung who was represented by the Director of Sport Development, Mr Ademola Are is already thinking beyond the games to the time the military can begin to win laurels for the country.

Are said: “ We have come up with the one medal per service method, that is we want Nigeria to win one medal per service in subsequent international sporting events. We appreciate the contributions of the officers to the growth of sports in Nigeria, they not only defend the country, they also play a front role for the nation in sports.”

Are said during the games, the Ministry has discovered men and women who will go on to represent the country in future events and if all the potentials are harnessed, it will bring glory to the country in sports.

Katsina state governor and chief host of the games, Aminu Masari noted that the choice of Katsina for the games is connected to the excellent security in the state. He said the people of the state have been enthralled by the skills and talents displayed by the men of the NAF. He said the state government has and will continue to provide conducive environment for the development of sports in the state.

Governor Masari assured that the state will soon complete the construction of the stadium in line with the provisions of the second phase as well as partner with the federal government and to promote the fortunes of the youths through sports.

The event didn’t end without the worthy reward for deserving athletes and teams; Training Command Headquarters was declared overall winners with 21 gold, 13 silver and 14 bronze medals with Headquarters NAF coming second, Logistics Command taking the third place. Tactical Air Command and Mobility Command came in the fourth and fifth place respectively.

Mobility Command, however, won the best football team award with a cash prize of N200, 000 from Diamond bank, the runner-up, Headquarters NAF also was rewarded with N150, 000. The commandant Training Command, Air Vice Marshal Nurudeen Abiodun Balogun said the victory is to be expected.

“ That is part of our training, we did not find it difficult, we expected to win because that is what we do every day, in the next event, we will still win,” he boasted.

Aircraftman Adeyemi Aderemi emerged the best male athlete with four gold medals; the graduate of Kwara state polytechnic who received a cash prize of N50,000, however said this is not the best of him yet. “This is not the best of me, I know I have the potentials but pressures of school didn’t allow me to really practice now I have the chance and I am going to utilize it,” he said.

The best female athlete Corporal Kwedu Tida who won four gold and two silver medals also received N50,000 and said she had always known she would emerge the best. “ When I won my first gold, I knew I would be the best,” she said.

There are future opportunities in the national team for these athletes and Kwedu is already in the national volleyball team. “ I am working hard to represent my country and win gold in the Olympics,” she responded with a smile.

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November 7, 2016
Shekau is mad – Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday in Yola, described Abubakar Shekau, factional leader of the Boko Haram, as a mad man.

Asked to react to the video posted by Shekau on Sunday where he claimed to be alive and in good health, Buratai said: “He – Shekau – is a mad man.

“We don’t have anything to tell him, he is on his way to his waterloo.’’
The chief of army staff said the army had stabilised the security situation in the North-East.

He called on the Federal Government and government of the affected states to give priority attention to issues of peace building, reconstruction and humanitarian needs.

“There is need to ameliorate the challenges of the IDPs,’’ he stressed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while paying courtesy call on Gov. Jubrilla Bindow of Adamawa, Buratai said that the fight against insurgency had reached an advanced stage.

He said the major challenge now was humanitarian and called on the government to provide the needed facilities to enable the IDPs return to their communities.

The governor commended the army for degrading the insurgents and promised to continue to support the military.

September 26, 2016
Killing of soldiers on duty unacceptable- Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has described the killing of some soldiers and airmen on lawful duty in Bosso, Niger State, by suspected gun runners as unacceptable.

Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday shortly after addressing personnel at the 332 Artilery Regiment in Shendam, Buratai, however, said the incident would not deter the military from carrying out its lawful duties.

“What happened in Bosso is highly unfortunate,’’ he said, noting that the troops were on a mission to recover arms hid in communities in the area when they were ambushed and killed.

“But instead of them – gun runners to be law abiding, they took the law into their hands and attack the troops.

“We have the mandate to bring the situation under control, we are working with the police to make sure that we keep our society free of criminalities,’’ the chief of army staff said.

It will be recalled that the army in a statement on Saturday said that eight of its soldiers and two airmen were ambushed and killed in Bosso during raid on hideout of suspected gun runners.

Spokesman of the army, Col. Sani Usman, however, said the military killed eight of the suspected bandits and arrest 57 others.

On his visit to the regiment and other military formations in the state, Buratai said it was “routine’’ and to find out challenges of the troops in order to address them.

“If you are not on ground to see them and know what their challenges are, you will not be able to appreciate and address them,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief of army staff announced the promotion of a Gunner in the regiment, Dantani Ibrahim, to Lace Corporal, for his bravery, dedication and hard work.

Buratai, who later addressed wives of soldiers at the regiment, promised to give their welfare a top priority, adding that children of soldiers, who died in line of duty would be sponsored even up to university level.

He also said that any of those children, who so desire to get enlisted into any of the military services would be given priority.

August 9, 2016
Military will restore full peace to North East – Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has assured that the military will restore full peace to the North East in line with the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buratai gave the assurance while addressing troops undergoing training at the Nigerian Army Special Forces Training School at Buni Yadi, Yobe.

He charged the troops to sustain the momentum of ongoing counter insurgency operations to flush out the insurgents.

According to him, “Operation Lafia Dole’ has entered a critical stage. You must sustain the momentum; there is no going back

“There is no time to waste. We want full restoration of peace in the North East. That is what the president wants’’, the chief of army staff said.

Buratai later told newsmen that he was in Buni Yadi to see how the troops undergoing the Special Forces training were faring.

He explained that the exercise was to make the personnel resilient and be able to withstand challenges they might face in the course of the ongoing operations.

Buratai also explained that the school was relocated from Niger state to Buni Yadi in view of the strategic location of the town in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.

“We know the importance of this place – Buni Yadi. This is the route they (insurgents) passed through to other parts of the North East and even Plateau in the North Central.

“It is better for us to have dominated and taken over the place’’, he said, and assured the troops of their welfare and logistics need, including required equipment to prosecute the war.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Buni Yadi is the headquarter of the 27 Task Force Brigade of the Nigeria Army.

It will be recalled that Buratai had charged the military to remain focused until the insurgents were crushed, when he spoke at the end of a three-day “Combat Support Arms Training Week 2016’’ in Maiduguri, on Wednesday.

July 30, 2016
Scores of cattle rustlers, armed bandits flee Zamfara- Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai in Gusau on Thursday said that intelligence reports indicated that many cattle rustlers and bandits were already fleeing the forest in Gusau.

Buratai made the disclosure during activities to mark the Army Day celebration in Gusau.

“We have also got the report that many of the criminals are already on the run in the forest.

“We understand that they are trying to escape from the ongoing operation but this will not deter us from going on with the operations,” he said.

He noted that the Army would sustain the offensive against the criminals until all known enclaves in the forest were cleared.

The Army chief assured the people of the state and residents of the entire North-West that the present efforts would address the security challenge in the region.

On his part, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari said local vigilantes and members of some border communities in the state had reported seeing some of the criminals escaping from the Dansadau forest.

He said some of the bandits had informed the communities that they were fleeing their enclaves in the forest with plans to return in the future.

Yari said there was need for the military to establish a unit near the troubled communities to forestall a re-occurrence of the attacks on communities by the criminals.

“We have received reports from our people in the border towns and villages about the mass movement of the criminals.

“Many of them are reported to have escaped to villages across the border outside Nigeria for fear of the Army.

“Our worry is that they may return after the soldiers leave, they indeed wrote to the communities that they were leaving to return after the military operation.

“The solution, therefore, is for the Federal Government to establish an Army unit in the state to deter these criminals from returning,” he said.

He commended the efforts put on ground so far to address the menace of cattle rustling and armed banditry.

Yari said the state had lost so much to the activities of both rustlers and armed bandits in the state.

Scores of bandits and cattle rustlers have been arrested by the Army in recent operations in the North-West while thousands of cattle have also been recovered in different operations by security agencies in the region.

July 14, 2016
Niger Delta Avengers members are criminals – Army chief

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has described members of a new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), as criminals.

Buratai, a former Commander of the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, also admonished Nigerians to expose the NDA fighters, who had been bombing pipelines and other oil installations, as well as other criminals in their midst.

The army chief spoke on Monday at the 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, after the inauguration of soldiers’ accommodation and 500 KVA generator, donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Buratai was accompanied to the event by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Enugu, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and the Commander of 2 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Steve Olabanji; among other top army officers.

He said: “Whatever these criminals (Niger Delta Avengers) are doing is a criminal act. We will deal with them accordingly. We are looking at all the areas that we should address and we are doing that, including the criminals in the name of Niger Delta Avengers. They are not avenging anything. They are criminals.

“Nobody has offended them (Niger Delta Avengers). They have their own criminal intentions and we will deal with them accordingly. They have been attacking our troops’ locations and killing our soldiers. We will not tolerate that. We will deal with them accordingly, according to the law.

“We will look for them wherever they are. That is how we will treat them. They are not agitating for any enclave or any state. They are just committing criminal acts. That is how we see it.”

May 24, 2016
COAS decries decay of barracks infrastructure

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has decried the level of decay of infrastructure in Army barracks across the country.

Buratai said this at the inauguration of some renovated residential accommodation for soldiers at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos.

Buratai blamed the condition on long years of neglect and poor budgetary allocation to renovation and construction of barracks accommodation.

“It is an unfortunate situation but over the years you can see the state of dilapidation and state of decay in the barracks.

“The soldiers are staying in a very bad accommodation, it is unfortunate but these are just the measures that we are taking to address the situation and we will continue to solicit for more support from government.

“The decay is enormous but thank God that in this year’s budget there is provision for barracks renovation,” he said.

The chief of army staff said the present Army administration was looking inward to find solutions to the infrastructure decay in the barracks.

He said the Army headquarters had commenced the renovation of ten blocks of 30 flats each at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos, as part of efforts to address the problem.

Buratai added that strict measures for maintenance would be put in place to entrench maintenance culture in the barracks.

He assured soldiers and officers of the present administration’s commitment to improve the welfare of their families at all times.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Chief of Army Staff has also inspected other ongoing construction of soldiers’ accommodation at the Obienu Barracks in Bauchi.

April 13, 2016