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Tag: soldiers

  • Boko Haram: Troops kill 50, lose two soldiers to reclaim Borno town Damboa

    Boko Haram: Troops kill 50, lose two soldiers to reclaim Borno town Damboa

    Troops moved swiftly at the weekend to regain Borno State town Dambowa from Boko Haram insurgents.

    In the process, troops killed 50 insurgents and lost two soldiers.

    The troops survived five ambushes to reclaim the town which had been held by the insurgents for about one month.

    The Special Forces and more troops have been deployed in Gwoza where more than 150 people had been killed by the insurgents, it was gathered.

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki has said that the government had blocked all the source of fund for Boko Baram, thereby making it difficult for the sect to get funding for its nefarious activities.

    The Defence Headquarters has also said neither soldiers nor their wives could reject deployment to Gwoza and the Sambisa Forest.

    The protest in Maiduguri on Saturday by wives of some soldiers was being regarded as “indiscipline.”

    According to a top military source, who gave insights into how Damboa was reclaimed, said: “The troops survived five deadly ambushes by the insurgents to recapture Damboa, Delwa, Mustafari, Manga, Wanga and secure all routes leading to these places.

    “We have completed the mop up operation in Damboa and environs. So far, the troops succeeded in killing 50 insurgents and lost two of their colleagues.

    “Many arms and ammunition were also recovered from the insurgents including vehicles and  anti – aircraft RPG.

    “We are doing our best to restore normal life and business activities to these areas. The target is to clear the areas completely of insurgents and ward off further threats.”

    On Gwoza where over 150 had been killed, the highly-placed source added: “Special Forces have been sent to the  Emirate, including surrounding hill tops.

    “We will dislodge the insurgents from the town within the next one week. “The reality is that the insurgents had been taking advantage of the terrain in Gwoza to abduct, maim and kill innocent ones. The battle of Gwoza is expected to cover a lot of air strikes.”

    There were indications yesterday that the Defence Headquarters has said that soldiers or their wives cannot reject posting to either Gwoza or Sambisa Forest.

    Another military source said: “The soldiers or their wives cannot turn down deployment to Gwoza or Sambisa Forest or anywhere there is a security challenge.

    “We are going to engage in massive deployment of troops to these places and other flashpoints in the country. Contrary to insinuations, our troops are well-kitted because we know that curtailing insurgency requires being sufficiently armed.

    “What the wives of some of the soldiers did in Maiduguri at the weekend was strange to military ethics and orientation. Right from the time of enlistment, it is made clear that no soldier can reject posting.

    “The so-called protest amounted to indiscipline in the Armed Forces., we will not condone such.

    “Maybe some of the wives of these soldiers need more orientation and enlightenment. We will not hesitate to guide them accordingly.

    The source added: “There is no Army General that has not paid his or her dues by serving in frontline zones or managing security challenges. All our Generals are tested.”

    The National Security Adviser(NSA) said the nation’s educational system will be overhauled in the light of the security challenges facing the country.

    He said the recent abduction of Chibok girls had compelled the government  to place the protection of schools high on national security agenda.

    Dasuki made the submissions in a paper at the Nigeria Security Summit at Harvard University, Cambridge, in the United States.

    He said: “When we started to deal with the Boko Haram threat, our laws were not so clear on a number of fundamentals. Through the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013, significant progress has been made.

    “It has allowed us to not only define terrorism, but block avenues of financing for their activities while putting in place structures to deal with our current threats. This has included the establishment of a Counter terrorism Centre and, working with key stakeholders, we have developed a National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST).

    Dasuki said the nation’s educational system will be overhauled to serve our current security and economic interests.

    He said: “Further to this, the threat that we face has drawn our attention to the need to overhaul our educational system. We are struggling with an educational system that does not currently serve our security, political and economic interests and as we revisit our national security policy, education has remained a top priority.

    While we grapple with education reform to ensure the right kind of education is available for all, the recent abduction of girls from their school in Chibok has compelled us to place the protection of schools high on our national security agenda.

    “Working with traditional institutions, community based organizations and the police, local governments must be proactive in building community resilience and good governance.

    “It is time we leverage on our democratic processes to increase access to decision making for a majority of our citizens. Inclusive, non-discriminatory and participatory governance is more likely to detect discontent before it erupts.

    “The goal of politics must be to lift our people out of poverty and provide them with the enabling environment to compete favorably.

    “This may not eliminate the possibility of misguided individuals or groups rising up against the nation, but will address some of the underlying factors leading to recruitment into groups prone to violent extremism.

    “We must also address environmental pressure from climate change that results in increased competition for limited natural resources, leading to increased herdsmen, farmer conflicts, inter-ethnic and communal clashes.

    “The youth bulge is both a challenge and an opportunity which the federal government has recognized and initiated programs to increase job opportunities.

    “Insurgents seek to force fundamental changes on society, operating with impunity; they violate all decent human values in an effort to draw a commensurate response from authorities.

    Terrorists win when states respond to their attacks in ways that are incompatible with their values.

    The NSA assured that Nigeria will abide by international practices in curtailing the prevalent insurgency.

    He said the Armed Forces had been undergoing a series of training on human rights.

  • Should soldiers be deployed for elections? Lawyers: NO

    Should soldiers be deployed for elections? Lawyers: NO

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo started it all in 2003. President Goodluck Jonathan has caught the bug of deploying soldiers for elections, despite its unconstitutionality. He did it in Ekiti State on June 21. He plans to do it again in Osun on Saturday. Is he right? No, say lawyers. Eric Ikhilae reports.

    Election is a civic duty, which the electorate are expected to perform freely. They are expected to exercise their franchise in a peaceful atmosphere, devoid of intimidation and show of force.

    Election is not a war, warranting troops’ deployment. At most, the police are deployed to ensure orderliness. This is the practice in other democracies.

    But here, the deployment of troops for election by the Federal Government is gradually becoming the norm, the unconstitutionality of the practice.

    The practice, which was introduced by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003, who was once quoted as saying that election is “a do-or-die” affair, is gradually becoming a state policy under President Goodluck Jonathan.

    This practice reached a worrisome height during the June 21 Ekiti State governorship election  when troops, military hardware, arms and ammunition were deployed. The soldiers paraded the streets in a manner intended to intimidate voters and paint a picture of insecurity and looming danger.

    About 36,790 armed soldiers, police, State Security Service and civil defence personnel were reportedly deployed for the Ekiti election. Many relived how soldiers allegedly interfered in the electoral process.

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s   right to freedom of movement enshrined in Section 41 of the Constitution was breached by the armed soldiers when he was prevented from entering Ekiti two days before the election.

    The governor and many other leaders of the All Progressives Congress  (APC), who were billed to attend a political rally at Ado Ekiti last June 19, were forcefully turned back by the soldiers who claimed they were acting on “orders from above.”

    There were also reports that armed soldiers searched every hotel in Ado Ekiti, the state capital at night, without warrant and ejected mostly members of the APC, who they claimed could not offer “satisfactory explanation” as to why they were in the state.

    The same soldiers provided cover for some non-indigenes, who are chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including two serving ministers and an influential chieftain of the party from Anambra State, who were allowed to “monitor” the election.

    There were also tales of unwarranted killings and displacement during the election. But while many thought the Jonathan government would have learnt from unsavoury experience brought about by the unwarranted deployment of soldiers in Ekiti, it is bent on doing the same thing in Osun  State, where governorship election holds on Saturday.

    To observers Jonathan, who the soldiers allegedly was in Osogbo, the state capital, last Saturday to campaign for Iyiola Omisore, the candidate of the party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hinted that soldiers may be deployed for the election. Militarising election process does not only serve as a disincentive to voters, it is a form of rigging because innocent voters are scared away and their right to vote denied.

    They argued that such practice gives the international society a bad impression about the country, creating the impression of insecurity and painting the people as being incapable of managing their affairs.

    The unconstitutionality of the President’s capricious deployment of soldiers for election duties, critics argued, is supported by the provisions of sections 217 (1) and (2) (a-d) and 218 (4)(a-b).

    Section 217(1) states that “There shall be and armed forces for the Federation which shall consist of an army, a navy, an Air Force and such other branches of the armed forces of the Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly.

    It states in Sub-section 2  that “the federation shall, subject to an Act of the National Assembly made in that behalf, equip and maintain the armed forces as may be considered adequate and effective for the purpose of -(a) defending Nigeria from external aggression; (b) maintaining its territorial integrity and securing its borders from violation on land, sea, or air; (c) suppressing insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the President, but subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly; and (d) performance such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.

    But while Section 218 (1) states that “the powers of the President as the Commissioner-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the federation shall include power to determine the operational use of the armed forces of the Federation,” the Constitution, in Sub-section 4 (a) and (b) of Section 218 states that “the National Assembly shall have power to make laws for the regulation of – (a) the powers exercisable by the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation; and (b) the appointment, promotion and disciplinary control of members of the armed forces of the Federation.”

    Observers argue that, in view of the unconstitutionality of the President’s casual deployment of men of the armed forces in the absence of the situation envisaged in Section 217(2)(a-c) of the Constitution, there is urgent need for well-meaning Nigerians to seek ways of  halting  this unconstitutional use of the armed forces by the President.

    This purpose may equally be served by a Bill now before the National Assembly that seek to review the deployment of armed forces for election duties.

    Titled: “A Bill for an Act to further amend the Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010,” sponsored by Hon. Daniel Reyenieju (PDP, Delta), it seeks among others to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process and for transparent process of conducting elections in the country, and for other matters connected therewith.

    A major contentious part of the Bill is contained in its proposed Section 8, which seeks to further amend the Principal Act in Section 29(1) by inserting a new subsection (b).

    The new subsection “b” seeks to ensure that INEC is “responsible for requesting and deploying security personnel necessary for elections or registration of voters; assigning them in the manner determined by the Commission in collaboration with relevant security agencies, with the condition that the deployment of the Nigerian Armed Forces shall only be for the purpose of securing the distribution and delivery of election materials”.

    If passed into law, this amendment may likely stop the President’s casual deployment of members of the armed forces for election duties. It is however not sure if the proposal will not exacerbate the already bad situation as there is no guarantee that INEC, a federal establishment will not succumb under the pressure from the party at the centre.

    Lawyers, including rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), Joseph Nwobike (SAN), Emeka Ngige (SAN), Wahab Shittu, Ike Ofuokwu and former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja, Monday Ubani are also of the view that the needless deployment of men of the armed forces for election duties amounts to a negation of the provisions of the Constitution.

    Falana argued that the deployment of the armed forces for the maintenance of law and order during elections cannot be legally justified in view of the provision in Section 215(3) of the Constitution, which vested the Police with the exclusive power to maintain and secure public safety and public order in the country.

    He relied on the Court of Appeal decisions in the cases of Yussuf v Obasanjo (2005) 18 N.W.L.R. (Pt 956) 96 and Buhari v Obasanjo (2005) 1 WRN 1 at 200.

    Then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi observed that “in spite of the non-tolerant nature and behavior of our political class in this country, we should by all means try to keep armed personnel of whatever status or nature from being part and parcel of our election process. The civilian authorities should be left to conduct and carry out fully the electoral processes at all levels”.

    The Supreme Court, in upholding the judgment in the Buhari v Obasanjo case, held that the state is obligated to ensure that “citizens who are sovereign can exercise their franchise freely, unmolested and undisturbed”.

    Falana argued that “under the current constitutional dispensation the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces lacks the power to involve soldiers in maintaining law and order during elections.”

    He noted that even in the Northeast states, a state of emergency had to be declared by the President to justify the deployment of members of the armed forces as part of the extraordinary measures he was required to take to restore law and order pursuant to section 305 of the Constitution.

    “Even then the President had to seek and obtain the approval of the National Assembly for the said deployment for a specific period of time,” he said.

    Nwobike, while addressing the deployment of armed and hooded security personnel to Osun, preparatory to the August 9 election, argued that such deployment will create tension because the state is not known to be prone to violence.

    “There are no security challenges in Osun State as to warrant the deployment of massive security operatives into the state few days before the scheduled election.

    “Osun is relatively a small and peaceful state. Therefore, the only inference that can be drawn from the deployment of massive security personnel into the state is that those who are responsible for that deployment intend to heat up the polity and aggravate the political tension in the state.

    “I, however, call on the electorate to go about their business and to come out en masse to vote for the candidate and political party of their choice.

    “They should not allow themselves to be intimidated by the presence of security personnel,” he said.

    Ngige, said the security personnel should rather have been deployed to the Sambisa Forest, known as the notorious den of insurgents in the Northeast.

    “The militarisation of our democracy will do nobody, including the presidency, any good. People should be allowed to express their political wishes without fear of intimidation.

    “The deployment of high number of military personnel in an election is suggestive that we’re in a civilian rule, not democratic rule.

    “The soldiers and state security personnel they’re deploying in Osun are better needed in Sambisa forest and Borno and Yobe states, not for a peaceful state like Osun,” Ngige said.

    Shittu was of the view that the massive deployment of armed security personnel could send a wrong signal that Nigeria is incapable of conducting a peaceful election.

    He warned against militarising Osun in the name of ensuring a peaceful election, adding that voters could be disenfranchised by such massive show of force.

    “While there is a necessity to guarantee peaceful, fair and credible election, we should be careful not to militarise the polity. That could constitute a danger to the democratic process.

    “There are various ways of disenfranchising eligible voters. We should not give the impression to the international community and the rest of the world that we’re incapable of conducting a free, fair and credible election except the entire place is militarised,” Shittu said.

    Ofuokwu faulted the deployment of heavily armed security men for the Osun election

    “They have no bravery to display but instead what they have is cowardice clouded with professional timidity. Any bravery should be channelled to the Sambisa forest to rescue our girls. It shocks the conscience to hear that they are even hooded hence we must be sure that they are not armed robbers or even terrorists. Officials of DSS have no single justification being hooded.

    “The people of the state should not be intimated with their presence but go about their lawful duty & on election day come out en masse to vote candidates of their choice, he said.

    Ubani particularly faulted the conduct of the SSS men deployed to Osun.

    “This is clearly a strange development. SSS men wearing masks and shooting into the air indiscriminately is scaring and irresponsible. Why the entire thing seems scaring is the idea of wearing masks.

    “You may want to know why and what they are trying to hide their faces for? It is obvious that their intention and motive is less altruistic and patriotic hence operating in masks.

    “My advice is that the political elite in collaboration with the security establishment should not truncate this hard won democracy even if what we have is not a full fledged democracy. “The people of Osun should be given a free hand to choose their governor free from pressure, intimidation and threats from any quarter. What constitutes free and fair election includes the events prior to the election date, the election proper and during the announcement of the election results.

    “If there are issues and deficiencies in any of these segments as mentioned then the election cannot be said to be free and fair in accordance with the Electoral Act.

    “Our political class should know that the entire world are keenly observing what is going on in our country. Our actions and deeds will either enhance our value in the eyes of the world or attract opprobrium from the same world. A word is enough for the wise,” Ubani said.

     

  • APC chieftain condemns use of soldiers in elections

    APC chieftain condemns use of soldiers in elections

    A security consultant and chieftain of the All Progessives Congress (APC), Dipo Okeyomi, has described as over-kill the plan to use soldiers during the governorship election in Osun State.

    Okeyomi said there is no need to militarise a civilian election when the country is not in a war situation whereby the electorate would need tight security to and from polling centres.

    He, therefore, described the action as a danger to democracy and a temptation to the military authorities.

    Okeyomi advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Federal Government to allow the electorate to decide their preferred candidates among the contestants, instead of pursuing what he called desperate politics.

    “Nothing can be more desperate. That is what it is. And it is unfortunate that international community would be mocking us as unorganised country. How can a state election be such militarised? It is an attempt to deny the electorate their right to  troop out to vote for their choice candidates,” he noted.

    The politician also said that his finding among the electorate in Osun State had shown him that the incumbent governor Rauf Aregbesola, is people’s choice, urging the Federal Government to respect the people’s right to express their preference as stipulated by the principle of democracy.

    Okeyomi further stated that the physical transformation of Osun State by  the Aregbesola administration in the last four years informed the people’s readiness to give the governor a second term to complete many projects he is currently handling.

    Parents of school children, he stressed, had never had it so comfortable with the free uniform and new buses the government has provided for them.

    “These were done to encourage mass education without making the parents going through financial stress. Free diet for the basic school pupils has proved to be a success as well,” Okeyomi said.

    He then warned the Federal Government to allow peace to reign during the election by instructing the soldiers and other security agencies to allow the electorate free access to polling booths to cast their vote without fear. He said failure to do this might be counter-productive because the people of Osun are passionate about the rate of development going on in the state.

    “They should not underrate the feelings of these people. They are ready to use their vote to show appreciation to a governor who has brought change to their towns. So, denying them the opportunity would not be met with a smile,” he said.

  • Soldiers, El-Zakzaky in blame game after Zaria massacre

    Soldiers, El-Zakzaky in blame game after Zaria massacre

    THE celebration of the Quds Day by the Islamic Brotherhood of Nigeria has been an annual event for about 32 years. The event, a solidarity rally with the Palestinians over Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, has been on globally for 35 years, having been declared by former Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.

    Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem. It is also being observed annually as the International Quds Day globally to also oppose Zionism and the control of Jerusalem by the Israelis. In declaring the day, the former Iranian leader said: “I invite Muslims all over the globe to consecrate the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as Al-Quds Day and to proclaim the international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslim people of Palestine.

    “For many years, I have been notifying the Muslims of the danger posed by the usurper Israel which today has intensified its savage attacks against the Palestinian brothers and sisters, and which, in the south of Lebanon in particular, is continually bombing Palestinian homes in the hope of crushing the Palestinian struggle.

    “I ask all the Muslims of the world and the Muslim governments to join together to sever the hand of this usurper and its supporters. I call on all the Muslims of the world to select as Al-Quds Day the last Friday in the holy month of Ramadan  which is itself a determining period and can also be the determiner of the Palestinian people’s fate  and through a ceremony demonstrating the solidarity of Muslims worldwide, announce their support for the legitimate rights of the Muslim people.

    “I ask God Almighty for the victory of the Muslims over the infidels.”

    Available information revealed that the day is marked annually throughout the Muslim world, especially in countries with a significant Shite population. Events are also held in Iraq, the Palestinian Gaza Strip, and Syria. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine endorsed the Quds Day and hold ceremonies to mark the day.

    Outside of the Middle East and the wider Arab World, Quds Day protests have taken place in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Sweden, France, the United States, and some predominantly Muslim countries in East Asia. The celebration of the day had also always gone smoothly in Nigeria, with the police providing security cover to avoid any breakdown of law and order. The protesters carry and burn flags of America and other countries they regard as supporters of Israel’s occupation of Jerusalem and the continued Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

    During the procession in Kaduna in 2013, some Christian faithful joined in the procession, which went on peacefully. The 2014 event also went on peacefully in most cities across the north where the event took place, except in Zaria where they had a very ugly encounter with soldiers, leaving several of them dead.

    The question being asked at the moment is who sent the soldiers on the mission? Investigations revealed that the procession was already concluded and the protesters were heading home when they encountered some soldiers. The leader of the Shiite movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, alleged that the soldiers hid in a sugar cane farm and opened fire on his members. One school of thought have it that the protesters had refused a senior army officer the right of passage, while another said the state governor, Mukthar Ramalan Yero, had asked the group not to embark on the procession or avoid certain routes.

    Sheikh El-Zakzaky confirmed that the group refused “a certain military officer” from passing, but asked whether that was enough justification for the killing of his people. He will however not buy the idea that the government refused them staging the protest match.

    Addressing journalists in Zaria on the incident, he said: “Reason with this. Kaduna and Zaria are all part of the state. The procession was held in Kaduna the capital city, why then did they shoot people in Zaria? They always wanted to justify their atrocities. It is true that a certain military officer was refused exit. Did that give the licence to shoot?

    “For instance, we conducted the Maulud of Sayyedah Zahra in Zaria the same day the governor was given a traditional title. They pleaded that we should ensure smooth running of the two programmes simultaneously, as we shared the same passage. We decided to pave way for them to use the city, while we conducted our programme outside the city. They thanked us.

    “As they were going out after their programmes, some of their (aggrieved) members started throwing stones at them; they then felt safe with us and decided to pass through our congregation safely. At one time also, the Vice President had passed safely through our congregation of event. This means what you heard was not right. It has not happened.”

    Competent sources within the government told The Nation that the government actually asked the group not to embark on the protest since the ban on public demonstration and procession by the government was still in force. The source said that the government was determined to enforce the ban across the state, but the group defiled the order and embarked on the protest.

    The source said: “You have lived in Kaduna for a very long time and you know how violent these people can be. But that is not to say that the government ordered the soldiers to shoot them. What led to the shooting was the fact that they refused the soldiers from passing, blocking the road. That was what led to the conflict between the two.”

    The Director-General to Kaduna State Governor on Media and Publicity, Ahmed Maiyaki, who also confirmed that the government asked the group to suspend the protest because of the ban on public procession in the state, told The Nation that the governor has since sent a delegation to commiserate with the leader of the group. Maiyaki said further that while the incident was unfortunate, the security situation in the state, especially the bombings that took place in the state, did not call for any form of procession.

    But El-ZakzKy accused the military of deliberately targeting his group, pointing out that despite the peaceful nature of the procession, the military brutalised them.

    He said: “The procession in Zaria was also peaceful. What we can say is that they came and committed brutal murder. That is just it. The rally was peacefully concluded, and they came with the full intention of committing murder, and murder they committed.

    “They know better why they focused more on our activities here. In 2009, they conducted similar episode. They laid siege in Kofar Doka and opened fire. They also arrested one of my boys. Not my biological son, but he lived with me. His name is Abdul-Rahman Isa who hailed from Saki in Oyo State. His parents are still alive. They captured him alive in their vehicle and later killed him.”

    However, the Army denied the allegation against it, saying that the group first fired at soldiers who returned fire in self defence. Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig-Gen. Olajide Laleye, was quoted as saying: “It’s wrong, it’s false, it’s not true. On the contrary, they are the ones that arrested two of my soldiers, took them to their Camp and brutalised and later set them free. All those things being reflected in the media are not true. The deaths recorded were the ones that occurred during the exchange of fire in self defence.”

    Interestingly, the Islamic scholar has been one of the biggest critics of the operations of the Boko Haram insurgents across the north. While celebrating the 2014 Martyr Day of his Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh El-Zakzaky had accused the military of being the ones shielding wanted Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, claiming the activity of the group were part of covert operation by the developed nations to balkanize Nigeria and plunder its resources.

    He said: “Abubakar Shekau is presently being kept safe in a military camp. Let no one be fooled, there is nothing like Boko Haram. It is a covert operation to balkanise Nigeria and steal its resources in the name of searching for Boko Haram insurgents. If you can fool others, we cannot be fooled. They have realised that there is gold in Zamfara and Zaria, Birnin-Gwari, gold and platinum in Sokoto and Borno. They did it in Iraq, as they went in search of weapons of mass destruction which they never found but plunged the country into chaos.

    “The same thing was experimented in Afghanistan before our eyes. The Western countries are experimenting the second phase of the scramble for Africa with great expectations from Nigeria. The U.S. and Israel see the Islamic Movement in Nigeria as the greatest threat to achieving their sinister objective, hence the constant clampdown attempt and arrest of our members.”

    El-Zakzaky’s stand on the issue of the Boko Haram insurgency has been unambiguous. In 2011, he described the Boko Haram activities as a hoax, saying the bombings done by the group was a way of ridiculing Islam, perpetrated by America and her cohorts. He believed that Boko Haram was initiated to deceive people into believing that an extremist Islamic organisation exists and that it is going about killing and bombing places with the intention of establishing an Islamic government, adding that “this is an act of subjecting Islam to ridicule”.

    He also believe that some Muslim leaders in the country were keeping quiet on the operations of the group to protect themselves and their offices, saying, “Whichever position you might be holding and protecting, be it traditional, political or ministerial, is going to be lost with the success of their intentions.”

    At the moment, there are fears that the group may regroup and take up an offensive against the military like they did during the Abacha era before their leader was arrested and detained by the government. Several of their members were killed in confrontation with security agents during the Abacha regime. However, since El Zakzaky was released from detention, his members have not had any altercation with security agents in the north except in Sokoto where they have been having a running battle with other Islamic sects.

    But there has been reported casualty in such clashes and during the processions of the group since El Zakzaky’s release. He was quoted as saying that the group will decide the next line of action at a later date. But when that will be and what the next line of action will be known in the coming days.

    However, some of his followers under the auspices of Academic Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria believe that the attack on their members was premeditated. Their spokesman, Shuaib Ahmad, said in a statement on the movement’s website that “the manner in which the attack was carried out shows that it was a premeditated plan to create Borno-styled chaos and anarchy or insurgency in Zaria, so they could then come in the name of fighting Boko Haram. This daylight commando-style attack on innocent civilians reflects the style of the Zionist state of Israel against innocent and defenceless civilians in Gaza, and indeed the whole of Palestine. We are clearly convinced that the soldiers who carried out this gruesome murder of innocent civilians were acting on a premeditated and organised command from Abuja”.

    The group said further that the “gruesome murder of his children, who they captured alive but killed in detention, reflects the growing frustration of these Zionists through their puppet governments and agents. These cold-blooded murders of Friday 25th July 2015 raise some fundamental questions begging for answers:

    “For what crime were Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s children killed? What is the crime of the innocent civilians on procession to warrant their murder? Even if participating in a procession was a crime, is it punishable with killings without trial?

    “Why was Zaria singled out for the extra-judicial killings out of the over 22 towns the same procession took place in Nigeria? Is it the duty of the military to handle civil unrest or arrest or disperse civilians peacefully gathered together? Who gave the Military the right to shoot and kill civilians without conviction in a competent law court? If the military feels so strong and have this much desire to kill, why have they not gone to where people are fighting them with arms? This gruesome murder is simply an act of cowardice”.

    They argued that the “show of force and shooting practice the Nigerian military forces exhibited is a direct reflection of the general hatred, wickedness, frustration and desperation of the military against our leader, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the religion of Islam in Africa, as being revived by Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky for the last three decades.

    “The wanton killings and target of assassinations are a direct reflection of these wickedness and depression. Nigerians must now appreciate years of warnings and preaching of the Sheikh, that Nigerian security agencies are the sponsors and masterminds of all the insurgency we have been witnessing in the name of Boko Haram.

    “The Friday 25th event has finally proven to all gullible Nigerians that the military are responsible for all the killings of innocent civilians and destruction of properties in the country in the name of fighting insurgency.

    “We demand that the government comes out to offer explanation as to what happened. An independent panel of enquiry must investigate these killings with a view to bringing all those responsible to book. We demand that all our brothers and sisters still being held be released unconditionally immediately.

  • APC leads opposition against soldiers’ deployment

    APC leads opposition against soldiers’ deployment

    •PDP defends military measure  

    •Adeleke cautions security agents 

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) led opposition yesterday to the deployment of soldiers by the Federal Government for the August 9 election.

    Osun State APC’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement in Osogbo, argued that the military is not saddled with internal security duties, adding that it is against the constitution.

    The party said the Nigeria Police is best suited for such duties constitutionally, insisting that a military siege for an election is a subversion of democracy and must not be encouraged.

    “The APC therefore insists that the Federal Government must drop the idea because it is inimical to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.

    “From Wednesday, immediately after the Ramadan fast, Osun State woke up to sporadic gunshots fired by security men practically announcing their presence that had been anticipated from wide-spread reports in the media, which indicated that the PDP intended to jolt the citizens with fierce-looking armed and uniformed men to pacify citizens in order to rig the August 9 governorship election.”

    The party said Osun citizens were unimpressed by the show of force by these armed gunmen who had earlier been sighted amassing at the DSS office along Gbongan-Ibadan road.

    The party said: “On Thursday however, the DSS security operatives got a shocker around 5p.m in the evening along Okefia, when in company of some masked men, the security operatives rent the air with a burst of sporadic gunfire to simply intimidate people.

    “Rather than scatter in fright, the people, with brooms in their hands, flooded into the street in utter defiance singing songs of praise of Aregbesola and the APC, and telling the security operatives who wanted to frighten them that no amount of threats and violence will change them from supporting the governor. The security people least expected what they saw.”

    It added: “The stage is being set for a showdown in the heart of Yorubaland and what is at stake here is whether or not democracy will stand a chance to survive 2015 in Nigeria.”

    But the State PDP Publicity Secretary, Prince Bola Ajao, who addressed reporters yesterday in Osogbo, defended the high security presence ahead of the August 9 poll, saying it was meant to protect lives and property.

    He explained that deployment would help in the maintenance of law and order before and during the exercise.

    The first Executive Governor, Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, has also emphasised the need for security agents deployed for the election to conduct themselves “most professionally in the discharge of their duties and in accordance with their oath of office.”

    He said events in the last 24hours, when some of the security agents arrived in the state, “were not dignifying and edifying.”

    “There is just no point in creating unnecessary fear and intimidation against the law-abiding citizens of Osun State that cut across different political parties.

    “The alleged sporadic shooting into the air, as witnessed on Wednesday, July 30th 2014 in some areas in Osogbo by some security apparatus is unwelcome.”

    He appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to display absolute neutrality towards the election.

    A civil society group, the Democracy Vanguard, has decried the heavy presence of the state security men.

    A statement by its state coordinator, Comrade Olowu Emmanuel, said the “intimidating” number  of the operatives “is a threat to the peace-loving people of the state”.

    The group noted that Osun has been one of the most peaceful states in the country and despite the governorship election that is only eight days away; the people have remained peaceful and are living in harmony.

  • ‘Soldiers hid in sugarcane farm to kill my men’

    ‘Soldiers hid in sugarcane farm to kill my men’

    The bodies were displayed on the floor, in wooden caskets. They were surrounded by men who two days earlier had no inkling that they could be dead.  Tears and sorrow enveloped the area. Nineteen of them were ready to be buried. About sixteen others are believed to still be in the custody of the soldiers who allegedly shot them on Friday during an Islamic procession.

    After the Eid prayer at the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria, their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, spoke on what he called the “indiscriminate shooting of peaceful protesters” during the Quds Day procession in Zaria.

    The Shi’te leader said the military targeted his sons.

    He said: “There is nothing like Boko Haram killing people; we cannot be fooled. Those in authority are the sole authors of the atrocities.”

    He argued that there was nothing like a religious group taking up arms against Nigeria “as they are trying to make us believe”.

    The Shiite leader said: “On our own part, they came in broad day light in their military uniforms, fully armed with military inscriptions on their vehicles and committed arson and murder. From this you will understand those killing innocent citizens either in Birnin Gwari forest or Zamfara and other places.

    “It is unbelievable that sporadic killings were going with a democratically elected government assuming ignorance of the issue and lacks control. There is nothing like Boko Haram killing people, we cannot be fooled. Those in authority are the sole authors of the atrocities.”

    As at yesterday, 16 of the shot members of the ‘Shiite’ Islamic sect had been buried. The rest is to be buried today.

    El-Zakzaky said the soldiers hid inside sugarcane farm to kill members of his sect, including three of his children.

    He said his members were harmless. He faulted the military’s claim on the incident.

    El-Zakzaky said: “The celebration of the Quds Day is a celebration that is observed all over the world. In the last 35 years in Nigeria, yesterday’s (Friday’s) event was the 32nd. It means that for the past 32 years we have been observing the day in solidarity with the Palestinian people, which comes up on the last Friday in every month of Ramadan.

    “This day is even observed in Washington, New York and Beijing. In Nigeria, we have been observing it, at least, in 22 cities, including Zaria, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Lagos, Port Harcourt, among others.

    “All of a sudden, soldiers appeared from nowhere and started shooting people. Some of them coming to or going out of the procession. They continued shooting until the fall of the night. They hid inside the sugarcane farm close to the Kubanni area. They were sporadically shooting anyone passing. It could be simply anyone.

    “During the shooting, they killed many people including women and children. It was during the shooting that one of my sons, Mahmood, a student of Al-Mustapha University, Beirut, who came home at the beginning of this Ramadan for holiday, was killed. He was shot at the abdomen and was brought here and we attempted to take him to the hospital but along the road he bled to death.

    “Also, they arrested some people and three of my children were among, Ahmad, Hameed and Ali. They were taken alive and well. But after liaison with some people, especially police, they told us that they were taken to military hospital in Basawa.

    “When we demanded that they should give them back to us, they said they would take them to Shika, ABUTH. Later on we came to realise that they had already killed Ahmad and Hameed, and that Ali was wounded on the leg.

    “When I demanded for the release of my sons through the GOC 1 Mechanised Division, Okuh said he would release them but not alive. By Allah’s infinite mercy, Ali is alive; he saw how his brothers were brutally murdered before his eyes.  He is presently receiving medical attention, as a result of compound fracture on his leg, from the several shooting on his leg.

    “Ahmad and Hameed were both students. Ahmad was reading Chemical Engineering in Shenyang University and Hameed was studying Neurological Engineering in Xian University, all in China. Ahmad is about to graduate in April and Hameed has just started.

    “Ahmad only came last Saturday. These two, I believe, were murdered in cold blood because they were taken alive. And we also seem to believe that they killed them because some confirmed seeing Ahmad alive in their hospital with wound in his leg.

    “Yesterday, we had a total of 16 bodies and learnt that they have taken nine to the ABUTH, with my two children, it makes 11.

    “This morning, as they were passing-by the Husainiyya, the soldiers also decided to shoot. They killed three more people and injured many. We also learnt they have taken two more bodies this morning. So far, 35 people were killed”.

    He also lamented that the army refused to release the bodies of his members.

    “Of the 35, we have 19 bodies and they have the rest. We wanted to have the funeral of all of them today, but because they have mounted a roadblock, it is not possible to collect the remaining corpses from the ABUTH.

    “The police that have been helping us, yesterday called to say that it was advisable for us we leave the bodies until the soldiers are not there.

    “Even today, having some patients with wounds, we went to the police to escort us to the hospital, but the Area Commander said he had been warned to take off his hands from this matter. We made some observations. This demonstration took place in different cities, but they decided to attack only Zaria. Even in Kaduna, soldiers and police escorted the procession. Therefore, these soldiers were brought from Abuja, to kill people,” he said.

    The Shiite leader stressed that the incident was not a clash between his members and soldiers, saying: “Let me disabuse your mind that, it is not the question of Shiite; it is people. Solidarity with Palestinian is not a question of belief. You don’t have to be Shiite or even Muslim to show the solidarity. It cannot be a better time than now when for 19 consecutive days Gaza has been under siege. If this solidarity is taking place all over the world, why Nigeria and Zaria, particularly, that people would be attacked?”

    Sheik El-Zakzaky also alleged that the mastermind of the killings planted plain clothes soldiers in his members’ procession.

    He said: “We had noticed that they had assigned their men to join the processing in civilian cloth. These people, whenever they saw soldiers, they started shouting, and that’s what they have been doing to us during our previous demonstrations. People who are among us obey instructions. But these soldiers in civilian uniform chased the ones in uniform to their barracks.

    “They came with the gimmicks that they were our people. They used that as pretext to attack us. This morning, in the Husainiyya, when they were passing and people were shouting, and it was their people, they killed innocent people.

    “Perhaps, if there is any clash, it is among them. But, as far as we know, it was the soldiers who opened fire on people passing-by in a peaceful demonstration, and that was what happened.”

    However, when asked about the sect’s next line of action, El-Zakzaky said: “We can’t say that everything is okay, because they have blocked the road to Shika. So, we cannot bring back our bodies and the injured. I have not seen the bodies of my two sons. Mahmood is with us, but the rest we have not seen them. Similarly, Ali who has fracture on his leg, we have not seen him.”

    Also reacting to the allegation that his members prevented a senior army officer from passing, the Sheik said: “Even if it is true that an Army officer was denied access to pass, is that enough justification to kill innocent people? We have record of good organisation but they used to infiltrate our procession to have justification of attacking us.”

  • Two Cameroon soldiers killed in cross-border Boko Haram attack

    Two Cameroon soldiers killed in cross-border Boko Haram attack

    Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members killed  two  Cameroonian soldiers in a cross-border raid overnight, a Cameroonian security official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.

    The attack occurred late Thursday in the border village of Balgaram in northern Cameroon. Eight soldiers on duty  fought back, and “in the clash we lost two men,” the official said.

    Military reinforcements were sent to the area and several troops “entered Nigerian territory with the aim of finding the assailants,” the official said.

    Boko Haram  has been blamed for several clashes, abductions and killings targeting troops in northern Cameroon deployed to counter them.

    More than 3,000 Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram attacks have taken refuge in the Cameroonian town of Fotokol, a municipal official said.

    “We are worried about infiltrations by the Islamists among the refugees, “ a police officer in the town said.

  • Fashola gives N2m to dead soldiers’ families

    Fashola gives N2m to dead soldiers’ families

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday gave N2 million to families of two soldiers killed in a road accident in the Lekki area of the state in April.

    The deceased soldiers’ families got N 1 million each from the governor.

    Fashola also gave N500, 000 each to two civilians affected in the accident.

    The soldiers – Sergeant Abdulmumini Musa and Private Bamidele Ayuba were members of the state Quick Response Squad. They died in the crash which occurred along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway on April 30.

    The two unnamed civilians were also critically wounded in the crash.

    The Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ikeja, Brig. Gen. A.S Maikobi, who presented the cheques on behalf of the governor, described the gesture as state government’s little token to the soldiers’ families to cushion the effect of their loss.

    He stated that Fashola’s initiative is an incentive that will propel the army to do more in the efforts to secure the state.

    “We will do our best to bring peace to Lagos State. It will motivate soldiers to put in their best at all time. The money given to the dead soldiers’ families is not a compensation. It is an insurance cover to their families to cushion the effect of their loss,” the commandant said.

    Musa’s widow, Margret, hailed the governor’s gesture, saying it was a welcome relief for her family.

  • Deploying soldiers for elections is unconstitutional, says Falana

    Deploying soldiers for elections is unconstitutional, says Falana

    Lagos lawyer Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has said it is illegal and ultra vires for the President to deploy armed forces to maintain law and order during elections.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos, titled, Illegal Involvement of Soldiers in Election Duties, Falanasaid Sections 215 and 217 of the Constitution stipulates that the power of the President to deploy Armed Forces for internal security is limited to the suppression of insurrection, including insurgency and aiding the police to restore order when it has broken down.

    The frontline lawyer said instead of using soldiers during elections, the President should strengthen the police to ensure internal security while the Armed Forces should be restricted to defend the nation’s territorial integrity.

    He stressed that under the current constitution, the President lacks the power to involve soldiers in maintaining law and order during elections.

    Falana said: “Even in the Northeast, a state of emergency had to be declared by the President to justify the deployment of the Armed Forces as part of the extraordinary measures he was required to take to restore law and order pursuant to Section 305 of the Constitution. Even then, the President had to seek and obtain the approval of the National Assembly for the deployment for a specific period of time.”

    The lawyer described as “misleading apologia for the militarisation of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State” an article by Bashorun Akin Osuntokun on the “militarisation and other fallacies” published in his weekly column in ThisDay of July 11.

    According to him, Osuntokun, in hailing the soldiers for displaying professionalism, “was curiously silent on the infringement of the fundamental right of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s freedom of movement, which occurred at Iju-Itagbolu in Ondo State, contrary to Section 41 of the Constitution”.

    He added: “The governor, who was billed to attend a political rally at Ado-Ekiti on June 19, 2014, was crudely turned back by the soldiers who claimed that they were acting on ‘orders from above’.

    “Mr. Osuntokun was equally silent on the illegal curfew imposed on Ekiti State by the army. Or, was any curfew declared by the relevant authorities that was not announced? A client, Mr. Bayo Fajimi, who was going home from Akure, Ondo State (his place of residence), was disenfranchised as he was prevented by the soldiers from entering Ekiti State at 6.30pm on June 20 because of the illegal curfew! Is the Bashorun not aware that the soldiers subjected every hotel in Ado-Ekiti to a search without warrant between 10pm and 2am for the sole purpose of ejecting all those who could not give ‘satisfactory’ explanation of their business in Ekiti State? Yet, while all ‘illegal aliens’, like Governor Amaechi and others suspected to be All Progressives Congress (APC) members were harassed and expelled from the state by the army, some non-indigenes, who are chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including two serving ministers and an influential thug from Anambra State, were allowed to ‘monitor’ the election. Indeed, they were fully protected by the armed Gendarmes.

    “Even though the Bashorun admitted that he was ‘struck and inconvenienced by the rigour and saturation of the security blanket’ on account of repeated security check points, he dismissed the complaints of the militarisation of the election. As far as he is concerned, the United States Embassy had endorsed the militarisation by issuing a statement to the effect that ‘the security forces collaborated effectively and provided a safe and secure environment free of major incidents’…”

  • Falana: deployment of soldiers for elections is unconstitutional, illegal

    Falana: deployment of soldiers for elections is unconstitutional, illegal

    Lagos lawyer Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has said it is illegal and ultra vires on the part of President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy the armed forces to maintain law and order during elections.

    Falana, in a statement yesterday, titled: “Illegal involvement of soldiers in election duties,” said sections 215 and 217 of the constitution are abundantly clear that the power of the President to deploy armed forces for internal security is limited to the suppression of insurrection, including insurgency and aiding the police to restore order when it has broken down.

    Rather than use soldiers during elections, he advised that the police should be strengthened  to discharge the duty of ensuring internal security while the armed forces are restricted to the defence of the nation’s territorial integrity.

    He said under the current constitutional dispensation, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed lacks the  power to involve soldiers in maintaining law and order during elections.

    “Even in the Northeast region, a state of emergency had to be declared by the President to justify the deployment of members of the armed forces as part of the extraordinary measures he was required to take to restore law and order pursuant to section 305 of the Constitution.

    “Even then, the President had to seek and obtain the approval of the National Assembly for the said deployment for a specific period of time,” he stated.

    Falana described as “misleading apologia for the militarisation of the recent governorship election in Ekiti State”, an article by Bashorun Akin Osuntokun on “Militarisation and other fallacies” published in his weekly column in Thisday newspaper of Friday, July 11, 2014.

    According to him, Osuntokun,  in commending the soldiers for displaying professionalism, “was curiously  silent on the infringement of the fundamental right of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s freedom of movement, which occurred at Iju-Itagbolu in Ondo State, contrary to Section 41 of the Constitution.

    “The governor, who was billed to attend a political rally at Ado-Ekiti on June 19, 2014, was crudely turned back by the soldiers who claimed that they were acting on “orders from above.

    “Mr. Osuntokun was equally silent on the illegal curfew imposed on Ekiti State by the army. Or was any curfew declared by the relevant authorities that was not announced? A client, Mr. Bayo Fajimi, who was going home from Akure, Ondo State ( his place of residence), was disenfranchised as he was prevented by the soldiers from entering Ekiti State at 6.30 pm on June 20 because of the illegal curfew! Is the Bashorun not aware that the soldiers subjected every hotel at Ado Ekiti to a search without warrant between 10pm and 2am  for the sole purpose of  ejecting all  those who could not give “satisfactory” explanation of their business in Ekiti State? Yet while all “illegal aliens” like Governor Amaechi and others suspected to be All Progressives Congress  members were harassed and expelled from the state by the army, some non-indigenes who are chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party, including two serving ministers and an influential thug from Anambra State, were allowed to “monitor” the election. Indeed, they were fully protected by the  armed gendarmes.

    “Even though the Bashorun admitted that he was “struck and inconvenienced by the rigour and saturation of the security blanket” on account of repeated security check-points, he dismissed the complaints of the militarisation of the election. As far as he is concerned, the United States Embassy had endorsed the militarisation by issuing a statement to the effect that, “the security forces collaborated effectively and provided a safe and secure environment free of major incidents”.

    He added that Bashorun Osuntokun claimed that the soldiers displayed civility as they were “neither intrusive nor threatening”.

    Falana, however, pointed out that the Americans, who issued the statement, do not involve armed troops in the management of their own elections.

    He added that the soldiers drafted to  his community at Ilawe-Ekiti  constituted  themselves into an army of occupation.

    “Apart from assaulting individuals without any justification, they beat up a policeman on June 20, which led to a violent clash between the police and the army. As a result of the pandemonium which ensued, the main market in the town was abruptly closed down. I personally witnessed the brutality exhibited  by the rampaging troops. I have other reports of human rights abuses committed in other parts of Ekiti State by those armed soldiers who usurped police duties of maintaining law and order before and after the election”, he said.

    He pointed out that with what he witnessed during the election, there was no role that the soldiers played that the mobile section of the Nigeria Police Force could not have played even better, adding: “Or when has the manning of road blocks become a military affair?”

    According to him, the three criminal elements, who were caught with a lorry load of ballot papers before the election were arrested by the police.

    “With the figure of 36,790 armed soldiers, police, state security service and civil defence personnel deployed for the Ekiti election, not less than one million armed troops will be required for the 2015 election.

    “Since the Federal Government cannot possibly mobilise that number of troops, the United Nations may be requested to send a Peace Keeping Force for the militarisation of the entire country during the general election.

    Falana recalled that when former President Obasanjo deployed the army during the 2003 general elections, over 200 people were killed by the security forces.

    He said the courts have consistently enjoined the Federal Government to desist from involving the armed forces in the conduct of elections.

    He cited several court judgments to back his claim that it is illegal to deploy soldiers for elections, including a lead judgment of the Court of Appeal in Yussuf v Obasanjo (2005) 18 N.W.L.R. (Pt 956) 96. Salami JCA (as he then was), held that “It is up to the police to protect our nascent democracy and not the military, otherwise the democracy might be wittingly or unwittingly militarised. This is not what the citizenry bargained for in wrestling power from the military in 1999. Conscious step or steps should be taken to civilianise the polity to ensure the survival and sustenance of democracy.”

    He maintained therefore that the deployment of the armed forces for the maintenance of law and order during elections cannot be legally justified in view of Section 215(3) of the Constitution which has vested the police with the exclusive power to maintain and secure public safety and public order in the country.

    He said the President is only empowered by virtue of Section 217(2) of the Constitution to deploy the armed forces for the “suppression of insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore law order”.

    The Senior Advocate said this, in effect, means that before the armed forces may be involved in the maintenance of law and order, there must have been insurrection or civil disturbances which cannot be contained by the Police.

    The Constitution, according to him, never envisaged that the armed forces will usurp the powers of the police with respect to the “preservation of law and order” in any part of the country.