The Nation Newspaper

Tag: terrorists

  • IBB, Dasuki on terrorists’ hit list

    IBB, Dasuki on terrorists’ hit list

    The State Security Service (SSS) yesterday paraded three suspects allegedly linked to espionage and terrorist activities with the backing of some Iranian fundamentalists.

    SSS spokesperson Marilyn Ogar named the main suspect as Abdullahi Mustapha Berende, who trained in modern Shi’a Islamic teaching (Da’ awa) at the Imam Khomeni University, Iran.

    Investigation by the SSS revealed that Berende was recruited by some Iranian elements when he returned to Iran for further studies in 2011 and was trained in the use of AK 47 assault riffle, pistols, production and detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDDs).

    Berende, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State, told reporters yesterday that his Iranian sponsors did not disclose their mission to him initially.

    According to him, his Iranian sponsors approached him with an offer to assist him set up a business in Lagos, with an outlet in Ilorin. He was invited to Dubai in the United Arab Emirate for a briefing in 2012.

    Berende added that it was in Dubai that he as asked to establish a terrorist cell in southwestern Nigeria, with emphasis on Lagos where he was detailed to identify and gather intelligence on specific corporate and individual targets for attack.

    Berende listed some of the individual targets as former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and the deposed Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki. He listed other targets as United States Aids Agency (USAID), Max, Zim International Shipping Company, A. A. Consulting, Peace Corps and the Jewish Cultural Centre (Chabad), all in Lagos.

    He said his Iranian sponsors were particular about Lagos because the Israelis have an intelligence facility there, which they employ in spying on Iran. According to him, codes were invented to secure communication with his sponsors. Israel was coded “Uncle”. The US was coded “Aunt”.

    The suspect claimed to have personally taken photographs of the Israeli Cultural Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos which he sent to his sponsors after which he was asked to establish a business in Lagos to serve as cover for his operations.

    The SSS disclosed that Berende collected $4,000 upon completion of training, 3, 500 Euros in April, 2012 at a meeting in Dubai; and $20, 000.

    Giving a breakdown of how the $20, 000 dollars was to be spent, the suspect said $10, 000 was for his relocation from Ilorin to Lagos, furnishing a house, and renting a shop for his business. He was to spend $5,000 on his visa processing and $5,000 for his upkeep.

    In the course of carrying out surveillance, Berende said he engaged the services of three other local accomplices – Sulaiman Olayinka Saka, Saheed Aderemi Adewumi and Bunyamin Yusuf.

    The SSS arrested Saka and Adewumi, Yusuf is at large.

    Berende, who said he was still writing his Masters Degree thesis at the University of Ilorin, however, denied any link with Al-Qada or Boko Haram.

    He described his involvement in the operations as regrettable and embarrassing, saying that he never meant to do anything that could betray his country.

    “Everybody must watch it because there are many gullible people out there who get trapped with promises of assistance. I regret my role because it is very embarrassing. I never meant to betray my country.

    “I mentioned some names to my Iranian handlers from information given by the guy I put on surveillance. But I later found out that the information could be harmful to my country.

    “I plead with the people around me, my family and the entire Nigerian people to forgive me and overlook the incident. If given the chance, I will contribute to the development of this country,” the suspect stated.

    Ms Ogar said Berende, 50, was arrested in December 2012, following a painstaking investigation that lasted six months.

    “From the foregoing, there is conclusive evidence that Berende, in collaboration with his Iranian handlers, was involved in grievous crimes against the national security of this country. Accordingly, he and his accomplices will be charged to court soon,” she said, adding:

    “The safety of Nigeria is our collective responsibility. We, therefore, enjoin fellow Nigerians to collaborate with security agencies as we strive to protect our nation from the antics of terrorists within and outside our shores. Let’s collectively remain vigilant and report suspicious individuals and activities to security agencies.”

  • We are exploring all options to stop Boko Haram- Jonathan

    We are exploring all options to stop Boko Haram- Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday spoke with Al Jazeera’s Stephen Cole at the World Economic Forum in Davos on the danger posed by the terrorists’ activities in Mali and Nigeria.

     

    Nigeria has sent a battalion of Army to Mali, how does the war in Northern Mali impact on Nigeria?

    Terror anywhere on earth is a terror to everybody. Because of the excesses of this terrorists group in Northern Mali is a threat to West Africa, a threat to Central Africa and North Africa. They cannot limit themselves to Northern Mali.

    Terrorists are criminals they don’t respect territorial boundaries. They don’t need a visa to enter any country. They do that at their will. So if we all don’t collectively solve the problems in Mali, none of the countries in West Africa, in Central Africa and of course North Africa is safe.

    Do you worry about the conflict in Mali becoming internationalised?

    Yes of course, some of the local terrorists in Nigeria called Boko Haram are trained in Northern Mali. There is a solid link between what is happening in Northern Mali and what is happening in Northern Nigeria. People have written a lot about how to manage terror. Nigeria is not the first country that is experiencing terror.  Managing terror takes different dimensions and we are taking all the dimensions and options that are known to man.

    So what do you do about Boko Haram. Do you fight Boko Haram or negotiate with them?

    It is not just to fight or negotiate with them. Those are just two options. I have told you that if you read about terrorism all over the world there are various options and we are using all the options.

    What are the options?

    The use of the security. We are using intelligence surveillance. In terms of reaching out to them, the government has not really reached out to them because they are operating as faceless organization and I have been repeating it all over the place that the government cannot operate with a faceless organization. You must have an identity for us to negotiate with you.

    But there are individuals, some religious organizations, civil society groups and journalists like you. Journalists operate like security underground. They have some means and when they come to us to tell us… we say we want to know them, we want to see them and want to know if they have some problems we want to solve that problems. So through that means people are reaching out to them, but not the government directly.

    We are also looking at the issues because when you have a terrorist group there may be some few people, tiny minority people, sometimes only one or two person come up with this ideas, but if you have a number of boys who probably are not well educated or not occupied they could be easily be brainwashed and recruit them into the group.

    Is education one of your priorities?

    Yes that is why we came up with the basic educational program we call Almajeri educational programme to cater for those young boys whose parents may not be able to cater for and are only given religious education. So we say no in addition they should in addition to learning about your religion you must develop skills.

    Are you trying to diversify your economy from oil?

    Yes oil brought money to Nigeria, oil also brought problem to Nigeria. There are two areas we think oil brought problem to Nigeria. The first is that with the advent of oil Nigeria abandoned agriculture which has been our primary source of income.

     

     

  • Guns, terrorists and United Nations

    Guns, terrorists and United Nations

    Sometime in September, at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Nigeria was again at the centre stage of multilateral diplomacy. The occasion was the Second UN Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs). The Conference ended on a cheerful note when 193 countries agreed to the adoption of a new UN Programme of Action on illicit small arms. Notably, in the process leading up to the Conference and its final days, our Permanent Representative to the UN, Professor Joy Ogwu, a world renowned disarmament expert was at the helms of affairs as the President of the Review Conference; and she made us proud!

    In plain language andstripped of those occasionally bewildering diplomatic language, on the evening of Friday September 7, after several failed attempts spanning 10 years, the international community took concrete steps to confront the crisis of over 850 million illegal firearms in circulation around the world. It was a day the world once again said “Yes to”Gun Control”; and “No” to illicit arms in the hand of robbers, warlords, terrorists and deranged people who wreak havoc across the world. Imagine the heart rending tragedy in an elementary school in New Town, Connecticut where most innocent children were massacred at a period the world was singing joy to the world! Imagine the unacceptable terrorist activities of Boko Haram against people who are worshipping their God in their Churches or Mosques.

    Somehow, the epoch making event in New York did not attract much media attention.Perhaps because New York is far and out of the radar of ordinary people preoccupied with the stress of daily living. The event also did not attract much attention due perhaps to the fact that beyond disarmament experts few people can connect a UN disarmament Program to a good night sleep and their personal safety on a daily basis. And then that misperception that the UN and its array of agencies are mere talking shops. What with civil war raging in Syria and veto being whipped up now and then in the Security Council! So of what use is another “piece of paper” from the UN – one can hear people asking. Of course the UN works. It works for us all, as a forum to proffer solutions to every conceivable issue from the depth of the ocean to outer-space. Think of child care, women development, climate change, poverty eradication, peaceful use of outer space, etc.

    So when the world gathered in New York in September, to try its hand again at ridding our world of illegal firearms and emerged with an outcome document it deserves close attention of all. Really it should also be of interest to every man and woman on the street in all corners of our world which has become unacceptably violent and certainly need re-inventing. Today most people sleep with only one eye closed due to the activities of robbers, kidnappers, marauders and terrorists. Before our very eyes, Mali with an enviable history and a hitherto shining example of democracy in West Africa has been balkanized by a terrorist group armed to the teeth with lethal weapons; a development threatening to roll-back the democratic gains of immediate past decade in our sub region.

    Certainly, the successful outcome of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Conference could be adjudged as one of the major events of year 2012 in the field of disarmament for one simple reason. It has implication for the common quest to reduce violence, for a more peaceful world and security at national and personal levels. The document reminds us that illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects continues to sustain conflicts, exacerbate armed violence undermine respect for international humanitarian law, aid terrorism and illegal armed group and facilitate increasing levels of transnational organised crime as well as trafficking in human, drugs. There is therefore need for a bold initiative to confront the problem through gun control.

    At national and international level, the programme of action called for adequate laws, regulations and administrative procedures to prevent circulation of illegal arms and tighten access to guns. There are recommendations for improved intelligence work and appropriate national institutions. International arms transfers are expected to come under tighter control. Customs, INTERPOL, security agencies, NGOs and ordinary people are also expected to report suspicious characters and activities. Implicitly we all have roles to play to combat illicit trafficking of arms.

    States are of course expected to lead the crusade. They have the primary responsibility for preventing, combating and eradicating small arms trafficking. This is a crucial aspect of the gathering in New York in the concerted effort to wrest guns from the hand of criminals and terrorists.

    As delegates rose up on that faithful evening there was a feeling of satisfaction that the world has finally taken a bold step to come to grips with what has come to be accepted as the new weapon of mass destruction. It was a watershed in a long and difficult history of curbing illegal arms and weapons.

    This particular conference was certainly another fitting tribute to Nigeria’s diplomacy and foreign policy posture. Coming not too long after a brilliant performance as a member of the UN Security Council, the outcome of the conference was another good outing for the Nigerian Mission to the UN in New York and our team of diplomats who worked tirelessly for and must have put in sleepless nights for the success of the conference. Equally significant was the performance of our Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Joy Ogwu who demonstrated uncommon and admirable diplomatic skill to secure the endorsement of over 193 countries. It was also of course a proud moment for the leadership of our foreign ministry led by Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru and the supporting team of officials from the headquarters in Abuja. We must also not forget that the successful conclusion of the small arms conference tallies with the commendable commitment of President Jonathan’s administration to tackle the security challenges at home and its foreign policy posture for enduring peace and security in the ECOWAS region which recently received the support of the Security Council in form of the approval of ECOWAS initiatives to tackle the challenge in Mali including through an intervention force.

    No doubt the Programme of Action on Small Arms is another evidence that the UN as our common home and can serve humanity well if the will is there. And now that we have a Roadmap in our hands, to prevent guns from falling into the hands of robbers and terrorists, we must all rise to the challenge.That is the “heart of the matter” which must also be a “matter of the heart” for us all for that good night sleep we all deserve; and rest of mind to as we faithfully worship our God in our various churches or mosques.

     

    • Amb Olukanni is Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Australia

  • Terrorists hit Potiskum

    … DPO killed, bank razed

    A Divisional Police Officer was on Monday killed by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect in Potiskum following a fresh attack lunched on the commercial nerve center of the state.

    A branch of Unity Bank Plc located along NPN road in the city was set ablaze by the gunmen who engaged security operative in exchange of gunfire.

    No one is sure of the loss at the bank but strong indications point that large sums of money may have been carted away from the bank’s vault.

    Spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Lazarus Eli, confirmed the incident to journalists in Damaturu.

    “At about 2am on Monday, December 10, 2012 unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Police Area Command, NPN Road Potiskum. Men of JTF promptly reinforced the police to repel the attack.

    “The bodies of three of the suspected terrorists killed were recovered and 10 other bodies were suspected to have been carried away by the terrorists.

    “The DPO died in the hospital as a result of gunshot injuries he sustained during the attack.

    “JTF assures residents of adequate security measures to safeguard lives and property and wishes to appeal for calm”, Lt. Eli said.

     

  • JTF kills four terrorists in Yobe gun battle

    After a gun battle with Boko Haram, the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday killed four terrorists in Yobe town, Gashua.

    The JTF also arrested four members of the sect during a raid on their hideout in Abujan Amare area of Gashua, in Bade Local Government Area.

    Spokesman of the JTF Lazarus Eli in a statement in Damaturu, the state capital, said arms and ammunition were recovered in the raid which took place in the early hours of yesterday.

    The items recovered include three AK 47 rifles with 42 rounds of ammunition, three magazines, a Thuraya handset, two laptops, a blood pressure gauge, 21 wrist watches, 13 handsets, a CD player and 18 SIM cards.

    Gashua is 187 kilometres North-West of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.

    Lt. Eli said: “During the JTF raid which was initially faced with resistance from the terrorists, our men overcome their resistance with superior fire power and killed four suspects with the arrest of four other suspects.”

    The JTF has also commenced the use of Sniffer dogs at different check-points in the metropolis.

    Lt. Eli said the Sniffer dogs are used for the detection of specially-concealed arms and nitrate-based materials used in the making of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at check points.

    He said: “Available information reveals plan by the terrorists group to smuggle arms into the state capital by all means necessary and cause mayhem in the city so we have to keep evolving new methods. According to him, it is necessary to remain ahead of the terrorists and in so doing, we have to employ all the resources at our disposal to ensure we achieve the set objective” he said.

    Yobe state has relaxed the curfew imposed on Potiskum, the commercial hub of the state.

    Special Adviser Press and Information to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, Abdullahi Bego, said the curfew is relaxed by two hours beginning from 6.00pm to 7.am instead of from 7.am to 4.00pm.

     

  • SSS, others won’t give up on war against terrorists, says DG

    The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Ekpenyong Ita, has said the agency and others will not give up on the war against terrorists whom he told “enough is enough”.

    Ita spoke at the graduation ceremony of participants of Executive Intelligence Management Course No. 5 at the Institute for Security Studies, Lower Usuma Dam, Abuja.

    He said: “My dear graduands, you are graduating at the critical period of national development. It is a period the nation is facing complex security challenges, like kidnapping, oil theft, piracy, violent crimes and terrorism. I do not think this nation has ever faced a more fluid, more dynamic or more complex threat situations as what is currently being faced, particularly terrorism.

    “As you are leaving the Institute today, I want to prepare your mind to the situation you will be confronted with, even though at a reduced scale in your operational areas. Accordingly, I urge you to bring your wealth of professional experience and the knowledge you have acquired here to bear on these challenges.

    “I must say that the activities of terrorists have been serious sources of strain and stresses on corporate existence, image and development of the country. This service and other security forces with the support of government have worked assiduously to contain and reduce considerably the activities of these unscrupulous and misguided elements.

    “Accordingly, I want to thank Mr. President for the enormous support and encouragement he has given the Service which have assisted us to enhance our technical capacity, building of staff skills, knowledge and competences to fight the war against terrorism. This is a war we have paid the supreme sacrifice and have no alternative than to sustain the current tempo in order to ensure ultimate victory.

    “Let me reiterate the point that Nigeria can NEVER, NEVER be divided by the activities of some misguided, ignorant terrorists or those unscrupulous individuals whose activities and utterances kept chiseling though unsuccessfully the very foundation of those things we hold dear, particularly the unity of this country. To this last group of people, I am saying enough is enough.”

    The DG of SSS said the agency had adopted three key areas in addressing security challenges facing the country.

    He added: “As a Service, we have been responding to the prevalent threats to National Security by adopting a well calculated approach in three (3) keys areas. They include a vastly improved intelligence collection strategy, inter-agency partnership and information sharing and effective utilisation of limited resources.

    “We have since moved away from a reactive to a very proactive Service, where intelligence drives investigative and operational activities, enhances understanding of threat indicators and also our ability to mitigate and disrupt emerging threats.

    “We are prudently allocating our limited resources to target top priority threats with high impact approach. In addition to fundamentally changing the Services’ approach to conducting intelligence operations, we are also enhancing partnership with sister agencies, the key stakeholders, the press and the public at large. In particular, we maintain very close and cordial working relationship with the Joint Task Force (JTF) units and I commend the relationship.”

    He urged victims of terror not to succumb to fear.

    He said: “According to Robert Green: “Terror is the ultimate way to paralyze a peoples’

    will to resist and destroy their ability to plan a strategic response. Such power is gained through sporadic acts of violence that create a constant feeling of threat, incubating a fear that spreads throughout the public sphere”.

    “The goal in a terror campaign is not battlefield victory, but causing maximum chaos and provoking the other side into desperate over-reaction. Melting invisibly into the population, tailoring their actions for the mass media, the strategist of terror creates the illusion that they are far more powerful than they really are.

    “It is a war of nerves. The victims of terror must not succumb to fear or even anger; to plot the most effective counter strategy, they must stay balanced. In the face of terror campaign, one’s rationality is the last line of defence.”

  • 24 terrorists killed after Borno multiple explosions, says JTF

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) said yesterday it shot dead 24 suspected terrorists after repelling Monday night’s multiple attacks in Maiduguri.

    JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa stated this in a statement in Maiduguri.

    Col. Musa explained that the terrorists had made use of rocket propellers, grenade and Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) during the attacks.

    “Suspected Boko Haram terrorists launched attacks with rocket propellers, grenades and IEDs and gun fires at different locations in Maiduguri on Monday night.

    “The locations are Zannari, Lagos Street and Gwange General Area,” he said.

    Col. Musa explained that the terrorists urged residential homes in launching the attacks at different times in the night.

    “They used civilian residences and homes as launch areas for the attacks at different times,” he said.

    Musa said the attacks were all repelled by the JTF and no soldier or civilian was killed.

    “All the attacks were repelled, no soldier or civilian was killed.

    “Twenty four suspected terrorists were killed,” he said.

    He said a number of weapons were recovered by the JTF after the operation.

    “The following items were recovered: one RPG tube, four RPG charges, one General Purpose Machine Gun, seven AK 47 rifles, one FNC rifle and 24 assorted magazines.

    “Others are two pistols, IED materials, bows and arrows and cutlasses, among others,” he said.

    Musa said the city had returned to normal after the counter attack by his men.

    “The JTF wishes to warn residents of the city to stop allowing their homes to be used as launch pads.

    “Any person caught will be dealt with, according to the law,” he said

    A worker at Borno State Specialist Hospital told The Associated Press that soldiers dropped off 24 bodies there following the attack. The worker said the military identified the dead as Boko Haram members and that many of the bodies were dressed in the long robes favoured by the sect.

    The worker spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of angering either the military or the sect. A military spokesman later said a single soldier was wounded in the attack, though witnesses around the neighborhood said they saw more military casualties.

     

  • ECOWAS wants powers to try coupists, terrorists

    ECOWAS wants powers to try coupists, terrorists

    Speaker of Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu on Thursday canvassed the enhancement of the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Court of Justice to help address the challenge of military coups and terrorism in the West African sub-region.

    A statement by the Special Adviser, Media to Ekweremadu, said the Speaker spoke at the opening of the 2012-2013 Legal Year of the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja .

    It said that Ekweremadu cited the case of Mali and regretted that national parliaments of some member States of ECOWAS were prevailed upon by local exigencies to make provisions that pardon coups plotters.

    Ekweremadu was quoted to have stressed that with the enhancement of the powers of the Community Court, ECOWAS could ensure that such usurpers of constitutional powers were brought to book.

    He said the trial and punishment of coup plotters at the sub-regional level was necessary tools for forestalling unconstitutional attempts at powers which usually result in instability, wars, and underdevelopment.

     

  • Senate seeks life jail for terrorists

    Anybody found guilty of terrorism risks life jail, according to the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Bill being considered by the Senate.

    Nigeria may also pursue terrorists into neighbouring countries should the Bill sails through at the National Assembly.

    Entitled: “A Bill to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 and for other related matters 2012” it scaled second reading in the Senate yesterday.

    It seeks to empower the government to trace and punish any person who commits act of terrorism in or outside the country.

    It will also provide stiffer punishment for terrorism sponsors.

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, in his lead debate, said the Bill seeks to make provisions for extra territorial application of the Act and to strengthen the section on terrorism financing offences.