The Nigerian Army has confirmed killing many terrorists during encounters along Dikwa-Maiduguri Road.
But the casualty figures from the operation were kept under wraps.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Sani Usman Kukasheka confirmed that recent military operations against the terrorists had been very successful as the terrorists are on the run.
The statement said: “In compliance with the directive of Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the Nigerian troops have increased the tempo of their offensive as they kill many terrorists during a recent combat operation along Dikwa-Maiduguri Road in Borno State.
“Through a combined operation involving the ground troops and Air Force, the Nigerian military mercilessly dealt devastating blow on the terrorists who could not escape during the encounter.
“Some of the items recovered from the terrorists included vehicles heavily laden with Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs), motorcycles, trucks mounted with Anti-Aircraft Guns, Anti-Aircraft Gun, General Purpose Machine, Gunbox of Anti-Aircraft Gun Ammunition and Rifles.”
The Army said in one of the recent operations, the military attacked terrorists’ logistics base where IED was planted with connected wires traced to a kingpin’s residence.
It added: “Due to recent concerted efforts, roads and towns hitherto being held by Boko Haram terrorists and laced with mines such as Biu-Buni Yadi-Damaturu and Biu-Sabon Gari-Damboa roads were liberated and cleared of mines and made safe for public usage.
While renaming the counter-insurgency operation to “Operation Zaman Lafiya Dole,” the Chief of Army Staff urged the troops not to wait for Boko Haram to attack but to take the battle to the insurgents’ hideout.
Tag: troops
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Nigerian troops kill terrorists on Dikwa-Maiduguri road
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Bosso applauds his troops
Abia Warriors gaffer, Ladan Bosso has applauded his team for sustaining their bragging rights in the famous Abia Classico against Enyimba.
At a time, the home fans were preparing for their first-ever victory over their Umuahia rivals substitute Michael Olaha hit target to complete a sublime assist from Ndifreke Effiong, to score his first Premier League goal and maintain their record in the Classico.
A late rally from in-form Christian Obiozor was ruled off-side to the annoyance of the home crowd.
“We know Enyimba has more experienced players, so we came with our own game plans to earn the result. It was a good match and I’m satisfied with the result”, Bosso told supersport.com.
Effiong gave his side the lead after a beautiful pass from Ifeanyi Onyeali on 27th minute but Obiozor pulled one back for Enyimba in the 45th minute. For the first time in Aba, Enyimba got the lead through Daniel Etor, who rose above the defence to beat experienced John Gaadi in the 50th minute.
However, Olaha’s effort on 80th minute ensured scores were leveled as both sides shared points on match day.
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Troops for Multi-National Force July 30
President Muhammadu Buhari and other Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) yesterday approved the deployment of the national contingents to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) by July 30.
The Task Force is to root out Boko Haram from the North East of Nigeria and the entire region.
Deployment of the troops to the MNJTF is part of the resolutions of the over six hours Extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government and Republic of Benin at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Other approvals of the meeting in the communique read by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Aliyu Ismail include:
“Approved the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Strategic and Operational and related documents of the MNJTF for the fight against Boko Haram terrorist group.
“Approved the immediate deployment of the MNJTF HQ at N’Djamena (Chad) by implementing its human, logistic and financial requirements;
“Approved the funding of the sum of Thirty Million Dollars ($30,000.000) USD for the installation and equipping of the MNJTF HQ.
“Approved the establishment of the Executive Secretariat as the Headquarters of the Mission and the Executive Secretary of LCBC being the Head of Mission.
According to him, the leaders also approved the nomination of 3 key post of responsibility of the MNJTF HQs including Force Commander – Nigeria (Until the end of the mission), Deputy Force Commander – Cameroun (Rotational every 12 Months), and Chief of Staff – Tchad (Rotational every 12 months).
The Heads of state, he said, also requested for the African Union’s support to the MNJTF in its operations, logistics and general mission support; by mobilizing financial support.
It also resolved to seek the support of strategic partners, notably European Union, France, United Kingdom and United States of America in favour of the MNJTF.
The leaders during the meeting also requested the President of the UN Security Council to make a declarative statement in support of MNJTF Operations against the Boko Haram terrorist group.
It adopted the Emergency Plan for Development in the Lake Chad Basin.
Reading the communique, the Permanent Secretary said: “Deliberations focused on ‘The Security Situation in the Lake Chad Basin, the Immediate Operationalisation of the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Adoption of Emergency Development Plan’ were preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Ministers of Defence, the Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Security and Intelligence Services of the LCBC member States and Benin.
“In the course of their deliberation, the Heads of State and Government of LCBC and Benin Republic acknowledged with satisfaction the success recorded on military operations jointly conducted in the field by the coalition of the troops from Cameroun, Niger, Nigeria and Chad which have significantly broken down military capability of Boko Haram terrorist group.
“However, they agreed on the need to keep on this drive marked by solidarity in action by taking decisive measures in order to totally curb Boko Haram insurgency.
“The Heads of State and Government of LCBC and Benin further agreed on the need to support military operations with an emergency development plan in favour of vulnerable populations in the region in order to fight against the root causes of insecurity relating to poverty.” he said
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Sambisa Forest invasion: Troops recover horror video clips from Boko Haram camps
Indications emerged yesterday that troops have recovered ‘sensitive’ video clips from the camps of fleeing Boko Haram members.
It was learnt that the video materials were being analysed by military experts.
According to PRNigeria, a covert information network of the nation’s military, the sensitive ICT materials were abandoned by terrorists fleeing from Sambisa Forest.
The source said: “As terrorists continue to scamper following relentless pursuit by Nigerian troops, they have often left sensitive materials including arms, ammunition, ICT gadgets and video recordings behind.
“Many of the video materials captured by the troops are currently being analysed by military experts.
“Some of the videos included recording of scenes of trials, beheadings, executions, stoning, floggings and those taken during preparations for suicide attacks.
“A military source said capturing such recordings was another major feat in the battle against insurgency as it was a tool used to really terrify mostly civilian population and cow them into submission.
“Some of the videos were meant for release through their normal channels to the public before they were dislodged from their camps. They also show the barbaric life in their so-called caliphate.
“The media and the public are advised to be careful in handling or sharing sensitive and offensive videos depicting atrocities that some viewers may find disturbing,” he concluded.
When contacted, the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, confirmed the retrieval of sensitive videos.
He said: “A number of vital materials, apart from arms and ammunition, have been recovered which are being subjected to intelligent analyses. We don’t want to say much about that now.”
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Troops battle militiamen on Plateau
Nigerian troops battled militiamen in central Nigeria yesterday after they destroyed several villages and killed scores of people last week, including six soldiers who had their eyes gorged out and tongues cut off, a military spokesman said.
The group is not part of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Special Task Force spokesman Captain Ikedichi Iweha told Reuters, but he did not give further details on their identity.
“Tongues were cut off, eyes were gorged out, bodies were decapitated,” Iweha said of the soldiers killed in the April 28 attack that saw several villages on the border of the central states of Plateau and Taraba razed to the ground.
“Yesterday, contact was made with the militia group and a firefight ensued. It is still going on,” he said.
Iweha said he could not disclose what triggered the initial attack until the operation was completed.
A resident of the area said the army had killed 20 people in retaliation for the dead soldiers, who he said were murdered Saturday night. Those killed belonged to the Tarok ethnic group, members of which had allegedly engaged in cattle rustling.
“I saw people killed deliberately by the soldiers. Some ran to the river but could not escape. They were caught by the bullets,” Usman Sabo told Reuters.
Iweha denied the army had attacked the villagers.
Clashes pitting the cattle-herding Fulani people against mostly settled farming communities like the Berom in Nigeria’s volatile “Middle Belt” are common.
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Sambisa: Nigerian troops free 200 girls, 93 women
Nigerian Troops have reportedly rescued about 200 girls from Sambisa forest, the Boko Haram’s den.
During the operation on Tuesday, about another 93 women were reportedly rescued from the den of the terrorists, also carried out attacks in some other parts of the Northeastern states.
Confirming the success of the operation, Major General Chris Olukolade, Director Defence Information, said he could not confirm the identity of the freed victims and their origins.
He also maintained that he could not state if any of them was among the missing Chibok girls until after thorough screening and proper investigations have been conducted.
“I can only confirm the rescued this afternoon of 200 girls and 93 women in different camps in the forest. We are yet to determine their origin as all the freed persons are now being screened and profiled. Please don’t misquote me on their origin. We will provide more details later,” he said.
It would be recalled that another set of soldiers were said to have arrived Sambisa Forest in Borno State as part of the ongoing military bombardment on the Boko Haram militants.
The soldiers were sighted at the Kaduna international airport tarmac.
However, as at the time of departure, some of the soldiers who spoke to our correspondent, said they were not given adequate weapons for the operation, while others claimed they were made to sign forms that they collected N90,000 against the N30,000 they were actually paid.
They said, “We are going to Sambisa forest in Borno State for peace operation, I just hope they (military authorities) will give us the adequate weapons we need to fight the insurgents so that we can be reunited with our loved ones.”
However, when our correspondent was leaving the airport, three trucks suspected to be carrying arms for the soldiers were driven into the tarmac.
The trucks sandwiched by pick-up vans, occupied by gun wielding and stern looking mobile policemen were painted in Nigerian Air Force colour.
When contacted on the soldiers’ allegations, the Defence Spokesman, Major- Gen. Chris Olukolade, denied that the soldiers were not given their due entitlements.
Olukolade, who responded to text message sent to him by our correspondent, said, “No one who does his duty properly in this mission has been or will be denied his entitlement.”
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Troops still in Sambisa forest, says DHQ
The Defence Headquarters yesterday denied media reports that troops have retreated from the Sambisa forest, which has served as the main operational base for Boko Haram insurgents.
A statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, said operation was progressing and gaining increasing momentum towards clearing all terrorist hideouts in the forest.
“It is noteworthy that it is becoming common for stories of attacks on some remote settlements to be fabricated and attributed to anonymous or unidentifiable source in remote places. This is apparently the work of terrorists’ sympathisers or propagandists.
“Military operations to eliminate all terrorist hideouts are going on well and the terrorists are being seriously decimated. They will continue to be pursued and prevented from constituting danger to civilian population in their desperation for survival, suicide or publicity,” Gen Olukolade added.
He debunked reports claiming that terrorists are now in control of Mafa in Borno State, saying that attempts by a group of fleeing terrorists who strayed towards the town and engaged typical suicide attacks were duly repelled by troops.
He continued: “Similarly, the claim by some media organisations that terrorists chased out troops and took over Marte cannot be verified as troops were busy elsewhere during the said attack.
“However, efforts to track the terrorists who were reported to have attacked the town have not indicated their presence as claimed.
“Surveillance activities are however ongoing although there has been no indication of the large number of terrorists as being claimed in some reports attributed to anonymous sources.
“The terrorist are certainly no longer capable of that level of coordinated action by thousands of terrorists as reported.”
Gen. Olukolade advised the media to ignore what he described as “fabrication being churned out by some terrorists sympathisers trying to encourage the terrorists who he said were in disarray”.
“The truth is that the operation to decimate them from Nigerian territories is progressing well. The military will not be dissuaded by the resurgence of false reports on the operations. The progress will be prosecuted as necessary”, he said.
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Troops capture Alagarno
The Defence Headquarters said yesterday that troops have captured Alagarno, one of the routes of Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
It said armoured vehicles, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ammunition were recovered from the militias.
The capturing of Alagamo was said to be ahead of the invasion of Sambisa forest.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, spoke in a statement in Abuja.
The statement said: “Nigerian troops this morning (Tuesday) successfully completed a raid on terrorists’ camps at Alagarno in Borno State. Alagarno is the major haven of terrorists ahead of Sambisa forest.
”A number of weapons and equipment were captured during the operation. Items seized from the terrorists included armoured vehicles, arms and ammunition of various sizes and calibres, generators, grenades, Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs), bows and arrows, megaphones and rolls of copper cable, which the terrorists used as one of the materials to make IEDs.
”Cordon and search as well as mop up of the community are ongoing to make the environment safe for displaced locals to return.
”Besides being one of the strongholds of terrorists in the state, Alagarno also provided the routes used by the terrorists to neighbouring towns and countries.
“The thick forest in the area made it a safe haven for the terrorists for a long time, as the terrain was not easily accessible and it was endowed with natural hideouts from aerial bombardments.”
A military source said: “The capturing of Alagarno is a step towards the final invasion of Sambisa forest. Troops are on standby for the onslaught against the insurgents in their foremost enclave.
“We are hopeful that the Sambisa forest will soon fall and the fleeing leaders of Boko Haram will be captured.”
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Troops reclaim Gwoza
•Hunt for Shekau, Chibok girls
The Defence Headquarters yesterday claimed that troops had dislodged Boko Haram insurgents from Gwoza,Borno State, and recaptured the town which had been under the control of the terrorists since August 6,2014.
The Defence Headquarters, in a tweet, said the town was recaptured yesterday morning by troops.
“FLASH: Troops this morning captured Gwoza destroying the Headquarters of the Terrorists self-styled Caliphate,” the DHQ said.
It added: “Several terrorists died while many are captured. Mopping up of entire #Gwoza and her suburbs is ongoing.”
The claims could not be independently verified.
There was no mention of the over 200 Chibok school girls who were abducted by the terrorists last April.
A woman freed from Gwoza by Boko Haram earlier in the week had said the girls were in the town.
There were fears that the Chibok girls might have been hurriedly relocated by Boko Haram leaders following the heavy bombardment of Gwoza.
Many of the insurgents were killed in the attack and others captured.
President Jonathan had said on Thursday that the town would be liberated yesterday.
The Defence Headquarters said all border areas that hitherto served as hideouts for the terrorists have been actively dominated by troops in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
The Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said some of the insurgents were already fleeing.
His words: “Just this morning(Friday), the gallant troops of the Nigerian military in a concerted and well-coordinated land and air operations have liberated Gwoza, the headquarters of their so called caliphate which they renamed ‘darul hikima’.
“This was preceded by successive sack of terrorists from towns and villages leading to Gwoza, the main objective.
“Several of the terrorists have died and many of them captured in the process. A lot of arms and ammunition have been recovered and the administrative Headquarters completely destroyed.
“A massive cordon and search has commenced to locate any of the fleeing terrorists or hostages in their custody.
“As at yesterday (Thursday), the military had been able to take over virtually all the enclaves and hideouts where the terrorists were marauding.
“It is observed that some of the terrorists are currently fleeing towards border areas. The fleeing terrorists will expectedly run into subsequent encounter with contingents of partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force who have been mandated to contain them accordingly.
“The mop up operation in Gwoza and other liberated areas will continue in order to ensure that no vestiges of terrorists or terrorism remain in our country.
“The Nigerian military and security agencies therefore thank Nigerians and our partners in the sub-region who have consistently encouraged and supported us in the course of these operations.
“The military is more than ever before determined to once and for all stamp out every trace of terrorism and insecurity in our country. All citizens are urged to remain vigilant and report every movement or assemblage of suspicious characters to the security forces so that NEVER AGAIN shall the evil elements regroup to terrorize or cause mayhem in our country.”
Olukolade said the recent reinvigoration of a partnership between Nigeria and these neighbouring countries under the auspices of Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) had boosted the battle against the insurgents.
The statement added: “Sequel to the violent and heinous crimes perpetrated by terrorists in North Eastern Nigeria, the Armed Forces of Nigeria was tasked to halt the carnage and restore sanity in that region. This resulted in the deployment of land and air forces.
“The deployment denied the terrorists the freedom of action they had hitherto enjoyed and they resorted to diversionary tactics known with terrorist groups around the world by carrying out isolated attacks and bombings.
“The series of deployment and operational effectiveness of the military were however challenged by the porosity of the borders, which gave the terrorists leverage to operate in Nigeria and retreat into safe havens in neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
“The recent reinvigoration of a partnership between Nigeria and these neighbouring countries under the auspices of Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) provided the desired response to the challenge, as these border areas that hitherto served as hideouts for the terrorists have been actively dominated by troops in the MNJTF.
“ This development decimated the fighting capabilities of the terrorists, as the Nigerian military carries out a final onslaught on the nation’s enemy within the country. These successful operations have culminated in the dislodgment of terrorists from towns and communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states.”
A top military source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Troops have begun a manhunt for Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau and top Boko Haram leaders.
“The troops have also been looking for the whereabouts of Chibok girls who some Boko Haram captives claimed were in Gwoza.
“We are suspecting that the Chibok girls might have been relocated after heavy air strikes, but we will liberate these innocent students.”
Usman Ali, a 35-year-old Gwoza farmer, said Shekau addressed his fighters on March 15 and told them to kill the women they have taken as wives.
“He said they should go back to Gwoza and kill all of their women they left behind. He said if they didn’t kill them they would not join them in paradise,” he told AFP after managing to escape.
“They took us along to Gwoza where we witnessed the carnage.”
Shekau declared Gwoza the capital of a new Islamic caliphate after he seized the town in August.
As soon as the terrorists seized the town, one of the biggest in the state, they embarked on a systematic killing of the residents .
Thousands of others, including the Emir, Alhaji Muhammed Timta, fled.
The group also erected its flag, declaring the area as an Islamic caliphate.
The failure of the government and military of President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the girls created international outrage and continues to dog him as he stands for re-election.
Nigeria’s military, with support of troops and military aircraft from neighboring countries, in the past two months has retaken dozens of towns from Boko Haram.
Jonathan’s opponents have said the offensive is a political ploy, asking why Nigeria’s military, of which Jonathan is the commander in chief, suddenly is capable of doing what it has failed to do for nearly six years.
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‘Don’t deploy troops for elections’
All Progressives Congress (APC) State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS) have reiterated their opposition to the deployment of troops for elections, urging the Federal Government to halt the politicisation of the military.
Rising from their second summit in Lagos, the party officials also warmed against any last minute polls postponement, saying that it will create tension.
In a communique by its chairman, Comrade Joe Igbokwe of Lagos State, CAPS advised the police and other security agencies to maintain neutrality during the general elections in the national interest.
The group commended the military for its resounding success againstinsurgents, who had earlier seized 14 local governments in three states in the Northeast region. It also paid glowing tribute for the collaborative forces from Cameroun Chad and Niger for their support.
CAPS urged the police, the Nigerian Civil Define Corps (NCDV), the State Security Service (SSS) and other civil authorities to be neutral, professional and unbiased in the discharge of their duties during the general elections.
It also urged the police to arrest those allegedly involved in the purchase of voter’s cards from unsuspecting Nigerians.
The group urged the law enforcement agencies to ensure that no money is shared to voters at voting centres during the elections to avoid election disruption, which may arise from the predictable resistance to the illegal act.
According to the image makers, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by Prof. Attahiru Jega should conduct free, fair and credible elections.
CAPS added: “We particularly commend the innovative spirit of INEC to introduce, nurture and sustain the use of card reader in the general elections so as to improve a process that has been badly bastardised in previous elections.
“The analogue accreditation process has been proven to be fraught with manipulations and outright rigging of election, leading to litigations. The introduction of the card reader will halt this mischief and stem the falsification of results.
“In the light of the prospects of this initiative for our ’democracy, we have taken a considered stand that no elections without card readers will be supported by CAPS or the APC.
“We urge INEC to take due cognizance and to halt the growing incidence of buying, snatching and destruction of PVCs in many parts of Nigeria and guard its self against sabotage of the beautiful card-reader initiative.
“However, we place the umpire on red alert to set up counter checks for the bad eggs, in its midst, particularly the corrupt Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) known to hold nocturnal meetings with partisans.”
The group warned against any attempt to derail the electoral process in favour of any extra-constitutional option of Interim Government, It said any attempt to further postpone the exercise will be vehemently resisted by the people in defense of the constitution.
CAPS called for an investigation into the use of the Army to subvert the will of the people in the Ekiti State governorship elections. It added: “We urge the leaders of the Southwest to advise the loquacious beneficiary of that soiled process, Mr. Ayo Fayose, against the undemocratic attitude of introducing brown-uniformed illegal security forces to intimidate the people at the polls.”
Lamenting the devaluation of the currency, the group said: “The Naira, under the PDP economic management team, which has run out of steam and run aground. The PDP government, whose leaders and presidential candidate are happier to share dollars (USD) and pounds sterling to local groups to induce them, do not have an explanation for the latest Naira scourge.
“The devaluation, which leaves the USD trading above N200, has affected every Nigerian businessman without exception, and taken every Nigerian citizen three notches deeper into poverty, irrespective of his location, ethnic group, religion, class or creed. Foreign investors are divesting in droves from the six zones, particularly the Niger Delta, where oil company giants have fled. The PDP Central Government has no answer to the massive capital flight.”
The group condemned the recruitment of ethnic militias, including the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and renegade Niger Delta groups to intimidate the electorate. It said the move “is already sending wrong signals to Nigerians about the intention of the Federal Government during the general elections.”
CAPS urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), the European Union, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations (UN) to beam their searchlight on the country during the exercise. It also urged the civil society groups to be vigilant throughout the electoral process.
The group added: “The media should not sleep on guard. They should effectively monitor the process from now till May 29 handover.”