Boko Haram Plans To Wipe Out Christians —CAN

The Southern Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN, has raised the alarm that there is an agenda to wipe out Christians in Northern Nigeria owing to series of bombing of churches in the north by Boko Haram insurgence. A statement issued by Southern CAN, comprising the 17 Southern States lamented that the arsonists always attack churches and leave the mosques, while the majority of the casualties had always been Christians.

 “We are particularly worried over the attack on the Church at Bayero University, Kano Campus, Kano, because reports indicate that the majority of those killed, including two professors are Christians from Kogi State in North Central zone of the country. This is unacceptable to Christians from the Southern part of this country. “That the gunmen walked past several Mosques on the campus and singled out the Church for this dastardly act has reinforced our belief that there is an agenda by those who carried out these acts to exterminate Christians in the North and Islamise the country,” said CAN in a statement signed by its Chairman, The Most Rev. N. D. Okoh and Dr. Joseph A. Ajujunwa, Secretary.  

“We call on governors of the 17 Southern States, all political leaders, all grades of traditional rulers, Muslim leaders and all people of goodwill to join hands with the Federal Government of Nigeria to solve this menace that is threatening our National unity. No section of our society, whether Christian, Moslem, Atheist or adherent of other religions should sit on the fence and watch this evil grow with the erroneous belief that it is far from them, it is a real threat to all. “We are being dragged into a situation where we may ask Christian parents of Southern extraction to relocate their children or wards from universities and other tertiary institutions in the North to the Southern part of the country for safety of their lives,” they stated.

 The body pleaded with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Secretariat, to be sensitive to the personal security of Southern Corps members and ensure that they were not put in harms-way by posting them to states without adequate protection for their lives. They added that the elders and leaders in the North should do more to show concern for the plight of Southern children in their domain. “In the present circumstance, it is difficult to trust that it is well and safe for these children as they are being re-assured by leaders in the North. “We continue to appeal to both religious and political leaders, traditional rulers and leaders of thought to see that what is happening will do nobody any good. There will be no winner if Nigeria is eventually allowed to be destroyed. 

Even the perpetrators of these evil acts will be losers. There is need for all to support the Federal Government and Security Agencies with adequate intelligence report,” the statement said. It added: “We wish to alert Nigerians and in deed the Federal Government of Nigeria that it is becoming increasingly difficult to restrain individuals and families who are bereaved of their loved ones from thinking of revenge. The only answer to this situation is for the Government to protect the people and save us from anarchy. “The impression must not be given that certain individuals or groups are above the law of the land. The unity of Nigeria must be preserved at all costs.”

 Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday the United States “strongly condemns” a deadly attack on worshippers at church services in Nigeria as well as other attacks on civilians, reports AFP On Sunday, attackers with bombs and guns opened fire at church services at Bayo University in the northern city of Kano, killing around 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said. “The United States strongly condemns the recent attacks on innocent civilians in Nigeria, including yesterday’s disgraceful assault during church services at Bayero University in Kano,” Clinton said in a statement.

 “We are concerned about attacks on churches, news media, and government installations that increasingly target innocent civilians across northern Nigeria,” said Clinton, who is currently en route to China. “We condemn attempts by those in Nigeria who seek to inflame Christian-Muslim tensions, and support those who recognize Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity as one of the country’s greatest strengths,” she said. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

 Suspected in Sunday’s attacks is Boko Haram, which initially claimed to be fighting for the creation of an Islamic state in Nigeria’s north, but its demands and structure have become less clear in recent months. Nigerian troops killed a suspected Boko Haram militant Tuesday during a pre-dawn raid in the city of Kano over the weekend attacks against church services. In a related development, a video purportedly from Islamist group Boko Haram on Tuesday showed footage of last week’s attack on a Nigerian newspaper and threatens news outlets, including two foreign organisations. 

 The YouTube video includes spoken threats against several Nigerian news organisations as well as the Voice of America and Radio France International services in the Hausa language, which is spoken in northern Nigeria. The voiceover divides the news media into three categories. One is outlets that have already been attacked, namely ThisDay newspaper; the second groups those Boko Haram is ready to attack now, including VOA; and the third is for those on the verge of being targeted, including Radio France, the voice says. “These media outlets have committed serious crimes that are harmful to Islam, which we can’t forgive,” says the voiceover. 

“We must take our pound of flesh.” At several points in the video, footage is shown of the suicide bombing of ThisDay’s office Thursday in the capital Abuja, where five people were killed, including a security guard, three passers-by and the attacker. The video is taken from a distance, but a sport utility vehicle can be clearly seen entering the gate of the newspaper’s office, quickly followed by a powerful explosion and a burst of flames. A voice, apparently that of the person filming, says “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest). 

 Another portion of the video shows a person portrayed as the suicide bomber for the newspaper attack, at one stage holding an AK-47 assault rifle, at another time waving from inside a vehicle. The attack Thursday was one of two targeting the media. A complex housing several newspaper offices, including for ThisDay, was also bombed the same day at roughly the same time, killing four people. The bombings were the first such attacks against news media in Nigeria, which has been hit by months of deadly violence attributed to Boko Haram.

Read More...

Lamido to NSA: Name Boko Haram sponsors in PDP

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State has challenged the National Security Adviser, NSA, General Andrew Azazi, to name the sponsors of Boko Haram, within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, since by his (NSA) own admission, PDP is Boko Haram.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital on Sunday afternoon, Lamido, who said, though he believes and trusts the President, when he distanced himself from the NSA’s comment, he was, however, quick to say that “but then Nigeria will not trust us now, going by the NSA’s statement.”

He said further that “And if you know what is called leadership, then you will know that the NSA’s statement has taken the moral authority of the PDP to rule Nigeria again. This is my worry. So we must do something drastic to refute it in the most unequivocal way, to show that what he said was a lie,” adding that “Even though the President has tried to distance himself from Azazi, the NSA, you can’t distance yourself from yourself, because the NSA is the shadow of the PDP, how can you distance yourself from your own shadow?

 There is no way we can distance him from the PDP, because he is part of us. But we have no idea that within us, we have someone who has been sponsoring Boko Haram, we have no idea. So something must be done, to restore the trust and confidence of Nigerians on our government. This is very important and it must be done soon. The Nigerian government must come out very, very clear to assure Nigerians that we have the capacity and the commitment and the will to protect their lives, as a government which they have voted for.” Excerpts:

How do you feel being labelled sponsors of Boko Haram by the NSA?

Well, to be honest, being a loyal party member, I feel incinerated by the eruption of the NSA about the party. And since then, frankly speaking, I have been traumatised.

 I have also made contacts, because between the time I heard it over the BBC, Hausa Service, in the morning on Saturday, and now, I have received over 100 phone calls. And the calls were in two parts, the first part is from PDP members, who are very loyal to the party, and who are disturbed by the eruption. And of course the other part, from the opponents, who are saying ‘it serves you right,’ deriding me and abusing me, saying that, at last, ‘the truth has come out, that PDP is Boko Haram.’

I also tried to make some phone calls to reach people in various positions, I made contacts with anybody you can think of in authority, I mean at the level of government, and even the party, including some elders in the party, nation-wide. And the feedback I got was that everyone was traumatised by that eruption. Everybody was worried, for the simple fact that the PDP, which was elected by the Nigerian people, whose primary role as a government is the preservation and protection of lives and then anything else, is now the very party which is now killing Nigerians. It is the very government which is now killing Nigerians, as attested to by the NSA for whatever reason. Whether taken in context or out of the context, this is the general conclusion that people have drawn.

And two, is that the President, equally nominated by the PDP, is also Boko Haram and it is this same President, who appointed the NSA. So you could see the pain in us. The NSA, who is supposed to help the President, in securing Nigeria and lives of Nigerians by his statement implicating the president in the crisis. So, today in Nigeria, going by the NSA’s analysis, we are running with the deer, and hunting with the hare. I say so because, the NSA was even very conclusive by saying that even if the entire Boko Haram leadership was wiped out, the problem will persist, simply because the party (PDP) is in power. So by implication, what he is saying is that until PDP is swept out of power, Nigeria will never be safe. 

And by that statement coming from him, he is also seriously undermining the authority of the Nigeria President, to be able to lead this country. And even though the President has made a statement, distancing himself from the claim of the NSA, I trust him (President) and I believe him, but then you see, if you look at the forum where the eruption took place, it is a South-South forum, whether political or economic, but it had all the PDP governors there, and I presume all government officials from the South-South zone in the Federal government were also there, and because the governors were there, it means all party chairmen from the South-South zone were also there, and also by extension it means members of the PDP Working Committee, from the zone, were also there, also it means all the major stakeholders of the PDP were also there, because the South-South zone is 100 percent PDP. So anybody who was anybody at the forum must have been a PDP member. 

What do you think may have possibly prompted the NSA to make such a statement?

I don’t know what might have been the heat, because the thing was just like a volcanic eruption. I don’t know what might have been the intensity of the heat underground, to warrant that kind of comment. Certainly I am PDP 100 percent, but a lot of us were really shocked, like I said earlier, we all felt incinerated by the eruption. We were almost burnt out.

 And unless we take a drastic action, I can’t imagine PDP ever winning election again in Nigeria. How can you form a political party, to form a government that will now be killing Nigerians? In fact, it is not about the PDP now; every sane Nigerian should feel concerned about the implication of the NSA’s eruption, because the issue of security is beyond political boundaries.

 All along, in the last one year we have been grappling with the vituperations from our political opponents that you know ‘the federal government has no capacity, has no bla, bla, bla.’ Only for the NSA now to come and validate what they have been saying, by saying ‘yes, indeed, the FG is behind Boko Haram. 

It is the same government killing Nigerians.’ And I find it really, really sad and unfortunate. And unless something drastic is done, something which will convince Nigerians that the FG is serious, it will be difficult to win confidence, because the person who is advising on security is the one telling Nigerians that ‘sorry, you are insecure under the PDP, and so long it is this government controlled by the PDP, you are all dead.’ I say so because by his own admission, nor matter what is done in terms of tackling 

When you say ‘drastic action’ needs to be taken, if the PDP still wants to govern Nigeria, what exactly, do you mean, what kind of ‘drastic action’ are you talking about here?

Like I told you, I have been making contacts since I heard it on the BBC, I shouldn’t have come out to talk, but then you see, the issue is already in the public domain, so certainly something must be done.

 Because like I told, I have spoken to quite a number of people in government and within the party, it is the same feeling of outrage. Because, what do we tell Nigerians, when the man who is in charge of advising the President on how to secure Nigerians, is the one telling Nigerians that ‘I am sorry, you’re in for it, because the party in government is the one sponsoring Boko Haram.

Before the 2011, there was an attempt by some Nigerians, especially from the north, both within your party and outside it, to stop President Jonathan from running. 

You were one of those you played a major role in ensuring that party members followed party’s decision to elect Jonathan as a Presidential candidate, how do you feel now considering what the NSA has said?

Look, in political management, leadership and campaign, people have the right to take their own positions, to like or dislike a position; it is not a crime to dislike our own candidate. So I don’t think the positions taken within the party by the members then, has any relevance in the issue at hand. Because Nigerians, whether from the South or North are free to pick Presidential candidate of their own choice. It is not a crime. 

If there are people in the north who never liked him (Jonathan), there were also people in the South, who never liked him. There are also people in the North, who never liked Buhari, just as there were people in the South, who liked Buhari. So it is not the issue now, because politics is over. We are talking of a serious security issue, that concerns everyone, issue about lives. There can only be government, when people are living, so don’t get the issues mix...

So, what next?

Well, we are waiting. It is not enough for the President to say it is not his own opinion. It is not enough, because it is something grievously serious. So we are waiting. I mean, what do we tell Nigerians, I am not talking about the North or South, I am talking about Nigerians. If the government cannot secure their lives, it means they are finished.

 That is my worry. And the bigger worry is that it is coming from a particular area, where all the who -is -who in the PDP was there when the statement was made, and none of them contested it. So it was an assemblage of Boko Haram, who came to expose themselves, because they are all PDP. 

PDP Enugu is the same with PDP Kano, and vice versa. So if the PDP is Boko Haram, then the assemblage in the South-South, where the comment was made, was that of a Boko Haram, and as God will have it, they some how leaked what we are, that is what they are saying.

Finally, why is it that Boko Haram insurgence appears to have defied all known solutions?

You see, we are in a kind of evolution of our lives. The cries today of poverty, hunger and disease are all part of the failures of the last 25 to 35 years, which have now fully mature into a crisis. But people need to be given hope. And we are trying very hard to do that because I don’t think it is beyond our capacity to secure Nigeria. But then Nigeria will not trust us now, going by the NSA’s statement. This is the implication.

 Even though the President has tried to distance himself from Azazi, the NSA, you can’t distance yourself from yourself, because the NSA is the shadow of the PDP, how can you distance yourself from your own shadow? There is no way we can distance him from the PDP, because he is part of us. But we have no idea that within us, we have someone who has been sponsoring Boko Haram, we have no idea. So something must be done, to restore the trust and confidence of Nigerians on our government. This is very important and it must be done soon. Nigeria government must come out very, very clear to assure Nigerians that we have the capacity and the commitment and the will to protect their lives, as a government which they have voted for.

Read More...

How Boko Haram Import Arms to Nigeria

DETERMINED to consolidate and perpetrate their reigns of terror in the northern states of the country against all known security apparatus put in place by the federal government, members of the Islamic fundamentalist sect otherwise known as Boko Haram, now move their arms and ammunition from one state to another in petrol tankers. Crime Guard authoritatively scooped that the group also uses designated mosques as their armory.

 According to sources, most of the sect's weapons entered the country through the Apapa Wharf and the northern borders of Chad, Mali and Niger Republic and are evacuated into tankers with the alleged assistance of some members of the authorized security agents at these borders suspected to be members of the group. Camels to the rescue The tankers would normally sail through all checkpoints until they get to their destination where the contents are again evacuated into designated mosques. Camels are said to be equally used in this movement of arms and ammunition.

 Sources said a curious policeman attached to Wuronu Division in Borno state stopped some of these beasts of burden normally loaded with grains coming into the country through these northern borders only to discover l54 ammunition and two AK 47 Assault riffles carefully hidden in babaringa of two members of the sect escorting the camels. Both the animals and the sect members were arrested and have been transferred to the Force headquarters, Abuja for further investigation. It was alleged that a prominent northerner and one time military head of state (names withheld) was behind the recent tactics.

 The source further stated the former military leader had at a time called and notified a senior Custom's Officer at the Apapa wharf when one of the containers of weapons of destruction arrived to ensure that it was not inspected. He was alleged to have equally mandated the customs officer whom he facilitated his enlistment into the organization to ensure that he supervised the trans load of the weapons from the container to the tankers. 

The whole exercise was said to have taken place at the dead of the night. Sources hinted further that the recent tricks was aimed at outwitting eagle-eyed security personnel including the Joint Task Force JTF at the various checkpoints in the troubled states. Fake NNPC inscription Investigation further revealed that most of the tankers used had the inscription of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC. 

This was formulated to deceive security operatives and erase any form of suspicion. It was learned that though the sect was yet to be beaten to their new tricks, security personnel, especially men of the JTF, now stop petrol tankers whether private or government owned for detailed search while their drivers are mandated to spill little content of the tanker to authenticate if it was actually conveying fuel. In addition, security agents also detail some of their men to escort the tanker (s) to the filling station and monitor the discharge of the content.

 Poisoned pure water Impeccable sources also informed that apart from conveying arms and ammunition in tankers, the sect has also devised another deadly means of killing members of the JTF via poisoned sachet water popularly called pure water. According to sources, members of the sect disguise as good citizens and go around with bags of poisoned sachet water to give to JTF operatives as gift, adding that a sizeable number of the JTF personnel may have lost their lives through such murderous act. 

 A senior police officer serving in one of the northern states who spoke on condition of anonymity said one of such tankers carrying arms and ammunition was spotted recently inside the premises of a mosque where electric welders were busy cutting open the tankers to evacuate the arms and ammunition into a particular chamber of the mosque. 

He said, "That is the recent tactics that has been uncovered. But you see, there is little or nothing we can do. They now move arms and ammunition in petrol tankers and hide them in special mosques where only members of the sect worship. Recently, we discovered that these people were arming themselves from the mosque and we quickly mobilized and laid ambush for them. 

Most of them lost their lives during the encounter while others shot their ways to escape. However, we are handicapped because even though we know these mosques, we dare not enter into them to avoid religious war in the country. Some of them who were seriously injured during the bloody encounter but spoke before they died mentioned a one time military head of state as their sponsor and that they get their arms from Apapa wharf in Lagos and through the three borders in Borno state. 

 Again, you know soldiers do not take bribe unlike the police, but they easily collect gift. Members of the sect disguise as good citizens, drive around town with poisoned pure water as gift to the soldiers of the JTF. This murderous act is not reported because I can tell you authoritatively that many soldiers have lost their lives through this means," he stated.

Read More...

NEMESIS :Five Boko Haram members killed by ‘own bombs' In Maiduguri

Today Five suspected Islamist militants were killed when bombs they were assembling exploded during a shootout with government troops in northern Nigeria, a military commander said Monday. 

 "I can confirm that five suspected members of Boko Haram were on Saturday night blown to pieces by Improvised Explosive Devices," they were assembling, Colonel Victor Ebhaleme told AFP news agency.

 Ebhaleme said the bombs were being assembled for attacks planned for the flash point city of Maiduguri, the epicenter of an increasingly bloody insurgency that has left more than 1,000 people dead since mid-2009.

 He said the joint military task force deployed to the region to stem the violence had surrounded the hideout and "engaged the suspects in a shootout". Ebhaleme said the insurgents had thrown a bomb at the soldiers when the other bombs inside the house went off "killing the five suspects and destroying the house".

Read More...

Another bomb factory discovered in Kogi

The Joint Task Force comprising the Army, State Security Services and the Police has discovered another bomb factory in a cave at Usomi village along Okene–Ogori/Magongo Road in Kogi State. 

 The top state officer of SSS, who confirmed the startling discovery yesterday while speaking with newsmen at the state headquarters of the SSS in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, stated that the joint patrol team was working on intelligence report, which led to the discovery of the bomb factory in a cave on a mountain at Usomi village. 

 He explained that no arrest was made during the operation which lasted about three and half hours, adding that with the assistance of the air-force helicopter, the team was able to go into the Boko Haram hideout on the mountain, which took them time to climb . The SSS who was shocked at the sophistication of the terrorist gangs pointed out that if the security agencies in the state had not been pro-active in recent times, all the commercial banks in the state would have been attacked. 

He stressed that the recent discovery of bomb and explosive devices in Kabba had continued to yield positive results, adding that the sustained joint operations would continue to fight terrorism in the state until the bad boys were flushed out. He, however, dispelled the speculation that most of the items recovered from the sites where bombs were manufactured were planted there by the security agencies to secure cheap publicity, maintaining that the criminals were becoming more sophisticated in their heinous activities. 

 Among the items recovered from the terrorists’ hideout in the cave yesterday were gas cylinder, one iron constructed grenade, 43 hand grenades or canisters , one double barrel gun, one iron cramp , two iron cutters, 15KVA Denyo 135 GAW generator for supply of electricity, anti personnel devices and primary explosive materials and gunpowder. The director maintained that the fight against terrorism would continue until the men of the underworld were sent out of Kogi State.

Read More...

Secret prison opened for Boko Haram members

A security official in Nigeria has said that a secret detention centre is being opened to hold and interrogate suspected high-level members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect, Associated Press reports.

According to the AP, the official said that the prison was erected in Lagos to enable different security agencies work together; since past efforts put into stopping the sect has been continually hindered.

Officials of the secret service were said not to have denied the existence of such a prison on Thursday.

“Opening such a prison worries human rights activists. The country’s military and police have a documented history of torturing and even killing detainees,” AP wrote.

Read More...

Threat On Jonathan: South-South Youths Dare Boko Haram

Youths from the South-South geographical zone of the country have dared the leadership of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, to carry out its threat on President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration. The dreaded sect had last week threatened to bring down Jonathan and his 11-month-old government within three months, the same period which the president had predicted the collapse of Boko Haram. 

 Leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, had said in response to the president’s declaration two weeks ago in South Korea that the Boko Haram phenomenon would be over by the middle of this year, that Jonathan’s comment was offensive. Shekau boasted in a 14-minute recorded video session, (the second in recent times) posted on the internet on April 12, 2012, that the present administration would not stay in office to see to the end of the sect.

 But youths from Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Edo and Akwa-Ibom states condemned the threat by the group, describing it as “empty and an exercise in futility.” The youths, under the aegis of South-South Leaders Forum (SSLF) and Association of Ethnic Nationalities in Niger Delta (AENND) viewed the action of the sect as treasonable and a total disrespect for President Jonathan and the corporate image of Nigeria. 

 The statement signed by Barrister Amachree Odiedim, chairman, SSLF and Comrade Mike Udofia, co-ordinator, AENND, said the deliberate silence of the northern leaders and elite on the threat was suspect and showed them as accomplices of the sect. According to the youths, “We shall vehemently and violently resist any attempt to harm Mr. President or ridicule his regime.” Also accusing security operatives in the country of handling the Boko Haram issue with kid’s gloves, they declared that for the continued peace and unity of Nigeria. 

 The South-South youths demanded that the Inspector General of Police declare the leaders of the dreaded sect wanted and set machinery in motion towards arresting and prosecuting them, as well as those already in detention. SHARE THIS POST

Read More...

BOKO HARAM: Senate to FG: Use military might to crush terrorism

THE Senate, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to invoke its military might and all instruments of national power at its disposal to put an end to the high level of terrorism in the country following incessant attacks by members of the Boko Haram sect. 

 Condemning the activities of the Boko Haram in some parts of the north in recent times, the Senate also warned that the move had become imperative if disintegration of the country must be averted against the backdrop that the unity and sovereignty of Nigeria was being threatened. It said the government must act fast, recognising the fact that terrorists had declared war on Nigeria. 

 These were some of the resolutions reached at the end of discussions on a motion entitled: ‘’Terrorist Attack on Kaduna on 8th April, 2012 by Senator Mohammed Sani Saleh, Kaduna Central and 10 other Senators. Others who moved the motion were Senators Abu Ibrahim, Adamu Gumba; Mohammed Magoro; Mohammed Bindo; Ahmed M. Makarfi; Ibrahim Musa; Mudashiru Hussain; Nenadi Esther Usman; Olugbenga Obadara and Yusuf Musa Nagogo. 

While calling on its Committee on National Security, Intelligence, Defence and Army and Police Affairs to intensify their oversight functions over the security agencies with a view to improving their capabilities in handling the current security challenges facing the country, they, however, stressed the need for a supplementary budget by the executive to handle the security problem, adding that there was the need to engage the northern governors at least to know their own perspective, find out all the measures that are in place and how far they have worked.

 The Senate also called on the Federal Government to pay adequate compensation to victims of Kaduna city bomb explosion and the bereaved as well as those who suffered same fate in other places. The Senators observed a minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the Kaduna bomb explosion and other attacks across the country. 

 Ekweremadu averts a rowdy session During debate on the motion, a rowdy session was averted by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, when tempers became high when there were reactions to a question by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, ACN, Ekiti North whether there was government in Nigeria, even as he was stopped through a point of order by Senator Smart Adeyemi, PDP, Kogi West, adding that it was wrong for Senator Adetunmbi to have asked such a question when a government is in place. Senator Ekweremadu saved the situation when it was almost degenerating into rancour. 

 In his remarks, Ekweremadu, who presided, however, expressed the need for a lasting solution to the issue of terrorism in the country, adding that since the issue borders on security of life and property, necessary actions must be taken to save the country from turning into anarchy. According to him, “these are moments when we need to act as a Senate, act as patriotic citizens of this nation, and I am happy that we did that. The issue of security borders on the existence of this country and if this country did not exist, then there will be no Senate, House of Representatives and there will be no governor. “This is a matter of top priority for every one of us. 

If we did not deal with this matter, we may be heading to anarchy and nobody wants that because nobody knows where it will end. We never believe when we had democracy in 1999 that we will get to a situation where roads will be blocked, there will be state of emergency in some places, and those who have opportunities to earn a living cannot even do that. I believe that democracy comes with freedom but if that freedom is being curtailed by the happenings of the day, then something is wrong and we need to do something about it. 

 Senators react Prior to remarks by Ekweremadu, Senators raised their views on the issue of terrorism in the country. At the prolonged debate, while some Senators accused the Federal Government and security agents of not taking appropriate measures to address it, others believed efforts were being made to curtail the activities of the terrorists and the need to intensify efforts. Making his contributions, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, who asked where the power of the Senate lies, said: ‘’Where is the power of the Senate to make things happen, to respond to the yearnings of Nigerians that these killings are too much and are coming too often. 

Nigerians are tired of the condemnation of the bombings, tired of one minute of silence; they don’t want these loved ones to be lost. Also in his contributions, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia Central said: “We are at war and when at war, you do the needful. We are at war against those who want to break up this country. I don’t believe this security challenge will break up Nigeria; what will break up Nigeria is knowing what to do and refuse to do it. Security agents need to step up. 

They have the duty to protect themselves and then, the citizens. For Senator Gbenga Ashafa, ACN, Lagos East: “This is a war waged against Nigeria and if we are not careful, can consume all of us. Solutions: National identification programme must be a top agenda of the Federal Government.” In his contribution, Senator Mohammed Magoro, PDP, Kebbi said: “I will tell Nigerians that the security agents are doing their best. We must make provision for modern technology but I will say, so far, so good.

Read More...

Boko Haram plans fresh bomb attacks in Abuja – U.S, UK, Australia

United States, United Kingdom and Australia have raised the alarm over plans by the Boko Haram sect to bombs hotels and other places frequently visited by Westerners in Abuja. 

In separate warnings issued on Wednesday, they warned their nationals to increase their levels of vigilance at hotels around Abuja as well as churches, markets, licensed premises, shopping centres and places of worship. 

They did not, however, issue specific dates for the attacks, unlike two weeks ago when the U.S and UK gave specific warnings that Boko Haram planned bomb attacks for the Easter period. The warnings were dismissed by Nigerian authorities. 

But U.S and UK were proved right when suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers attacked a busy area in Kaduna on Easter Sunday. The bomb attack left scores of people, especially commercial motorcycles operators aka okada, dead and caused immense damage to properties around the scene.

Read More...

‘Air Force battle ready for Boko Haram’

The Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Training Command, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Alex Sabundu-Badeh, has assured that the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) would continue to keep the spirit of the service up and defend the sovereignty of Nigeria against any security threat.

 He said this during a 10 kilometre route match where over 1,000 air officers participated in checking the alertness and prompt assembly of the personnel in view of the current insecurity in the country.

 According to him, the quick and prompt assembly for the route match had shown that NAF would perform creditably when called upon to go out for any operation. AVM Badeh also reminded the air officers to defend the country against the Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges bedeviling it.

 He told them that his office would operate an open door policy, but warned that his command would not condone any act of indiscipline. “This exercise is not a show of our physical fitness, but to be able to bring everybody together and do things together as a group. Certainly, any exercise you do will enhance your physical fitness and since nobody fell by the roadside during the exercise, it means that we have proved to be ready for any call to duty,” he said.

 The exercise was conducted at the Air Force Base Headquarters and was attended by commanders, officers and men of the seven units in Kaduna, namely the Headquarters Training Command (HQTC), Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), 325 Ground Training Group (GTG), 335 Base Services Group, 333 Logistic Group, 345 Aeromedical Hospital and the Nigeria Air Force Institute of Safety.

Read More...

‘Boko Haram is not Islamic’

The Vice Chairman of the Muslims Pilgrim Welfare Board in Cross River State, Sheikh Bature Abdulkadir has said that activities of the Boko Haram sect are criminal and un-Islamic.

 Sheikh Abdulkadir, who is also the chief imam of the mosque in the University of Calabar said, “How can members of this group say that everything from the West is bad or un-Islamic. 

How can they condemn Western education when Prophet Mohammed urged the early followers of Islam to go all the way even up to China which was not even an Islamic country to obtain education? If they condemn everything from the West, what of the phones they are using to communicate, the bombs they detonate to destroy lives and property, and the cars they drive.”

Read More...

Boko Haram kills new spokesman

There is likelihood that the Boko Haram sect might have killed its present spokesman, Abu Qaqa II, last week. The new spokesman, who took over from Abu Qaqa I, who is now with the State Security Services (SSS) on detention after his arrest in January, was accused of planning to defect sometime last week. 

 The killing, according to reliable security sources, was at the behest of the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau. Earlier in the year, shortly after his arrest, Abu Qaqa I had revealed that death for a member suspected of defection plan or disloyalty is always the only option. He had said that such applies especially to members who are non-Kanuri like the sect leader, Shekau. 

Qaqa noted that even the members sent on suicide missions by compulsion must never be Kanuri, which is how the leader safeguards his tribesmen from death, while exposing others to bombing that consumes their lives. Since Abu Qaqa II was accused of trying to denounce the sect after intensive trailing by the security agency that saw him changing locations severally, his group felt the best for him was death. 

Abu Qaqa II whose real name is Mohammed Anwal Kontagora was from Kontagora in Niger State. He took the name Abu Qaqa in February this year after the original Abu Qaqa, 42, also known as Abu Dardaa, Mohammed Shuaibu, Mohammed Bello, Abu Tiamiya and Abdulrahman Abdullahi, was arrested.

 Kontagora, like his predecessor, was non-Kanuri, so his case as applicable to every non-Kanuri was said to have been decided summarily by the sect leader. After elimination of the spokesman, the source revealed that Boko Haram is shopping for a new spokesperson that would be dubbed Abu Qaqa III. The vacuum created by Abu Qaqa II’s assassination was said to have been responsible for the silence of Boko Haram over the Easter Sunday killing in Kaduna by the group.

Read More...

We Will Consume Jonathan In 3 Months –Boko Haram Leader

“You Jonathan cannot stop us like you boasted, instead we will devour you in the three months like you are boasting. If death is your worldly gain, for us, it is eternal victory to die working for Allah. Our joy is to die in Jihad for Allah against infidels like you…" 

 Sheik Abubakar Imam Shekau, leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect boasted in a new Video posted on YouTube on Thursday. (see the video below) In the video which lasted for about 14 minutes and titled "Message To Jonathan" the sect leader said President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian security agencies do not have what it takes to end their operations. 

 “Allah that finishes Pharaoh and other wicked rulers that you are not even up to them, will finish you and end your government. We are not afraid because we are not doing man work but Allah’s work. And we will see who will carry the day,” he added.

Read More...

5 killed in another Boko Haram attack in Borno

No fewer than five people were killed in Banki, a border town in Borno State, during attacks said to be launched by the Boko Haram Islamist sect. The police also claimed to have killed five of the attackers. newsmen gathered that the attackers stormed the commercial town of Banki, a small community about 145 kilomtres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital at about 7pm on Tuesday night. 

They were said to have launched an offensive against Banki Police Station, immigration and customs outposts, killing three civilians, a policeman and an immigration personnel. Sources said the attacks, which lasted for about three hours, caused great panic among residents as many were said to have stayed indoors even till the early hours of yesterday. “It was bad and many of us couldn’t sleep throughout the night because of the gunshots. 

You known anybody could be a target or be hit by stray bullet in such situation,” one of the residents of the area said in a phone conversation. Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, who confirmed the incident, said the attackers arrived at about 7pm. “They shot sporadically to cause panic before moving to the police station, immigration and customs outposts. They burnt the customs and immigration outposts but attempts to raze down the police station were repelled by the police. 

Unconfirmed numbers of vehicles were damaged,” he disclosed. He also confirmed that a policeman, immigration personnel and three civilians were killed in the attack, adding that normalcy had been restored in the area. But the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Samuel Tizhe, in his account said the gunmen came at about 6.30pm in different vehicles, saying, “the police engaged them in battle for over three hours until reinforcement of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives sent from Maiduguri and the Police Mobile Force (MPF) personnel drafted from Bama arrived the scene. 

The attack was foiled despite resort to use of IEDs.” Tizhe also said five of the attackers were killed by the police while two policemen were equally injured. He also disclosed that two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), two AK47 rifles with 51 rounds of ammunition and one of the vehicles used by the sect were recovered. He said the area had been condoned off, adding that mob up operation was going on there.

Read More...

Dozens of Boko Haram help Mali’s rebel seize Gao

Among the rebels controlling Mali’s northern city of Gao are dozens of Nigeria’s Islamist Boko Haram group, a regional deputy told AFP on Monday, while a security source confirmed the information. “There are a good 100 Boko Haram fighters in Gao. 

They are Nigerians and from Niger,” said Abu Sidibe, a regional deputy. “They’re not hiding. Some are even able to speak in the local tongue, explaining that they are Boko Haram.” Militants from Boko Haram “were in a majority among those who attacked the Algerian consulate” in Gao on Thursday, a Malian security official said, adding that “they had black skin”. 

 Seven Algerian diplomats, including the consul, were taken hostage at the time. Witnesses interviewed by telephone from Bamako said members of Boko Haram were later seen openly driving the kidnapped consul’s car. 

 The kidnapping was claimed in a statement on Sunday by an Al-Qaeda dissident group, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). MUJAO is said to have broken off from the main group, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), in order to spread jihad to west Africa rather than confine themselves just to the Maghreb or Sahel regions. 

 Boko Haram, which has also kidnapped westerners in Nigeria, has been blamed for a series of attacks over Easter weekend in northern Nigeria that left at least 45 dead. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the leaders of AQIM, was also spotted over the weekend in Gao, witnesses said.

Read More...

Former SSS agent confirms Boko Haram's Al-Qaeda connections

Mr  Bukar Tarha, a retired secret service agent, told an Abuja Federal High Court that the Islamic fundamentalist, Mohammed Suleiman Ashafa confessed that he was working for the resident chief of Al-Qaeda in West Africa, Kano based, Adnan Ibrahim.

He also said that Ashafa confessed to have taken some Nigerians for terrorism training. This revelation was made known on Monday in a court case brought by the Federal Government against Ashafa who the government claim has ties to Al-Qaeda.

The SSS had arrested the accused six years earlier for his lead role  in steering the affairs of  Al-Qaeda in Nigeria.

Source:businessdayonline

Read More...

Boko Haram scare in Jos as police arrest two men with guns

There was a Boko Haram scare in Jos, yesterday, following the arrest of two young men suspected to be members of the dreaded sect.

The young men driving in a red car were arrested by anti riot policemen around the main branch of FirstBank along Bank Road after they were found with two ‘guns’ following a search.

Although the guns were later found to be toy guns, there was commotion as rumour spread that two members of the sect had been arrested.

The rumour generated mixed reactions from residents as some thronged to the scene to catch a glimpse of them while others closed their businesses for fear of possible explosion.

The situation was worsened when policemen, finding the crowd uncontrollable, fired into the air to disperse them.

The two men were later taken into custody for interrogation.

Spokesman of Plateau Police Command, Mr Samuel Dabai who confirmed the incident said the suspects claimed that the toy guns belonged to their children who left them in the car.

He said investigations were on and called for calm among residents.

Read More...

At least six killed in Islamist-linked violence in Nigeria

Nigeria - A former police officer and two of his friends were killed Sunday in a shootout in Nigeria that also killed three suspected members of the Boko Haram Islamist group.

Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for the elite unit hunting down Boko Haram members, said militants attacked soldiers in the city of Maiduguri in a raid launched late Saturday, triggering a fierce gunbattle that lasted until early Sunday.

"The attack was repelled. Sect members retreated through narrow paths to different locations only to reorganise and shoot dead a retired police inspector and two of his friends right in front of his house."

Musa said three Boko Haram members were killed in the shootout.

One resident said about 20 gunmen attacked a police station with rifles and explosives.

"There was a shootout that continued throughout the night and around 200 residents were forced to lie on their faces along the streets to avoid being caught in crossfire," he said.

Another local man said he saw six dead bodies.

"The shooting continued throughout the night, we did not sleep," he said.

Boko Haram, blamed for a wave of attacks mainly in northern Nigeria, has targeted mostly the police and other symbols of authority in Africa's most populous nation, but also churches.

Although its specific aims remain largely unclear, violence by the sect since mid-2009 has claimed more than 1,000 lives, including more than 300 this year alone, according to rights groups and an AFP count.

Read More...

BOKO HARAM: Senator Ndume Names VP Namadi Sambo

The believe that some senior politicians in Goodluck Jonathan's administration are "involved" with members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, directly or indirectly, has been confirmed by Senator Ali Ndume.

I hear that Senator Ndume has sworn before a Federal High Court in Abuja that the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, was fully aware of his dealings with the sect.

According to sources, the trial of the Senator may have assumed a dangerous dimension as it is believed the man is no longer happy that he's been allowed to suffer alone when, in fact, he is not alone in the business of "contacting" members of Boko Haram.

While challenging the 4-count criminal charge that was entered against him, Senator Ndume admitted having telephone exchanges with members of the terrorist sect but denied furnishing them with classified information that has aided their operations.

The embattled lawmaker who said the first telephone exchange he had with the sect was on October 4, 2011, insisted that the reason the sect approached him was as a result of his being a member of the Presidential Committee that was inaugurated on August 2, 2011, with a view to addressing the security challenges in the North-Eastern part of the nation.

An affidavit deposed to by his counsel on his behalf read in part:

“The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Namadi Sambo, is also aware that he was in contact with the Jammatul Sunnah Walid Jihad (otherwise known as ‘Boko Haram’).

“All actions taken by him with respect to the “Boko Haram” were for and on behalf of the said Presidential Committee as he was mandated by the said Committee. Before his appointment as a member of the Committee, he never had any contact with the said sect or any member or in possession of the telephone numbers of any member of the sect".

It would be recalled that Senator Ndume was arrested by the SSS on November 21, 2011, after a self-confessed spokesman of the sect, Ali Sanda Konduga, fingered him as one of the major sponsors of the sect... No official reaction from the office of the Vice President as at the time of posting.

Read More...

Suspected Boko Haram members die in suicide blast during raid

Suspected members of Boko Haram Islamist sect set off a suicide car bomb Saturday during a military raid on their hideout in the northern city of Kano, police said.

The army chief of Kano state Brigadier-General Iliyasu Isa Abba said the explosion was a desperate act aimed at avoiding capture.

“It was a suicide plan so that all of them would go because they knew the security forces were coming that was why they primed the car,” he said at the badly-damaged hideout.

The number of deaths was not immediately clear but an AFP journalist saw two bodies in front of the house.

Four women and eight children were found in the building by the Joint Task Force soldiers. They are believed to be relatives of the suspects.

Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of shootings and bomb blasts, mostly in northern Nigeria, which have killed more than 1,000 people since 2009.

It claimed responsibility for an August suicide attack at the UN headquarters in the capital Abuja which killed 25 people and for coordinated bombings and shootings in Kano on January 20 which left 185 people dead — the group’s deadliest operation.

Read More...