Taraba Assembly speaker escape death by gunmen

The Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Mr. Haruna Tsokwa, escaped death on Wednesday when his convoy was attacked by gunmen along the Jos – Abuja road.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 4.50pm at Bade forest near Keffi in Nasarawa State.

 Though the speaker was said to have escaped unhurt, some policemen in his convoy reportedly sustained varying degrees of gunshot wounds during a gun duel between the security operatives and the assailants.

The pilot car was also said to have been riddled with bullets.

The Chief Press Secretary to the speaker, Mr. Tanko Kaura, who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Thursday , said, “The speaker is in good condition.”

 Kaura said his principal escaped unhurt.

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Policemen allegedly kill two NSCDC officers in Lagos

LAGOS — Two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC, were allegedly killed in the early hours of yesterday, in Ikorodu area of Lagos, during a shoot-out with a police team.

The deceased identified as Assistant Inspector Gabriel Adaji and Inspector Innocent Akegbe, reportedly went on a raid around Konu area of Ikorodu in the company of five other colleagues.

Their mission, we learnt, was to effect the arrest of some pipeline vandals said to be operating on a broken pipeline.

They were said to have made some arrests, recovered some exhibits and were on their way to their office when they were accosted by a team of policemen allegedly led by one Inspector Sunday Gabriel, attached to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

How they were killed

There were, however, different accounts of how the NSCDC officers met their untimely death.

A version of the account from NSCDC sources alleged that their officers were ambushed by the team of policemen who were contacted on phone by the arrested vandals.

According to NSCDC sources, “Immediately the Police got wind of the information, they ambushed the officers and opened fire on their patrol vehicles, killing two while others ran for dear lives with gunshot wounds. The  vandals were immediately released by the policemen.

“On seeing that they were policemen,  men of the corps refused to fire a single shot but could only express shock that a sister agency which ordinarily should assist in fighting crime and other criminality were the ones aiding them while the vandals continue to flourish in crime.”

Another version of the account had it that the policemen queried the NSCDC men for invading the area at such time (3 a.m.) without informing them.

This reportedly led to a verbal confrontation as the NSCDC  officials maintained that they needed no clearance from the Police, since they were also carrying out their statutory responsibilities.

“After the raid,  as the officials were driving along the expressway, they were  first accosted by a team of Mobile Policemen. An argument ensued as one of the policemen said they had no right to operate in the area. But the NSCDC men explained that it was their duty to protect all government facilities including oil pipelines.

“After sometime, our men left but unknown to them, a team of policemen had laid ambush ahead. The policemen opened fire on our men, killing two and injuring five. The policemen then fled,” another NSCDC sources said.

Lagos Police  Command reacts

However, in a statement  by  the Lagos State Police Command and signed by its spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, the command  said: “The Lagos State Command wishes to use this medium to put the record straight on what actually transpired at Isawo-Ikorodu between the NSCDC and the Police.

“At about 0145hrs of date, there was a distress call from DM security PPMC, Mosimi that they were experiencing drop in pressure on the pipeline. The Unit Commander in charge of Konu immediately pulled out his men on Konu axis under Inspector Sunday Gabriel to proceed to the scene.

“As they were approaching, they heard sound of serious gun firing in their area of pipeline coverage and the Inspector instructed his men to proceed to that direction as it could be the activities of vandals. Upon arrival, they saw a group of Civil Defence Corps men coming out from the direction where the shooting was earlier heard. The NSCDC men challenged the Policemen who were about four in number on what their mission was in the area, saying that it was their sole responsibility (Civil Defence) to protect pipelines.

“Therefore, it was shocking that at about 0400hrs, the Civil Defence Corps Commandant called the Police Commander, Mosimi to say that he lost two of his men and their corpses have been deposited at the mortuary. Up till now, the pistol of Inspector Sunday Gabriel who was badly beaten and stabbed by the NSCDC officials including his other accoutrements are still with NSCDC.

“Subsequently, far away in Alausa, Ikeja, at about 0800hrs today (yesterday), the NSCDC officials abducted and assaulted three Policemen namely: Sgt Charles Igiebor, Cpl Ekun Julius and Cpl Okoro Charles who went for National ID card registration exercise. They also started attacking Policemen on sight in other parts of the state.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command immediately went on air to warn Policemen not to engage in any form of confrontation with the NSCDC officials.

“However, investigation into the matter has commenced while Lagosians are advised to maintain peace and remain calm.”

IG orders arrest  of Police team

We reliably gathered that when news of the shoot-out reached both organisations hierarchy, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, directed the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, to personally wade into the matter.

Consequently, Manko was said to have ordered the arrest of the team of policemen on duty around the area. It was also gathered that one NSCDC official who was present at the scene was  whisked alongside the policemen,to the state command headquarters, Ikeja,where investigation was said to be on going as at 3 p.m, yesterday.

NSCDC officers protest killing of colleagues

When the news filtered into the Corps office at Alausa, Ikeja, some  personnel reportedly took to the streets, attacking policemen who were oblivious of the incident.

Eye witnesses said two policemen were beaten to  stupor and dragged into the Corps’ office. At a point, a senior officer reportedly came out  and ordered his men inside.

NSCDC boss tasks personnel

Meanwhile, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC  Dr. Ade Abolurin, yesterday, in Abuja, charged men of the anti-vandal squad to maintain a working relationship with other security agencies in tackling the issue of vandalism and oil theft.

Abolurin in a statement signed by the corps spokesman,  Okeh Emmanuel,urged the personnel to remain resolute and dogged in their drive towards fighting the illicit act to a standstill without compromise.

According to Abolurin,”the Federal Government through the enabling Act has mandated the Corps to carry out the function of mounting surveillance, protecting critical infrastructure of government, arrest and prosecute anyone caught in the act of vandalism as well as those suspected to be collaborators.”

Noting that the corps might be facing its teething problems and challenges in terms of cooperation and assistance from some quarters, he said that should not deter them from discharging their duty.

Apparently proffering solution aimed at  preventing a reoccurrence of yesterday’s tragedy, he advised his men to liaise with any of the military formations within their localities whenever they  intended  to embark on any operation,informing that the military had agreed to collaborate and partner with the corps in stamping out vandalism, illegal bunkering and oil theft.

He further cautioned the corps personnel, particularly those attached to the Lagos command, to be law-abiding and avoid carrying out reprisal attack.

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2 Policemen to d*e by hanging for killing PDP members in Ekiti

 An Ado Ekiti High Court has sentenced two policemen to de*th by hanging for their roles in the killing of  two members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  over allegation of  the defacement  of posters of political opponents in Omuo Ekiti about two years ago.

Fracas broke out between the PDP and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, on March 23, 2011 at Kota Junction in Omuo Ekiti over alleged defacement  of posters belonging to PDP aspirants in the community, a development that prompted police to be drafted to the scene of the incident which subsequently led to the death of two PDP members.

Miffed by the murder, a PDP chieftain in the town and now state Deputy Chairman, Hon. Femi Bamisile, with a crowd of supporters stormed the government office in Ado Ekiti and accused the state government of complicity in the murder.

The affected police officers are,    Mr Ameh Richard and Akinyode Olaiya ,  they were  said to have been found    guilty of the murder of  two PDP members whose names were given as   Kehinde Faluyi and Michael  Ipinlaye.

The trial judge, Justice  Abiodun Adesodun who in his judgement yesterday, disclosed that there were sharp  contradictions  in the evidence adduced by the accused persons, which he said had made their evidence unreliable.

According to him, there were  contradictions in the confessional statements by the accused persons during their interrogation by the police  and the oral testimonies  during cross examination in court.

Justice Adesodun noted that the evidence by the prosecution counsel, Messrs Femi Onipede and  Omope Oluwanitemi were overwhelming and convincing enough for him to grant their  reliefs.

His words: “The prosecution counsel have proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and the accused persons are hereby sentenced to death by hanging.”

Source:Vanguardngr

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Family Of Six Killed, Burnt By Gunmen In Kaduna

 Hundreds of youths yesterday protested the alleged killing of six members of a family at Maduachi village in Zonkwa area of Zangon Kataf Local Government in Kaduna state by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

The youths carrying green leaves matched through the heart of the town, condemned the killing of the members of the family.According to an eyewitness, the gunmen numbering about 20 invaded the village and shot sporadically into the air for over 30 minutes before entering the family compound of the victims to kill them.

National President of Bajju Youth Association, Gad Ezekiel, in his account said the attackers killed all the members of the same family, leaving behind a little girl with bullet wounds.

The Chairman of Zagon Kataf Local Government Area, Mr Dominic Yahaya confirmed the incident saying: “The attackers came in the early hours of today (yesterday) and shot the family of one Yakubu Kayit. They killed members of the family and burnt their corpses. A little girl with bullet wounds was the only survivor.

“There was really tension here when the youths came out in large numbers this morning and protested the murder. It was a very tough task calming them down. I am told that the attackers are being trailed. It was indeed a gory sight to see these corpses,” Yahaya said,

Another resident of the area, Emmanuel Danboyi, said the incident allegedly happened at about 11p.m.

He said: “In the day time, we saw a trailer parked but at about 11p.m. when we had gone to bed, we began to hear gun shots for several minutes. By then, I had to evacuate my family to a safe place. Later, we discovered that all the people in the house had been killed and burnt beyond recognition.“

State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent Aminu Lawan, while confirming the incident on telephone, said investigation had commenced, adding that no arrest had been made.

Condemning the killing, Governor Patrick Yakowa of the state described it as saddening. Yakowa spoke through his Senior Special Assistant (Media), Mr Reuben Buhari in a Government House statement.

“The Governor of Kaduna State is truly saddened by the gory incident of Wednesday 14, 2012 in Madauchi, Zangon Kataf Local Government. But even in the face of such unwarranted and deliberate attempt to incite and create chaos, the state government will not be deterred in its quest of ensuring a secured and united Kaduna State.

“The state government, while totally condemning the killing as an act of barbarism, sympathized with the families of the departed, His Highness, the Agwam Bajju, Mallam Nuhu Bature, the Local Government Council and the entire people of the state,” the statement read in part.

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Kaduna State Governor Dares Boko Haram, Says, “…I Will Not Resign”

 Gov. Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State on Thursday reiterated his resolve to see through his tenure despite the spate of bombings by radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram in the state.

This was disclosed by the governor at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja while fielding questions from newsmen.

The governor disclosed that the state government was on top of the situation, adding, “me say to you out rightly that I will not resign. There is absolutely no reason for me to resign.

“We are on top of the security challenges we are facing in Kaduna State,” he stressed.

He said that the state government was working with the Federal Government and security agencies to ensure the security of the state.

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Chinese coy confirms killing of employee in Maiduguri

Officials of Chinese construction compnay, CGC have confirmed the killing of a Chinese employee of the company, Mr. Chen Jin Gle at a market in Gubio, 80 kilometers from Maiduguri by unknown gunmen on Sunday.

Also killed was an Ibo trader who had come to the market to buy donkeys.

Albert Audu, secretary of the company told Daily Trust on Monday that Mr. Gle was gunned down around 2pm. He had gone to the Sunday market in the company of a driver and a help to purchase a ram and other food items for some of the staff. He said they had purchased the ram and the driver and help were taking it to their vehicle when they heard gunshots behind and turned to see Mr. Gle lying dead on the ground.

CGC is currently handling the construction of a road between Damasak and Dikwa in northern Borno.

The assailants also robbed the two dead men of their money and phones. The deceased Ibo trader was said to have had a substantial amount of money on him at the time he was killed while Mr. Gle was in possession of some amount of money meant for the purchase of food items for the feeding of  staff of the company.

Source:Dailytrust

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Gunmen kill 16 worshippers in Deeper Life Church in Kogi

Atleast 16 worshippers lost their lives, Monday evening at a Deeper Life Bible Church situated at Otite in Okehi local government council of Kogi state.

The Commander of Army headquarters Task Force, Lt Colonel Gabriel Olorunyomi, confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Lokoja.

According to Colonel Olorunyomi , “unknown gunmen invaded the Deeper Life Church in this night (Monday) during a worship service and open fire shooting at the worshippers” he said.

He added that 15 people died instantly while the sixteenth person died in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Military Joint Task Force has cordoned of the area whilst further search are on-going for the perpetrators of the act.

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Chinese nationals fight to death in Kano

Tragedy struck Chinese community in Kano State, weekend, when four Chinese nationals engaged in a free-for-all that claimed the life of two of them.The incident, which occurred at a house in Kwanar Ganduje industrial zone of the municipality, was brought to the notice of the police, which intervention came too late.

Kano Police Commissioner, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, told reporters, yesterday, that a crack police team sent to the scene found one Xusheng Kun, male, critically injured, while another, identified by his alias, Old Man, also sustained life-threatening injury.

He said that two staff of Kano-based Zhao Dongs Nigeria Limited, Jinbo Zhao Dang Dong and Smith Zhang Ze, were arrested at the scene.

The police boss explained that Xusheng Kun, male, was latter certified dead by Doctors at Murtala Muhammad Hospital, Kano, while Old Man gave up the ghost in the same hospital, Sunday.

Idris said preliminary investigation into the matter revealed that the fight was the result of “a business deal floated on trust that went sour and we also observed betrayal of trust in whole issue,” adding that the two suspects were in detention.

He said investigation was on-going “and as soon as we establish a case, we will arraign them in court.”

He noted that a Chinese short machete, one jack knife with blood stains, and some quantity of intoxicants were recovered from the scene.

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Police inspector kills wife, flees

The Lagos State Police Command has begun a manhunt for an Inspector, who last Friday, allegedly stabbed his wife to death in the Mushin area of Lagos.

The alleged killer, one Sunday Iluegben, attached to Ikeja Division, allegedly stabbed his estranged wife on the head and neck at midnight. She was said to have bled to death.

Vanguard gathered that the couple was living apart, over an unknown cause. But the deceased, Caroline Iluegben, was said to have usually went to visit her four children and sometimes passed the night at the man’s house.

Caroline had reportedly visited her children penultimate Thursday and decided to sleep over. The unexpected occurred after one of her children woke up the next day and found her mother in a pool of blood on a mattress she slept with her husband in the sitting room.

The child’s scream alerted her siblings and neighbours, who contacted policemen at Olosan Police Station.

Police sources quoted the children as saying that their father woke up about 5.30 a.m. and left for work at 7 a.m.

“Their daughter said a scarf stained with blood was used to cover her mother’s mouth. She was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba,where she later died at 12 noon on Friday,” a police source said.

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Final year medical student killed in Uniben

Protests yesterday, engulfed the University of Benin following the killing  of a final year medical student of the institution by unknown persons.

The slain student, simply identitied as Abubarkar, was said to have been stabbed on the neck by his attackers at about 9pm on Senior Staff Quarters Road on  Ugbowo campus of the university.

The students, who protested the killing of their colleague, said security operatives in the main campus were not doing much to protect them.

The late Abubarkar, was said to have died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, where he was rushed to.

When contacted, the university spokesman, Mr Harris Osarenren, confirmed the incident, adding that the killing had been formally reported at the Ugbowo Police Station.  He said investigation was on going to unravel those behind the killing.

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, confirmed that the killing took place on the campus, adding that the police was investigating the killing.

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Police kill Prison Warder in Yenagoa, DPO, others arrested

The incident, according to an eyewitness, occurred opposite Wisdom Estate, along Nikton Road in the Kpansia suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the deceased, was shot in his house while entertaining two of his colleagues, who came to felicitate with him for buying a new car.

A Police patrol team, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ekeki Division, Mr Nemi Iwoh, was said to have arrived the area in response to a distress call from the area, which reported gunshots being fired in the vicinity.

The police team was said to have noticed one of the Prison Warders carrying a gun and tried to disarm him, but he allegedly refused to hand over the gun and in the ensuing scuffle it went off and killed Ugo.  

However, wife of the deceased, Mrs. Binafegha Ugo claimed that her husband was shot dead by the police in her presence and that of her six-year-old daughter. 

Ugo, who was said to have been shot in the abdomen, was immediately rushed to the Glory Land Hospital, Ovom, where he died.

When NAN visited the hospital, the body of the deceased was found covered on a hospital bed with his relations and friends wailing.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eguavoen Emokpai confirmed the incident, saying all parties involved in the incident, including the DPO and a Prison Warder had been arrested.

NAN reports that the family of the deceased had at about 7 pm retrieved the corpse from the hospital and placed it at the entrance of the Police Command  Headquarters, demanding for ``justice''

Security had been beefed up in and around the police headquarters to avert any break down of law and order. 

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Angry mob burns police station in Jos

Rampaging youths in Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau, on Sunday evening, burnt the Police Station and the Upper Area Court in the area after an annual festival.

The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, ASP Samuel Dabai,said on Monday in Jos that the incident followed a disagreement between two youths after the festival.

“After the festival, an argument ensued between two youths and one of them brought out an axe and wanted to split his colleague’s head but policemen quickly intervened and arrested the two of them.

“But the youths in the area mobilised, attacked the Police Station and released their colleagues. They also burnt the station and a court in the area in the process.”

Dabai said that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident as the policemen on duty were few and had to “run for their lives’’.

“Who will make the arrest when they (the youths) were attacking the Police Station? The officers who were on ground were not enough to resist them or make any arrest.”

Dabai said that a police officer, who was injured in the process, was rushed to the hospital and has been responding to treatment.

According to him, investigation into the incident has commenced while all those involved in the dastardly act will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The police spokesman warned youths against being unruly, particularly against security personnel, who are  safeguarding lives and property as well as maintaining law and order.

However, the military Special Task Force (STF) maintaining security in the State, said that the situation in the area had been brought under control.

STF spokesman, Capt. Mdahyelya Markus, said on Monday in Jos that some suspects had also been arrested in connection with the incident.

“Our men have been deployed to the area to restore law and order while some of the youths have been arrested and are being interrogated.”  (NAN)

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JTF kill two Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri

The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order, said it has killed two suspected members of Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri on Sunday during a shoot-out. Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa said in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Sunday that the incident happened around the Vita Form Company Bayern quarters in Maiduguri.

“The JTF has killed two Boko Haram terrorists around Vita Foam Company Bayern quarters in Maiduguri at about 1200 hours. “The incident happened when the JTF troops heard sporadic gun shots from the area and moved to ascertain what was going on.” Musa added that on sighting soldiers the suspects started shooting at them leading to a gun duel.

 “On sighting the troops they shot at them leading to exchange of fire which killed the two suspects. One Dane gun, an AK 47 rifle, eight rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and two Nokia phone handsets were recovered.” He said that the JTF did not suffer any casualty in the operation. 

(NAN)

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Gunmen attack Hausa community in Abraka

Tension was high yesterday in Abraka, Delta State as gunmen attacked Hausa community in the town and burnt a mosque. The Delta State Police Command confirmed the attack on the Hausa community but said no life was lost.

According to the head of the Hausa community (Sarkin Hausawa), Alhaji Ali Isa, “The attack took place yesterday at about 12:30am. Some people came and started shooting. Thank God nobody was killed but they burnt one mosque. We are suspecting that the real indigenes were behind the attack.”

Isa said most of the northerners in the town have fled to a police station for fear of being attacked.

Confirming the incident to the BBC Hausa Service monitored in Abuja, police spokesman in the state, ASP Charles, said the attack could be a reprisal following an alleged attack on a woman by some northerners.

He said the woman was killed and her body dumped in a bush. He said three suspects have been arrested.

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Police foil kidnap attempt, kill 2 suspects, arrest 6 others

The Police in Osun on Thursday killed two suspected kidnappers and arrested six others following a botched attempt to kidnap a bank official in Ile-Ife.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspects allegedly attempted to abduct the branch manager of a new generation bank in Osogbo.

The incident reportedly occurred at the residence of the bank manager in Ile-Ife, where the plan of the abductors was swiftly curtailed by the police and spirited members of the community.

The Commissioner of Police, Mrs Kalafite Adeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said it took the policemen deployed to the scene several hours before they were able to rescue the victim.Adeyemi said the policemen were instructed to ensure that the perpetrators, including a woman, were arrested.

The commissioner said that the operation was successfully executed with the active support of residents of the area, declaring that the situation was under control.

She said the suspects were assisting the police in their investigation, adding that they would soon appear in court for prosecution. (NAN)

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Gunmen kill 2 in attack on Nigerian policeman's home

Gunmen attacked the home of a senior Nigerian policeman Monday killing at least two officers on guard, authorities said, with scores of such attacks blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram.

The senior officer was not believed to have been in the house at the time of the attack on Monday afternoon on the outskirts of the northern city of Kano. The gunmen were not believed to have gained entrance to the home.

"A group of armed men on motorcycles attacked policemen on guard duty at a residence of a senior police officer at Dorayi quarters," a police statement said.

"During the gun duel, two policemen were killed, two injured, while the hoodlums escaped with bullet wounds."

Members of the public also pursued the attackers, the statement said.

Residents reported four policemen killed, but authorities had not confirmed the number. The home was believed to belong to the police commissioner for Imo state in Nigeria's southeast.

According to residents, two attackers arrived on motorcycles at the front of the house, while others approached from the rear. They were disguised as labourers and carried a bag of cement, residents said.

Nigeria's north has been hit by scores of shootings and bomb blasts blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram. Police have often been targeted in the attacks.

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Doctors Protest Non-Release Of Kidnapped Pregnant Colleague

Medical practitioners in Enugu State yesterday took to the streets over non-release of their eight-month old pregnant female colleague, Mrs. Chidinma Okwor, who was abducted by suspected kidnappers eight days ago.

The doctors, who wore their professional regalia, displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, “Release our Colleague now”; “Remember that an un-born child is involved”; and “We condemn the abduction of a foetus”, among others.

They insisted that the abduction of the eight-month old pregnant doctor was the height of criminality.

At the Central Police Station, Enugu, the medical doctors said if the government and security agents failed to secure the release of the woman, they would down tools in the next one week.

The executive members of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Enugu state chapter held a closed-door meeting with the police at the police station to fashion out the way forward.

Speaking during the protest, chairman, Association of Resident Doctors, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, Dr. Ugwunna Nwachukwu who led the doctors, said it was heartless for anybody to abduct an eight-month pregnant woman.

The situation, he said, had become more worrisome considering that they were yet to establish contact with the abductors, stressing that it was terrible that anybody could take into captivity a full pregnant woman.

“This is a terrible thing. For now, nobody has been able to establish contact with her abductors and this is raising concern among us. We plead that whatever that is possible, should be done to enable her regain her freedom”, Nwachukwu said.

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The leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants defends attacks

Abubakar Shekau said Boko Haram would
 not be defeated by the security forces

The leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants has defended recent attacks on Christians, saying they are revenge for killings of Muslims.

In his first video message, posted on YouTube, Abubakar Shekau referred to attacks on Muslims in recent years in several parts of northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram militants attacked several churches on Christmas Day, killing dozens of worshippers.

This has led to some revenge attacks on mosques in the mainly Christian south.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with 160 million people, is divided between a largely Muslim north and a south where most people are Christians and some animists.

Thousands of people have fled their homes following the recent attacks, leading some people, including Nigeria's president and the leader of the country's main Christian organisation, to make comparisons with the 1967-70 civil war when leaders of the south-eastern Igbo ethnic group tried to secede.

Mr Shekau, wearing a red and white turban, a bullet-proof vest and sitting in front of two Kalashnikov rifles, said he was responding to recent statements from Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan and the leader of the country's main Christian organisation, the Christian Association of Nigeria.

He warned President Jonathan that Nigeria's security forces would not be able to defeat the group.

Mr Jonathan, a Christian, has declared a state of emergency in some northern states but the attacks have continued.

On Tuesday night, gunmen opened fire on a bar in the northern state of Yobe, killing eight people, including several police officers.

The president recently said that he suspected some officials, politicians and members of the security forces sympathised with Boko Haram.

Defending the latest spate of violence, Mr Shekau referred to the killing of Muslims in places like Jos, Kaduna, Zangon Kataf, Tafawa Balewa in recent years.

Some of these places have seen bitter communal clashes but correspondents say they are often based on long-standing disputes over resources such as land, or are whipped up by politicians, rather than being based on religious differences.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said on Saturday that his members would protect themselves against the attacks, which he said suggested "systematic ethnic and religious cleansing".

Mr Shekau said the group could only hold talks with the government in accordance with the teachings of Islam.

He said the group's primary targets remained the security forces, who he said had summarily executed their former leader Mohammed Yusuf after he was arrested in 2009.

After a lull, in 2010 the group started to stage drive-by shootings on government targets in its base in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.

Last year, it carried out suicide bombings on high-profile targets such as the headquarters of the UN and the police in the capital, Abuja.

source:BBC

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Death toll in Nigeria Mubi attacks reaches 21 - Red Cross

MAIDUGURI Nigeria Jan 7  - The death toll in attacks by gunmen in the Nigerian town of Mubi has reached 21, the Red Cross said on Saturday, and reports of fresh attacks on Christians in the country's northeast have heightened fears of a sectarian conflict.

Gunmen opened fire in a hall in Mubi on Friday where a group of Christians had gathered to mourn the deaths of those killed in an attack the previous day.

"Unknown gunmen in Mubi attacked and killed 3 people on Thursday night and on Friday as people gathered to mourn the deaths, the gunmen believed to be the same attackers killed 18 people, totalling 21," a Red Cross official told Reuters.

Mubi is in Adamawa state, just south of Borno state, the homeland of radical Islamist sect Boko Haram, whose members have been behind almost daily attacks in recent months.

Local residents in the Adamawa state capital Yola said gunmen had fired on Christians leaving church on Friday, killing several people. The police were not able to confirm the attack.

Elsewhere, a Christian couple were shot dead on Friday in the Mairi ward of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and the nucleus of Boko Haram's violence in the last 18 months.

"A Christian husband and wife have been killed in the night (Friday) in Maiduguri," said Colonel Victor Ebhemele, operations officer in the Borno joint task force.

A Nigerian newspaper this week published a warning from Boko Haram, a movement styled on the Taliban and whose name means "Western education is forbidden", that Christians had three days to leave majority Muslim areas in northern Nigeria or be killed.

The Red Cross official said members of the Igbo ethnic group, who are usually Christian and a minority in the mainly Muslim north were fleeing the northeast. Most of the people killed in Mubi were Igbo, local residents said. 

Source:Reuters

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Deeper Life Church attacked by Boko Haram: 5 dead,many wounded

GOMBE, Nigeria– Gunmen attacked a church in northeast Nigeria during a prayer service Thursday night, killing at least five people and wounding others in an assault that occurred amid an increasingly violent campaign by a radical Muslim sect.

Pastor Johnson Jauro said the gunfire sprayed the Deeper Life Church in Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, injuring several worshippers and killing his wife and two others. He spoke at a local hospital, where a joint team of soldiers and police officers stood guard. Two other people later died at the hospital from their wounds.

Local police spokesman Ahmed Muhammad confirmed the attack, but declined to say how many people the gunmen killed and wounded.

The assault occurred as Nigeria remains under attack by the sect known as Boko Haram. The oil-rich nation's president recently put regions of the country under a state of emergency due to the threat, but that did not include Gombe, which sits about 350 miles (570 kilometers) from Nigeria's central capital, Abuja.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram. The sect has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is responsible for more than 500 killings this year alone. The group claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 39 people in a Christmas Day bombing of a Catholic church near Abuja, as well as a suicide car bombing targeting the U.N. headquarters in the capital that killed 25 people and wounded more than 100.

Nigeria's weak central government has been slow to respond to the sect.

On Dec. 31, President Goodluck Jonathan declared regions of Borno, Niger, Plateau and Yobe states to be under a state of emergency — meaning authorities can make arrests without proof and conduct searches without warrants. He also ordered international borders near Borno and Yobe state to be closed.

However, it remains unclear what effect that will have on a sect that has adopted hit-and-run attacks and suicide bombings to target the country's military and police, as well as civilians.

Meanwhile, a military spokesman said Thursday that soldiers killed two armed men suspected to be Boko Haram members after "resisting arrest" in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. Lt. Col. Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed said the army believes the gunmen were responsible for an attack Wednesday evening that left two people dead.

Human rights activists say security forces have carried out so-called "extra-judicial killings" out of frustration and anger at being unable to stop Boko Haram.

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