The Borno State government has suspended trading in four cattle markets to prevent the sale of stolen livestock to raise funds for Boko Haram terrorists.
Kashim Shettima
Governor Kashim Shettima said, “All trading activities have been suspended until further notice in line with (the) government’s commitment to ensure that no public place is turned into an avenue for funding activities of the terrorists.”
The affected markets are in the towns of Gamboru, Dusuman, Shuwarin and Ngom all outside Maiduguri, the state capital.
Sales of dried meat such as “kilishi” have also been banned, he added on Friday.
A military counter-offensive that began last year has recaptured territory lost to Boko Haram in Borno and two neighbouring states and the Federal Government believes the group is “technically” defeated.
Hit-and-run raids on remote villages in the mainly agricultural region – a trademark tactic of the group – have increasingly seen Boko Haram fighters make off with cattle and foodstuffs.
The army says it has cut off the rebels’ supply lines, making it difficult for them to source food, fuel for vehicles and weapons. Some raids have been carried out on foot or even on bicycle.
Shettima told a meeting of cattle traders that security officials have reported the markets were being used by unscrupulous middlemen to sell stolen livestock in raids at inflated prices.
“The money realised from such transactions will then be channelled to fund the deadly activities of the terrorists,” Shettima said.
Maiduguri’s cattle market has previously been shut for similar reasons, leading to a shortage of meat in the city and a public outcry.
Imports of cattle into Maiduguri have been banned for the next two weeks and only licenced cattle traders and butchers were allowed to bring in livestock, slaughter and sell meat, the governor added.
Numerous Nigerians, especially apologists to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have kept responding to the disclosure made by President Muhammadu Buhari concerning the whereabouts of the more than 200 Chibok girls captured by Boko Haram.
President Buhari
The girls were kidnapped in Christian dominated community called Chibok in Borno State on February 14, 2014 as they were preparing for their exams.
Controversy trailed the abduction as blames were passed from the state government, school authorities and the then federal government led by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former President, Goodluck Jonathan was voted out in the 2015 general election as a result of his inability to rescue the chibok girls, corruption, unemployment and power.
Nigerians expected promising end to present circumstances as President Muhammadu Buhari was elected. There was celebration home and abroad as he guaranteed to handle corruption – a scourge that is quick sinking the nation notoriety. He also guaranteed among many other things, to organize the safeguarding of the kidnapped girls and free the nation from the tight hold of terrorism.
While addressing the nation after taking the oath of office, Buhari said “The most immediate is Boko Haram’s insurgency. But we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents. This government will do all it can to rescue them alive.”
The Nigerian President may have forgotten the statement credited to him above before telling BBC Hausa that Boko Haram was “technically defeated.”
Chibok girls
The seemed confused President said “”So I think technically we have won the war because people are going back into their neighbourhoods. Boko Haram as an organised fighting force, I assure you, that we have dealt with them.”
On Thursday, Nigerian president, during a media chat gave a shocking revelation about the whereabouts of the missing girls which indirectly undermined the sincerity and seriousness of the government to rescue the girls; showed the incompetency of the Nigerian forces.
Buhari had told the panel of journalists that there was no clear intelligence of the whereabouts of the girls, assuring that he was ready to negotiate with the terrorists if a genuine member signifies interest.
PMB said “We wanted to make contact but we insist on identifying the bonafide so-called Boko Haram leadership,”
The president said he had no concrete intelligence on where the girls were or the state of their health, adding that “That is the honest truth.”
Before any negotiations can begin “we are looking for a credible Boko Haram leadership that will confirm that the girls are alive,
“We want to be sure that they (the girls) are complete, safe before holding any talks” he added
As a president with all intelligence at his beck and call, it was disgraceful to know that about eight months after assuming office, he is yet to know the state of the girls or their whereabouts.
In October, a local newspaper reported that Chibok girls were alive but many impregnated, some suffering from VVF and other diseases, a revelation that was quickly denied by the military.
Two days after Buhari claimed not to know their whereabouts, a Nigerian journalist, Ahmed Salkida who was reported to be very close to the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau revealed that the girls were alive and well.
According to a report by TheCable on Friday, Salkida said instead of the Nigerian President to use state machinery to open access to the sect, he displayed his ignorance by saying he doesn’t know the whereabouts of the missing girls.
The journalist opined that the girls can return to their parents only if the government showed half readiness as some of the girls in captivity who have refused to denounce their religion for Islam.
“Most of the Chibok girls, whether they are split into groups or not, are alive, multiple credible sources have told me. And if a deal to release them will weaken national security and endanger the entire country, then the federal government shouldn’t make a deal,” Salkida said.
He added:“I am confident that Chibok girls and other captives can return to their families if the government is half as strong-willed as some of the girls in captivity that have refused to be married out or give up their faith.
“The girls would have never backed out of any process, no matter how irritating it is. They would stay on and negotiate hard until they get a deal that will earn them their freedom and stop such abductions so that no one else can ever witness their woeful plight.”
Meanwhile, despite the said technical defeat, Boko Haram has continued to launch damning attacks that have killed thousands of innocent Nigerians since the All Progressives Congress, APC party, which claimed would end insurgency in December take over.
Will the girls ever be rescued? China, Cameroon, UK, US, and other countries have promised to help Nigeria with intelligence and as at 31st, Nigerian government claimed ignorance of any credible information that may lead to the rescue of the girls.
Residents of northeastern Nigeria were gripped by fear and anxiety on Tuesday after two days of bloodshed blamed on Boko Haram, pouring scorn on government claims the jihadist group was “largely defeated”.
More than 50 people were killed in a 48-hour wave of shootings and bombings in the volatile region, just days ahead of the government’s end of year deadline to stamp out what has been described as the world’s deadliest terrorist group.
Nigeria soldiers fighting Boko Haram
In the latest attacks, two female bombers detonated their explosives in a crowded market in the town of Madagali on Monday, killing 30 people.
A spate of suicide bombings and shootings in and around Maiduguri, the capital of neighbouring Borno state, killed another 22 people in two days and injured scores more.
In Madagali, armed soldiers were patrolling the dusty streets of the agricultural town on Tuesday, searching vehicles and passengers for explosives and weapons.
– ‘People still jittery’ –
But despite the heightened security, residents were bracing for more violence.
“Security has been beefed up everywhere but people are still jittery. No one knows the next target because the bombers have no known identity,” resident Timothy Manzo told AFP.
“We try to be calm and go about our daily routine but the fear is still there, we are only suppressing it because life has to go on.”
The latest carnage highlighted Boko Haram’s continued ability to stage deadly attacks even after the Nigerian government vowed to end the group’s deadly insurgency by December 31.
“They (Boko Haram) know they are on their way out,” Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists in Lagos.
“They lack the capacity to launch horrendous attacks they used to do in the past.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office at the helm of Africa’s most populous nation in May, had said last week that Boko Haram was “technically” defeated.
Over 17,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram’s six-year quest to create an independent Islamic state in Nigeria.
– ‘Same mistakes’ –
For Buhari, a continued Boko Haram insurgency is a potential threat to his credibility — and popularity — going into 2016.
“It is always a bad idea for the leaders of countries to declare highly active terrorist groups dead,” Max Abrahms, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern University in Boston, told AFP.
“History shows that terrorist groups are extraordinarily difficult to snuff out once they have reached a critical mass,” he said.
“The truth is that terrorism is very easy to perpetrate.”
The previous administration under Goodluck Jonathan made repeated pledges of a swift end to the conflict, all of which came and went, hurting government credibility and becoming a major factor in Jonathan’s ousting in the March election.
“A decisive victory against the sect was the cornerstone of Buhari’s election campaign, yet it increasingly appears that he is creating the same mistakes as his predecessor,” said Ryan Cummings, chief Africa analyst at the South Africa-based crisis management group Red 24.
While Nigeria’s military has won back swathes of territory from the jihadists in recent months, Boko Haram has expanded its network in neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
“It is evident that Boko Haram has expanded outside of Nigeria’s borders,” Cummings said, adding that the lack of regional cooperation was cause for concern.
An 8,700-strong Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) compromising troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin was supposed to be deployed earlier this year, but little has been heard about its activities.
According to the Global Terrorism Index, a report released by the New York-based Institute for Economics and Peace, Boko Haram “has become the most deadly terrorist group in the world”.
The Islamic extremists have increasingly relied on children as weapons, often deploying young girls strapped with explosives into crowded marketplaces and mosques.
BORNO State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, yesterday confirmed the killing of 14 people in Gumsuri village on the outskirts of Maiduguri metropolis, after two suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated their strapped Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at a mosque while the moslem faithful were conducting their Thursday prayers at 6.35pm.
Double bombing rocks Jos, 13-year-old with suicide vest held
Opadokun said 15 people who injured in the blasts were taken to the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital by the rescue team of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) led by its Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Kanar.
In a text message to The Guardian in Maiduguri, Opadokun said: “Two suspected bombers detonated IEDs in and outside a mosque of the Maiduguri village of Molai. The mosque consequently collapsed, injuring many people praying inside. Casualties have been evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.”
Investigations, according to him, were in progress and normalcy has been restored in the village with increased patrol of the Molai and Damboa road and environs.
Meanwhile, barely 12 hours after Thursday’s twin blasts, three suspected female Boko Haram suicide bombers also attacked Umarari village with “hidden strapped” IEDs, killing four people including two children in the early hours of yesterday. Umarari is farming community and 15 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to Umarari village head, Alhaji Bako Bulama, 22 people were also injured in the blasts and were evacuated to the Specialist Hospital Maiduguri yesterday morning by the rescue team of NEMA.
“We were shocked and terrified with these blasts that shattered the lives and property of my people in the early hours of Friday at 5.07am. You can see the bodies of four villagers, along with their two children killed by female suicide bombers last night. The vigilante youths however intervened by chasing one of the insurgents into the bush on bicycles and he was arrested this morning,” Bulama said.
He said one of the female suicide bombers detonated the explosives at the hut of a villager who was asleep before the early morning prayers.
However, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Yusuf Buratai has charged troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole fighting to defeat terrorists in the North East to be courageous in carrying out the offensive and remain loyal to the cause to keep the nation united.
Buratai gave the charge in his address to the troops as they prepared to launch another offensive on the insurgents in their remaining enclaves.
The COAS, who noted that the next few days would be crucial to Operation Lafiya Dole, said: “It is also crucial to our country Nigeria. Our sovereignty as a nation is threatened. The Nigerian Army and indeed the military as the symbol of our nationhood, is being challenged.
“Our ability to stand and defeat the Boko Haram terrorists in the next few weeks will determine the future of our country. We cannot afford to lose the fight. We are better trained and better equipped.
The whole nation is behind us. Mr President is with us. Let us remain steadfast in this noble cause. Be courageous. We must degrade and defeat the terrorists. This job must be done. We must make our country men and women proud.”
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima and Director General of NEMA, Mohammed Sani Sidi yesterday visited the scene of the blasts and family members of the victims.
They urged the villagers to always be conscious and vigilant of any suspicious movement of individuals and groups of people in their midst.
“Security and protection of your lives and property should not be left alone to the military and other security agencies in the state. All of you here from today should rise up to the challenges we are facing on this Boko Haram madness of destruction of many lives and property in Borno,” Shettima said.
A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Hamza Isa, also said: “The suspects burst into this village through the northern flank of Sambisa Forest to target Maiduguri markets and motor parks before they detonated the explosives in Umarari village about 5am. The motive of the suspects was to cause more havoc on people’s lives and property. But some of us were able to track down and arrest one Boko Haram suspect.”
The Nigerian Army has moved to reinforce the troops with Special Forces, following an attack on Sector 1 of 27 Task Force Brigade located at Geidam, Yobe State, Wednesday evening.
The Director of Army Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, who confirmed this in a statement on Thursday, said that the attack (by the terrorists) was successfully repelled by the troops and the reinforcement sent.
Usman also said that the troops killed most of the attacking terrorists and destroying their weapons and equipment.
However and regretfully too, he added, we lost three soldiers and some equipment during the encounter.
Also, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai who was on operational visit to North East, personally visited the troops location, assessed the damage done.
At the visit, Buratai used the opportunity to warn the officers of the unit that such ugly incident should not be allowed to happen again.
The COAS also drove into the town and further assessed damage by the terrorists and gave further directives to the troops for the defence and improved security of the general area. He also met with some of the community leaders and Idris Aloma Polytechnic staff where he assure them of their safety and improved security.
He noted that the situation in Geidam was now calm and people are going about their normal businesses.
Buratai assured the public that this isolated incident would not be allowed to repeat itself. He also reaffirmed the Army’s determination and commitment to route out the Boko Haram terrorists in all their enclaves before the end of this year.
The Nigerian Military has confirmed that Boko Haram terrorists poisoned sources of drinking water in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Abubakar Shekau
It, however, said that no human lives have been lost, though there were animal casualties.
Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, stated these during an interactive session with defence Correspondents in Lagos.
He said adequate awareness and sensitization of the people on the menace saved lives, adding that the relevant agencies will take the necessary steps to address it.
He said poisoning of sources of drinking water was an exhibition of weakness and desperation by the terrorists.
He said: “The alarm is true. Relevant agencies will act on it. Ours is to provide security.
“This brings me to the issue of weakness. They are weak. Since they have been dislodged from their strongholds, they are engaging in all sorts of practice.
“Since the factories where they produce IEDs have been discovered and their commands decimated, what they do now is to go into other areas.
“No human lives have been lost but some animals suffered from it.
“Terrorists are using other methods to inflict hardship on citizens in areas they have been uprooted.
“We are calling on the citizens to know this and report unusual movement by giving us information.
“The media also, has to create the awareness against this kind of menace so that people will know.”
The Nigerian Army on Wednesday released 128 detainees after certifying that they had no link with the Boko Haram terrorists group in Borno.
The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, handed over the detainees to Governor Kashim Shettima at a ceremony in Maiduguri.
He said the detainees included 109 men, seven women, 11 boys and one unattached teenager.
He said they were arrested at different parts of the state by the military in its anti-terrorism campaign.
Mr. Buratai said after thorough screening by a team of military intelligence officers, the police and the Department of State Security Service, the suspects were found to be clean and were released.
“The task of Operation Lafiya Dole can be seen in three terms – to defeat the insurgents, to facilitate humanitarian activities and observe human right and restore the administrative functions in the liberated area.
“We are here to formally hand over those arrested in the process of our operations; we are pleased to hand over the 128 suspects that have been cleared by the joint intelligent core, which comprised the Army, the police and DSS,” he said.
The COAS said the action was an indication that the military was made up of highly trained officers, who believed in observing human right.
“This is clear manifestation that the army is clearly professional,” Mr. Buratai declared and expressed optimism that the Boko Haram terrorism would soon come to an end.
“We will continue to emphasis that this terrorism will soon come to an end.
“We have been supported by President Muhammadu Buhari; we are getting more equipment and we are getting more of our troops redeployed to the operation,” he said.
He commended the Borno government for its support for the military in the anti-terrorism war.
The military had, earlier on July 6, freed 182 suspects, after a team of investigators cleared them of involvement with the group. (NAN)
Boko Haram extremists on Monday raided a village in restive northeast Nigeria’s Borno state near the border with Niger, killing seven people, community leaders told AFP.
Boko haram in Borno
Dozens of gunmen stormed Awonori, a farming and herding village near the fishing town of Damasak, and carted away food supplies and livestock, they said.
“They killed seven people, looted grains and took away all the livestocks in the village before fleeing into the bush,” Muhammadu Modu Wan-Wan, head of the Damasak fishermen’s union, told AFP.
“The gunmen who came in vans and on motorcycles around 7:00 am (0600 GMT) besieged the village and opened fire on residents as they were having breakfast before moving to their farms,” he said.
Wan-Wan said the attack forced the villagers to flee but they returned after the assailants had left.
Abubakar Gamandi, the head of Borno’s fishermen’s union, confirmed the attack.
“I received report from my members in the Damasak area that Boko Haram gunmen attacked Awonori village this morning where they killed seven people and took away food and livestocks,” he said.
Last month, residents of Damasak and surrounding villages fled their homes and crossed the border into the Niger town of Diffa, fearing Boko Haram attacks.
But Wan-Wan said many residents have since returned to their farms.
“People have no food to feed their families which is why they take the risk of going back to their villages to work on their farms now that the rainy season has started,” he said.
Boko Haram, which is seeking to carve out a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has killed some 15,000 people since 2009.
A regional 8,700-strong force aimed at ending the insurgency is due to deploy within days.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told a national security gathering in Abuja that his government would “employ at least an extra 10,000 police officers and establish a properly trained and equipped federal anti-terrorism multi-agency task force” to crush the rebellion.
Kaduna – The Nigerian Army has re-engaged a number of its retired officers to serve as consultants and instructors at the Nigerian Army School of Artillery (NASA), Kachia, Kaduna state.
“This will no doubt greatly ensure the sharing of knowledge and expertise between serving and retired officers of the Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA), “Major-Gen. Lawrence Jokotola (rtd) said Friday in Kaduna.
He spoke at a pulling out parade organised for him and 32 other retired generals of NACA at the Kalapanzi Barracks.
Jokotola said that the Nigerian Army should sustain the initiative arguing further that, “as retired gunner offices, we are available at all times to contribute in whatever way the corps send us fit to perform in the achievement of its organizational goals and indeed those of the Nigerian Army.
“There is no gainsaying that that the challenges the military is currently facing are not unsurmountable if the old ideals of training, good administration and discipline address are extolled.
“I therefore enjoin all gunners to rise to the occasion and do the nation proud by providing timely, accurate and effective for support for the Nigerian Army in its drive to meet up with its constitutional responsibilities at all times.
“We all started the journey in the service of our fatherland as young men and grew up to become the retired generals that we are today.
“We were privileged to get the best education and training while in active service and these opportunities moulded all of us into responsible citizens that we are today.”
Gunmen suspected of being members of Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, have raided three villages in Adamawa State even as another group invaded Kwata Mai Kadir and surrounding villages in Askira-Uba local government area of Borno State, killing 40 people and injuring scores of residents. 25 were killed in the Adamawa weekend attack while 15 died in Borno.
Abubakar Shekau
The Adamawa attackers rode into the villages on motorcycles on Friday morning before gunning people down, according to residents and Maina Ularamu, the Chairman of the local government in the Madagali district. In the Borno incident, the insurgents went away with two vehicles, after looting foodstuff and animals in the attacked villages.
Askira – Uba is 240km south of Maiduguri, the state capital, and shares borders with Adamawa State and some parts of Sambisa forest, a fortified camp of Boko Haram. It suffered attacks by insurgents including the sacking of the whole council area, in the past, before it was liberated by the military.
A resident of Kwata Mai Kadir village, Mr. James Ayuba, told our correspondent that the insurgents came all the way from the Sambisa forest and killed 10 people before storming a nearby village of Yasa, about two kilometres to Mai Kadir, and slaughtering five residents.
A reliable source said the insurgents invaded the communities at about 8:30am on Friday in vehicles and motorcycles and armed with AK47 rifles and petrol bombs, wreaking havoc.
Efforts to get Borno State Police Commissioner, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, for confirmation of the attacks failed as his cell phone was not reachable.
The Boko Haram terrorist group on Friday recaptured Marte, a border town in the northern part of Borno State.
Security sources said members of the terrorist group, who fled Sambisa forest, had now regrouped in Marte.
Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha, also confirmed the recapture of the town by Boko Haram terrorists during a press conference in Maiduguri.
“It is sad as we have been made to understand that Marte is today (Friday) completely fallen under the control of the insurgents, which to us is a very huge setback,” he said.
Mustapha raised the alarm that 600 women and girls had been dispatched by the terrorists as suicide bombers with the aim of causing multiple explosions in Maiduguri.
The deputy governor urged residents to be patient with the security agencies in spite of the attendant hardships caused by the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on Maiduguri.
He said, “It is unfortunate that we are experiencing yet another attack in Maiduguri at this time that we are thinking that the insurgency should have subsided following the taking over of Sambisa forest by the military.
“Our thinking was that every other place should have been blocked so that the insurgency would be curtailed to a restricted area, but that has not been the case because the insurgents have been fleeing to other communities.
“Initially, we were opposed to the suggestion by the military, but when we received a security report that about 600 women have been kitted as suicide bombers and are to be sneaked into Maiduguri during the attack, couple with the gory pictures of some of the women who detonated themselves during the attacks, we had no option than to okay the curfew.
“But the curfew has been relaxed from noon to about 5pm to ease the hardship and afterwards it may be reviewed. Our government is going to do everything possible by supporting the military to ensure that Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State are not attacked or taken over by the insurgents.”
The capture of Marte happened as soldiers sustained the 24-hour curfew imposed on Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Thursday after Boko Haram terrorists attempted an invasion of the city on Wednesday night.
The Nigerian Military on Tuesday said it has recaptured terrorists’ camps in Alagarno, one of the strongholds which provided routes to neighbouring towns and countries.
The Defence spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, in a statement said, “Nigerian troops have this morning successfully completed a raid on all terrorist camps in Alagarno in Borno State. Alagarno is the major haven of terrorists ahead of Sambisa forest.”
He said the forest in Alagarno had made it a safe haven for the terrorists for a long time because the terrain was not easily accessible and endowed with natural hideouts from aerial bombardments.
Mr. Olukolade said some weapons and other equipment were recovered from the military operation on Tuesday morning.
He said items captured from the insurgents include armoured vehicles, several arms and ammunition of various sizes and calibres, power generating sets, grenades and Improvised Explosives Devices.
Others are bows and arrows, megaphones and rolls of copper cable which the terrorists used for the production of IEDs.
He said that a cordon and search operation was ongoing in the area to make the environment habitable for residents who were displaced by the terrorists.
The military in an operation which commenced on February has liberated many towns and communities – in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa states – formerly under the control of Boko Haram.
Foreign private security personnel from South Africa, Russia and South Korea are on the ground in northeast Nigeria to train Nigerian troops and are not engaged in frontline combat against Boko Haram, Mike Omeri has said.
The co-ordinator of the National Information Centre told Reuters in London on Tuesday that the foreigners on ground were only engaged in training Nigerian troops.
Reuters, quoting security and diplomatic sources, had reported that Nigeria had brought in hundreds of mercenaries to give its offensive against the Islamist militant group a shot in the arm ahead of the March 28 presidential elections.
“There are trainers on the ground to assist in the handling of equipment,” Omeri told Reuters on the sidelines of a news conference in London.
“They simulate, they teach. These are the things they do.” Asked if they were directly involved in fighting, he said: “I am not aware of that.”
Omeri would not confirm how many foreigners were involved but said they had come from the same countries that had provided military equipment. He cited South Africa, Russia and South Korea.
“Acquisition of recruitment and military hardware is done through a number of processes. There are government-to-government exchanges and there are those who also come through contractors,” he said.
The contractors’ stay in Nigeria would end when local troops had become proficient at handling the equipment, he added.
“This is training on site and maybe this is why the people on the ground have been described as mercenaries,” he said.
He declined to predict how long it would take for the military to regain full control. “We have started the final onslaught,” he said. “This is the road to the finish and we are on it already.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence that the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in their hostel in Chibok, Borno State last year are still alive.
President Jonathan
Jonathan, who also said that his chance of winning the March 28 presidential poll was slimmer than in 2011, based his position on the fact that terrorists would naturally display the corpses of the girls if they had been killed.
He spoke while featuring on Kakaaki, a breakfast programme on a private television station, African Independent Television.
Reiterationg his promise that the girls would be rescued alive, Jonathan said, “The good story is that they ( insurgents) have not killed them because when terrorists kill, they display the corpses to intimidate the people.
“So, these girls are alive. And so, we will get the girls. Luckily, we are narrowing down the areas of their(insurgents) control. So we will get them.”
The President stressed that security forces were wary of storming the main stronghold of Boko Haram because the insurgents might use the girls as human shields.
“Because they may use them as shields so we are working with the global best practices. We can’t just move in with artillery and clear the place,” he said.
The President however contradicted his earlier assertion during his Monday interview with the international television news channel, Al Jazeera, that the Federal Government did not mishandle the Boko Haram insurgency.
Jonathan said, “Yes, I agree that at the beginning, probably we did not really estimate the capacity of Boko Haram. Boko Haram started as a non-violent group led by (Mohammed) Yusuf and limited to around Maiduguri, of course, from Yobe to Maiduguri. It did not even get up to Adamawa, muchless of Yobe or Kano or Bauchi.
“So, it started as a non-violent group. But just like every group made up of youths or young people taking to criminality, Boko Haram expanded their network and linked up with other terrorist organisations in North Africa. Of course like al-Qaeda and others all over the world. So, they continue to build their capacity.”
While admitting that the nation, at a time, had issues procuring weapons to fight the insurgents, the President said the challenge had been overcome.
He disclosed that the country had been able to procure between 60 and 65 per cent of the weapons needed to prosecute the anti-terrorism war.
Jonathan expressed confidence that he was going to win the March 28 election under the platform of the PDP, but admitted that his chances were not as bright as they were in 2011.
He said, “Globally, a sitting president wins with fewer votes than during his first attempt. The PDP still has better chances of winning a national election. The PDP is still the dominant party; there’s no polling unit where you don’t have PDP members.
“If you remove the PDP elements in the opposition, it collapses like a pack of cards. PDP still has an edge over every other party; I am not worried about what the outcome of the presidential election would be.”
He said he believed that Nigerians would vote for him because his administration had done well.
Jonathan added that sometimes, his administration was busy developing the country that it forgot to advertise its achievements.
He said if Nigerians considered the present state of the nation with its position some years back, they would prefer that he continued in office for the next four years.
He said the additional years would afford him the opportunity to stabilise the country.
“If Nigerians really know what we were before and what we did within these four years, then they will encourage us to at least continue for the next four years,” Jonathan added.
On the alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party and his administration to foist an interim government on the nation, Jonathan maintained that there was no provision for such in the country’s constitution.
“There’s no provision for interim government in our constitution. The only interim government is military government. Talking about interim government to me is treasonable. There are some Nigerians that are bent on creating crisis in this country. There is no reason to doubt the May 29 handover,” the President said.
Jonathan also spoke on the difficulties faced by motorists at filling stations across the country, saying that the pain was temporary.
He said with the issue of payment being addressed by his government, fuel queues would end in the next one or two days.
“For fuel scarcity, we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure it is taken care of. It is very temporary. Of course, there are issues of payment being addressed and we believe that within one or two days, this will completely go,” the President said.
He however explained that Nigeria might not be completely free from fuel scarcity until the nation started refining crude oil.
The President faulted claims in some quarters that the recent reduction in the pump price of petrol was politically-motivated, saying the decision was purely an economic one.
He said, “It (price reduction) is not politically-motivated. The way people play politics with everything in Nigeria is quite unfortunate. Pump prices are not constant but are based on changes in the international market.
“When I came on board as Vice-President in 2007, the price of crude oil at the international market dropped to about $40, there was a day it dropped to $38 per barrel and we dropped the pump price to N65 per litre.
“We had to keep it up to N97 when the price went up to about $111 per barrel at the international market. The cushioning gap was because the subsidy became unbearable to government. So we had to push it up to N97 per litre.
“Now that the international crude oil price has dropped back to about $60 or so, it would not be fair for you to still ask Nigerians to pay N97 except you want to deregulate completely.
“But if you are not deregulating completely then the pump price will oscillate based on the international price of crude oil. So it has nothing to do with politics.”
When asked whether he would privatise the nation’s refineries, Jonathan said the private sector was better in terms of managing enterprises.
He said globally, the best practice was for government to create an enabling environment for the private sector to drive the economy.
The president added, “If the refineries are privatised and the private sector takes over, they are not going to bring people from the moon to work, they are still going to employ Nigerians but there is the fear of the unknown which is normal in human behaviour.
“That makes people to resist some changes. But for the refineries, we will definitely do that. We will privatise them completely in a way they would have no effect on Nigerians.
“So, we cannot continue to have refineries that would not work. It is not even helpful to them.
“But the most important thing is not just to privatise the government-owned refineries but allow the private sector to build their own refineries and that is where we are going.”
But Jonathan’s assurance that the abducted girls would be freed was doused by the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who said they might not be found.
Chidoka, who featured on a programme – BBC HARDTalk – monitored by one our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, however expressed confidence that the military would successfully dislodge Boko Haram.
He said, “ Boko Haram is a terror group. It has decimated the girls across vast areas, 98,000 square kilometres of land area in Borno State, which is even bigger than Scotland.
“The size of Borno State is bigger than Scotland and we don’t have these girls packed in a room and waiting for ransom. This is an evil terror organisation.”
When probed further to state if the government will rescue the girls, the minister replied, “Well, as we dismantle them (Boko Haram) in their areas, we are going to see what is behind those lines; we are going to see what they are doing in those forests and maybe we will find them (Chobok girls), maybe not.
“But we are looking forward seriously to see what is behind those lines.”
The minister refuted claims that the United States experts gave intelligence obtained from their drones to the Nigerian military and faulted reports that the Nigerian forces failed to act on the intelligence report from the US.
He said, “(That is) not correct, not correct, because every time they talk about intelligence they’ve given to Nigerians. We do know that at some point when we were in the middle of the major crisis, most of the intelligence we got from them was in relation to the Chibok girls.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Wednesday night had a closed-door meeting with parents and relatives of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
Plans to get the girls released from Boko Haram captivity was discussed at the meeting attended by 30 parents of the kidnapped girls, five Chibok elders and three youth leaders from the community.
The Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, represented Jonathan at the meeting which took place in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Wakil, according a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media, Olawale Rasheed, assured the parents that the government remained committed to the safe return of the girls.
He told the parents that the government had devised comprehensive counter- insurgency strategies with four focal goals: reclaiming occupied territories; rescuing abducted persons; resettling internally displaced persons and rehabilitating insurgency ravaged communities.
The statement quoted the minister as saying , “Mr President is pursuing multi- faceted strategies which address the pains, anger and frustrations of victims . Our President directed me to tell you that his government is committed to doing everything possible for the safe return of your daughters.
Militants from Islamist group Boko Haram attacked Chadian army positions in Gambaru, Borno State, on Wednesday, and were beaten back, Chadian military sources said.
Chadian troops are in Gambaru as part of a regional offensive against Boko Haram, whose militants have staged several cross-border attacks over the past week as part of its campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate.
“We knew they were going to attack us. We were waiting. The battle didn’t last long. They fled,” one military source said.
The source said eight Chadian soldiers were wounded, three out of 14 Boko Haram vehicles were destroyed, and one was seized. There was no word on whether any Boko Haram fighters had been killed or wounded.
Hundreds of people have been killed in recent fighting in Cameroon, Niger and Chad as well as in Nigeria, according to military sources from the different countries. There is no independent verification of the casualty toll.
Mortars and machine-gun fire were heard in N’Guigmi on Niger’s border with Nigeria late on Tuesday as fighting raged, apparently between Boko Haram and the army, a Niger military source said.
The town lies near Lake Chad, around 100 km (60 miles) east of Diffa. Niger’s parliament has unanimously approved sending troops to northern Nigeria as part of the offensive.
President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met behind closed doors with governors of the North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
The meeting which was aimed at finding a lasting solution to the insurgency in that part of the country was also attended by security chiefs and relevant ministers.
All those who spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting expressed the hope that elections would hold in the troubled parts of the country next month despite the violence there.
They however said the need for the deployment of more troops to the troubled areas ahead of the elections formed part of discussion at the meeting.
Those who spoke with journalists included the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh; and the governors of Borno and Yobe States.
The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that the need to reduce collateral damage had delayed the recapture of some towns and villages seized by insurgents in Borno.
Cameroonian soldiers patrol on November 12, 2014 in Amchide, northern Cameroon, 1 km from Nigeria. The city was raided by Islamists from Nigeria’s Boko Haram, killing eight cameroonian soldiers and leading the population to flee on October 15, 2014, before another six coordinated attacks that killed at least three civilians in the remote north of the country, on November 9, 2014. Boko Haram’s five-year insurgency in neighboring Nigeria has left thousands dead, and the Islamists have occasionally carried out attacks over the border. Cameroon has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers in the extreme northeast of the country to counter the Islamist threat. AFP PHOTO
Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, the Director, Army Public Relations, gave the explanation while fielding questions at news conference in Abuja.
“We are not interested in collateral damage.
“The Nigeria Army is very careful about collateral damage, to that extent our operations are carefully planned to make sure that collateral damage is reduced to the barest minimum.
“If certain areas have not been recaptured it is because the Nigerian army is giving such areas very careful plans, the plans are ongoing.
“At the right time you will see the outcome; we will not tell you, of course, before hand, of what we intend to do; but you will see the outcome,’’ Laleye said.
According to him, Nigerians will be pleased at the end of such operations that collateral damage is reduced to the barest minimum.
He assured that law abiding Nigerians in those areas would be rescued from the insurgents, while those towns and villages completely freed from terrorism and insurgency.
Earlier, he said Gombi, Hong, Uba, Makera, Holma and Vimtim, all in Adamawa, had been recaptured, adding that the current military offensive would be sustained until the enemy was “completely defeated’’.
Laleye said new strategies had been introduced in the ongoing war after formations and units involved were evaluated, adding that this had impacted positively on the counter-insurgency operations in the North East.
He said that all officers and men involved in the operations in the region would undergo counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency training before being deployed in theatre of operation.
The army spokesman explained that this followed the directive of the Chief of Army Staff that all Divisional Headquarters should set up schools to step up counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and Special Operations training.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to restate its determination to bring this counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations to a speedy and decisive end.
“Equally, the Nigerian Army seizes this opportunity to reassure Nigerians of its preparedness to support relevant agencies in the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections,’’ he said.
On the ongoing Court Martial of some officers, Laleye explained that it was necessary to enforce discipline in the armed forces and achieve success in the war against insurgency.
He said success achieved so far would not have been possible if the army do not undertake steps to remain a formidable fighting force through time tested procedures and enforcement of regulations.
“The judicial process that led to the convictions and acquittals (of some officers) followed international best practices in the military law and also conforms to relevant Nigerian laws.
“Let me state categorically that a General Court Martial has the status of the High Court and is back by extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The General Court Martial is not a final authority. Its processes are not only subject to confirmation by the appropriate superior authority but also subject to appeal,’’ he said.
The Federal Government on Monday resolved to extend the state of emergency declared in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States for the third time.
Jonathan
The emergency rule was first declared in the affected states on May 14, 2013 by President Goodluck Jonathan over the continued activities of members of the Boko Haram sect.
Since that first declaration of six months, the emergency rule had been extended twice.
The third tranche of six-month emergency rule expires on Thursday.
The decision to extend it for the third time was taken at a meeting of the National Defence Council presided over by Jonathan on Monday.
THE PUNCH had reported exclusively earlier on Monday that a decision on whether to extend the emergency rule or not would be taken at the meeting.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Muhammed Adoke (SAN), disclosed the council’s decision to State House correspondents.
Adoke said having reviewed the emergency rule, the council resolved that the government should request the National Assembly to extend the emergency rule.
When asked when the request would be sent bearing in mind that an arm of the National Assembly is currently on break, the minister said it would be done immediately.
“The council reviewed the issue of the state of emergency and the government will be requesting the National Assembly to extend the emergency rule. It (the communication) will go in immediately,” he said.
The Council which is one of the federal executive bodies established by Section 135 of the nation’s Constitution has the power to advise the President on matters relating to the defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.
Its members include the President who shall be the chairman; the Vice President who shall be the Deputy Chairman;Minister of Defence; Chief of Defence Staff; Chief of Army Staff; Chief of Naval Staff; Chief of Air Staff; and such other members as the President may appoint.
Those who attended the Monday meeting included the CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh; COAS, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah; CNS, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin; CAS, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu; Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba; and the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
Others were Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim; Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Guasu (retd.); and the Minister of Interior, Mr. Aba Moro.
While declaring emergency rule in the three states in 2013 in a nationwide broadcast, Jonathan had invoked Section 305 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
He had announced that regardless of the state of emergency imposed, the political structures in the affected states would remain intact.
Following continued violence in the state in spite of the emergency rule, there were calls for the sacking of the state governors to pave way for the appointment of military administrators.
The Presidency had however said it was unconstitutional for the President to sack state governors.
The Defence Headquarters said the armed forces will do everything to defend the nation’s sovereignty.
In a statement by Major General Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information said, the armed forces said: “DHQ wishes to reiterate the pledge and commitment it made while briefing the Joint Committee on Defence of the National Assembly to the effect that everything will be done to reverse the situation and defeat the rampaging terrorists.
Nigerian soldiers
“While welcoming all the concerns shown by Nigerians and a section of the international community following the increased menace and activities of terrorists, it is necessary to reassure all that the Nigerian Armed Forces is more than ever determined and committed to the defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria, regardless of any odd.
“It is not only the pride and reputation of the military that is at stake but that of the entire nation. We therefore urge our citizens not to lose hope or be disenchanted but to remain steadfast and supportive of the military as all steps are being taken to ensure the success of the counter-insurgency operations, especially at this crucial time when our sovereignty is being challenged.
“With this in mind, it is important to reiterate that the Nigerian military is fully conscious of its obligations to the Nigerian state and remains willing and ready to perform its duties with utmost diligence. Therefore, what the military requires at this critical period in the nation’s history is not pillories but continued support from all stakeholders and comity of nations.
“Indeed, this is not the time to despair or shift blames. Rather it calls for concerted effort by all and sundry to stop the agents of darkness who seek to destroy our country and civilization. On its part, the Nigerian military as a fighting force, assures Nigerians once again that this battle will be won.”
At least, no fewer than 8 communities and villages bordering Cameroon Republic, Gwoza, Askira Cuba Local Government Areas of Borno state and Madagali, the headquarters of Gulak Local Government Area of Borno state were on Thursday afternoon razed and completely sacked when some suspected Boko Haram terrorists laid separate ambushes, living scores dead, several others injured with displacement of residents into the bush for safety.
Our Correspondent gathered from reliable sources that the insurgents who had separated themselves into groups and stormed Yaza, Kirshinga, Kwargulam, Kuda, Shuwari Bayan kogi of Madagali in Adamawa state and some remote villages near Lassa in Askira -Uba at about 2pm wrecked havoc by killing several people including aged, youth and teenagers before setting ablaze many houses, churches, shops, vehicles after carting away with food stuffs and hard earned cash of money belonging to the poor innocent residents.
A resident of Kirshinga who spoke to our Correspondent on phone, but declined mention said, about 20 suspected terrorists invaded Kirshinga Market on Thursday at about 2pm and opined fire on traders and customers killing many of them, before setting ablaze shops and vehicles loaded with grains among others.
He added that immediately after the deadly attack, many residents who were lucky to have escaped from the scene scampered for safety and ran into the bush.
He explained that the whole of the village is now deserted as many houses and property were set ablaze by the insurgents who had a field day without confrontation from either the armless residents nor security operatives.
Also , an unanimous resident of Maiduguri whose wife hail from Yaza village in Adamawa told our Correspondent that ‘the wife received a message that some suspected insurgents invaded their community on Thursday afternoon and killed many people with the setting ablaze of the entire village, but luckily the parents of his wife were able to escape unhurt with their houses and belonging were all destroyed using Improvised Explosive Devices and petrol bombs.
Although, all effort made to confirm from the Borno state Police Cimmissioner, Mr. Tanko Lawal and his Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin was not successful as their phone lines were not reachable as at press time, a top security source confirmed the separate attacks in many communities of Gwoza, Askira Uba and Madagali council areas of Borno and Adamawa states, which he said claimed many lives with property worth millions of naira destroyed on Thursday when gunmen suspected to be terrorists laid different and coordinated attacks.
Our Correspondent gathered from reliable sources that the insurgents who had separated themselves into groups and stormed Yaza, Kirshinga, Kwargulam, Kuda, Shuwari Bayan kogi of Madagali in Adamawa state and some remote villages near Lassa in Askira -Uba at about 2pm wrecked havoc by killing several people including aged, youth and teenagers before setting ablaze many houses, churches, shops, vehicles after carting away with food stuffs and hard earned cash of money belonging to the poor innocent residents.