The Nigeria Federal Government has thrown light on the reason why the government cancelled the training of Nigerians soldiers American security experts.
Obama and Jonathan
The U.S Embassy had revealed to the Press in Abuja on Monday that the its government decided to cancel the training, which he said was on the third phase, based on Nigeria government request.
Responding to the assertion, The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri revealed that Nigeria had to take such decision to cancel the training of a Nigerian Army battalion for logistic reasons, adding that
He added that the cancellation became necessary as the government could not meet up with the condition placed by the US government, adding that iw as not healthy for the safety of the properties and lives of its citizens, particularly those in the troubled area in the North.
Giving more details to the problem, Omeri said contrary to the claim by many Nigerians that the relationship between America and Nigeria have gone sour, the two countries are not at loggerhead.
“Nigeria and America have strong military relation till date. It’s still ongoing and strong,”
He explained that America asked for the weapons, equipment used by the soldiers in the north to be withdrawn from the battlefield for the third phase training which would endanger the lives of the people, adding that the government would not expose its citizens at the mercy of insurgents because it wants to train its soldiers.
Omeri explained further that Nigeria soldiers had fiished two phases of the training out of three, saying that the third phase had to do with logistical components which the Americas refused to provide, instead requesting them to withdraw military equipment from the battle field.
ABUJA—Against the backdrop of evidence that Boko Haram commander, Mohammed Bashir, who has been impersonating the late sect leader, Abubakar Shekau in videos was killed on September 17, by Nigerian soldiers, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has warned that any other person or leader who emerges using the name ‘Shekau’ will receive the same treatment.
The warning was made just as 135 members of the terrorist group have surrendered to troops in Biu, Mairiga-Buni Yadi as well as Mubi-Michika towns.
Briefing the media on current developments in the Counter Terrorism Campaign yesterday, Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said, “Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the terrorists leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.
Disclosing that many of the insurgents have been surrendering to the Nigerian troops, Olukolade said, “A total of 135 terrorists on Tuesday evening surrendered with equipment, to troops around Biu local government area. A group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga-BuniYadi while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in, around Mubi-Michika”.
He said they are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices”.
Explaining how the operation was going on, General Olukolade said, “Nigerian troops have been conducting coordinated air and land operations in furtherance of efforts at containing the terrorists in the North East part of the country”.
“Somehow, it became apparent that the terrorists in continuation of their campaign of terror were determined to take over communities around Maiduguri which is their prime target. There was therefore the need to ensure that communities such as Konduga were protected”.
“It is noteworthy that the terrorists made not less than four attempts between 12 and 17 September 2014 to violate the security and enter Konduga to perpetrate their atrocities. Air and land forces were subsequently deployed to handle the situation”.
“The convoy of combat vehicles typical of terrorists’ mission that involves their top commanders were fiercely engaged by the land and air forces. Several of the terrorists including some of their commanders lost their lives in the encounters which lasted an average of about 5 hours each. The troops captured some of the terrorists and their equipment”.
“In the course of those encounters, one Mohammed Bashir who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group died”.
Continuing he said, “Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the terrorists’ leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.
“On restoring normalcy after the encounter, inhabitants of the community who were victims of terrorists activities corroborated information on the identity of Bashir Mohammed alias Abubakar Shekau; alias Abacha Abdullahi Geidam; alias Damasack; etc. Indeed, the recent devastation on the leadership of the insurgents is attributable to the renewed commitment to the mission of eradicating terrorism in our country”.
“Meanwhile, a total of 135 terrorists have yesterday evening surrendered along with equipment to troops around Biu Local Government Area. A group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bun – Yadi while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi – Michika. They are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices”.
“The Defence Headquarters applauds the gallantry of the Nigerian troops who have remained undaunted and professional in prosecuting this campaign against terror. The keen interest exhibited by our neighbours and allies is commendable and we appreciate them”.
“All allies in the war against terrorism are hereby assured of the Nigerian military’s resolve to maintain momentum in the efforts to decimate and defeat terrorists. The invaluable efforts toward achieving sustainable peace and victory against the terrorists are highly appreciated”.
“It is nevertheless necessary to alert all citizens that there is still the need for even more vigilance and cooperation with the security forces. Everybody is required to remain alert to ensure that we are not taken unawares by terrorist elements who might want to carry-out isolated attacks in any part of our country”.
On the true position of the Chibok girls presently, the DDI said all efforts were still ongoing to secure the release of the girls noting that the military will not relent until the girls are secured.
Asked to comment of allegations by Cameroonian military authorities that they were responsible for the death of the imposter Shekau, Olukolade said, “To the best of our knowledge, we can say categorically that no foreign force of any type penetrated our country’s borders up to Konduga which is just about 35 kilometers to Maiduguri”.
On the situation in Bama and Gwoza, the DDI said, “I want to repeat what the Defence headquarters have been saying all along. We have not conceded any part of this country and we won’t do so. All these areas still remain part and parcel of our operational areas and the operation is still ongoing”.
On why Nigerian troops were now having upper hand over the terrorists in the battle, Olukolade said, “Training and more training has been going on; equipment and more equipment has been coming in. It will keep coming in. There is also a new resolve to deal with all these nonsense once and for all”.
The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, has called for collaboration across board to combat the challenges posed by the Ebola virus.
Prof Chukwu, who was speaking during the launch of the Defence Identification Centre, urged the military to use it’s expertise in high tech medicine to help other health centres in finding a cure to the deadly Ebola disease.
Beyond aiding the military in it’s operations, Prof Chukwu believes the centre provides an opportunity to help the government combat some health challenges confronting the nation. He urged the military to ensure the centre is maintained to add value to the nation’s economy.
Prof Chukwu added that “now that the armed forces is going into high technological molecular diagnosis, it will be important, even in the context of the recent challenges of Ebola outbreak, to extend this facility to other diagnostic facilities; key ones, particularly areas you think members of the armed forces could be exposed to in modern warfare.
“It will be necessary that as an adjunct, since you are already moving into molecular medicine; high tech medicine, that you also begin to think of how to make proper diagnosis in each of these centres that are linked to this major Defence Identification Centre,” he said.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, while responding to the call, noted that the hazards of counter terrorism has made it imperative for the Nigerian military to continue to make technological advancements, including the DNA Centre, designed for the identification of the casualties of war and terrorism.
Air Chief Marshal Badeh also noted that “on a few occasions were multiple fatalities were recorded and corpses could not be identified, mass burials were resorted to” adding that such burials deny the heroes the privilege of being buried properly, while robbing the bereaved families the honour and satisfaction of their loved ones given befitting burials.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is one of numerous Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. It is a severe, often fatal disease in human beings.
An Abuja-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Put Nigeria First (PNF), has stressed the need for Nigerians to mobilise support for the country’s soldiers currently involved in the war against terrorism in the North-eastern states.
The coordinator of the PNF, Ms. Ijeoma Nwafor, made the call at the weekend in Abuja, indicating that among the three programmes of the NGO, premium was placed on the Support Our Soldiers (SOS) aspect.
“PNF plans to support widows and orphans of Nigerian soldiers; advocate for additional welfare for the soldiers and organize events to raise awareness of the plight of our soldiers and their family members,” a statement by the organisation noted.
“The project is a challenge to all of us because of the peculiarity of the problems in the country,” Nwafor said, adding that the group “would support the soldiers based on their needs,” through donations made to the cause by Nigerians.
“We are banking on the average citizen to support the NGO. Every person knows about the insurgency in the North. We want Nigerians to be aware of the things that are happening,” she explained.
According to her, the choice of the military is because “it is an institution that has direct responsibility to stop insurgency. So, it is important to focus on the soldiers because the army is part of or national identity.”
Asking the soldiers on the frontline of crisis to be aware of their public image, the NGO pledged to engage on what it termed “Orange Ribbon” campaign to support the soldiers. Nwafor said the campaign, billed to take place July 7, will target 1 million signatures on telephone “display pictures.”
The PNF has also lined up other programmes such as “Operation Flag Flying” and “Our Anthem, Our Prayer” to project patriotism as a solution to problems of ethnic bigotry and the use of religion “as a weapon to accomplish evil self-centred agenda.”
JOS, NIGERIA — Nigerian security forces said on Sunday they were searching for a British construction worker they believe was kidnapped in the central Plateau state. The search began after the man failed to show up for work on Saturday morning, said Captain Ikedichi Iweha, a spokesman for the Special Task Force, which is made up of both military and police personnel. Iweha declined to give further details. It was not known whether the alleged kidnappers were members of Islamist group Boko Haram or just bandits. Boko Haram gained worldwide attention when it abducted more than 200 girls from a school in northeast Nigeria in April. No one was immediately available for comment at the British High Commission in the Nigerian capital Abuja. The kidnapping of expatriates by armed gangs seeking ransom money has long been rife in Nigeria’s oil-producing southeast. However, abductions of foreigners in the mainly Muslim north for ideological reasons are also becoming more common. Plateau state is located in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt” where the north and the largely Christian south meet – a common flashpoint for violence. (Reuters)
The Nigerian Army has said that the ongoing clampdown on the media will continue until it is satisfied with its checks on the nation’s newspapers distribution network.
The Director, Defence Information, Maj.Gen. Chris Olukolade, said this on Tuesday while featuring on a programme, entitled Focus Nigeria on the African Independent Television monitored in Lagos.
Though he admitted that the onslaught was at a cost to the media, it would not stop until the military was satisfied that none of the circulating vehicles of the media organisations was not being used to carry arms and ammunition for the insurgents.
He, however, pleaded for understanding, saying the media must consider the military action as one of the sacrifices that should be made for national security.
Olukolade denied media reports that the drivers of the media circulation vehicles were being detained and that newspapers were being confiscated.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress has said that the ongoing harassment of media houses in the guise of searching for dangerous materials was unacceptable under democratic governance.
The President of the NLC, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, said the “seizure of newspapers, arrest of circulation drivers of several newspaper publishing companies as well as depriving the reading public access to information by operatives of the Nigerian military and other security agencies is absolutely unacceptable and clearly out of place in any democratic society” in an electronic mail on Tuesday.
Omar said that the military lacked the powers to trample on the freedom of the press and other freedoms entrenched in the constitution.
He stressed that the military also lacked the right to limit press freedom as the congress could not find a link between insecurity and a free press in a democratic regime.
He challenged the military to provide evidence of the involvement of the media in the violence and killings in the country.
Omar said that the media remained a critical organ for democratic development, stressing that any move to suppress the media and its operations as shown by the disruption of newspapers circulation would be resisted by the congress.
“The military and all the security agencies ought to know that all fundamental rights are germane to democracy and therefore lack constitutional and legal rights to unilaterally order the circumscription of freedom of the press or any freedom in any form as we cannot find the link between insecurity and a free press in democratic governance.
“There is an urgent need to prove the culpability of the news media in the ongoing violent attacks against people and critical facilities in Nigeria.
“For us, we strongly believe a free press is very critical in the sustenance of democracy and any obstruction to the operations of any critical organ of our democratic process would be resisted as the recent infringements in the circulation of newspapers portend,” he added
Omar challenged the military to go after those threatening the sovereignty of the country whose violent activities had “almost disappointingly overwhelmed those paid to protect lives and property, despite huge budgetary allocations.”
The labour leader said that the foreign media organisations seemed to have access to more information on the activities of the Boko Haram than the nation’s security agents.
“In any case, foreign media organisations seem to have more access to information on these violent groups, especially Boko Haram, than our security agents.
“The military and other security agencies must restrict themselves to the protection of our sovereignty and go after those threatening this country with violent attacks that have almost disappointingly overwhelmed those paid to protect lives and property, despite huge budgetary allocations,” he added
Omar noted that it was impossible for democracy to survive in Nigeria without the media and warned that the era of impunity associated with military dictatorship should not be resurrected under a democratically elected government.
The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has called for support for the Nigerian Army in its fight against Boko Haram insurgents.
Patience Jonathan now MAMA PEACE
Mrs Jonathan spoke yesterday in Abuja when she hosted children during the Children’s Day celebration at the State House.
She also appealed to the members of Boko Haram to release the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
Mrs Jonathan said: “This is the time for us Nigerians to put our differences aside and, with unity of purpose, fight terrorism.
“We should encourage our soldiers who are in the frontline to rescue our beloved daughters. Our men are defending you and me. We should pray for them and encourage them.
“Some of them have died in serving their fatherland. Why can’t we join them in prayers at this period?”
The First Lady noted that it was bad to speak ill of the leaders of the country and the service men.
“God has commanded us to pray for them. Therefore, it is our responsibility, as citizens, to pray, especially for the development of the nation,’’ Mrs Jonathan said.
She urged the children to pray for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls because it was their right to be educated.
The First Lady urged the children to be ambassadors of peace and pledged her continued commitment to ensure that peace reigned in the country.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina, said the celebration was devoid of fanfare because the First Lady was sensitive to the situation in the country.
The minister urged the children to pray for the abducted girls, whom she called “their sisters”, for God to touch the hearts of the abductors to release them.
Also, the Special Assistant to the President on Youth Matters, Mr Jude Imagwe, said President Goodluck Jonathan, was committed to the welfare , education and protection of the youth.
The presidential aide urged pupils to go to school and be educated to become better citizens and contribute to the development of the country.
The highpoint of the event was a session by members of the Children’s Parliament on the security situation in the country with special focus on the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
The parliament said the demand by the insurgents for the exchange of the abducted girls for their members in government’s custody was unacceptable.
Also, the members presented the First Lady with a banner, with the inscription: “Boko Haram Release Our Sisters”.
Troops on the hunt for the more than 200 school girls abducted last month in Chibok, Borno State are up against a fresh challenge.
Their navigation of the massive Sambisa forest where the girls are believed to be kept by their abductors is being restricted by land mines laid across the area by Boko Haram, it was learnt yesterday.
Vigilant soldiers detected the mines and the spots have accordingly been marked.
A military source said the troops were being hampered in moving around the Sambisa forest because of many landmines planted by Boko Haram.
The source said commanders and troops, which have been operating on the fringes of the forest, have marked the spots where the landmines are laid.
The source said: “Boko Haram is desperate to protect Sambisa Forest and prevent troops from gaining access to any part of it. So far, troops have discovered many landmines along the routes to Sambisa Forest; they are battling to clear these mines. Some of the landmines can destroy military tanks. We have marked the affected landmines spots and troops have been given appropriate directive.
“This development has confirmed intelligence gathering that the forest is either a major base of the sect or where the girls are kept.”
Responding to a question, the source said: “We have detonated some of the landmines but what they do mostly is to get counter-intelligence about movement of troops and in a make-shift strategy, they will go and lay landmines.
“People have been asking why it is difficult to overrun Sambisa Forest. We have a challenge of landmines but we are trying to clear these mines. In tackling mines, you peg them and detonate.
“Planting landmines is a ploy by Boko Haram to ambush troops and block access to Sambisa Forest.” The Presidential Fact- Finding Committee on the girls abduction met behind closed doors yesterday with Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
Leading the committee was its chairman, Brigadier General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd). The session focused mostly on options available to set the girls free.
The private session, which lasted three hours, was held at the Government House in Maiduguri. A source described the meeting as a no-holds-barred session.
“The session was to forge a consensus on the rescue strategy. We had paid a courtesy call on the governor on Tuesday but this secret session on Saturday was frank,” the source said. “We have been establishing a good number of facts on how to rescue the girls.”
A member/spokesperson of the Committee, Kingsley Osadolor, said: “The committee rubbed minds with the governor behind closed doors on Saturday but I cannot give you the details yet.”
LAGOS (AFP) – Nigeria’s military had advanced warning of the April 14 attack by Boko Haram that led to the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls but failed to take immediate action, Amnesty International said Friday.
“Damning testimonies gathered by Amnesty International reveal that Nigerian security forces failed to act on advance warnings about Boko Haram’s armed raid on the state-run boarding school in Chibok which led to the abduction,” the rights group said.
Amnesty said it had verified the information about the abduction with “credible sources”.
“Amnesty International has confirmed… that Nigeria’s military headquarters in Maiduguri was aware of the impending attack soon after 7:00 PM (1800 GMT) on 14 April, close to four hours before Boko Haram began their assault on the town,” the group said.
The military however could not assemble the troops needed to suppress the attack, “due to poor resources and a reported fear of engaging with the often better-equipped” Islamists, according to Amnesty.
The 17 army personnel based in Chibok were overpowered by the attackers and had to retreat, the London-based group further said.
“The fact that Nigerian security forces knew about Boko Haram’s impending raid, but failed to take the immediate action needed to stop it, will only amplify the national and international outcry at this horrific crime,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Africa Director for research and advocacy.
The Director, Defence Information, Maj.Gen. Chris Olukolade, said this on Tuesday while featuring on a programme, entitled Focus Nigeria on the African Independent Television monitored in Lagos.