Nigerian Newspapers
Inside Boko Haram evil camp
From TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, Maiduguri
Prologue
When Brig. Gen. Christopher Olukolade, Director of Defense Information, Defense Headquarters led a crop of foreign and local journalists on assessment tour of military special operations against the Boko Haram sect in Borno last Wednesday, expectations were high among media men that they might at last visit the famous Sambisa forest, identified as a major operational base/camp of the sect. The journey rather turned to be northward of the state specifically Marte, a small community at the Nigeria-Chad border where the insurgents had not only established their camp but also sacked the local government administration and hoisted their red flag.
The journey which started from Maiduguri through some major towns like Mafa, Dikwa, Kwaga Ala in the central part of the state ended at New Marte. New Marte which is located about 20 kilometres from Old Marte came into being as a result of the establishment of the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA) in the mid ‘70s by the Federal Government for the development of agriculture in the area. Office and residential accommodation as well as recreational centres were built for the officials of the basin by the then military government, leading to an upsurge in commercial and social activities in the area. Both the workers at the basin and their host communities co-existed peacefully. Even when the Chad Basin agricultural programme was abandoned for several years, the people still enjoyed their quiet, rustic life until Boko Haram moved its operational base near them. Things began to fall apart and gradually a people known for communal life was enveloped in fear as villagers withdraw to their houses at midday.
Marte is bordered on the southern part by Mafa and Dikwa local governments, Ngala Local Government by the east and Monguno Local Government by the west while substantial part of its northern fringe bursts into Chad Republic.
Reputed for its Sahel vegetation with many shrubby plants, Marte provides fertile land for the growth of grains and wheat. Its closeness to Lake Chad encourages farming activities by the Chad Basin Development Authority as well as the residents. Ironically, Marte has lost its serenity and its agricultural potentials for about six months now and rather than witnessing planting of grains and other crops, the people only see bullets, pellets, shells, cannonballs and cartridges of the Boko Haram sect and later armored tanks and other hardware by the military task force. Its communal life was disorganized by the rampaging insurgents while the innocence of its girls, mostly teenagers( 13 or below), was terminated through forcible marriages , military forces and villagers alleged. “We were strangulated,” Mohammad Walkore, a resident summed it up.
He said many of the residents were chased out of their houses by the insurgents, adding that they only returned when the territory was recaptured by the special military task force. “Most of the insurgents had been here for long. They had snatched more than ten vehicles and animals. May be we may go back to our farms now that soldiers are around because we were afraid to go to our farms,” Alhaji Kalgo said at Kirenowa, headquarters of Marte Local Government while expressing their joy about the gradual return of normalcy in the area. Another resident, Ibrahim Garba disclosed that countless marriages had taken place before the arrival of the military forces, adding that it was a lawless community until relief came their way.
Life at the sect camp
One of the camps at Leshe is a few kilometres away from New Marte. The camp which is tucked between the desert prone area and greenish shrubs occupied a large portion of land though most of the camp activities of the sect were believed to have taken place within a small portion of the camp. The shrubs, according to military sources provide shades and hideout for the insurgents. ‘With these shrubs, nobody would know anybody was here, they will even be difficult to detect from aerial patrol,” the source said.
At one end of the camp is a makeshift clinic for the sect members under a tree with a cloth ‘roofing’ suspended on it. Medication, condoms and used clothes were scattered on the ground, a reminder of the look of Kanama camp of the self-styled Taliban group in Yobe after they were dislodged by the then Col K.A.S Yahaya-led special military force in 2002.
There were also burnt vehicles at the camp.
Commander in charge of Combat C at New Marte, Lt Col Gabriel Olufemi told journalists that Boko Haram had hoisted its flags up to Kirenowa, Headquarters of Marte Local Government after it vandalized public buildings including a Chad Basin workshop, local government secretariat and hospital among others. He said the sect’s red flags have been removed, adding that the Nigerian flag has been hoisted in the area, an indication that the military troops had reclaimed the area from the grip of the insurgents .
He said the troops dislodged the insurgents but did not give any details about the number killed or arrested. He said some abandoned the camps at Marte and Mafa and scattered, adding that many of them were eventually apprehended. He stated that the military troops intensified patrol of the area and has established “enabling environment” for the police to return. He also disclosed that the district head and the Mai of Marte have resumed work.
Can Boko Haram re-group?
Curious journalists were quick to ask about the possibility of the insurgents regrouping around the area especially with the nature of the environment and its closeness to Nigeria’s border but the military authority seems not to have an answer to the poser, at least for now. Olufemi said “he does not think the Boko Haram sect is regrouping” after dislodging them from Marte and its environs. But when reminded of the sect’s first uprising in July 2009 in the state, he said “we learn lessons after every assignment.” He said troops had re-filled many pits dug by insurgents to cut off communities . He also alleged that electrical poles and cables had been vandalized by the sect adding that the church, a police station and telecommunication mast were burnt also. Residents said they discovered a wide gap between what the Boko Haram were saying and what they are doing.
The casualties?
Defense spokesman, Brig Gen Olukolade said members of the sect that died in the military offensive at the camp could be difficult to ascertain judging from the mode of operation of the sect. “About 100 of them may have died but we couldn’t count the exact number because Boko Haram men have the tradition of fleeing with their dead and injured persons,” he said. Military sources had earlier hinted that some of the sect members had fled into neighboring communities with few of their injured colleagues and the dead as the military forces intensified the offensive against their camps.
At the Bilingual Tsangaya Boarding School, there’s another operational headquarters of the special military task force at Kirenowa headquarters of Marte Local Government (Combat I) led by Lt Col D.R Hassan and charged with the responsibility of recapturing Kirenowa and Hausari camps. Close to the Boko Haram camp is a canal which believably shields away the camp from ‘intruders.’ “The Kirenowa and Hausari camps are strategically located. On May 16, we had an encounter with them. They put up lots of resistance but we dislodged them. They’re good at taking away their injured or dead colleagues,” the military officer explained.
Residents’ SOS
Village Head of Kirenowa, Sheikh Jarma said he was elated with the coming of military troops but appealed to the Federal Government to provide food and drugs for the communities. He said most of the people have been chased out of their farms by the sect, a development which he said has adversely affected farming activities and may affect food production this year.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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