Wednesday 30 July 2014

Security Forces Rescue Wife of Cameroun Deputy Prime Minister Abducted by Boko Haram



Cameroonian Deputy Prime Minister, Amadou Al

Security Forces Rescue Wife of Cameroun Deputy Prime Minister Abducted by Boko Haram

Security forces in Cameroun have rescued the wife of the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, who was abducted by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect, the BBC Hausa service has reported.

The wife of Deputy Prime Minister and her maid were kidnapped in Cameroun’s northern town of Kolofata last Sunday.

The attackers stormed their residence and took the woman away. A military commander in the area said Boko Haram militants engaged Camerounian soldiers in the town for some time.

The deputy Prime Minister had managed to escape the assailants to a neighbouring town, commander Feliz Formekong said.
A local religious leader, named Seini Lamine, was also abducted from the same town in a separate incident.

Lamine, who is called the Lamido, is the mayor of the town.
Cameroun had said it strengthened security at its border in April after Boko Haram  members abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State Nigeria.

More than 200 of the abducted girls remain in captivity. The attack is the third Boko Haram attack in Cameroun since Friday.

At least four soldiers were killed in the previous attacks.
The report did not provide more details, but it quoted the spokesperson of the government of Cameroun, Tchiroma Bakary, as saying the government was still investigating to know the exact number of persons that died during the attack.

It was also believed that 16 persons were killed.

EXPOSED!!! Northern leaders can stop Boko Haram —Senator

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Marcus Ikisikpo, in this interview with SUNDAY ABORISHADE, speaks about Nigeria’s security challenges, the 2015 elections and the misappropriation of ecological funds, among other issues



What’s your view on the insecurity in Nigeria?
The issue of insecurity in Nigeria is everybody’s problem and if you think that security is only for the security agencies then we are deceiving ourselves. The issue of security should be taken seriously. With insecurity there will be no development, it is only in a country where there is security that development can go on. The issue of insecurity in Nigeria is in a way self-afflicted because most of us do not know that when you incite the youths, the youths will take a step more than what you are telling them. So the security problems are self-afflicted because of the inciting statements some of our leaders have made in the past.
How did you feel when Nigeria was recently rated as one of the countries with the highest level of crude oil theft?
I would agree that it is difficult for us to account for all the crude produced because of leakages. Leakages in the sense that we have illegal refineries, we have even unrecorded vessels taking our crude oil. But how do they know the parameter for ranking Nigeria as one of the countries with highest crude theft? Yes, there are leakages, but I don’t believe that Nigeria ranks top in oil theft.
What can be done to stop oil theft?
You see one of the problems is sincerity; sincerity in government. If you have an agency or ministry and everybody is sincere and transparent, we should be able to block these leakages. Now within the territorial waters, we have the navy, the customs and other agencies that are working within our territorial waters but how sincere are they? Some of these customs and naval officers are also involved. So, if you are in charge of security and make yourself culpable by involving yourself in sharp practices, how do you think we would be able to account for all that is going on within the crude oil sector? Most of the people in charge of security are involved in oil theft that is happening within our territorial waters. And that is the only area that we can only block. Pipelines are being tapped by illegal refineries. Can’t we have a computerised system or way of knowing where someone is trying to illegally tap crude oil from our pipelines? We should be able to use the automated way in knowing where leakages of crude oil are at any point for us to arrest the situation.
There seems to be relative peace in the Niger Delta. What has been responsible for this?
You see, when we talk about relative peace in the Niger Delta area, it is the handwork of every elder and youth within the region because all of us agree. That is why we always call on the North, where we are having these security problems, that if all the northern elders, emirs and chiefs come together to say insurgency no to insurgency, it will stop. In the olden days when there were no police, people respected chiefs, people respect the emirs. So, I have the belief that whether insurgency or militancy, if the people come together – both the chiefs and elders – to say we don’t want these things, it will stop. But some of us talk from both sides of the mouth. Today, they will say don’t do this but tomorrow they will protect them. If you say don’t do this today, and tomorrow you offer protection, it gives the leeway for them to do things that we see happening today. But if all of us, all the emirs speak in one voice, then the youths will know that everyone is speaking with one voice and that will not occur again.
What do you think can be done to stop the incessant killings being carried out by the Boko Haram sect?
I must commend the Federal Government because it is working very hard to make sure that the issue of Boko Haram comes to an end. But as I told you earlier on, if you have a child and the child is doing something bad, and you use a soft word to say stop, the child will see you as a joker; thinking that you are not really asking him to stop this thing. This thing happens little by little at times. You will hear that they bombed in Kano. Later, you will hear that they have attacked Kaduna and so on and so forth. You see, until drastic measures are used in telling them to stop, they will never stop. The other day I read in the paper where a civilian JTF was arrested and he confessed that he was working for Boko Haram. So, you can see that within the civilian JTF, they have infiltrated them very well. The other day people were talking about how they can assist the civilian JTF but with this infiltration, people will be afraid to allow the civilian JTF to go into the army in view of the confession. So, it is left for Nigerians to speak with one voice especially where these things are occurring day in day out. They kill people here and there. Most of the military people are not sincere while claiming to work for the Nigerian government. Of course, when you go to Plateau State they are complaining of the killings in the state. We have porous borders which allow these terrorists to operate and go away. Look at the instance of the Chibok schoolgirls that were taken away; that people will come in 10 buses and carry up to 250 girls away from a particular school; don’t you think that there is a conspiracy? Meanwhile, we have the civilian JTF working within the community and according to the one arrested, he confessed that as a civilian JTF they helped in making sure that those girls were abducted. You see, in the military, when there is war and you have saboteurs, that war will never come to an end. So, we have a lot of saboteurs within the system that’s why we are having these problems and that is why it is taking longer to solve.
In view of the growing insecurity, do you believe that the nation is ready for the 2015 election?
Right now, the Independent National Electoral Commission has not given political parties the go-ahead to start campaigning. It is until INEC opens the door for campaign, that everybody will get cracking. But I think the commission is doing a great job especially with its performance in Ekiti State. I have the belief that if they improve on that performance, Nigerians will have full confidence in the electoral process. Every Nigerian is now aware of their civic responsibilities in terms of elections and the awareness is even higher now unlike the situation in 1999 when we started. Then, people refused to run for elective posts for fear that it will not last -considering what happened during the Abacha era or even what happened during the Shagari regime. Now, the awareness is in every Nigerian and I have the belief that if what INEC is saying in respect of the voting system is anything to go by, the issue of litigation will be minimised because it is a little bit difficult to swap cards or perpetrate fraud during elections.
Some members of your committee disagreed with the Ecological Funds Office recently over the alleged disparity in the allocation of money to different states of the country. What is the situation now?
Ecological Funds project is not part of the national budget. It has its own separate budget. Two per cent of the Federation Account is allocated to the Ecological Funds. Every state of the federation has a percentage in the two per cent from the amount that comes to the federation account to tackle ecological problems. The issue is that when a budget is presented, officials in charge of the MDA’s would be asked to defend the proposal. They would be allowed to explain the details of the budget estimates before questions are raised by lawmakers. However, in a situation where there were interferences in the course of the presentation, there will be confusion. Our committee members were not patient to listen to them to finish what they wanted to tell us before we asked questions and so, this led to a misunderstanding. The problem is that every state and local government collect its share of the ecological funds specifically meant to tackle ecological problems but if you go to your local government headquarters, ask the council chairman what he has done with the money.

APC northern leaders behind Boko Haram —Fani-Kayode


Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, on Monday evening, took on the  All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that the Northern elements within the party were sponsoring operations of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, shortly  after attending the campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he contended that “the APC in the north is the political wing of Boko Haram in the Northern part of Nigeria. This, I have said before and no one amongst them was bold enough to challenge me. I will continue to say it again and again.”

Fani-Kayode, who affirmed that the APC leaders could not exonerate themselves from the growing insecurity problems plaguing the nation, said the northern elements in the APC had to explain to all Nigerians why some of their leaders in the North encourage and defend Boko Haram members.”

“No member of the APC has been bold enough to controvert what I said about their relationship with the Boko Haram members in the North. I stand to be challenged if any of them has a contrary view.”

Fani-Kayode,  who recently defected from the APC to the PDP hinted that he had consulted “critical stakeholders in the PDP, including President Goodluck Jonathan and they had assured me of an enabling stay in the party.”

While assuring that he would work for the victory of the PDP in the forthcoming August 9, 2014 governorship poll in Osun, he expressed his readiness to contribute meaningfully to the victory of the party in the 2015 general elections, declaring that the PDP remains the only national party in the country.

When asked to comment on his recent meeting with President Jonathan, Fani-Kayode asserted that “I will not like to reveal what we discuss in the secret. It was a closed door meeting and let us leave that for now.”

Where is Nigeria’s Boko Haram Going?

Security personnel comb the scene of a bomb explosion at the Sabon Gari bus park in Kano, July 24, 2014. (Stringer/Courtesy Reuters)

After a weekend of carnage in Kano and two high profile kidnappings in Cameroon—following a nearly successful attempt on the life of former chief of state Muhammadu Buhari—Boko Haram is more than ever a central preoccupation in Nigeria (and now, presumably, in Cameroon).

The only thing we know for certain is how little we actually know about Boko Haram. It should be noted, for example, that Boko Haram has yet to claim responsibility for the attempt on General Buhari’s life. Certain political elements in Nigeria would be happy if Buhari left the scene, and pre-electoral periods in Nigeria are historically murderous. So it is possible that the attempt on Buhari’s life was authored by a group—or individual—other than Boko Haram. It’s also true that Buhari stands for many of the elements that are anathema to Boko Haram, at least in its rhetoric. A genuine Nigerian patriot, he is also a devout Muslim. An active participant in public life, he has constantly interacted with Christians on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests. And his fierce battle against corruption was an attempt to address the fundamental bad governance that has fed Boko Haram. Boko Haram murders Muslims who participate in secular politics, and who oppose the group. It is hostile to Muslims who seek good relations with Christians. It utterly rejects the secular state. Hence, I think it is likely that Boko Haram was in fact the perpetrator. But the evidence remains circumstantial.

So, where is Boko Haram going? Is it seeking to establish a territorial state along the lines of the ‘caliphate’ established by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)? Boko Haram warlord Abubakar Shekau has said he wants to establish a ‘caliphate’ in northern Nigeria, and he has praised the ISIS caliphate. Boko Haram’s recent campaign of bridge destruction in Borno state could be part of an effort to establish a separate territorial entity, one which may be the basis for a caliphate. Perhaps Maiduguri could play a role similar to that of Mosul in Iraq. However, Boko Haram has not yet established any visible institutions of government in the territories it controls, though there are reports that it is levying tolls at checkpoints.

A Boko Haram caliphate is, of course, only speculation for now. But, because the group appears to be evolving quickly, scenarios difficult to imagine only two or three months ago have become plausible.

Boko Haram abducts wife of Cameroon’s deputy Prime Minister

Militants engaged Cameroonian soldiers for some time, a commander said. 

Cameroonian authorities said extremist sect Boko Haram abducted the wife of the country’s deputy prime minister Sunday. The wife of Deputy Prime Minister Amadou Ali and her maid were kidnapped in Cameroun’s northern town of Kolofata, according to the Information Minister Issa Tchiroma. The attackers reportedly stormed their residence and took the woman away. A military commander in the area said Boko Haram militants engaged Cameroonian soldiers in the town for some time. The deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Ali, managed to escape the assailants to a neighbouring town, commander Feliz Formekong was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. A local religious leader, named Seini Lamine, was also abducted from the same town in a separate incident. Mr. Lamine, who is called the Lamido, is the mayor of the town. Cameroun strengthened security at its border in April after Boko Haram abducted nearly 300 school girls in Chibok, Borno State. More than 200 of the abducted girls remain in captivity. The attack is the third Boko Haram attack into Cameroon since Friday. At least four soldiers were killed in the previous attacks, reported Reuters. - See more at: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/165663-boko-haram-abducts-wife-of-cameroons-deputy-prime-minister.html#sthash.BMP8nSmK.dpuf

Boko Haram Kills 8, Blows Off Bridge In Yobe

Eight people have been killed by suspected members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, who attacked Katarko town in the outskirt of Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.


Katarko is 22 kilometers south of Damaturu and a community in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State which is the state’s stronghold of the Boko Haram insurgents.

Residents say the insurgents stormed the town around 7:30 in the evening on Monday and first attacked the military base in the town before having access to some houses, killing eight residents in an attack that lasted for over seven hours.

“They came here and launched an unsuccessful attack on the military base before embarking on some selective killings within the town living us with eight casualties presently being prepared for burial,” a resident told Channels Television in Damaturu.

Residents say the insurgents carried out their attack until 2:30 in the morning without further resistance.

During the violence, the insurgents blew off the Katarko Bridge linking Damaturu to their stronghold; Buni Yadi, the capital of Gujba Local Government Area. The bridge connects Yobe and neighbouring Borno and Adamawa States.

This is the first time Boko Haram militants are attacking Katarko, since the commencement of serious hostility by the insurgents in 2009.

Meanwhile, two Boko Haram suspects have been arrested in Damaturu metropolis in possession of Improvise Explosive Devises (IED) with the intention of causing havoc in the troubled northeast state.

Although authorities decline comment on the arrest, residents confirmed that the suspects were arrested at separate locations with the devises, with the first member of the sect arrested revealing the where about of his second after arrest.

Thursday 24 July 2014

Alex Perry on Nigeria’s Boko Haram


With its violence, its ritualized executions, its mixture of the utterly archaic with AK-47s and YouTube videos, its behavior modeling based on a nineteenth century interpretation of an obscure medieval Islamic theologian—Boko Haram is hard for us to get our minds around.

Therefore, many of us fall back on seeing it as a form of al-Qaeda and a part of its international terrorist movement, rather than the product of populist rage against a corrupt government that has marginalized northeast Nigeria.

In terms of understanding Boko Haram, Alex Perry has done a service for the educated, non-specialist reader. A journalist now at Newsweek and the former Time editor for Africa, he published a long article, entitled “Boko Haram: Terror’s Insidious New Face,” in last week’s Newsweek. He also recently published an e-book, The Hunt for Boko Haram: Investigating the Terror Tearing Nigeria Apart. He appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air on July 16, where he gave a long interview to Terry Gross. A full recording and transcript are available online.

Taken altogether, there is a trove of rich understanding here, and his style is very plain speaking—he characterizes the Nigerian army as the country’s “biggest criminal enterprise,” for example. There is so much here that for a blog post I will take only an example or two. In all three of his works, he highlights the paradox of the international (and Nigerian) “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign. Meant primarily to provoke a strong government response, the campaign has instead provided Boko Haram with previously unimaginable notoriety. So from Boko Haram’s perspective, it worked.

I do not agree with everything Perry says. I do not think that Shekau is mad, and I think Boko Haram is much more than ignorant, inarticulate, and nihilistic teenagers. But he has written so much that is illuminating that I hope he has a wide audience. He is absolutely policy relevant.

For example, he writes that Islamist radicalization is spreading across the Sahel, stating “that’s an extremely alarming analysis but I think it’s fairly alarmist as well. There is no doubt that these groups have some sort of communication and occasionally share personnel. But the idea that they’re in any way operating as a coordinated group—well there is no evidence for that at all.” He goes on to emphasize the local focus of the various groups and their lack of capacity for international operations.

On that point we agree. Seeing Boko Haram as the new front of the war on international terrorism, with echoes of 9/11 and the Twin Towers, does not help.

Police, robbers in gun duel in Port Harcourt


There was a heavy shootout in Borokiri area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, as policemen engaged flee­ing suspected armed rob­bers in a gun duel.

The incident, which oc­curred in the early hours of yesterday, near Kolo­kuma Bus Stop lasted for about 20 minutes, causing pandemonium in the area, as people ran helter skelter to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

It was suspected that the three armed occupants of a Madza 626 saloon car were either returning from op­eration, or on their way to rob, but were accosted by policemen, who probably got a tip-off.

When the armed robbers sighted the policemen, they opened fire, but were over­powered by the policemen, forcing them to abandon the vehicle, their arms and fled.

However, two of the fleeing bandits were later arrested by policemen, while the driver escaped.

Enugu Deputy Gov. to be served impeachment notice for rearing chickens in Govt house

On Wednesday, July 23, 2014




22 out of the 24 members of the Enugu State House of Assembly yesterday July 22nd passed a resolution to serve the state deputy Governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, an impeachment notice over allegations of operating a commercial poultry farm within his official quarters in the state capital. 

According to the lawmakers, the state deputy governor's action contravenes their Feb 12 2013 resolution which 'prohibited the maintenance and operation of a commercial livestock and poultry farms within residential neighborhoods in Enugu Metropolis in promotion of public health standards'.

2nd blast in Kaduna aimed at Gen. Buhari + pics from today's blast

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wednesday, July 23, 2014
The second bomb blast that rocked the Kawo area of Kaduna state this afternoon was aimed at former Head of State and Chieftain of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a report by BBC Africa, about 90 minutes after the first bomb went off along Alkali Rd, a second explosion ripped through the crowded Kawo area, targeting the motorcade of Gen Buhari.

Gunmen rammed a vehicle into his convoy, firing shots at it. The report says two of Gen. Buhari's bodyguards were slightly wounded in the attack, he however escaped unhurt. (Above is a allegedly a pic Gen. Buhari's car after the attack today). Continue...


Buhari's bullet riddled car

Meanwhile, Kaduna state Governor, Ramalan Yero, has declared a 24-hour curfew in the Kaduna metropolis following the deadly twin explosions that killed at least 25 people.

Below are some photos from the scene of the blast today... Wednesday, July 23, 2014

 

Gen. Buhari releases statement on today's attack, says it was an assassination attempt


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

General Buhari has released a statement on today's attack on his convoy in Kaduna, describing it as a clear assassination attempt. Find the statement he signed himself below....
"I was personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack today along Ali Akilu Road, Kawo – Kaduna about 2:30pm on my way to Daura.
The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a fast moving vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car but was blocked by my escort vehicle. We reached the market area of Kawo where he took advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram my car and instantly denoted the bomb which destroyed all the three cars in our convoy. Continue...Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle I saw many dead bodies littered around. They were innocent people going about their daily business who became victims of mass murder.
Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt but with three of my security staff sustaining minor injuries – they have been treated in hospital and discharged.
Signed: General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) GCFR”

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Arrest of northerners in Abia State threatens Nigeria’s unity — APC Rep


Honourable Aminu Sulaiman is a member of All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kano State. In this interview with KOLAWOLE DANIEL, he bares his mind on the rejection of a motion he moved on the floor of the House of Representatives in respect of what he called a series of arrest of northerners in the South-East zone of the country. Excerpts

You recently came up with a motion on the series of arrests of northerners in the South-East region, but the motion couldn’t scale through. What informed the motion?

I respect the individual and the independent position of my colleagues and I cannot question their judgment. I also like to emphasise that I’m one of the very few that have enjoyed the confidence of my colleagues, having had the privilege to sponsor 23 motions in my three years in the House of Representatives and all the 23 motions went through with the exception of this one.

I want to sincerely believe that, because my colleagues did not have the benefit to know the details of the motion, this might have informed why they shot it down. I feel pained because I have lost an opportunity to correct an ill that is gradually setting in by the way and manner certain operations are being carried out by our security agencies.

FG Actions Over Rescue Operation Of The Chibok Girls


Compelled by the national and international embarrassment following federal government’s earlier denial that the Chibok Girls was kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect, President Jonathan set up and inaugurated a Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls. In its report submitted to the president on June 20, 2014, the committee noted that 276 female students were abducted after 119 female students had escaped from the school during the attack by Boko Haram. It added that 57 female students escaped from the deadly nest of the insurgents after the abduction, while 219 female students remained unaccounted for.

While government has not been very open on what it is doing to rescue the girls after the committee confirmed that the girls were indeed abducted, within the period government has achieved a lot of successes in the war against terrorism in general.

We Are Being Careful For The Safety Of Chibok Girls – DHQ


The director of information, Defence Headquarters, Major General Chris Olukolade speaks to our Defence Correspondent, BAYO OLADEJI, on the efforts being made by the military to rescue the schoolgirls alive.

Since the abduction of those innocent students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, some 100 days ago, what efforts are being made to bring them back alive?

The entire military establishment and security agencies, as you are aware, are so concerned about these girls; like all Nigerians, we have a stake in the situation; aside from being concerned professionally, we are also emotionally concerned as parents. Our plan is to have these girls back. The priority of this mission is that we have them back alive and well, and all hands are on deck to ensure their safety.

Ongoing Strike not meant to Punish Masses - NMA


The Nnewi branch of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has said that the ongoing industrial action was not meant to punish the masses and appealed to Nigerians to understand their predicament.

Dr Joseph Ugbaja, the branch Chairman of the association, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday at Nnewi.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the strike is a struggle in which all and sundry will benefit from, once the right thing is done in the health sector.”

He expressed worry over what he termed “medical tourism abroad by Nigerians,” saying that it had resulted to serious capital flight.

“The countries where affluent Nigerians rush to for medical treatment can boast of right the equipment, adequate training, and conducive operational environment for the health personnel.

#BringBackOurGirls Day 100: Nigerian Citizens Will Not Be Silenced, Campaign Vows


The Bring Back Our Girls campaign, vowing that the Nigerian Citizen will not be silenced, has announced events on July 23 to mark the 100th day of the abduction of 276 girls from their school by Boko Haram.

Of that number, 219 girls remain in captivity, while 57 have escaped, the group said in a statement today, adding that the families and community have suffered deep anguish seeking effective rescue to end the peril that befell their daughters who had gone to school in search of knowledge.

“Citizens who have insisted on standing with our girls and ensuring they are not forgotten are heartbroken that our daughters and sisters are about to spend 100 days with their evil captors,” the statement said, hours after President Goodluck Jonathan finally met with the families at his convenience in Abuja.

“In those 100 days, the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign has focused on creating awareness of the abduction to ensure that it is a priority issue requiring action and compelling the right sets of action for a positive outcome,” the statement added.

It noted that the group has engaged various stakeholders, including the Presidency, the National Assembly, the office of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defense Staff, the Borno State Government & other State Governments, ECOWAS member countries and UN agencies.

It also stressed that the group’s singular message has been to demand that the Federal Government perform its fundamental duty of ensuring the security and the welfare of its citizens.

“As we denounce the wave of terror and insecurity across the country, we continue to demand that the Federal Government deploy its resources to ensure that the missing girls are brought home, and the errors leading from three-weeks of delayed action are remedied.”

To amplify their voices in demanding that the girls be brought home now and alive, activities around the world on the 100th day will include:

• Ibadan: Press Conference at the BRECAN Centre at 10 am

• Abuja: Special Sit-out Ceremony at the Unity Fountain at 3 pm
• Lagos: Remembrance service at the Wall of Missing Girls at Falomo Roundabout at 4pm
• New York: Candlelight vigil at the Nigerian Consulate at 5.30pm.

The campaign said there will also be events in India, Pakistan, the UK and most world capitals where there are teachers’ organisations, in partnership with the UN Special Envoy’s Office of Gordon Brown. Organisations participating are World at School, Girls not Brides, Global March Against Child Labour, Walk Free, Educational International and ITa.

“The continued pattern of intolerance to the activities of the Bring Back Our Girls Campaign is at variance with our effort to promote healthy civic engagement by citizens to strengthen the resolve of government to rescue the girls,” the statement said.

It further noted that as days become weeks and months and the girls are separated from their parents and their community, the campaign’s singular focus remains on their safe return in the shortest possible time.

The statement was signed by Hadiza Bala Usman and Oby Ezekwesili, Abuja; Aisha Oyebode and Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Lagos; Betty Anyanwy-Akeredolu, Ibadan; Amina Hanga, Kano; and Eleanor Ann Nwadinobi, Enugu.

Fear Of Boko Haram: Soldiers Deserting Force – Army chief


The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen. Kenneth Minimah has revealed that some army personnel have abandoned the force due to the fear of the terrorists group Boko Haram.

Minimah, who gave the warning during a working tour of Lagos and its environs yesterday, condemned the actions of some soldiers who deserted the Force for fear of engaging in battle against the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Minimah said such actions by the soldiers vividly showed that they joined the force for the wrong reasons.

“Sometimes, journalists ask me questions, saying soldiers are deserting their jobs because they don’t want to be killed in the North East. I tell them yes, it is true. Desertion is part of war. A real soldier is known when he is put in the warfront. The one who is not a soldier would run away and abandon his job. Our soldiers are recruited from the Nigerian society and, today, most people are not called to be soldiers, they joined because they are desperately in need of jobs.

“ As long as there is war, there would continue to be desertion and there would continue to be recruitment. Since Alexander The Great, soldiers have been deserting. In the Second World War, there was desertion and even in the Nigeria Civil War, people deserted. It is only in peacetime that you don’t see people deserting. But those who volunteer to fight and defend their nation do not desert; they fight until there is victory.”

Lt.-Gen. Minimah also warned soldiers resident in Lagos to obey the laws of the state and be of good behaviour.

He said: “As a disciplined institution (Army) we have an image to protect. I would admonish you to be of good conduct whether in uniform or not. Conduct yourselves very well. Do not be involved in any questionable movement.

“Respect the rule of law. Respect the laws of Lagos. Lagos State has laws that are made by legislators, you must respect those laws. I am also talking about the BRT lanes. Try and ensure that you don’t use the BRT lanes. The essence of BRT lanes is to encourage the use of public transportation by car owners so as to reduce traffic on our roads.

“The other time a soldier was mistakenly killed and hoodlums took advantage of the incident to attack buses. I want to say that it was not the army who destroyed those buses.”

Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola yesterday urged the Lt.-Gen Minimah lay off bad eggs in the Nigerian Army who are tainting the nation’s military institution.

Fashola who said this when the Lt. General Minimah paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina noted that like other institutions in the country, there are bad eggs in the Nigerian Army and everything must be done to purge them out.

“Nigerian Army has done very well for Nigeria as a body but like every institution, there are bad eggs within the institution. They are in the minority and we must continue to do everything possible to show them up for who they are,” he said.

The governor who acknowledged the efforts of the military in sustaining the country’s democracy, noted that the military owes it a duty to refrain from anything that can undermine the nation’s democracy whether in conduct or deed.

“I think that it is important to reinforce the role that military across the world have played in democracy. While society moved on, as we have done, the military owes it an obligation to do everything that is possible to sustain its democracy and to refrain from anything that undermines it whether in the mind of the people or as a matter of fact. In essence, the military must become like Caesar’s wife avoid suspicion in conduct and in deeds,” he added.

Earlier, Lt. General Minimah had said he delayed his familiarization tour for six months as a result of the exigencies of work.

According to him, “When I assumed office, the exigencies of operation did not allow me to commence my familiarization tour of the formations. Six months later, I have decided to commence my familiarization tour from the 81 division which covers Lagos and Ogun state.”

Nigeria's Boko Haram blamed for blowing up bridge

Militant Islamists are suspected to have blown up a major bridge in north-eastern Nigeria, disrupting transport links with Cameroon, residents said.

Cars and lorries loaded with goods are stranded on the highway unable to cross the Ngala Bridge, they told the BBC.
The night-time attack shows the growing threat posed by militant group Boko Haram, a BBC correspondent says.
On Tuesday, the chief of army staff said some soldiers had deserted because they were scared of Boko Haram.
The soldiers had joined the army for the wrong reason, Lt-Gen Kenneth Minimah said.
The BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says his comments give credence to the view that the military is demoralised, lacking the motivation or firepower to tackle Boko Haram.
Nigerian soldiers stand guard at the offices of the state-run Nigerian Television Authority in Maiduguri, Nigeria - June 2013The military is said to lack the equipment to fight the insurgents
In this photo taken Monday, April, 21. 2014. Security walk past burned government secondary school Chibok, were gunmen abducted more than 200 students in Chibok, Nigeria. There was international outrage after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April
This is despite the fact that Nigeria's army is the biggest in West Africa, and fought rebel groups in countries such as Sierra Leone to help end brutal civil wars, he says.
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency more than a year ago in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying he would give the military extra powers to fight Boko Haram.
However, the insurgency has become more deadly since then.
New York-based Human Rights Watch says at least 2,053 civilians have been killed in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014, compared with 3,600 deaths in the first four years of the conflict.
Although Boko Haram has not confirmed that it blew up the bridge, it has been blamed for similar attacks in the past, our correspondent says.
The destruction of the bridge makes it more difficult for the army to move around and cuts off the Gamboru Ngala district, where 300 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram raid in May, from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, he says.
Residents of Gamboru Ngala rely on Maiduguri for their supply of goods.
Boko Haram appears to be punishing them for setting up a vigilante group to fight it, our correspondent says.
Rally in support of missing girls in Lagos, Nigeria. 5 May 2014More rallies are expected to be held to mark 100 days since the abduction of the Chibok girls
The blowing up of the bride also damages the regional economy, as goods can no longer be easily transported between Nigeria and Cameroon.
Boko Haram has been fighting since 2009 to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
In April, it sparked international outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from their boarding school in Chibok town, also in Borno state.
Rallies are due to be held in several Nigerian cities on Wednesday to mark the 100 days that have passed since their abduction.
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Video of Boko Haram Members Decapitating Nigerian Air Force Officer Surfaces


A Nigerian Air Force Officer named Umar Abubakar was extensively interrogated before being gruesomely killed by members of Islamist militant sect Boko Haram.
In the clip released by Sahara TV, Umar revealed to the sect that he is a member of Section 9 of the Nigerian armed forces engaged in counter-insurgency measures against Boko Haram. He said his monthly pay was N40,000.
“So you were sent to kill Boko Haram? And you are serving the state instead of Allah? We are members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad and Allah has given us an infidel today. No amount of prayers will save you, we will judge you according to the Quran.” they said.
He was decapitated in Borno. After beheading him, the terrorists held up his head in jubilation.

Missing Nigerian girls: 11 parents of abducted girls die from stress and attacks

In just three months, seven fathers have been killed by insurgents and at least four more parents have died of heart failure

In the three months since Islamic extremists kidnapped more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls, 11 of their parents have died, town residents say.
The town where the girls were kidnapped, Chibok, is cut off by militants, who have been attacking villages in the region.

Seven fathers of kidnapped girls were among 51 bodies brought to the Chibok hospital after an attack on the nearby village of Kautakari this month, said a health worker who insisted on anonymity for fear of reprisals by the extremists.

At least four more parents have died of heart failure, high blood pressure and other illnesses that the community blames on trauma due to the mass abduction 100 days ago, said community leader Pogu Bitrus, who provided their names.

"One father of two of the girls kidnapped just went into a kind of coma and kept repeating the names of his daughters, until life left him," said Bitrus.

President Goodluck Jonathan met Tuesday with parents of the 219 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls and some classmates who managed to escape from Islamic extremists. Jonathan pledged to continue working to see the girls "are brought out alive," said his spokesman of the meeting which press were not permitted to attend. The parents showed no emotion after the meeting, but some shook hands with the president.

Chibok, the town where the girls were kidnapped, is cut off because of frequent attacks on the roads that are studded with burned out vehicles. Commercial flights no longer go into the troubled area and the government has halted charter flights.

Through numerous phone calls to Chibok and the surrounding area, The Associated Press has gathered information about the situation in the town where the students were kidnapped from their school.
More danger is on the horizon.

Boko Haram is closing in on Chibok, attacking villages ever closer to the town. Villagers who survive the assaults are swarming into the town, swelling its population and straining resources. A food crisis looms, along with shortages of money and fuel, said community leader Bitrus.

On the bright side, some of the young women who escaped are recovering, said a health worker, who insisted on anonymity because he feared reprisals from Boko Haram. Girls who had first refused to discuss their experience, now are talking about it and taking part in therapeutic singing and drawing - a few drew homes, some painted flowers and one young woman drew a picture of a soldier with a gun last week.
Girls who said they would never go back to school now are thinking about how to continue their education, he said.

Counseling is being offered to families of those abducted and to some of the 57 students who managed to escape in the first few days, said the health worker. He is among 36 newly trained in grief and rape counseling, under a program funded by USAID.

All the escapees remain deeply concerned about their schoolmates who did not get away.
A presidential committee investigating the kidnappings said 219 girls still are missing. But the community says there are more because some parents refused to give the committee their daughters' names, fearing the stigma involved.

Boko Haram filmed a video in which they threatened to sell the students into slavery and as child brides. It also showed a couple of the girls describing their "conversion" from Christianity to Islam.
At least two have died of snake bites, a mediator who was liaising with Boko Haram told AP two months ago. At that time he said at least 20 of the girls were ill - not surprising given that they are probably being held in an area infested with malarial mosquitoes, poisonous snakes and spiders, and relying on unclean water from rivers.

Most of the schoolgirls are still believed to be held in the Sambisa Forest - a wildlife reserve that includes almost impenetrably thick jungle as well as more open savannah. The forest borders on sand dunes marking the edge of the Sahara Desert. Sightings of the girls and their captors have been reported in neighboring Cameroon and Chad.

In Chibok, the town's population is under stress.
"There are families that are putting up four and five other families," local leader Bitrus said, adding that food stocks are depleted. Livestock has been looted by Boko Haram so villagers are arriving empty handed. Worst of all, no one is planting though it is the rainy season, he said.
"There is a famine looming," he warned.
Chibok and nearby villages are targets because they are enclaves of staunch Christians in predominantly Muslim north Nigeria.

The number of soldiers guarding Chibok has increased from 15 to about 200 since the kidnapping but they have done little to increase security in Chibok, said Bitrus. The soldiers often refuse to deploy to villages under attack though there is advance warning 90 percent of the time, he said.

Last month the extremists took control and raised their black flags over two villages within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of Chibok. Last week they ordered residents of another village just 10 miles away to clear out, Bitrus said. Every village in the neighboring Damboa area has been attacked and sacked, and all the villages bordering Cameroon have been burned and are deserted, Bitrus said, quoting residents who fle
The attacks continue despite the fact the military placed the area under a state of emergency in May 2013.
Residents feel so abandoned that they appealed this month for the United Nations to send troops to protect them. The U.N. has repeatedly urged Nigeria's government to live up to its international responsibility to protect citizens.

President Goodluck Jonathan insists his government and military are doing everything possible to ensure the girls' release. The Defense Ministry says it knows where they are but fears any military campaign could lead to their deaths.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in a new video released this week repeated his demands that Jonathan release detained extremists in exchange for the girls - an offer Jonathan has so far refused.
After three months, few Chibok residents believe all the schoolgirls will ever return home.

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Nigerian Doctors' Strike Selfish, Illegal And Unethical Say Nurses



The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has described the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) as selfish, unethical and illegal, reports the Lagos-based Daily Independent newspaper. NANNM also alleged that the strike was a well calculated and orchestrated plan by the doctors to divert patients to their private clinics to milk them of their hard earned resources. NANNM stated this in a statement by its General Secretary, Yusuf- Badmus, in Abuja on Sunday.

The group advised the Federal Government to "stop all government employed doctors from establishing private clinics for the benefit of the citizens of this nation while still in government employment".

According to the nurses, "They should be called to order because their incessant strike is a gimmick to further divert innocent patients to their private clinics where they (doctors) stand to benefit." "The government should have a rethink on the undue attention they give them and do what is right." "The government should revert to the era when administrators administered the hospitals/health facilities while health professionals, including doctors do their professional duties that they are being paid for."

The group further advocated that all government health workers should have unified salary scales. "Difference should be entry/exit points and professional/peculiar allowances of the different cadres of workers. "This will go a long way in checking and preventing unhealthy rivalry and end to the incessant strike action, that leaves the innocent patient to suffer."

The nurses, therefore, encouraged patients to attend and patronise the hospitals despite the current strike. This, according to them, is because "other health professionals such as skilled midwives, the accident and emergency (A & E) nurses, intensive care nurses, orthopaedic nurses paediatric nurses, including the medical laboratory scientists, medical record officers, the radiographers, the physiotherapists and pharmacists, are on ground to attend to their health needs, even when the medical practitioners embark on their selfish and illegal strike; selfish in the sense that they are using the strike to force the Federal Government to stop the implementation of agreements and memorandum of understanding reached between JOHESU/APHA and Federal Government spanning between 2009 to date".

The nurses again condemned what they described as "the unethical behaviour or practice of medical practitioners whereby in-patients are compulsorily discharged against their wish whenever NMA calls for industrial action." "NMA does this to make it appear to the public and the press that the patients left the hospital because doctors are on strike. "The public at large must be made to know that most in-patients are in the hospital for comprehensive healthcare (physical and psychological) and are being taken care of by the nurses and other health professionals, except those that have been booked for surgical procedures or surgical operation. "The medical practitioner, therefore, has no moral or ethical justification to compulsorily force them (in-patients) out of the hospital to make the hospital empty because doctors are on strike," NANNM insisted.

But while the nurses were tongue-lashing the doctors, the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) under the leadership of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State called on the NMA to end its current strike for the sake of the lives the doctors have sworn to save.

In a statement released in Abuja at the weekend by Secretary of the Forum, Osaro Onaiwu, Jang begged the leadership of the NMA to remember their Hippocratic oath "as the strike is devastating the lives of the poor in our nation who can only afford medical care in government owned medical facilities".

The statement reminded the striking doctors that their friends and families are not immune from the effects of the strike, as anybody can fall ill or be involved in an emergency at anytime and anywhere in the country. The statement then called on the doctors to end the strike on humanitarian grounds and engage in honest dialogue with the Federal Government to stop the pain and suffering being inflicted on Nigerians by their action.

PUBLIC HEALTHNEWS

Ritual Conspiracy: Police Move Suspect To Psychiatrist

Lagos State Police Command has moved the suspected kidnapper of a seven-year- old- child to a psychiatric hospital, in the metropolis.


Lagos State police public relations officer, DSP Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the story on phone, told LEADERSHIP that the suspect, Rosemay Chukwu ,was taken to a psychiatric hospital in Lagos to ascertain her mental state after she claimed that the Pastor of Holy Family , Happy Ministry, Prophet Ernest Nwankwo, sent her to abduct a child for alleged ritual purpose.

Pastor Nwankwo had since debunked her claim, claiming that Chukwu may be deranged.

The pastor who had thousands of members in his church, said he did not know Chukwu ,and had never in his life engaged or discussed such ‘satanic’ issue with anybody.

Chukwu was apprehended by people when he allegedly kidnapped a primary school pupil, Emmanuel Emeka, in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

Braide said the police found it necessary to do that because the pastor, Nwankwo insisted that he did not know the woman because he had so many members in the church.

Braide said since the pastor denied ever having any illegal deal with the suspect, the police want to know whether she is deranged or not.

The police spokesperson said Nwankwo who hails from Nsugbe in Anambra State, has debunked the story doing the rounds that he sent Chukwu, a mother of four to abduct a 7- year- old primary school pupil, Emmanuel Emeka in Ikorodu area of Lagos State for a fee.

Boko Haram begins forced recruitment



The Boko Haram sect on Saturday killed over 60 people at Gaidamgari village in Bama local government area of Borno State, following refusal by residents to allow their young males to be recruited as members of the terrorist group.

The sect, it was learnt, had embarked on a conscription drive to shore up their ranks dwindled in a series of battles with government troops, but villagers resisted the move.

Sources said the attack on the village, which took place about 10pm, was masterminded by the terrorists as punishment following the refusal by parents and elders to heed the demands of the sect to recruit young men from the village into their fold.

“The refusal of the community to allow their children particularly young boys between the ages of 15 and 20 to be recruited into the Boko Haram group, led to the carnage that befall them as the terrorists mobilised and launched a deadly attack on Gaidamgari village,” a security source said. He noted that during the attack, over 60 residents were killed, while several others sustained gunshot wounds.

The source said the gunmen invaded the village in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and launched attacks with improvised explosive devices, IEDs, on defenseless civilians.

Another security personnel, who did not want his name mentioned, confirmed the attack on Gaidamgari, but said that 29 people were killed. In another development, about five motorists, including passengers, were at the weekend ambushed along Bama- Maiduguri road by a group of terrorists.

A source at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital told our correspondent that five dead bodies were brought into the hospital. Preliminary investigation revealed that they were victims of Boko Haram ambush.

Our correspondent gathered that a large number of troops were yesterday deployed to the surrounding villages and towns of Damboa to confront the terrorists.

This is even as the Federal Government has vowed not to cede an inch of the nation’s territory to the sect, pledging the commitment of its armed forces and other security agencies to the fight against terror.

Government’s reaction came on the heels of reports that the sect had at the weekend effectively sacked Damboa village and consequently hoisted its flag in the area.

Media reports had detailed how Boko Haram militants killed more than 100 people in the area and hoisted their black and white flag in Damboa, about 85 kilometres from the state capital, Maiduguri.

At a security briefing in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information, Maj.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, said no portion of Nigerian territory would be conceded to any terrorist group, insisting that security in Damboa would be restored.

“We are not conceding any portion of the country to terrorist groups; we are sure that Nigeria security agencies have firmed up deployment in that area; patrols are active and we are going to reverse any form of security threat around the area,” he said. Olukolade, however, dismissed reports that terrorists had overrun the town.

He said: “I will not be stampeded to endorse what you read on social media. Nobody, I repeat, nobody will be allowed to hoist any flag in any portion of land belonging to this country.”

Meanwhile, a Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter on a training mission crashed yesterday afternoon due to technical fault at a location South of Bama in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, the military said.

The co-pilot and the technician died in the crash while the pilot survived. Bama, about 70 kilometres drive from Maiduguri, is located along the fringes of Sambisa Forest that has witnessed series of deadly attacks by suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram sect. This was contained in a statement by Olukokade and made available to our correspondent in Maiduguri yesterday.

The DHQ spokesman noted that investigation had commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident. “It is established that the crash is not as a result of any enemy action. Further details on the crash will be made known as soon as the investigation progresses,” Olukolade stated.

Police To Establish 26-Bed Hospital In 6 Zones – I-G


 The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, says the force will establish a 26-bed cottage hospital in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.

Abubakar assured that many medical doctors and other health personnel would soon be recruited to meet the medical needs of the force.

The inspector-general gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja in an interview with newsmen shortly after he declared open a three-day seminar for police medical officers.

“We have made it a point of duty now that very soon if there is recruitment; they (medical unit) are going to be given large chunk.

“This is to enable them to recruit more doctors and other medical personnel,’’ he said.

Abubakar said that the establishment of the cottage hospitals in the zones was to enable officers and men of the force in the rural areas benefit from the police medical services.

Also, Mrs Grace Akudo, AIG, Medical, said the unit had received some fund from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and promised that it would be used to upgrade the force’s medical facilities.

Akudo said that the unit would soon develop a strategic medical plan for the force where training of professionals would be given priority.

She said that in the planned recruitment, both middle and high level professionals would be recruited to provide effective medical services to officers and men. (NAN)