IS SHEKAU DEAD

The news coming from Northern Nigeria in the
past few days has been very cheery. Media
reports from the Military High Command indicate
that a senior Boko Haram member likely to be an
imitation of the group's leader, Abubakar Shekau,
might have died during a confrontation in
Konduga, Borno State. Lately, it has been one
sobering humiliation after another as the Nigerian
military battle fiercely to repel the advancing
Boko Haram insurgents. First, it was Gwoza, a
border town about 135 kilometres southeast of
Maiduguri, where the insurgents reportedly
sacked all the military formations including a
Police Training College. The terrorists later
occupied the town, hoisted their flag and
proceeded to declare their caliphate. From
Gwoza, they gradually advanced to the next town
known as Bama, which is about 60 kilometres to
Maiduguri the state capital. They attacked and
successfully occupied it. The battle in Bama was
very strategic for the insurgents as they
reportedly sacked the Emir and appointed a new
one. They also took over the Bama Prisons and
captured and imprisoned some locals who refused
to obey their directives.
The capture of these two local government areas
bolstered the confidence of the terrorists and
emboldened them as they continued to chant
songs of victory in jubilation around the town. It
was in Bama that the insurgents attempted a
change in strategy to see if they could enhance
their acceptability and legitimacy within the
communities. They began to break into shops and
allow the local people to collect food items for
free. They also took over some of the houses that
had boreholes and allowed the community
members to collect water for free. However, many
of the community members continued to be
fearful and suspicious of the insurgents.
From Bama, they proceeded to Konduga with full
confidence. The Local Government Area is about
25 kilometres to Maiduguri on the bank of
Ngadda River. In fact, part of the area covered by
the University of Maiduguri falls into the territory
of this local government area. With Gwoza and
Bama fully in the hands of the insurgents, it is
likely that the plan of the insurgents was to
capture Konduga and then use it as a base to
launch an attack on Maiduguri. However, that
was not to be. On their way to Konduga, the
insurgents ran into a calculated ambush of
soldiers who levelled them. The casualty figures
were heavy on the side of the insurgents. In fact,
in one of the videos that shot by the locals,
corpses of the insurgents littered the streets and
farmlands. Community members were seen
raining curses at the corpses of the insurgents.
Before they could consolidate their grip on Bama,
the revelations of the Australian "negotiator", Dr.
Stephen Davies, hit the media and triggered
some finger pointing among politicians. It will be
interesting to find out the level of impact this had
on the success or failure of the insurgents lately.
Another interesting part of what may be an
unfolding drama is that since the insurgency
started, this is probably the first time that the
military successfully ambushed the insurgents.
How come? The pictures from the videos indicate
that Boko Haram is still the same rag-tag group of
ill-trained young men. How have they been
managing to defeat a well-trained Nigerian Army
up to the point that they had to beat a "tactical
manoeuvre" twice into the Republic of Cameroon?
What has changed suddenly?
Another fact that is noteworthy is that many
residents of Maiduguri were jubilant as soon as
they sighted the soldiers indicating that they
were happy with the victory. This suggests that it
is likely that ordinary citizens and Nigerian
soldiers may be in agreement on the need to
eradicate the Boko Haram insurgency. What may
yet be unclear to many observers is the
disposition of senior military officers to this goal.
Who could be jeopardising or even sabotaging the
efforts of these soldiers? Who are those who
issued those conflicting orders that led to many
causalities on the side of the military? What about
the reported withdrawal of soldiers a few hours
before the arrival of the insurgents? How valid are
the complaints that our military is less equipped
than the insurgents and who is to be held
responsible? What about those who allegedly
count rounds of ammunition and give to soldiers
in cellophane bags in a way that put them at risk
and lower their morale? When will a
comprehensive inquiry be done into the probable
reasons that pushed those convicted soldiers
from Giwa Barracks to attempt mutiny even
though they knew that death is the
consequence? It is obvious that the insurgents
are not sophisticated. However, it appears that
they allegedly have possible channels of sensitive
information which they leverage on coupled with
a terrain advantage. It is clearly evident that the
insurgents do not have superior tactics. It
appears the ground is prepared for them perhaps
by some unscrupulous collaborators somewhere
in the crowd.
A clear pattern that is beginning to emerge to
discerning minds that unlike other insurgencies
like the Al-Shabaab in Somalia, Hamas in Palestine
and Talibans in Pakistan, Boko Haram has neither
acceptability nor trust in communities where it
operates. Its new strategy to rebuild legitimacy in
Bama suffered a setback. This legitimacy deficit
may turn out to be its greatest undoing and
should make its defeat and ultimate annihilation
relatively easy. The attack on the rural market in
Mainok suggests that the fighters have now
become hungry with very limited food supplies. If
such a blockade is a deliberate effort, then it
should be sustained as hungry and thirsty
insurgents are likely to have low morale and
surrender faster. Intelligence gathering should be
strengthened in collaboration with embedded
community members. After the second defeat in
Konduga the morale of these fighters might have
been terrified and demoralised. The
bombardment from the military should continue
ceaselessly at such a time. If possible, all the
borders between Cameroon and Nigeria should be
blocked temporarily to ensure that the insurgents
do not escape into their country. In between the
questions raised above and the suggestions
offered, one is confident that the end of Boko
Haram insurgency may not be far away.
Insinuations that the insurgents have the
capacity to fight for another 45 years is a fallacy.
It is not surprising that as they are about settling
down to establish their caliphate and attack
Maiduguri, they are simply throwing themselves
open for a sucker punch. Kudos to our military.
This cup will soon pass us by.

FIVE BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS SURRENDER

The Defence authorities have said that five
members of the Boko Haram sect have
surrendered to the troops at Konduga.
The Defence Headquarters said in a tweet on its
twitter handle on Sunday that the five insurgents
surrendered to the military with all their weapons
and pleaded for mercy.
It was also stated in another tweet that other
terrorists in custody of the military were
volunteering useful information on the activities of
the group signifying their readiness to cooperate
with the security forces.
"As the heat on terrorists continues, five terrorists
yesterday (on Saturday) surrendered with all their
weapons to troops at Konduga pleading for
mercy.
"Other captured terrorists have been giving
useful information on the subsequent plans of the
group in an apparent offer to cooperate," the
tweets read.
The troops were said to have recovered large
cache of arms and ammunition from the
insurgents during the battles against the
insurgents at Konduga between Maiduguri and
Bama.

BOKO HARAM NOW IN CHARGE OF 25 TOWNS AND VILLAGES

Boko Haram are in charge of at
least 25 towns and villages in the northeast, the
region's Roman Catholic bishop has claimed,
warning of a deteriorating security situation.
Bishop Oliver Dashe said 10 towns in Yobe state,
the same number in Borno and five in Adawama
had fallen to the rebels over the last month, as
they seek to carve out a hardline Islamic state.
International assistance was now required to
tackle the problem, he told the Nigerian Catholic
Bishops' Conference in the southern city of Warri,
Delta state, on Wednesday.
"As a nation we are almost losing this battle
because it is spinning out of control," he added.
"The earlier we come together as Nigerians,
forgetting our religious, ethnic, regional, cultural
and ideological differences to face this menace
the better for us."
The government has denied losing territory to
Boko Haram and the military has dismissed as
"empty" the militants' claim last month that one
captured town was part of an Islamic caliphate.
Independent verification that militants have
overrun towns and villages is hard to come by
because communications have been destroyed.
Most reports have come from the thousands of
residents who have fled their homes to go to
other towns and cities in the northeast and wider
region.
Military top brass this month admitted that the
militants' territorial ambitions were a threat to
Nigeria's sovereignty.
A series of counter-attacks have been launched
in
recent days, which they claim have successfully
recaptured towns.
Dashe said Boko Haram-related violence had
devastated the Diocese of Maiduguri, which he
represents and covers all three northeast states.
The heavily armed militants were getting the
better of the military, while the region was facing
a humanitarian crisis because of the thousands
displaced, he added.
He criticised the government for "almost
inaction"
and its "lukewarm attitude" in tackling
insecurity,
which had seen young men forcibly conscripted
into the militants' ranks and women forced to
marry Islamist fighters.
"We used to think that salt is the cheapest
commodity in the market, well, life is cheaper
now, especially in the northeastern part of
Nigeria," he told delegates.
"The bottom line is that the government and our
political leaders have failed us and we have lost
total trust and confidence in our government and
our leaders."

12 NIGERIAN SOLDIERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MUTINY

Twelve Nigerian soldiers were on Tuesday
sentenced to death for mutiny after shots were
fired at their commanding officer in the restive
northeast city of Maiduguri earlier this year.
A nine-member military tribunal, sitting in Abuja,
convicted the soldiers following the incident on
May 14 when shots were fired at the
commanding officer of the Nigerian Army's 7th
Division, which is tasked with fighting Boko
Haram insurgents.
Court president Brigadier General Chukwuemeka
Okonkwo said the sentences were subject to
confirmation by Nigeria's military authorities but
added there was no doubt about the gravity of
the offence.
The panel considered "its likely effect on the
counter-insurgency operations in the northeast as
well as its implications on national security", he
told the court.
Nigeria's army has been under pressure to end
the bloody five-year insurgency that has claimed
thousands of lives, made tens of thousands of
others homeless and seen the militants make
territorial gains in the northeast in recent weeks.
Front-line troops have frequently complained of a
lack of adequate weapons and equipment to fight
the rebels.
Residents in towns raided by the Islamists have
said the insurgents are often armed with rocket-
propelled grenades and anti-aircraft weapons
mounted on trucks and, in some cases, armoured
personnel carriers.
Soldiers by contrast have at times reportedly
lacked ammunition and been sent out to the
bush to fight without basic communication
equipment.
Last month, dozens of Nigerian soldiers refused to
deploy for an offensive to try to retake the
captured Borno town of Gwoza, which the
Islamists claimed as part of an Islamic caliphate.
Soldiers' wives also demonstrated at the gate of a
military base in Maiduguri trying to stop their
husbands from heading to Gwoza without proper
equipment.
One of the protesting soldiers, who set up camp
on the outskirts of Maiduguri, said at the time:
"We are being killed like chickens by Boko Haram
because we are not given the required weapons
to fight. We say enough is enough."
The country's military spokesman Chris Olukolade
denied the troops had mutinied and told AFP that
Nigerian soldiers were "too disciplined and
patriotic to indulge in this dangerous offence".
The military has also rejected claims that
hundreds of troops shouldered arms and fled
their posts in border towns overrun by Boko
Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan has asked
lawmakers to approve a $1 billion (750 million
euros) foreign loan to upgrade the capacity of the
military, which was seen as a tacit
acknowledgement that troops were being out-
matched.
The court martial heard that on the day in
question, the soldiers from 101 Battalion opened
fire at a convoy containing the 7th Division
commander General Amadu Mohammed at an
army medical centre in Maiduguri.
The soldiers had demanded that Mohammed
speak to them after a number of their colleagues
were killed in an ambush on the way back from
the Borno state town of Chibok.
The previous month, Boko Haram fighters
kidnapped more than 200 girls from their school
in the town, triggering global outrage.
Witnesses said the soldiers became unruly and
threw stones at an officer when he arrived and
shots were fired into the air. Mohammed then had
to take cover as they trained their guns on him
but he was not injured.
"The soldiers succeeded in shooting at his staff
car, thereby causing bullet impressions at the
right rear door where the GOC (general officer
commanding) sat," Okonkwo told the court.
"He said thank God for the staff officer who
rushed him into his car and the fact that the staff
car is an armoured plated vehicle."
Eighteen soldiers in total, ranked from private to
corporal, were charged with mutiny, criminal
conspiracy, attempted murder, disobeying
orders, insubordination and false accusation.
Twelve were sentenced to death for mutiny, one
was given 28 days' hard labour on another count
and five were acquitted. All pleaded not guilty.

850 NIGERIAN SOLDIERS AMBUSHED BY BREAK AWAY BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS

About 850 soldiers shortlisted for a counter-
terrorism course at the Nigerian Army Training
Centre in Kontagora, Niger State narrowly
escaped
death when they were ambushed by suspected
members of the outlawed Boko Haram islamist
sect.
Four of them were however seriously injured in
the incident which took place at a location
between Okene and Lokoja, Kogi State on Sunday
night.
A security source said on Monday that the soldiers
were men of the 322 Artillery Battalion, and the
Fourth Brigade Garrison, Ekeunwa, Benin in Edo
State.
The PUNCH learnt that the 850 soldiers were
expected to give fillip to the ongoing counter-
terrorism operation in Borno and Adamawa states
on completion of the counter- insurgency course.
Our source said there were suspicions that the
attackers were insurgents because of the
intensity
of the gunfire directed at the vans conveying the
soldiers from both sides of the road.
He added that the soldiers, who shot their way
through the ambush, passed the night at the
Nigeria Army formation in Lokoja.
The four injured soldiers, according to him, were
taken to a military facility in Lokoja while the
commanders of the troops addressed the others
on
Monday morning.
The source said, "There was an attack on soldiers
along the Okene-Lokoja Road on Sunday night.
Four
of the soldiers were seriously wounded in the
attack though all of them are still alive and are
receiving treatment at Lokoja.
"The soldiers were on their way for a course at
Kontagora, where they are expected to be
deployed in the North-East for the war against
the insurgents.
"The soldiers were pulled out from two military
formations in Benin–the 322 Artillery Battalion
and the Fourth Brigade Garrison in Ekeunwan,
Benin.
"It was not long that the soldiers returned from
a peacekeeping operation in Sudan; they were
members of the NIBBATT 41 that returned to
the country about two months ago.
"The soldiers were taken unawares as the
attackers operated from both sides of the road
and got four of the soldiers seriously wounded.
"However, they returned the fire and passed
through to Lokoja where they were addressed
the following morning. I believe as I talk to you
that they must have left for Kotangora to
participate in the planned course."
The source said that there were feelings that
somebody might have given out information on
the
movement of the troops from Benin to Kontagora.
Efforts to get the comment of the Director of
Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade,
on
the latest ambush were futile as the calls to his
mobile telephone indicated that it was switched
off.
It will be recalled that about 190 Nigerian troops
were ambushed by militants a few kilometres
from
Okene on January 19, 2013.
The militants were said to have cut through the
convoy of Mali-bound Nigerian Army
peacekeepers
travelling in three luxury buses via Kaduna to
Bamako, Mali.
They first hit the convoy with Improvised
Explosive Devices planted on the highway before
firing on the troops afterwards. Two soldiers were
killed and several others injured during the
attack.
A few days after the incident, a group, Jama'atu
Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, claimed that it
carried out the attack. The group is a break-
away faction of Boko Haram.

BOKO HARAM CONTROLLED MADAGALI/ MICHIKA CONSTITUENCY IN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

The member representing Madagali/ Michika
Federal Constituency at the House of
Representatives, Hon. Titsi Ganama Kwagga, has
cried out over the humanitarian crisis in the his
constituency following the attack on the area by
members of the Boko Haram sect last Sunday.
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Hon. Kwagga said
he was terribly distressed over the plight of his
constituents who had been subjected to untold
hardship and inhuman conditions by the
insurgents who sacked virtually all the
communities in Madagali and Michika local
government areas.
"The entire area has been sacked. And that is
why one cannot give authentic information on the
actual situation in Madagali and Michika. There is
nobody on the ground to give you any
information. What we are getting from there is
mostly based on hearsay; people who have been
sacked and are taking refuge on the
mountainsides are the ones saying they see the
insurgents moving about in the communities. The
situation is worsening by the day, the insurgents
are now going into the villages killing our people.
"Our people that have been sacked are hungry
and helpless. They have no food, no water, no
household provisions and medications. They have
had to resort to eating up crops that are not yet
ready for harvest. The situation is terrible. The
government, including all the relevant agencies
need to intervene urgently to save the people. If
nothing urgent is done, there could be outbreak
of diseases and have you. Their situation is
pathetic and unimaginable," Hon. Kwagga said
bitterly.
He acknowledged that the Nigerian troops may
be doing their best to reclaim the area from the
insurgents and restore normalcy, but called on
the federal government and the National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send
relief materials the way of the sacked
communities taking refuge on the mountainsides.
He lamented that there appeared to be no help
coming from relevant agencies, and suggested
that food items and water could be delivered to
the people by helicopters either by the military or
emergency workers.

NIGERIA'S AIRFORCE DECLARES ITS ONLY FIGHTER JET PARTICIPATING IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS MISSING

The Defence authorities have declared missing an
aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force in Adamawa. The
Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris
Olukolade, said in an electronic mail in the early
hours of Sunday that the aircraft, an Alpha jet,
has been missing since Friday, September 12,
2014.
Olukolade said that the aircraft left Yola by 10.45
am on an operational mission and was expected
back to base by 12PM same day but has not been
found. He said that the aircraft had two pilots on
board. The Defence spokesman said that the
military had started search and rescue efforts
meant to establish contact with the crew.
"An Alpha Jet (NAF 466) belonging to the
Nigerian Air Force is missing around Adamawa
State. The aircraft, with two pilots on board, left
Yola at about 10:45am on 12 September, 2014
on a routine operational mission and was
expected back by 12:00 noon. Since then all
efforts to establish contact with the aircraft have
not yielded any positive result. Meanwhile, search
and rescue effort is ongoing to establish contact
with the crew," he said.

IS THIS A JOKE OR WHAT?

Sources from the Nigerian Airforce say that they are currently looking
for their Jet fighter which disappeared from radar around Adamawa.

The Jet fighter is the only Jet currently in the fight against the
Boko Haram terrorists.

"It had gone on routine operations on friday against the Terrorists"
our source said. "We could not get in touch with the two pilots on
board" he added.

It is unclear whether the jet was shot down by the terrorists.
Boko Haram has been proven to posses sophisticated ant-aircraft weapons.

SOLDIERS KILL 100 BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS IN BORNO

 
Nigerian soldiers have killed over 100 Boko Haram insur­gents during a failed attempt to take over Konduga town, some 40 miles from Maiduguri, Borno State.
A statement from the Defence head­quarters yesterday said troops ambushed the insurgents while marching from Bama to Konduga while Air Force jets and at­tack helicopters bombed them as “ground troops picked those of them attempting to flee the scene.” Authoritative military sources disclosed that at least 100 of the terrorists were shot dead in the attack while about 200 others escaped in the only truck that manoeuvred from the scene.
“Most of the dead insurgents were mangled beyond recognition during the few hours of fury displayed by our men”, a senior military officer disclosed.

BOKO HARAM VIDEO JOURNALIST KILLED IN BATTLE

The video journalist responsible for capturing the activities of Boko Haram sect was amongst those who were killed by Nigeria military force yesterday Friday, during a gun-battle with the sect. The video journalist who was believed to have shot several videos of past activities of sect including the video of the abducted Chibok girls was caught in a fierce battle while capturing yesterday battle on camera. Over 200 Boko Haram terrorist including a dreaded commander of the group named Amir were killed on Friday in Konduga near Maiduguri, Borno State, report says.

One Nigerian army officer said a feared commander known only as Amir was among the dead after a battle on Friday in Konduga town, 35 kilometres from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and birthplace of the extremist group.
There were no military casualties, according to the officer and a civilian self-defence group that fights alongside the soldiers. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to reporters.

Boko Haram has captured a string of towns in recent weeks stretching over 320 kilometres alongside Nigeria’s north-east border with Cameroon in a new campaign to create an Islamic caliphate, mimicking the Isis group in Syria and Iraq.

The extremists also have attacked a town and villages across the border in Cameroon, but that country’s state radio said Cameroonian troops beat them off and forced them back across the border into Nigeria.

The United States said last week it is about to launch a major border security program for Nigeria and its neighbours, but gave no details.

Thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes in the latest offensive, joining more than 1.5 million other Nigerians who are refugees within their country or across borders in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, according to UN figures.

Extremists who have taken other towns have told residents that their next target is Maiduguri, the headquarters of the military campaign in the north-east. Boko Haram has attacked the city several times, with suicide and car bombs that have killed scores. In December they launched a bold attack on an air force base on the outskirts in which they destroyed five aircraft and in February an assault on the main military barracks in the city, in which they freed hundreds of detainees.

The soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed detainees in the aftermath of that last attack, mostly civilians accused of belonging to or supporting the insurgency. Amnesty International put the number of civilians killed by the soldiers at nearly 700.

Nigeria’s military is accused of massive human rights abuses in the fight against the extremists, including the deaths of thousands of illegally detained people.

LIFE STYLE OF BOKO HARAM MEMBERS REVEALED

1. Recent information received by this
Headquarters following the debrief of a
released Boko Haram Terrorist hostage, revealed some traits
and disposition of the Boko Haram Terrorist. Based on his
testimony, the following findings were
made:
a. Boko Haram Terrorist were formerly carrying out their ops
at night but later changed to day time due
to incessant fratricide.
b. They have information on every NA
movement.
c. Boko Haram Terrorists plant bombs on all routes especially
those likely to be used by NA.
d. The routine in Boko Haram Terrorist camp is to wake up,
read, Quran, train, and plan attacks then go
for operation.
e. Boko Haram Terrorists actually set out to capture
ammunition manufacturing machine as
they were told at Chibok and when they
could not find any, they abducted the
school girls.
f. The girls were shared into groups of 20
with each group under a tree.
g. Some of the girls have converted into
Islam and some have not, but they didn't
kill those who decided not to convert to
Islam as they normally do to men who
refuse to convert.
h. Thirty of the girls are not married to Boko Haram Terrorists
of Chibok origin, one of them had a
dislocation and another was bitten by a
snake.
i. Boko Haram Terrorists are ready to free the girls if their
detained members are released. This has
always been their slogan.
j. Some white hostages were freed based on
exchange with their men.
k. Boko Haram Terrorists got fuel from Cameroon prior to the
Cameroonian response to the
l. They have herds of cattle and could
slaughter up to 10 cows in a day.
m. Food was sourced through diversion of
vehicles conveying food along Damboa
Road.
n. They now get their food from Potiskim
area.
o. Boko Haram Terrorist's major source of fund is through
robbery.
p. Boko Haram Terrorist camp has many generators in
Sambisa Forest. Boko Haram Terrorists do not live in built
houses but tents and under trees.
q. Boko Haram Terrorists weat jump-up Pakistani dresses
and do not shave nor do they wear wrist
watches on left hand. When wearing shoes
they put the right leg first and when
removing shoes they remove the left leg
first.
r. Shekau has his wife and 2 children in
Sambisa Forest. He is Kanuri, he speaks
Hausa and he does not travel.
s. Boko Haram Terrorist Camp in Sambsa Forest is divided
into guard area, judgement area, and HQ.
The judgement areas are signified by flags
mounted on trees while the HQ has a big
flag hoisted. The symbol on Boko Haram Terrorist flag are
gun and machetes.
t. The password in the camp during the day
time is: challenge - BUSHRA, response -
LAKUM. During night time is: challenge -
TARKA, response - HAZAM.
u. Boko Haram Terrorist don't use rosary (beads) for their
prayers. They do not drink, smoke, or listen
to music.
v. There are few Chadians and Nigerians as
members of Boko Haram. Most of them are Kanuris.
w. All Boko Haram Terrorists listen to radio a lot to keep
abreast with happening around the world.
x. Boko Haram Terrorist normally travel from Sambisa - Talafa
- Gorun - Buni Yadi to any destination of
their choice and return through the same
route.
y. Boko Haram Terrorists have laid IEDs along selected parts of
the roads leading into their enclave. They
go off the roads at the IED points and their
camps are also fortified with IEDs.
2. Consequent upon the above findings, the
details of the debrief are here by forwarded
to you to enable you build a better
intelligence picture of Boko Haram Terrorists and assist in the
conduct of your operations. Please
acknowledge receipt.
Signed GG SHIPI
Col. for COAS

BOKO HARAM FIGHTERS PREPARE TO ATTACK MAIDUGURI, CAPITAL OF THE BESIEGED BORNO STATE

Boko Haram fighters have surrounded the
northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri and are
preparing an imminent takeover, an influential
regional group claimed on Thursday, calling for
military reinforcements.
"They have completely surrounded the city of
Maiduguri," said the Borno Elders Forum, which is
made up of retired senior civilian and military
officials as well as community leaders.
"It is apparent that their imminent target is to
take the city of Maiduguri, the Borno state
capital," they said in a statement.
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa regions have been
under a state of emergency since May last year
but despite the Nigerian army driving Boko
Haram out of Maiduguri, thousands of people
have died in the countryside and many more
have been forced to flee.
"We wish to call on the federal government to
urgently fortify in and around the city of
Maiduguri," the elders added.
"The insurgents… are nursing the ambition of
attacking the city in all directions. There is
credible local intelligence information to that
effect."
The elders said that half of Borno state's 4.1
million population was now living in temporary
accommodation in Maiduguri, where Boko Haram
began as an anti-corruption movement in 2002.
The United Nations says that more than 650,000
people across the northeast have fled their
homes, while the United States has warned that
any attack on Maiduguri could hit civilians
further.
Roads and bridges have been destroyed, schools
shut and the economy blighted, with Maiduguri
without mains electricity for the last three
months.
The elders warned of "starvation" given that
subsistence farmers in the state had not been
able to plant crops this year because of the
chaos.
Security analysts have warned that Nigeria's
government was on the brink of losing control of
the northeast and Maiduguri would be a major
gain in its aim at creating a hardline Islamic state.
The elders said the government needed to act,
claiming the militants were in control within reach
of the city from the south and east after taking
over swathes of territory elsewhere in the state.
Boko Haram recently claimed to have taken over
Bama, 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Maiduguri
but the military has since said it has retaken the
town.
That followed a declaration by Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau in a video released on August
24 that another captured Borno town, Gwoza, was now part of their
islamic caliphate.

KING FLEES HIS KINGDOM AS BOKO HARAM APPROACHES

The battle between the Nigerian Army and Boko Haram terrorist has forced the King of Mubi Emir Abubakar Isah Ahmed to leave his kingdom(Emirate).

Mubi had seen and influx of people after Boko Haram took countrol over a large chunk of Borno State.
The Chairmen of Mubi North, Michika, and Madagali Local Government Areas all in Adamawa State(south of Borno State) have reportedly fled to Yola, Adamawa state capital.

Along with the fleeing monarch, the Vice President of Adamawa Council of Chiefs and Emirs has also fled to an undisclosed location.
The battle in Gulak, Michika, Bazza and surrounding communities has caused tens of thousands of residents to cross the border into Cameroon.
Our sources say that the Terrorists have began planting their flags and brandishing their weapons inside the towns of Michika, Bazza and Shuwa a few kilometres from Mubi.

One source who interviewed a resident quoted him saying "we couldn't sleep due to the heavy fighting and gun shots in the night. The kept shouting 'Allahu Akbar',people are now living in an atmosphere of despair and agony. Even our Emir left the town in the night.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

NIGERIAN ARMY'S DEBRIEFING OF RELEASED BOKO HARAM HOSTAGE EXTENSIVELY OUTLINES SECT'S OPERATIONAL TACTICS

Upon review of classified intelligence documents
from an inside source in the Nigerian military
today, Bokoharaminfo has learned critical
aspects of the Boko Haram sect's terror tactics.
The report titled "OPERATION ZAMAN LAFIYA –
DEBRIEF OF RELEASED BHT HOSTAGE", was
dated August 18, details several elements of Boko
Haram's operation, including characteristics of
their hideout in the Sambisa Forest, means and
methods of transportation, as well as dress, daily
life, and practices.
The report reveals that the insurgents, who fund
their operations principally through robbery, have
information on all the movements of the Nigerian
army, and plant explosive devices on
thoroughfares patronized by the troops. These
explosives, which the source alleges also surround
their enclave and paths to it, present major
difficulty for troops who are trying to crush the
ins urgency in Sambisa Forest.
Also significant was that the source disclosed
details on the abducted Chibok girls, today gone
for 149 nationally-agonizing days. According to
the document, a debriefed hostage revealed that
Boko Haram actually set out to obtain
ammunition and weaponry they were told was in
Chibok on April 14, 2014, and realizing upon
arrival that there was none, they disappointedly
resorted to abducting some 250 high school girls
from Chibok Secondary School.
The document further disclosed that after
abducting the girls, the sect militants divided the
girls into groups of twenty. Although not all of the
girls have converted to Islam, the documents
allege, many of them have married Boko Haram
militants that originally came from Chibok.
"Some of the girls have converted into Islam and
some have not," the report said. "They didn't kill
those who decided not to convert to Islam as they
normally do to men who refuse to convert."
"Thirty of the girls are now married to BHTs (Boko
Haram terrorists) of Chibok origin, one of them
had a dislocation and another was bitten by a
snake," the report further alleged.
The documents also maintained that Boko Haram
is continuing to demand the release of their
detained men as a condition for releasing the
girls, though some White hostages (nationality
undisclosed) were freed "based on exchange with
their men".
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

FIVE THINGS YOU DID'NT KNOW ABOUT BOKO HARAM

1) Their Real Name is The Party of The People of the Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad

Boko Haram means "western Education is a sin", or more literally "Books Bad". European and American media has reported this as if the group were some kind of hiddities who for some unknown reasons hated anything modern except for AK-47s.

Boko Haram is specifically an Islamic name referring to the sinfulness of any educational system that is not coherent with Islam. The actual name of the group is not Boko Haram at all; It is the party of the people of sunnah for dawah and jihad. Sunnah refers to 'accepted Islamic practice as derived from the Qu'ran and Haddith, Dawah means Islamic proselytizing i.e preaching, and Jihad of cause refer to warfare against unbelievers in order to establish the oneness of islamic law.

2) Boko Haram is not a Political Problem

People who say that Boko Haram is a political problem are only NAÏVE. Let me make this straight, if Boko Haram can lay their hands on them, they will slit their throat, behead them and place their heads in spikes so that next time, may be in hell they will know how to talk.

3) Boko Haram Will Never Accept Amnesty

These guys are filled with religious zeal, they believe strongly in the righteousness of their killings. They believe that they were told by God to kill people. So then who are you to try to convince them that what they are doing is bad. You think that they want money. They don't believe in your money. If you see a Boko Haram member he would be wearing that same cloth if you meet him in the next 6 months. They only want your money to buy arms and food.
Their is no negotiation with Boko Haram. This is something that must be won on the battle field and WE WILL WIN.

4) Shekau Calls Himself 'The Emir of Boko Haram'

It literally means 'king of western education is sin'. This means he considers Boko Haram to be his kingdom without any land. The Nigerian Government has refused to release the title deeds to Sambisa forest hahahaha

5) Muslim Clerics Recruit for Boko Haram

Some Nigerian and Cameroonian muslim clerics recruit for Boko Haram in their mosques. Many clerics who have not denounced Boko Haram are suspected of quietly recruiting young men to join the killing spree.
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OBASANJO'S SON EAGER FOR BATTLE

The son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Lt. Col. Adeboye, who was shot on Monday by Boko Haram insurgents   near Michika in Adamawa State   has   expressed eagerness to return to the battle front.

Adeboye, who is recuperating at a government medical facility in Yola, spoke with a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and the Director General of the National Orientation Agency,   Mike Omeri.

Abubakar   visited the injured soldier while Omeri spoke with him on the telephone.

A source in the hospital told one of our correspondents that the former vice-president, who recently mended fences with Obasanjo, was glad to find Adeboye in high spirit.

The source quoted Abubakar as having told the officer   that he was impressed to see him display the type of courage his father (Obasanjo) was known for.

“He even marched before me even as he was recovering from gunshots,” the source quoted the ex-vice president as saying.

Abubakar was said to have wished   Adeboye speedy recovery from the injuries he sustained from gunshots in an operation to flush out   insurgents from Michika. About 25 soldiers were killed in the battle.

Also, Omeri told journalists at a news conference in Abuja that Adeboye was in high spirits when he spoke with him on the telephone on Tuesday.

The NOA boss, who coordinates the National Information Centre, said, “I spoke with the son of Gen. Obasanjo’s son   that was involved in the incident of yesterday(Monday). He is in very high spirits and he is assuring Nigerians that what is on his mind now is to get well and go back to defend his fatherland.

“That was what he told me today(Tuesday). And this is the kind of patriotism and the spirit that   even those of us who are not on the line of battle should exhibit. We should continuously support members of the armed forces and support them in prayers.”

Omeri also cautioned Nigerians against buying used phones and Subscriber Identity Module cards as they could have been used by insurgents.

He said, “The NIC wishes to call on Nigerians to desist from purchasing used GSM phones and pre-registered SIM cards from unknown sources.

“Such phones and SIM cards might have been used for terrorist and other untoward activities. This caution has become necessary to save members of the public the embarrassment of being apprehended for criminal activities committed with phones and SIM cards found in their possession.

“Accordingly, members of the public are strongly advised to report cases of stolen phones and SIM cards to the police, while refraining from purchasing second-hand phones/SIM cards from unknown sources.”

Omeri also spoke on a recent regional ministerial meeting convened to explore ways of achieving international cooperation in tackling   insurgency in the North-East.

The meeting which was held in Abuja on September 3 under the chairmanship of Nigeria was attended by representatives of Cameroun, France, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, China, Benin, Chad, Niger, the European Union, and the Economic Community of West African States.

Omeri said, “The meeting underscored the need to effectively address the sources of funding and supply of weapons to Boko Haram and called for greater international co-operation in tracking all forms of illegal transfer of arms and ammunition.

Boko Haram militants shoot Obasanjo’s son in Adamawa

 
Adeboye Obasanjo, who is an army officer, was shot when the insurgents attacked a team of soldiers, which he was leading.
It was gathered that he sustained serious injuries to his legs, and was being transported to the hospital at the time of this report.

Obasanjo, an army engineer, was a Lieutenant Colonel at the 3rd Division in Jos, Plateau State.
He and his platoon were engaged with Boko Haram militants at Baza, which is the village of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the division when the incident took place. 24 soldiers in the platoon were killed.
Adamawa state university was shut yesterday and students sent home as Boko Haram fighters continued their incursion into Adamawa State.
To prevent an attack on students, the Adamawa State Government shut the state university in Mubi as the insurgents overran Uba, a town five kilometres from Mubi.


Other towns taken at the weekend by Boko Haram fighters are: Michika and Bazza.
Both towns, along with Uba, are in Hong Local Government Area . Security operatives have successfully flushed out Boko Haram insurgents from Bama, the second largest town in Borno state, according to an unnamed government official.
The insurgents captured the town last week Monday, forcing the military to declare a total war. Several airstrikes were launched in the town, which has a population of over 200,000 people.
However, a senior government official told Reuters on Monday that the military has been able to send the militants towards Maiduguri, the state capital and neighbouring Adamawa state. “Bama has been recaptured by the soldiers and I can confirm to you Maiduguri is safe”, said the official.
.

Good News: Army Retakes Bama

Nigeria's military has recaptured the flashpoint town of Bama in northeast Borno state from Boko Haram and blocked the Islamist militants' advance towards the state capital Maiduguri, a senior official said on Monday.
He said government forces are also fighting a southwards push into neighbouring Adamawa state by the group, which has recently departed from its usual hit-and-run tactics and started to seize towns and territory.
The government source, who asked not to be named, said Boko Haram fighters had been driven from Bama, 70 km (45 miles) southeast of Maiduguri. Government warplanes have bombed and strafed the militants after they stormed Bama last week.
"Bama has been recaptured by the soldiers and I can confirm to you Maiduguri is safe," the official in Abuja told Reuters.
A market trader from Bama, Babagana Modu, also confirmed that soldiers were in control of the town, as government planes struck at Boko Haram positions in the surrounding area.
Thousands of civilians have fled the recent offensive by the Sunni jihadist movement, which has killed thousands in its five-year-old insurgency in the northeast of Africa's No. 1 oil producer.
It is now believed to be trying to mimic the example of Islamic State (IS), which has announced the creation of its own caliphate covering parts of Syria and Iraq.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last month declared a "Muslim territory" after capturing Gwoza on the Cameroon border.
In addition to the fighting in Borno state, another Boko Haram column over the weekend pushed southwards into neighbouring Adamawa state, overrunning one town, Gulak, and attacking at least one more, Michika.
Locals reported the raiders were burning Christian churches, police stations and government offices as they went.
Nigeria's military had deployed reinforcements to Adamawa state to confront this threat, and was setting up roadblocks and positions around Mubi to prevent the militants from advancing further south, the government official in Abuja said.

Many local residents were fleeing to Yola, the Adamawa state capital, or to Gombe city in neighbouring Gombe state.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces elections in February and has been criticised by opponents for not doing enough to confront Boko Haram, was due to hold talks in neighbouring Chad on Monday with its President Idriss Deby, his spokesman said.

Nigeria has agreed to step up cooperation with Chad and its other neighbours Cameroon and Niger to prevent Boko Haram and other jihadist groups from moving across their borders. Measures already discussed have included joint border patrols and intelligence sharing.

Counter-terrorism experts say some links exist between Boko Haram and other Islamist groups, such as al Qaeda's North African franchise and Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, but there has been little evidence so far of extensive cooperation.

In Nigeria's February polls, southerner Jonathan is expected to seek re-election. Many believe political tensions stemming from the historic rivalry between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south is also stoking the violence.

Boko Haram at a glance

• Founded in 2002
• Official Arabic name, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad"
• Initially focused on opposing Western education - gaining the nickname Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Founding leader Mohammed Yusuf (pictured above) killed in 2009 same year in police custody, succeeded by Abubakar Shekau
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Some three million people affected
• Declared terrorist group by US in 2013

Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?

Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram - which has caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a wave of bombings, assassinations and now abductions - is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

Its followers are said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase which says: "Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors".
Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.
This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.
Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, even when the country had a Muslim president.


The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad".
Recruiting ground But residents in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, where the group had its headquarters, dubbed it Boko Haram.
Loosely translated from the region's Hausa language, this means "Western education is forbidden".
Boko originally meant fake but came to signify Western education, while haram means forbidden.

Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram By Andrew Walker Nigeria analyst

Exactly a year after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a "state of emergency" in north-eastern Nigeria, it seems to have had little effect in curbing the Islamist insurgency

Attacks by the Boko Haram group that provoked the move included an assault on a military barracks, detonating a bomb at a bus station in the northern city of Kano and the kidnap of a French family, including four children, which grabbed the world's attention.
The declaration would bring "extraordinary measures" to bear against the insurgents in order to "restore normalcy" to the region, the president said.
"The troops have orders to carry out all necessary actions within the ambit of their rules of engagement to put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists," President Jonathan said.

Now, after 12 months of state of emergency powers being in force, in the past few weeks Boko Haram has attacked several military bases, bombed a busy bus terminal in the capital, Abuja - twice - and launched an audacious kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok which has set the world on edge.
"When they declared it I thought it had to be tried," says Habeeb Pindiga, editor of Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper, "but honestly it has not succeeded."
In the year leading up to the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe state, there were 741 civilian death reported, according to data collected by the University of Sussex in the UK.
In the 12 months since the figure of civilian causalities has more than tripled to 2,265.
Catch-22 Mr Pindiga says the military has not dealt with big problems it faces.
Because of the military's human rights record people do not trust them, plus they lack modern equipment, training and motivation.


A UK military officer who has worked closely with the Nigerians says they are stuck in a Catch-22 situation.
"The trouble with the Nigerian government is that they want a big red button, which you can press and it will fix everything," says James Hall, a retired colonel and former UK military attache to Nigeria.
"I was asked by a senior commander if we could sell them the machine that can tell if a car driving down the road contains a terrorist," he added.
"I tried to tell them that such a machine doesn't exist, but then they just thought we were hiding it from them."
The UK is very wary in giving training assistance, and sales of better equipment are also problematic, he says.

Boko Haram Militants Overrun Michika In Adamawa State

 

Heavily armed Islamists militants from Boko Haram today took over Michika one of the key towns in Adamawa state. The militants who seized Gulak three days ago chased out Nigerian troops and hoisted their flag in the township.

Residents fleeing the city said a Nigerian military jet flew over the area but did not attack the militants.
Some soldiers were alter mobilized to Mararaba Mubi to prevent the militants from capturing Mubi, another key city some kilometers away from Michika.
Soldiers from the 23 Brigade in Yola were told to put on their uniform and get ready to defend Mubi.
SaharaReporters, New Yo

12,000 Civilian Volunteers Demand Permission From Government To Go After Boko Haram

With military officials and the government of Borno State quietly backing away from claims that the strategic town of Bama was still in the control of Nigerian soldiers, at least 12,000 volunteers gathered yesterday in Maiduguri to offer their services in the war against the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. The volunteers, who gathered at the Maiduguri palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Ibn- Garbai Elkanemi, urged the Nigerian government to accept their services in the war against terror.

Reports say thousands of ex-service men, hunters, and youths said they were ready to become part of the increasingly critical war against Boko Haram, which recently has captured several towns in Borno and Yobe States and killed more than 2,000 civilians in the first half of 2014, according to Human Rights Watch.

Some of the ex-servicemen, who had served in the military, the police, and with the SSS, said they wished to join youths in the civilian joint task force (JTF) to stop Boko Haram’s incessant attacks and recent string of triumphs over demoralized Nigerian soldiers based in the violence-ravaged northeast of Nigeria.

The prospective volunteers today to the palace of the Shehu of Borno to seek his support and cooperation in their desire to combat the seemingly energized and increasingly more brutal Islamist insurgents. Some of the vigilante volunteers vowed to enter Sambisa forest and other hideouts to hunt down Boko Haram militants and bring an end to the ongoing insurgency.

Over the last three weeks, Boko Haram insurgents launched a series of attacks on several towns in Borno and neighboring states, including Damboa, Gamboru Ngala, Bama and Banki. The terrorists have seized numerous towns and engaged in widespread slaughter of civilians. Thousands of people have been displaced, some of them taking refuge in neighboring west African countries.

Some of the volunteers said their goal was to resist Boko Haram’s reign of terror and to reverse the insurgent group’s seizure of important towns.

Ex-staff sergeant Yahaya Suleiman, who fought in Nigeria’s civil war, urged the Nigerian government to accept the offer from him and others. “We are fully ready to join the military in fighting against terrorism. Enough is enough. All we need is support from the federal government to stop this madness.”

The dramatic gathering came a day after the Shehu of Borno suggested that people of different faiths observe three days of alms, prayers and fasting in order to restore peace to the state and the country at large.

The Shehu also called on members of the vigilante youth, popularly known as 'Civilian JTF,' to always abide by the rule of law while discharging their civic responsibilities.

Addressing the volunteers, the traditional ruler commended the effort of the civilian JTF in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency. He urged them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies. He added that the civilian JTF had helped to dislodge the sect from Maiduguri and surrounding areas. He encouraged other besieged towns and communities to set up their own volunteers to help fight terrorism.

“I want to thank you for this visit and the effort you are collectively and voluntarily making in order to fight Boko Haram who are bent in not only destroying our social and economic structures, but also killing innocent lives. I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties.”

The Borno State coordinator of the civilian JTF, Abba Aji, said the residents of the beleaguered states had suffered enough at the hands of Boko Haram. He said he and other volunteers were determined to go after the insurgents “even if we are not well armed. We are optimistic that, with our sticks, Dane guns and other local arms, we will raid all terrorist hideouts and kill them when given permission by the federal government.”

Mr. Aji added that members of the civilian JTF were now more motivated with the support and assurance they received from retired military men, local hunters and other patriotic citizens who have expressed their willingness join the group to end the madness perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists.

The passion displayed by the volunteers came as US authorities tacitly confirmed that the insurgents had indeed seized the town of Bama, contrary to earlier denials by the Nigerian military and Borno State officials.

BOKO HARAM: MY NEW WIFE

Abducted Girls

Boys and girls abducted by Boko Haram, including Christian girls, have been forced to convert to Islam and coerced into marrying members of the group, along with other female abductees, a report by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict noted yesterday.
Watchlist, an international network of human rights and humanitarian non-government organizations working to end violations against children in armed conflict, also accused the federal government and other international humanatarian bodies of being slow, fragmente and unable to meet the fast-growing needs of those affected by the conflict in terms of relief response to violations against children.
“Boko Haram abducted these girls and young women from schools and markets, and during raids on villages in areas across Borno State since at least December 2012. Some members of the group raped girls and young women in the camps. None of the girls and women who escaped, and were interviewed by Watchlist, had access to counseling and other health services”, the group noted.
According to the report made available to LEADERSHIP Friday, the Boko Haram sect and the Civilian Joint Task Force (“Civilian JTF”) have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the north-east of Nigeria.
In the 64-page report entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations Against Children in Northeastern Nigeria,” the group painted a pathetic picture of what it described as grave violations by some parties to the terrorist attacks since December 2012 and made some recommendations on how to better protect children.
“The gravity and scale of these violations warrant urgent action from the Nigerian government, United Nations and other child protection actors,” it said.
Specifically, Watchlist said the major source of worry was the forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF, a self-defence militia formed in mid-2013 in Borno State.

IS NIGERIA'S FIGHTING FORCE FAULTERING

BORNO STATE

Yesterday we got a report that the Nigerian army had finally taken over Bama in Borno State. Since we had not comfirmed it, we hesitated to bring you the information. And it turned out that the military had actually taken over a part of the town while Boko Haram remained strongly in control of other parts. Hours later yesterday, our sources have confirmed that the Military have pulled out amid fierce fighting with the sect, leaving Bama completely in the control of terorists.

BODIES LITTER BAMA TOWN

B

Bodies remain littered on the streets of a northern Nigerian town two days after it was seized by militant Islamists, a lawmaker has told the BBC.

Boko Haram fighters were patrolling the streets of Bama, preventing people from burying the dead, Ahmed Zanna said.

On Wednesday, the state government denied the town had fallen.

Officials said about 26,000 people had been displaced by fighting in Bama, a key town in the battle for control of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state.

Earlier this week, the Nigeria Security Network (NSN) think-tank said the group had made “lightning territorial gains” in recent months, raising fears that the country could disintegrate like Syria and Iraq, where the Islamic State (IS) rebel group has declared a caliphate.

Boko Haram has also said it has set up a caliphate in the areas it controls – it is not clear if the two groups are allied.

Mr. Zanna, a senator in Borno, said the humanitarian situation in Bama was “terrible” and there had been a “lot of killings” in the town.

“So many bodies litter the streets, and people are not allowed to even go and bury the dead ones. So the situation is getting worse and worse,” Mr Zanna told the BBC’s Newsday programme after speaking to a resident who fled the town.

Boko Haram has captured a string of towns in northern-eastern Nigeria in recent months, fuelling concern that it could advance towards the main city, Maiduguri.

Mr Zanna said it would be “catastrophic” if Boko Haram launched an assault on Maiduguri, which has a population of more than two million.

“I’m begging the government to send more troops and armoury to Maiduguri,” he said.

“Boko Haram do come overwhelmingly because they recruited en masse in the villages [in Borno state],” he added.

UP NEXT

  WILL BOKO HARAM ATTACK THE UNITED STATES

Where will Boko Haram Attack Next?

An official of the United States of America has warned that Boko Haram is planning to launch attacks on Maiduguri following the fall of Bama, Borno state second largest city.

“We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri, which would impose a tremendous toll on the civilian population,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.

P.M NEWS reports that the US diplomat spoke at the opening session of US-Nigeria, Bi-National Commission Regional Security Working Group meeting, held in Abuja, Nigerian capital on Thursday, 4 September, 2014.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.

According to Thomas-Greenfield, Nigeria should swallow its pride and do away with denials and acknowledge the threats posed by the deadly sect.

“This is a sober reality check for us all. We are past time for denial and pride,” she said.Continue readingnaij.com

Boko Haram Captures Bara, Banki Towns In Yobe, Borno

Boko Haram terrorists have stormed an unguarded Bara town in Yobe and Banki town in Borno states without firing a shot; they seized and controlled the territory.
Residents of the seized Banki town told the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that no one was harmed in the takeover but everybody fled the troubled areas to Maiduguri and the neighbouring Cameroon.
Confirming the incident to the BBC, a trader who escaped Bara, in Yobe State, Musa Abdullahi, said, “They (Boko Haram) invaded the town preaching in the whole town, asking people to leave government work and join them to fight for the sake of Allah.
“People were afraid, but they said that they did not come to kill anybody but to preach.”
Boko Haram’s attacks appear to have shifted in recent weeks away from simply creating mayhem to taking ground and holding it.
Traditional rulers in the captured towns, according to the agency, have now fled to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, despite denials by the government of Borno State and local vigilante groups that Bama remained under government control.
According to spokesman of the youth vigilante group in Borno State, Jibrin Gunda, “Bama has never been overrun or overtaken by the insurgents even for a minute.”
Among the towns captured by the Boko Haram are Marte, Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza, Damboa and Banki towns in Borno State and recently Buni Yadi and Bara towns in Yobe State.
Last month, the insurgents captured the remote farming town of Gwoza, along the Cameroon border. During the heavy fight, the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared in a video that the town was now “Islamic territory”.
Controlling Bama would bring the rebels closer to the Borno State capital, which is 70 km to the northwest, the birthplace of the Boko Haram movement. Fears that Maiduguri could be the next target led the government to extend a curfew in place there to 7pm to 6am; it used to start at 10pm.
A new report by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said 39,000 people have fled fighting in northeast Nigeria in the past 10 days over the border to Cameroon, adding that more than 700,000 people have been displaced externally and internally by the conflict.

Allegations Against Me Mischievous, Political
– Modu Sheriff
Former governor of Borno State Ali Modu Sheriff has declared that he does share the Boko Haram ideology and has never been a sponsor of the sect that has waged a relentless and bloody campaign against the Nigerian state especially in Abuja and in the north-east states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who made this declaration yesterday during a world press conference in Abuja, debunked the recent allegations against him — orchestrated by an Australian negotiator Stephen Davies and published by certain media — that he was one of those sponsoring the deadly Boko Haram sect.
Those making the claim, he said, were mischief-makers hired to fabricate the stories in order to divert attention from the real issues at stake and cast a slur on his reputation for political reasons.
The former governor said he was constrained to speak out at this moment as the smear campaign had assumed a life of its own, in order to correct the erroneous and mischievous impression created about him in the eyes of the public, which has caused him plenty of hurt.
He read from a statement: “I must say that I have been utterly embarrassed by some of the negative comments, insinuations and unfounded accusations which were clearly misdirected, narrow and mischievous.
“After due reflection and over the dimensions the whole issue seems to be taking, and saddened by the persistent misrepresentation and misinformation in some quarters, particularly the recent castigations by the APC, it has become imperative that I set the record straight.
“Let me state categorically that I do not share the ideology of the Boko Haram sect, which is against western education, western culture and modern science or any sect with similar ideology.
“By my nature and upbringing, I have never associated myself with, nor shared the beliefs of, religious fundamentalists such as the Boko Haram sect or any other sect for that matter. As a matter of fact, they have also a lot of disdain for politicians and hate democracy with a passion.
“I wish to state with all sense of responsibility and modesty, for the avoidance of doubt, as a Muslim, I believe in the sanctity of human life and as a true democrat endorse all the rights enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.”
According to him, from the time he left office in 2011, he had been unfairly accused of so many things in connection with the Boko Haram sect, including entering into a pact to implement Sharia Law in exchange for the sect’s backing; that his government failed to act on a security report on the sect’s activities in order to contain it in time, and that these had emboldened the sect to flourish and turn bloody, allegations he described as totally baseless.
The former senator, who queried the authenticity of the Australian Stephen Davies who made the public allegation, wondered why the man who claimed he was contracted by the federal government did not submit his findings to the government, or the mainstream Nigerian media, and rather chose to speak to a “third-rate television station, ARISE, and ThisDay newspaper, both of which are owned by one person”.
He asked, “Of what particular interest is the said Davies in the politics of Nigeria that he rose in defence of APC leaders?”
Modu Sheriff also took strong exception to the uncomplimentary statements made by the APC national chairman, John Oyegun, during a press conference in Abuja on September 2 in which he called for the prosecution of Modu Sheriff and suggested that the latter was unworthy of the party.
“As much as I do not think that changing one’s political party is an anathema, I’m particularly concerned that my defection from the APC into PDP seems to further galvanise my detractors who have converted the matter into a political weapon,” he said, noting that it was ignoble for the APC to descend to this low level of mudslinging.
“Given the seriousness of the issue, I feel that it is highly uncharitable to try to trivialise the issue of terrorism on the altar of political rivalry. I believe strongly that some of those linking me with the sect are doing so either because of ignorance of the group, its history and development or are clearly being mischievous,” he said.
On the insinuation that the sect members were his political thugs who disagreed with him and turned wild, the ex-governor explained that the group’s activities predated the coming of his government in 2003.
Sheriff explained that Shariah Law was introduced into Borno by his predecessor, the late Alhaji Malla Kachalla, in year 2000, and he presented a document of the state government, dated February 1, 2001, and signed by the then Borno State SSG, Dr Shettima Bukar Abba, which listed the late leader of Boko Haram sect, Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, as part of the 25-member Sharia Law Implementation Committee inaugurated under the chairmanship of Prof. Abubakar Mustapha, the former vice chancellor of the University of Maiduguri.

Australian Negotiator Names Boko Haram Sponsors

Stephen Davis, an Australian hostage negotiator who spent some time in Nigeria trying to secure the release of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Borno State, told BokoHaramInfo that he stands by his widely reported allegations that former Governor Modu Sherriff of Borno State and a former Chief of Army staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika (ret.), were among the top sponsors of the Islamist insurgents who have massacred thousands of Nigerians and foreigners and made the northeast part of Nigeria a highly militarized zone.

In an extensive telephone interview with BokoHaramInfo yesterday, Dr. Davis also accused an unnamed senior official of the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as a man based in Cairo, Egypt whom he claimed operates as Boko Haram’s bagman. He said both men, in addition to Mr. Sheriff and former General Ihejirika, were major players in the funding and continued existence of the deadly Islamist sect.

Dr. Davis told BokoHaramInfo that he did not want to name the CBN official as this may prejudice investigation by Nigeria’s security services. Both accused men have reacted furiously to Mr. Davis’ allegation, with the former Borno governor threatening to travel to Australia to sue his accuser while Mr. Ihejirika accused former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El Rufai, of being a “commander” of Boko Haram. Three days ago, Mr. El Rufai had posted transcripts and video of Mr. Davis’ accusations of the former governor and ex-Army chief on social media.

Asked whether Mr. El Rufai and former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, had a hand in funding or sponsoring Boko Haram, Dr. Davis said their names have not been mentioned to him by any Boko Haram connections.

Also, asked to explain why Mr. Ihejirika, a non-Muslim who hails from the predominantly Christian southeastern part of Nigeria, became a Boko Haram “sponsor,” Mr. Davis said, “Boko Haram commanders and some connected with them told me on several occasions Ihejirika was one of their sponsors.”
He also disclosed that Mr. Sheriff always had the best military protection in Nigeria’s violence-plagued northeast, a protection he claimed the ex-governor enjoyed after he left office.
Dr. Davis reiterated that his allegations were informed by discussions he had with several Boko Haram field commanders over a long period of time. Asked if President Goodluck Jonathan was aware of the insurgents’ sponsors and their specific roles, Dr. Davis said he was unsure of the extent of information currently before President Jonathan. He added that Mr. Jonathan had been weakened by lack of military loyalty and a history of security negligence. He gave the example of repeated attempts to bring the growth of Al Qa’eda associated cells to the attention of NSA’s since 2006 only to have them dismiss such reports as baseless. “By the time Goodluck Jonathan became president Boko Haram had become a potent weapon with a command structure embedded in 16 northern states fanned by support from corrupt politicians.”
He further gave the example of Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, Aliyu Gusau, whom he accused of basically leaving Mr. Jonathan to carry his can without taking any responsibility for his work.
The Australian negotiator also revealed that his years working with Nigerian presidents on matters of terrorism had shown that, even when some prominent individuals are known to be involved in criminality, the presidents are simply too afraid to take them on. He cited the example of the Niger Delta region. He told SaharaReporters that he and former President Olusegun Obasanjo found out that Abiye Sekibo, who was then Mr. Obasanjo’s Transport Minister, had contracted the assassins who killed a prominent politician, Harry Marshall. He said he tried to persuade Mr. Obasanjo to prosecute Mr. Sekibo, but the then president declined, stating that such a trial could bring down his government.
Dr. Davis touched on several aspects of Boko Haram activities, showing that he was quite knowledgeable about the sect’s actions. He told BokoHaramInfo that Boko Haram runs about six major camps in the northeast and neighboring countries, adding that 700 fighters inhabited each camp. In addition there are a range of smaller camps within Borno State, which are often temporary and to which kidnapped girls are taken to be used by the insurgents.

The Australian revealed that earlier this year Boko Haram was a loose coalition of three Islamist militant groups that worked with one another, claiming that, since four months ago, the sects had merged into one single entity, become more cohesive, strategically effective and powerful. “They are now linking with other terrorist group in the region and will soon be very difficult to dismantle. If these political sponsors think they can turn these groups off after the 2015 elections they are going to be surprised to find it is out of their control.”

On why he had chosen to speak out publicly at this time, Dr. Davis stated that, from experience, any terrorist group that has lasted more than eight years after its formation would likely exist for another 20 or more years before it can be dismantled. It thus becomes embedded for a generation and the likelihood of dismantling it was very low. “If we don’t do our utmost now to dismantle Boko Haram then we may not be able to do so for another generation. That is a very gloomy scenario for Nigeria.”

He touched on former National Security Adviser, Owoye Andrew Azazi, whom he described as utterly corrupt. He said Mr. Azazi, who was a retired Army general, was planning to buy into the Hilton hotel chain in London to the tune of $100 million before he died in a helicopter crash on December 15, 2012.

Dr. Davis painted a portrait of Nigeria’s various intelligence units as operating in silos that refuse to share information that could tame terrorist groups. To illustrate his point, the Australian cited the example of the State Security Services. According to him, months after the SSS won the extradition from the Sudan of Aminu Ogwuche, a suspected terror mastermind who reportedly planned the deadly bombing of an Abuja bus station, the intelligence agency had yet to interrogate Mr. Ogwuche about his links with the three young men he reportedly contracted to carry out the bombing.

Dr. Davis said the young men were three in number and that they lived in the home of a CBN official who also carried out banking transactions for Boko Haram through the CBN. He said two other young collaborators in the Nyanya Motor Park bombing remain on the run.

The Australian hostage negotiator vowed to make more revelations about Boko Haram’s sponsors, adding that he believed the sect could only be dismantled if their sponsors were exposed and prosecuted. In particular, he said he could not see why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had not already moved on Sheriff for his extensive looting of public funds when he was the Borno State governor, and for leaving the roads in Borno State in a terrible shape that has enabled Boko Haram to ambush Nigeria troops and massacre them mercilessly. He also added that the former governor should face the ultimate trial for financing the recruitment of young men to the Islamist sect.

Dr. Davis dismissed Mr. Sheriff’s threat to travel to Australia to sue him for his statements as grandstanding and seeking to divert attention from the real issue of Mr. Sheriff’s involvement with Boko Haram. He added that he would be pleased to meet the former governor at the airport whenever he developed the courage to come to Australia.
 

Boko Haram Takes Over Bama Reports emerging from Bama, in Borno State, indicate that Boko Haram militants have taken over control of the city.

Reports emerging from Bama, in Borno State, indicate that Boko Haram militants have taken over control of the city.

The state’s second-largest city was attacked earlier today by the militants.  That first attack was initially repelled by Nigerian troops, but the militants appear to have returned in greater force, leading some of the soldiers to follow fleeing civilians in an effort to escape. 


Residents are saying tonight that Boko Haram has completely overrun the city and hoisted its flag in the city center.
A Nigeria military statement credited to General Chris Olukolade didn’t offer much hope for Bama, as the terse statement merely stated that the attack on Bama was “being repelled.” 
An intelligence source said reinforcements were underway to Bama from Maiduguri, but our own sources said only a few soldiers, in four armored tanks, were seen near Yezaram River.  He added that the unit was in no way capable of re-taking Bama from the militants.
SaharaReporters had reported earlier about soldiers fleeing the battle into Maiduguri after being overwhelmed by the invading Islamists.  Their barracks also received friendly fire from an Air Force jet.
Over 100 injured soldiers are receiving treatment at the MRS Hospital in Maimalari Barracks.  Several soldiers have died while others are still missing.