Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen Overrun Bornu Village, Scores Also Killed in Plateau State

Dille village in Askira Uba Local
government of Borno State came under heavy attack at the early hours of yesterday when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members launched an offensive on hapless dwellers, killing five people and torching houses, including three churches, witnesses said.
The village which lies about 200km south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, also shares borders with the peripheries of Sambisa Forest where it is believed the Boko Haram gunmen are currently hiding.

Mr Jabani Gadzama, a resident of Dille, told journalists that the gunmen came with three Toyota Hilux vehicles and several motorcycles.
“They were using some kind of petrol
bombs to set ablaze three churches,
residential houses including that of a
former Commissioner of Sports and
Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Daniel Ijai Mamza, who served during former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff’s tenure.
“The attackers were only targeting and setting ablaze better houses within the village while most of the thatched and mud houses were left untouched.
“The Church of Brethern in Nigeria (EYN) was one amongst the three churches that were set ablaze by the gunmen, who were all dressed like soldiers”, said Mr Gadzama, who also confirmed that the gunmen operated for hours until an Airforce fighter jet arrived at about 8am before it engaged them at the time the insurgents were about leaving.

“Many of them were said to have been
killed by the insurgents, but we cannot confirm that now,” he said.
An insider at the 7-Division of the Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, hinted journalists that two jet fighters arrived Dille and saved the villagers from being killed any further.
The source, who begged not to be
quoted, noted many of the insurgents
were killed by the jets, even as five more persons got killed died in the cross fire when the jet arrived.

Killing in Plateau State:
In a related development, at least 11 persons have been feared killed by armed gunmen at Zamadede of Pil-Gani district of Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that unknown
gunmen at the early hours of yesterday morning attacked two communities and shot sporadically, killing 11 persons including a 45-year-old mother, her little son and a pregnant woman.
A source who spoke to our reporter
further said several homes were burned.
An eyewitness who lost two members of her family, Mrs Baby Hosea, lamented to our reporter on phone that her people were killed in their sleep.

Confirming the development, the member representing Langtang North and South constituency in the House of Representatives Hon. Beni Lar expressed worry at the recent attacks on her constituents.
The lawmaker, in a chat with newsmen at her family residence in Jos, said the attack had shaken the foundation of the peace being enjoyed by the people.
She described the Zama Dede community as peace loving and hard working farmers that the two local governments depends on due to the large crops they produced.
She wondered why some people would be so cruel to take the lives of innocent citizens, particularly at the time the federal government, through the national conference, was trying to find a lasting solution to clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
The lawmaker also appealed to the people of her constituents to remain law abiding .

When contacted DSP Abu Emmanuel, the police public relations officer said that men of the Police force are trying to get the details and would get back to our correspondent when he has the details of the attack.

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

Boko Haram Blows Up Gamboru-Ngala Bridge Linking Borno and Gombe States

Suspected members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect  Sunday blew up an highway bridge on Maiduguri-Biu-Gombe road.

The bridge was damaged  early Sunday morning.

It was gathered that the insurgents  planted an Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) under the bridge which   exploded and  destroyed remarkable portions of the bridge.

It would be recalled that most part of the highway linking Maiduguri-Biu-Gombe has been taken over by the insurgents forcing  many motorists to take the longer route of Maiduguri-Damaturu-Potiskum road,  then linking up with little motor-able road to Gombe and oftentimes have to travel back to the southern part of the troubled Northeastern state of Borno.

The destruction left motorists and passengers stranded in the early hours of Sunday.

According to one of the residents of  the  area, Mallam Musa Yakubu a loud bang was heard at about 2am on Sunday when people were asleep.

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

Nigerian Military Arrests Boko Haram 'Foreign Mercenaries’

Nigerian military authorities have announced a successful anti-terror operation along Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic during which suspected foreign mercenaries were arrested.

In a statement on its website, defence
headquarters said troops cleared and took over the Balmo forest, which stretches from Bauchi to Jigawa State. It is also said to be linked to the fringes Sambisa forest in Borno State where the kidnapped schoolgirls are believed to have been kept days after their abduction in April. The forest had been serving as bases and hideouts for the terrorists from where they launched attacks, the military said.

“Terrorists and armed gangs operating in the forests were completely rooted out while some were captured during the operation.
“Among those captured were two foreigners who are suspected to be mercenaries.
Also captured are several weapons and equipment including power generating sets, communication equipment, vehicles, motorcycles, foodstuff and kitchen utensils,” the statement said.
It further stated that over 44 terror suspects had died in Kerenoa and adjoining communities, following an encounter with troops “who repelled their attack on the communities”.
The insurgents were said to have been armed with explosive devices and other high calibre weapons when they carried out a predawn attack on the communities “but met with stiff resistance of the troops… several of them were captured as well as weapons and ammunitions of various calibre”.

In Banki and Miyanti in Borno State at the weekend, Nigerian troops were reportedly ambushed by the terrorists, leading to the death of six soldiers and a number of the militants.

Courtesy:
The Cable

Boko Haram: Generals Are Deceiving President Jonathan With "Sexed-up Picture of Military Victories“

A senior military officer has claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan is being deceived by the high command on the true state of the anti-terror war in north-eastern Nigeria.

The officer, who cannot be named because of possible victimisation, said the day the president gets to know the true facts on ground, the country will begin to win the war against the Boko Haram insurgents.
For instance, he said contrary to last week’s claims by the defence headquarters that five soldiers were killed while repelling a Boko Haram attack in Damboa, Borno State, “we
lost far more than that number to the
militants”.

He warned that grossly downplaying
casualty figures and feeding the president with a “sexed-up” picture of military victories “can only give us false hope when we direly need to re-strategise to crush the insurgency”.
On Saturday, the military issued a statement saying its men killed “more than 50” terrorists while repelling a “daring attack” on military formations, and that five soldiers and a senior officer were killed by the insurgents. It did not give figures of the wounded.
But according to the officer who spoke with TheCable on Monday, all these claims were devised by the military high command to paint a false impression of a terrorism war that the military “is nowhere near winning as evident in the ease and frequency with which the terrorists launch attacks on soldiers and civilians”.
“If all these announcements from Abuja are true, we wouldn’t be losing men on this scale so often,” he said.
He warned that for the military to defeat Boko Haram, the first step is for the presidency and the public to be made to understand the truth about casualties on both sides, so that the right measures can be taken to bolster the capabilities of the military.
“How many terrorists did they tell you that they killed in Damboa? You see, as I speak right now, the soldiers are scattered in the bush. The insurgents dislodged their brigade because Lt-Colonel Abubakar Shumba, who was their commander, got killed.

“The soldiers who were killed belonged to Unit 195, and those who escaped have not even gone back because many soldiers were lost. Those who said five soldiers died are not telling the truth. They just want to deceive the public. They don’t want people to know the facts.
“It is hard to say the exact number of
people that died because the soldiers have not gone back to the location. As we speak, there are still a number of corpses there. Since that attack, they have not gone back. But if we calculate the number of those that died, I’m sure it’s close to 40.”
He further revealed that the soldiers are now in dire need of motivation because they are still smarting from the loss of their colleagues.
“Just now, they took about eight dead
bodies to Mamalade, 7B headquarters. The remaining ones are still in the bush. The soldiers have not even gone back to the location. But they have a new commander.
His name is Colonel Oserere,” he said.
Director of defence information, Major- General Chris Olukolade, denied that the military gave false figures on the gun battle.

“Naturally, we should be bothered about what happens to our troops and we are. We are really concerned. Let it not be said that we are giving you different figures,” Olukolade told TheCable.
“The figure we gave you is what we have and if people gave you different figures because they want to rejoice, because they are happy to hear that Nigerian soldiers have been killed, whatever they are… But I have given you the official figures that I have about that incident. As for the wounded, I don’t have the actual figure for the wounded.”

Courtesy:
The Cable

Boko Haram Attack 33 Armoured Brigade, Police Formation in Damboa, Bornu State, Kill 10 Soldiers, 5 Policemen

Scores of military and police troops are feared dead in Damboa town, Borno State, where Islamists militants yesterday stormed military and police locations, a security source said today.

Radical Boko Haram militants stormed the 33 Armoured Brigade, Damboa and the Divisional Police Station on Friday afternoon firing high calibre weapons and IEDs, the military source said on condition of anonymity.

"At least 10 soldiers and police officers were killed and several injured."

The source said the militants also targeted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), adding that four other policemen and the DPO died. "Over dozen of the militants were also killed," the source also said.

Hundreds of the Dambua residents were said to have fleed to Biu and Maiduguri because of the way the militants successfully destroyed military hardware in Damboa.

Communication with Damboa residents are currently very difficult as GSM services have been cut off from the area for months following the incessant attacks of the militants on telecommunication facilities.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed yesterday’s attack but said it lacked speficics.

The public relations officer of the command, Gideon Jubrin, told newsmen, "There was an attack in Damboa but we haven't got details from the area [yet]. I can't tell you anything for now."

As reported earlier by SaharaReporters, five people were also on Friday killed in a bomb blast in Konduga village, about 30 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Courtesy:
Sahara Reporters

Five Killed in Another Explosion in Konduga, Bornu State

Another Borno town, Konduga suffered casualties yesterday when a bomb  believed to have been planted in a pickup van loaded with firewood exploded and killed five persons, injuring several others at a checkpoint manned by members of the Civilian JTF and police officials.

Disclosing the sad incident to journalists in Maiduguri, eyewitnesses and security operatives said the pickup van had approached the checkpoint at about noon and as the local security operatives tried to flag down the car, the driver who was on a suicide mission detonated the explosive device that led to the death of five persons among who was a plain clothe police officer from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. 

It would be recalled that this new explosion came hours after Boko Haram terrorists suffered heavy casualty in two different military offensives that took place on Thursday night and Friday morning. A top security source who spoke anonymously told journalists in a phone chat that: “There was a blast targeted at the members of the Civilian-JTF manning a checkpoint in Konduga, about five persons were reportedly killed and several others injured."  It was gathered that the attack on Konduga took place few hours after Boko Haram gunmen had attempted to attack a military base in Damboa town, 85km south of Maiduguri the Borno State capital, but ended up with heavy casualty.

According to the anonymous account of the security officer, the Boko Haram gunmen were on a reprisal mission hours after an air force jet bombarded a hideout of the insurgents in Yajiwa and Alagarno areas of Damboa local government area killing scores of the terrorists. “It was a successful air raid carried out by the air force in conjunction with the ground troops of the Nigeria army from Division 7. During the air raid that took place on Thursday evening, the Boko Haram suffered heavy casualty as dozens of them were killed.

Angered by the devastation they suffered, the insurgents decided to mobilise in full force with an attempt to attack the base in Damboa, but unknown to them, the soldiers there were fully aware and alert about possible reprisal attack. And when they eventually surfaced on Friday morning in over ten vehicles, the soldiers took them by surprise and engaged them in a fierce shoot out that claimed over 50 of them”, said the source.

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

Breaking News: Explosion in Maiduguri Kills at Least 15 People

MAIDUGURI  (AFP) – A huge explosion in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Tuesday killed at least 15 people, an AFP photographer said, in the latest blast to hit the city repeatedly attacked by Boko Haram Islamists.

After the explosion in a truck carrying charcoal at the city’s biggest roundabout during morning rush hour, victims were taken to the State Specialist Hospital, where the photographer saw the bodies of 15 people killed in the blast, while witnesses said the toll could be much higher.

Vanguard Newspaper

Rampaging Boko Haram Razes Police Station, Kills Council Boss's Son in Fresh Attack in Bornu State

Suspected members of the Boko Haram Sect  Monday invaded Shani Local Government Area of Borno state setting ablaze the Divisional Police Station and many other building in the town.

They were said to have razed down shops and vehicles using Improvised Explosive Devices and petrol bombs.
The caretaker  chairman of Shani council, Alhaji Modu Walama who was said to have escaped series of attacks by assassins and terrorists in recent past, narrowly  escaped being killed by the terrorists who were poaching for him.

They were said to have attacked the council boss family house in Walama and killed one of his sons  when they discovered that the Chairman was not in the house.

It was gathered from sources that the heavily armed terrorists invaded the town on motorcycles  and bombed the Divisional Police Headquarters at about 2:45pm on Monday, after they realized that almost all the policemen on duty had fled the area.
They were said to have snatched one of the patrol vehicles of the police and set it ablaze after they discovered that the engine is not in perfect order.

They went from there into the town and shot sporadically aimlessly in the town before fleeing towards Gwaskara village.
Shani is the southern part of the troubled state and about 245 kilometres drive from Maiduguri and shares boundary with some parts of Adamawa state.

Mallam  Aliyu Usman , a resident of Shani who was among those who fled out of town during the attack told journalists that they got news of the terrorists lurking around the town at about 8am when they were sighted by some women on their farmlands around Walama, an outskirt of the town.

They had scared off the women from their farms, telling them that they have deadly mission to execute in some places in Shani.
All effort to get the Police Public Relations Officer, Gideon Jubrin for confirmation was not successful as his phone line was inaccessible as at the time of filing the report.

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

53 Terrorists Killed in Raid on Bornu Hideout, Arrest Suspected Gun Runner- Defence HQTRS

The Defence Headquarters said on Friday that no fewer than 50 suspected terrorists died during a raid on a makeshift camp used by terrorists in Miyanti and Bulungu, Borno State.

In a statement posted on its website, the Defence Headquarters said 53 terrorists died in the encounter, while the troops lost two of their men, and five others received injuries.

The statement said a fuel dump used for storing fuel, vehicles, including Toyota Hilux trucks, and seven motorcycles were destroyed in the raid.

It also said 15 rifles, 11 machine guns and ammunition were captured by the troops.

The statement read, “In a separate encounter around Duguri, near the Nigeria–Niger border, troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force stormed a terrorists’ hideout in a raid.

“The troops recovered 18 rifles, five general purpose machine guns, 25 hand grenades and IED making materials.’’

It said a suspected gunrunner was apprehended and was being interrogated in connection with the seizures.

It said the suspect was arrested during a cordon-and-search operation by troops.

The statement said 15 other suspects were being detained in Abuja after a raid that led to the recovery of seven rifles, pistols, swords and other weapons.

It said military operations to track armed gangs would be sustained in various locations.

On the Wednesday’s explosion in Abuja, the statement said more explosives were seized from two suspects believed to have coordinated the bombing of Emab Shopping Plaza in Wuse.

It added, “Bystanders at the scene of the explosion alerted soldiers on patrol to the two suspects, who were speeding off on a power bike.

“The soldiers pursued the fleeing suspects and shot at one who fell off the bike with his bag, while the rider escaped through the crowd.

“The bag recovered from the suspect was later confirmed to contain a package of IED and other accessories.

The statement said the accessories included stop clock, mobile phones and other materials used for setting off explosives.

The statement explained that the suspect, who was shot, later died in a hospital while yelling, “People will die! People will die!”

Courtesy:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram Attacks Military Checkpoint in Bornu, Kills 12 Soldiers, Loses 25 Members

Suspected Boko Haram militants yesterday attacked a military checkpoint Bulamburin village in Borno State killing at least 12 soldiers and losing 25 of their members in a fierce exchange of gunfire.

Bulamburin village, the scene of the deadly encounter, is about 50 kilometers south of Dambua in the southern part of the violence-plagued state.

A military source, who survived the siege, disclosed that the armed men who attacked the military contingent arrived in the village on motorcycles and in several sports utility vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft weapons.

Speaking to reporters in Maiduguri, the source said 12 soldiers had lost their lives, but that the military inflicted heavier casualties on the members of the dreaded Islamist group.

“Some soldiers escaped with bullet wounds,” said the source. He added, “I was at the checkpoint when the terrorists came. We fired at them and tried our best, but they had advantage over us. They had better weapons and we had AK-47 rifles that were not fully loaded. When we realized that they had taken over the place, some of us escaped to Maiduguri and other places, but many could not make it.”

Boko Haram terrorists have recently intensified their violent activities in the southern part of Borno State where hundreds of people have been killed, numerous homes razed, and many people kidnapped.

Courtesy:
Sahara Reporters

Boko Haram ready to Swap 219 Chibok Girls With 70 Detainees

 Haram has demanded the release of 70 of its members in detention as a condition to free the Chibok girls, it emerged yesterday.
The sect is also asking the government to give amnesty to its members.

A lawyer close to the armed group, Hajiya Aisha Wakil,  told AlJazeera English that the sect said only when these conditions are met would it release the abducted girls.
No fewer  than 276 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April 15.

The Boko Haram leaders deceived the girls that they were soldiers who came to protect them from attack.
There are 219 girls in their custody following the escape of 57 from their enclave.
In spite of the support from an international coalition, including the United States, Britain, France and Australia military personnel and the use of a negotiator, the girls remain in the sect’s custody.

#BringBackOurGirls: Presidential Panel Confirms 219 Chibok Schoolgirls Still Missing

 A total of 219 students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, are still missing after the mass abduction carried out by members of the Boko Haram sect in the school on April 14.The 219 students were among the 276 girls said to have been snatched from the school during the midnight raid. The Chairman of the Presidential Fact-finding Committee on the Abduction of Chibok Schoolgirls, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo (retd.), disclosed this on Friday while presenting the committee’s report to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Foreign Troops Only Gives Nigerian Soldiers ‘Coordinates’ Against Boko Haram

As it is 66 days today since the Boko Haram sect in Chibok abducted over 200 female students in Borno state. SaharaReporters today learned from credible sources that foreign countries are only giving Nigerian military official ‘coordinates’ in the battle to rescue the girls.

The ‘coordinates,’ according to the source, says a military officer is basically supplying pictorial intelligence to the Nigerian Air Force of images of areas in Borno where the Boko Haram are sighted, and the whereabouts of their movements in all their locations in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

#BringBackOurGirls: Gordon Brown, President Jonathan Meet As Nigerian Government Flags Off 'Safe School Initiative'

The Nigerian government’s 'Safe School Initiative' has received a boost of N3.2 billion.

The sum is made of two parts of N1.6 billion released by the federal government and another N1.6 billion donated by the private sector.

Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made the disclosure on Tuesday after a meeting of stakeholders of the initiative with President Jonathan in Abuja.

The Safe School Initiative is expected to accommodate children displaced from their schools due to the present insurgency rocking the country. The over 200 girls who were kidnapped in Chibok two months ago are to benefit from these funds.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said, “We are intent on trying to make sure that our children in the states have an environment in which they can come back to school and not have their education truncated.”

Special Envoy to the UN Secretary General for Global Education, Gordon Brown said the reconstruction of the secondary school in Chibok is paramount to the United Nations.

“I am here to say that we wish as an international community to do everything we can to back up the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors of the states to make sure these girls are returned to their families and at the same time to make sure, that every parent feels that they can send their children to school knowing that they will be safe in the future.”

Yobe and Borno governors said they are committed to making the initiative a huge success.

Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe state governor, said, “I promise to give him all the necessary cooperation to ensure that the programme succeeds.”

Kashim Shettima, Borno state governor, said, “Times like this calls for sobriety, for maturity, for unity of purpose. At the appropriate time we are going to play politics, but this is not time to play politics with the lives of the people.”

The federal government and the international community are bent on encouraging displaced students back to school.

Africa Independent Television

Borno State Cattle Breeders Association Says Purported Abduction Of Fulani Women Untrue

The Borno State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, known by the acronym MACBAN, on Thursday, denied media reports that Fulani women were abducted by Boko Haram members in Borno last week.

Alhaji Amadu Musa, who is Chairman of the MACBAN in Borno State, in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri, the state capital, said the reported abduction of 20 Fulani women was “not true.”

“We need to tell the world that there is nothing like that. All (of) our women and girls are (safe and) intact. It takes us this long to respond because; we made series of consultations to avoid issuing conflicting statements that will generate tension.

“Though our people are nomads who frequently move in search of pasture, I have representatives in all the 27 local government areas of Borno State. We have lamido’s and Ardo’s in all localities. We took the time to consult all of them, and there was no reported incident of abduction. I believe the whole furor is the creation of some people,” Alhaji Amadu Musa said in his talks with reporters.

He added that, “our representatives in all towns and villages near Chibok, met on Thursday at Askira Uba, and none of the officials had any incident of abduction in his domain. We equally crosschecked with our people coming back with their cows, and families, to the extreme northern part of Nigeria from (the) southern part of the country, and confirmed that all are well,” Alhaji Amadu Musa concluded.

SR