Amnesty Opposes Death Penalty for Convicted Soldiers

Global human rights advocacy group, Amnesty International, has opposed the death sentence passed on 12 Nigerian soldiers by a military court in Abuja for mutiny, among other offenses.

Boko Haram Looting Arms From Military Armoury – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has said that it was aware that members of the outlawed Islamist sect, Boko Haram, were in the habit of looting its armoury.

Soldiers Kill Over 400 Boko Haram Terrorists In Borno Villages

At least 400 members of the Boko Haram terrorist group were killed in the last three days by soldiers during separate shootouts in different parts of Borno State, security sources said.

Mutiny Trial: 12 Soldiers Who Attacked GOC Sentenced To Death

A military court sitting in Abuja on Monday found 13 out of the 18 soldiers standing trial for mutiny and other offences guilty.

Twelve of the convicted soldiers were sentenced to death, five were discharged and acquitted while the remaining one was jailed for 28 days with hard labour.

Obasanjo’s Son, Other Soldiers Injured During Battle With Boko Haram in Mubi

Son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Lt-Col. Adeoye Obasanjo who is commanding a platoon in the ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgent operations, was said to have  been shot in the battle for Mubi, Adamawa State alongside few other soldiers.

The younger Obasanjo,  an army engineer was reported to have been shot, sustaining   minor injuries during exchange of fire with Boko Haram terrorists while on their way to liberate Michika following sustained hours of aerial bombardment.

A highly placed military source confirmed the incident, saying "his injuries are not life threatening. He is currently receiving treatment".

"I can confirm the incident is true. He is a committed military officer on duty".

Several efforts were made to get confirmation from the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade  failed as his phone numbers were switched off.

However the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig-Gen. Olajide Lalaye said that while scores of terrorists were killed in the incident,   with few soldiers sustaining injury, he could not confirm if Obasanjo's son was affected.

  - ThisDay

Thousands of Dismissed Nigerian Soldiers Plead To Be Recalled

Scores of dismissed Nigerian soldiers have appealed to the Presidency and the Nigerian Security Council to look into their cases and recall them, having not been properly discharged from the army.

Some of the dismissed soldiers who spoke to newsmen in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Thursday, said that
since 1979, about 10,000 soldiers have been irregularly dismissed from service without any benefit at all.

The ex-soldiers said the process of their summary removal was unjust and they want it reviewed. They recalled that the process of recalling them had actually been started when Air Marshal Paul Dike was the Chief of Defence Staff, and Lt. Gen. Danbazzau was the Chief of Army Staff. But the exercise stopped soon after they retired from service seven years ago.
Those who were lucky to recalled then, the ex-soldiers said, were been made to attend refreshing courses at the School of Infantry, Jaji and posted to their respective units.

Part of a letter of appeal signed by some of the ex-soldiers said, “We are appealing to the Nigerian Security
Council to look into our affairs as a matter of urgency and temper justice with mercy and recall us back to the
service or discharge us accordingly, as we have nothing doing to help our family.
“Some of us have undergone several training in the Nigerian School of Artillery, Kachia, Kaduna state and
acquired unquantifiable knowledge during these trainings.”

The appeal letter was signed by BDR Onyeayana Okafor (79NA/9257), CPL Raphael Iyama (79NA/3370), L/BDR
Michael Olisakaomam (79NA/18909), L/CPL Emovre Eugene, L/CPL Sani Musa (79NA/8537), L/CPL Thomas Odu (79NA/9619), PTE Bright Akpoghenta (79NA/30858), PTE Olusola Ogundipe (95NA/39/2347), L/CPL Zakarya (79NA/72792) and PTE David Rojowa Bernard (79NA/19358) among others.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram kills 2,053 Civilians in Six Months - Human Rights Watch

The Islamist insurgency Boko Haram in Nigeria killed no fewer 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014.
The figures are based on detailed analyses of media reports as well as field investigations. The killings and
other abuses were part of widespread attacks on civilians in over 70 towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria, in the federal capital, Abuja, and elsewhere that are apparent crimes against humanity.

There has been a dramatic increase during 2014 in the numbers of casualties from bomb blasts, including several apparent suicide bombings.
Since January, at least 432 people have been reported killed in 14 blasts in crowded marketplaces, a brothel, a
technical college, and, on two occasions, places where people were watching soccer matches.
Three of these attacks were in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital; two in Kano; two in Jos, the Plateau state capital; and three in Abuja, the federal capital.
The Abuja attacks may demonstrate a southward trend of Boko Haram operations, Human Rights Watch said.
“Boko Haram is effectively waging war on the people of northeastern Nigeria at a staggering human cost,” said Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Atrocities committed as part of a widespread attack on civilians are crimes against humanity, for which those responsible need to be held to account.”

The bulk of the attacks and casualties credibly reported and investigated by Human Rights Watch took place in
Borno State, the birthplace of Boko Haram, where 1,446 people died. Attacks killed 151 in Adamawa state and 143 civilians in Yobe state.

Human Rights Watch compiled the figures by analyzing credible local and international media reports, and the
findings of human rights groups, as well as interviewing witnesses and victims of numerous attacks. The media reports generally quoted villagers, hospital and morgue workers, police and military officials, and local leaders who had observed, registered, counted or buried the dead. In the vast majority of cases, Boko Haram forces appeared to deliberately target civilians.
Since 2009, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal- Jihad, Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency popularly known as Boko Haram, has waged a violent campaign against the government to impose its authority under Sharia (Islamic) law. Widespread poverty, corruption, security force abuses, and longstanding impunity for a range of crimes have created a fertile ground in Nigeria for militant armed groups like Boko Haram.
The pace of attacks has dramatically intensified in remote villages since May 2013, when the federal government imposed a state of emergency in the northern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.

In many of the attacks Boko Haram gunmen fired on civilians, such as people gathered in busy marketplaces, places of worship, and residential neighborhoods. In three villages in Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State, in early June, Boko Haram fighters impersonated military personnel to round up hundreds of villagers, then opened fire on them, media reports said. Two local chiefs from Attagara, one of the villages, told journalists they had buried 110 people killed in the attack.
On May 6, Boko Haram fighters allegedly killed 336 villagers in the twin towns of Gamboru-Ngala during an attack in which they used two armored personnel carriers they had stolen from the Nigerian military several months earlier. Residents reported that the villages had been burned to the ground.
Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 girls from a school in Chibok in April was not its only attack on schools in the
northeast. In February, Boko Haram militants locked the doors to a boys’ dormitory of the Federal Government
College of Buni Yadi, a secondary school near Damaturu, Yobe State and set the building on fire, killing 59.

Boko Haram forces have abducted and otherwise abused hundreds of women and girls during the attacks.
Human Rights Watch will release a report in coming weeks on abuses by Boko Haram against girls and women, based on interviews with victims and witnesses in June. The report will also examine the deficiencies in the Nigerian government’s response to these abuses.
The killings and other abuses by Boko Haram appear to rise to the level of crimes against humanity. The Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Nigeria is a party, defines crimes against humanity as
various criminal offenses, including murder, torture and rape that are “committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.” Such crimes can be committed by a government or a non-state group. They must be widespread or systematic, but need not be both. “Widespread” refers to the scale of the acts or number of victims. A “systematic” attack indicates “a pattern or methodical plan.”

Since 2009, and increasingly since mid-2013, Boko Haram has carried out several hundred attacks against
civilians and civilian structures in schools, marketplaces, and places of worship in villages, towns and even cities.
The nature and frequency of the attacks indicate the actions of an organized movement. This is evidenced by the presence of convoys of trucks, motorbikes, and occasionally armored personnel carriers with well-armed gunmen; the fashion in which gunmen were seen deploying in and around the target or setting up checkpoints; and the planning required to infiltrate the
cities in which attacks took place.
Human Rights Watch and other national and international human rights groups have also documented abuses by the Nigerian Security Forces since 2009 as they responded to the attacks by Boko Haram.
These include excessive use of force, burning homes, physical abuse, and extrajudicial killings of those suspected of supporting Boko Haram.

Amnesty International found that following a March 14 Boko Haram attack on Giwa Barracks that led to the escape of hundreds of detainees, the security forces executed hundreds of the unarmed recaptured detainees.
Security forces have rounded up hundreds of men and boys suspected of supporting Boko Haram, detained
them in inhuman conditions and physically abused or killed them. Many others have been forcibly disappeared. The Nigerian government should account for the “disappeared” and ensure that all law enforcement operations are conducted in full accordance with international human rights standards.
“No matter how egregious the violence, Nigerian security forces engaged in operations against Boko Haram may not operate outside the law,” Dufka said. “The Nigerian government should recognize that it needs to protect its population both from Boko Haram and from abusive members of its own military and police.”

Courtesy:
The Nation

Deceased Army Officer's Severance: Army Chief's Wife Seeks Expedited Payment of Slain Soldiers’ Entitlements

Wife of Nigeria's army chief, Mrs. Felly Minimah has pledged to wade into the struggle by families of deceased officers and men of the Army to secure the release of owed severance benefits.

She made the resolve in Kaduna, northwest of the country when she visited the women at the Ribadu cantonment.

Felly Minimah says it's disgraceful that relatives of people who died defending the territorial integrity of the nationare left to suffer.

Tesem Akende reports that few out of many women who have lost their husbands to attacks by insurgents in the country's northeast region gather to table their argument.

The challenges of life are now taking a toll on them, as most of them are yet to be paid severance benefits of their husbands after death.

The visit of the army chief's wife in company of wives of other senior military officers brings a ray of hope to them.

Though the visit is one based on goodwill, the widows are quick to present their complaints, and are assured of an intervention as soon as
possible.

In addition to the assurances, the army chief's wife also prayed against activities of the insurgents and a quick end to the war.

The visiting dignitaries also encourage serving officers and men of the army to remain focused and determined to win the insurgency war.

Amidst daunting challenges, they insist that it is rewarding serving their fatherland, urging the officers and men of the army never to
relent in their responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of the nation.

Courtesy:
TV Continental

Maimalari Barracks Mutiny: Nigerian Army Court-martials 18 Soldiers

The Nigerian Army has court–martialed 18 soldiers for attempted murder and mutiny in Maimalari cantonment, Maiduguri.
In an internal memo seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the Commander, Army Headquarter Garrison, B.T Ndiomu, ordered the General Court Martial, GCM, to be presided by C.C Okonkwo, a Brigadier General.
Mr. Ndiomu, who is also a Brigadier General, had ordered that a GCM be assembled at the garrison’s conference hall on June 26.
The GCM is made up of seven members, two waiting members, a judge advocate and two prosecuting officers.
Others include: a liaison officer, a contact officer, two officers authorized to sign any amendment convening officer and eight other soldiers who form a court secretariat.
The 18 soldiers are to be court-martialed for an incident that occurred in May at the barracks On May 14, some soldiers, angered by the death of 12 of their colleagues in a Boko Haram ambush, opened fire on the vehicle of the
General Officer Commanding, GOC, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ahmadu Mohammed.
The soldiers blamed Mr. Mohammed for the death of their colleagues killed in the ambush.
Sources had told PREMIUM TIMES that the soldiers were ambushed while on a special operation in Kalabalge Local Government Area where locals on the Tuesday morning killed about 150 insurgents and arrested 10 others.
After the operation, during which some military equipment were recovered from the insurgents, the soldiers who had arrived the council, at night were asked to return to Maiduguri.
The soldiers reportedly pleaded to be allowed to return to Maiduguri the next morning, as the night trip would be too risky.
Their request was allegedly turned down and the troop had to drive to Maiduguri at night.
“Those commanding the troop declined their request to pass the night in one of the villages on the grounds that the top ranks at the headquarters of the 7 Division would not be pleased if they don’t go back to Maiduguri that night,” said a ranking soldier, who sought anonymity.

The 7 Division, recently formed, is located in Maiduguri, the capital of the troubled Borno State.
But half way through their journey, they ran into a Boko Haram ambush and 12 of them got killed while some others were injured, sources said.
The military later claimed that only four soldiers died in the ambush, before it increased the figure to six.
The survivors, in what seemed a vengeance mission, opened fire on their commander, Mr. Mohammed, when they eventually arrived in Maiduguri.
Mr. Mohammed, a Major General, was immediately redeployed to another command which the military did not reveal.

However, in its version of the attack on the GOC, the military said the soldiers did not shoot at their commander.
“The fact of the matter is that troops on patrol around Chibok were ambushed by insurgents yesterday. Troops engaged the insurgents in a fierce combat and extricated themselves from the ambush killing several insurgents.
“Four soldiers however lost their lives during the ambush.
“On evacuation of the remains of the fallen troops, the General Officer Commanding addressed the troops who registered their anger about the incident by firing into the air,” the military spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, had said in a statement.
The Nigerian Army, however, instituted a military board of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the conduct of soldiers who fired some shots.
In a charge sheet signed by Mr. Ndiomu on June 28, it was specified that 11 of the soldiers are being charged with criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny among others.

These eleven soldiers are facing a six-count charge of committing mutiny, criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny, attempted murder, disobedience to particular orders, insubordinate behaviour contrary to and punishable under the law, and false accusation.
The charge sheet read that the soldiers inspired other military personnel of the 101 battalion to commit mutiny and also accused E. Azenda, a Lieutenant colonel who is the Second in Command of the 101 battalion of conspiring with other officers to kill the soldiers.

One of the charges read “that you between 13 and 14 May 2014 at Maimalari cantonment in Maiduguri fired sporadically with the intent to incite other personnel of 101 battalion against the authority of 7 Division.”

Punishment for the offences under the Armed Forces Act include; death, imprisonment, dismissal with ignominy from the Armed Forces, a fine of a sum not exceeding the equivalent of three months’ pay among others.
The accused soldiers are entitled to a defence counsel of their choice. However, the convening officer must be informed of the defence counsel 24 hours before trial commences.
The convening officer is also expected to appoint a counsel if the accused persons fail to secure one.
The president of the GCM is expected to submit six bound copies of the proceedings of each case to Mr. Ndiomu not later than six weeks after the end of the trial.

Below are names of the accused soldiers, their ranks and service numbers:
96NA/ 42/6235 Cpl Jasper Braidolor
96NA/ 43/ 10277 Cpl David Musa
05NA/ 57/ 3451 LCpl Friday Onun
09NA/ 64/ 4905 LCpl Yusuf Shuaibu
09NA/ 62/ 1648 LCpl Igono Emmanuel
09NA/ 64/ 4214 Pte Andrew Ngbede
10NA/ 65/ 8344 Pte Nurudeen Ahmed
10NA/ 65/ 7084 Pte Ifeanyi Alukhagbe
13NA/ 69/ 2898 Pte Alao Samuel
13NA/ 69/ 2907 Pte Amadi Chukwudi
13NA/ 69/ 2898 Pte Allan Linus

The other seven soldiers also court-martialed but yet to be charged are:
93NA/ 36/ 1542 Cpl David Luhbut
97NA/ 45/ 7423 Cpl Muhammed Sani
03NA/ 53/ 816 Lcpl Stephen Clement
09NA/ 62/ 1648 Inama Samuel
09NA/ 64/ 5858 Iseh Ubong
10NA/ 65/ 6912 Ichocho Jeremiah
10NA/ 65/ 7343 Sabastine Gwaba

Courtesy:
Premium Times

Nigerian Government Would Soon End Terrorism- Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Minimah

The chief of army staff gave the assurance during an Inter-Denominational Church Service which was used to mark the 2014 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church, Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja.

Minimah, while fielding questions from journalist on security issues at the service titled: "Combating Current National Security Challenges through Collective Effort" said: "We are going through troubled times but they will soon come to an end and we shall be glad at the end. I promise you it will come to an end and we will be victorious. The war against terrorism is a collective effort of all Nigerians and I appeal to all Nigerians to join hands in fighting this new war of terrorism. I want to thank Nigerians for standing by us, for their perseverance. I also appeal to them that terrorism is a new warfare. It requires time and patience for us to defeat it. I am very much optimistic that we will deliver. We will win the war. What we have in the North-East will certainly come to an end soon. Our job is to continue to protect and preserve the unity of this country and making it stable for prosperity. Our job is also to uphold our constitutional role, which is to defend the country’s territorial integrity from insurgency and external aggression, and provide aid to civil authority. That, we will continue to do".

The army chief while expressing optimism that terrorism would definitely end cited the Niger-Delta, Abia and Benue States, which had similar crisis before but have now become peaceful. He said the army would overcome terror as it has always done in the past.

Minimah revealed that in order to achieve victory over insurgents, it has started purchasing new equipment, training its personnel as well as the provision of a good welfare packages for its troops. He explained that the army decided to have a low-key celebration for NADCEL 2014 following the immerse security challenges currently bedeviling the nation. 

"A man does not celebrate his birthday if he is bereaved. He has to just mark his birthday. I want to salute the gallantry of our troops, who have paid the supreme price in the course of defending their fatherland. These officers and soldiers had died in their duty posts and we will not forget them" he said.

Similarly, Rev. Dawuk Danfulani, the Director, Army Chaplain (Protestant), in his sermon, expressed the need for Nigerians to faithfully unite and seek God’s support in order to end terrorism. 
The army chaplain urged citizens to collectively condemn and expose evil deeds in the society, noting that even if the person executing such did was a close relation.

"If a person is pulling down the system that is supposed to stand, you have the right to expose him or her. If we condemn collectively and expose evil-doers, they will be afraid to do evil" he said. 

Danfulani, who took his reading from the second book of Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 11, urged Nigerians not to be ignorant as children of God.

"So, we should unite and fight these perpetrators of evil. As Nigerians, as Christians and as members of the Armed Forces, since we have known the source of our problem, we should unite spiritually to fight the enemy. We must patriotically defend what God has given us,and God will ask us and punish us if we fail to defend it" Danfulani said. 

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army which was established in 1863, celebrated its 151 years of existence. Prayers were offered for the country, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Armed Forces as well as deceased military personnel. The name "Nigerian Army" was first used 100 years later when Nigeria became a republic in 1963.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- General Kenneth Minimah, on Friday March 20, 2014, gave an assurance that the Nigerian Army will not rest until terrorism was brought to an end.

Courtesy:
naij.com

Nigerian Army Re-assures on Combating Terrorism

Ilorin – The Nigerian Army on Friday re-assured its commitment toward combating terrorism in the country.
The Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC)’s Commander, Maj.-Gen. Sunday Adebayo, gave the assurance at the graduation of 15 Executive Management Officers in Illorin.

Adebayo congratulated the participants and urged them to contribute meaningfully to the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.
He said the officers had been engaged in a rigorous academic exercise in the past three months.

Also speaking, the corps’ Deputy Commandant, Col. Bamidele Terefa, said that the course was aimed at broadening their knowledge in management, peace and strategic thinking.
Terefa said the skills acquired by the officers would help them in carrying out their assignment both at the national and international level.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the participants were drawn from Oyo, Enugu, FCT, Benue and Plateau states. (NAN)

Courtesy:
Vanguard Newspaper

Soldiers Intercept Arms in Nsukka Bound For Boko Haram, Arrest Retired DSP, Corporal

Three persons, including a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, and a corporal, Abu Haruna, Solomon, respectively have been arrested for illegal trafficking of arms and ammunition.

The third suspect, Onuwa Attaka, is the driver of the arms laden vehicle.

DailyPost gathered that their confession showed alleged involvement in supplying of arms to insurgents in the Northern Nigeria.

The three suspects, who were heading to the North from Imo State, were intercepted in Nsukka by officers and men of the Nigerian Army while traveling in a bus.

Items recovered from them include- 40 AK47 magazines, 4 boxes of AK47 live ammunition, 100 pieces of live cartridges, one piece of Denin Mopol khaki and charms concealed in a cap.

One of the army officers who spoke to DailyPost under anonymity disclosed that a police corporal serving in Imo State Police Command was also involved in the arms running.

He said, “When we asked the occupants of the vehicle to come down, we discovered a police corporal in uniform among them. The corporal on getting down pretended to be pressed; he later ran away”, he said.

It was gathered that the suspects were taken to Nsukka Police Division before their transfer to the state CID.

The retired DSP, Abu Haruna, confessed that he had been in the business of arms dealing since he retired from the police.

He said their mission was to supply the ammunition to their buyer in Taraba State.

Our source said Haruna further confessed that they decided to go on the supply after the buyer complained that the first batch was incomplete.

The Police corporal’s identity has been traced to Imo State Police command; his name was simply given as Solomon, even as efforts are still being made to effect his arrest.

Meanwhile, the Nsukka Police Area Commander, ASP. Ros-Amson Haladu has praised the gallantry of the soldiers in combating crimes in the area.

“I want to commend the Army Officers for their vigilance in tracking down these illegal arms dealers.

“At the same time, I warn criminals to leave this vicinity or risk being apprehended by security operatives”, he said.

Source:
Daily Post

Nigerian Army Denies Purported Second Mutiny In Maimalari Barracks

Director, Defence Information in the Army, Major-General Chris Olukolade, in a press statement on Friday said “the online report titled ‘Second Mutiny in Maimalari Barracks as Soldiers Manhandled Commander’ is not true.”

The Nigerian Military has been under fire in recent times for a seeming incapability to bring the Boko Haram insurgency to an end.

A media platform online had reported a second mutiny in Maimalari Barracks, but according to Olukolade, “what the online outlet garnished and dubbed as ‘mutiny’ was just a presentation of complaints by representatives of personnel families who wanted the ban on motorcycles as a means of public transportation in the barracks reversed.”

The statement further read that “soldiers were not involved and there was no single shot fired by soldiers throughout the period as claimed in the report.”

The Major-General explained that the ban was part of security measures put in place for the safety of the soldiers and their families.  “The Acting General Officer Commanding obliged their request and directed a suspension of the ban pending when the planned alternative transportation arrangement is put in place.  He was not insulted or manhandled as reported.”

“The imputation of mutiny was concocted by the online medium ostensibly to raise false alarm and create the impression of disquiet in the military.  It is very obvious that a section of the media is feasting on the current security challenges and is desperate to sustain the tempo of the crisis through sensational reportage.  Mutiny is a very grievous breach that attracts severe sanctions in the military and should not be trivialized by those who do not understand its ramifications.”

“The general public is therefore requested to discountenance the rumours as no such incident took place. The mass media is again requested to beware of lifting stories on the military from online media as this has become the main channel of disseminating falsehood on happenings in the system.”

Source:
Channels TV

Presidency, Military Authorities Bar Soldiers From Escorting Politicians

The Federal Government has decided to stop the use of soldiers and other personnel of the Armed Forces as escorts by political office holders in the country.

A security source in the Presidency said the Federal Government would no longer allow soldiers to be in the entourage of governors and members of the National Assembly, among others.

The source said that the “men of the Armed Forces would henceforth serve the purpose for which they were recruited.”

It was stated that it was the position of the top security chiefs in the country that the Army was being saddled unnecessarily with responsibilities that could not be said to be essential.

It was further gathered that all soldiers in the escort of politicians would be withdrawn and deployed to duties in consonance with their statutory responsibilities of defending the territorial integrity of the country.

The source added that the security leadership was of the opinion that the deployment of the troops of the Nigerian Army in 32 out of the 36 states of the Federation had foisted the traditional responsibilities of the police on the Army.

He said, “A decision has been taken that there would be no more military escorts for politicians in the country.

“These involved governors, senators, and other persons who move about with soldiers in their entourage.

“The government is withdrawing all such troops because they are not essential services; they have to use the troops for their statutory services, they have to be used for the services for which they were recruited.

“Anything that has to do with policing should be handled by the police. You know that they have imposed a lot of police responsibilities on the Army and it is affecting performance.

“How can you apply for soldiers to be in your entourage, You use them and you end up vilifying them.

“These people are fighting in many fronts; they are supposed to be used for the purpose of defending the territorial integrity of the country.”

But the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Olajide Laleye, said that the service had always ensured that soldiers were released to those who were constitutionally entitled to them.

He stated also that it was the duty of the Army to protect movement of people that could come under attack in operational areas

“Well, at no time in the past or in the present has the Nigerian army ever given soldiers to anybody apart from those constitutionally empowered to have them

“Like I said, I know that the military cannot be in the entourage of anybody that does not have the constitutional entitlement.

“It is our duty to provide escort to important personalities and indeed anybody if they could come under attack by the insurgents in line with the orders of the President.”

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Nigerian Army Claims Discovery Of Facility For Rocket Launchers In Kano

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says it has uncovered a rocket launcher production facility in Kano State.
According to Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, the facility was discovered at Dorayi District in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state, after a cordon-and-search exercise.

“The discovery followed the arrest of a prominent member of the terrorist group,” Olukolade said, adding that locally-made anti-aircraft gun and mortar accessories and rocket-propelled grenade tubes and launcher along with accessories were recovered.
“Also seized were three AK47 rifles and hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunitions, as well as drilling machines and other fabricating equipment.”

Olukolade urged the public to always report suspicious persons to security agencies in their localities to prevent unwholesome act by terrorists.

Source:
SR

Breaking News: Nigerian Military Sights Abducted Chibok School Girls in 3 Boko Haram Camps

Nigeria’s Special Forces from the Army’s 7th Division have sighted and narrowed the search for the more than 250 abducted Chibok schoolgirls to three camps operated by the extremist Boko Haram sect north of Kukawa at the western corridors of the Lake Chad, senior military and administration officials have said.

“It has been a most difficult but heroic breakthrough,” one senior military official said in Abuja.
That claim was supported by another senior commander from the Army’s 7th Division, the military formation created to deal with the insurgency in the Northeast. The 7th Division is headquartered in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The breakthrough comes at a critical moment for the Nigerian military that has faced cutting criticism over its handling of the kidnapping of the girls more than a month ago.

Nigerian military officials coordinating the search and other officials in Abuja said Boko Haram insurgents split the girls into batches and held them at their camps in Madayi, Dogon Chuku and Meri, all around the Sector 3 operational division of the Nigerian military detachment confronting the group’s deadly campaign.

Another source said there is a fourth camp at Kangarwa, also in Borno State. That claim could not be independently verified.
“Our team first sighted the girls on April 26 and we have been following their movement with the terrorists ever since,” one of our sources said.
“That’s why we just shake our heads when people insinuate that the military is lethargic in the search for the girls.”
The location of the abducted girls – north east of Kukawa – opens a new insight into the logistic orientation of Boko Haram, responsible for thousands of deaths in a five-year long insurgency.
But the details established by the military shows that while the world’s attention is focused on the Sambisa forest reserves, about 330 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the terrorists mapped a complex mission that began at Chibok, and veered north east of Sambisa, before heading to west of Bama and east of Konduga.
With the sighting, officials fear that Boko Haram militants may be seeking to create new options of escape all the way to Lo-gone-Et Chari in Cameroon to its Southeast, Lake Chad to its east and Diffa in Niger Republic to its north, providing a multiple escape options in the event of hostile ground operations against it.

Notwithstanding the sighting, the government is said not to be considering the use of force against the extremists, a choice informed by concerns for the safety of the students.
But with growing local and international pressure, a likely option may be for the authorities to enter into talks with the group, whose leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a May 12 video broadcast, called for dialogue and “prisoner” swap with the government.
The government has ruled out that option in the open but know Defence spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, told PREMIUM TIMES he would not comment on the ongoing rescue operation.
“You don’t expect me to tell you that the girls have been sighted or have not been sighted,” Mr. Olukolade said. “I will only say our team are working hard and taking note of every information provided to ensure that our girls are rescued without delay.”
Civic leader Shehu Sani who fired a letter to the Sultan of Sokoto and leader of Nigeria’s Muslim, however told PREMIUM TIMES that what must be done urgently is for the Sultan to summon all the influential Islamic clerics with credibility in the north and use them to reach out to the insurgents to release the girls.

Source:
Premium Times

Nigerian Army To Investigate Soldiers Mutiny In Maiduguri

The Nigerian Army says it will investigate the mutiny on Wednesday in Maiduguri by soldiers attached to the newly created 7th battalion of the Nigerian Army.
A statement by spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade said the inquiry will be on “the circumstances surrounding the conduct of soldiers who fired some shots while the General Officer Commanding was addressing troops in Maimalari cantonment Maiduguri.”

According to the Defence spokesman, Wednesday’s incident occurred when the corpses of four soldiers who died in an ambush while returning from patrol duties in Chibok were being conveyed to the morgue.  He however assured that there is currently calm in the cantonment and normal operations continuing.

Recall that some soldiers seconded to the 7th Division, which was established only two months ago for the war against Boko Haram, fired shots into the air at the barracks as they were being addressed by Major General Ahmed Mohammed, their commanding officer who was appointed in February. 

Soldiers are said to be complaining about management issues relating to the implementation of the state of emergency.  Among the issues, they say their commanders have neither provided the appropriate equipment to combat the better-armed Boko Haram militants nor devised a troop-rotation system.

Source:
SR

'Mutinous' Nigerian Troops 'fire at their GOC'

Soldiers from the newly formed 7th Division of the Nigerian Army today mutinied in their barracks against Major General Abubakar Mohammed, their General Officer Commanding.
Maj-Gen Ahmed Mohammed escaped unhurt after soldiers shot at his car at the Maimalari barracks, the sources said.
The soldiers blamed him for the killing of their colleagues in an ambush by suspected Boko Haram militants.

'Internal matter'
Army spokesman Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade described the incident in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, as an internal matter and said there was no need for public concern.
But the shooting shows that morale within the army is low as it battles Boko Haram, says BBC Nigeria analyst Naziru Mikailu.

The Islamist group has stepped up its insurgency, despite a year of emergency rule in Borno and its neighbouring state of Adamawa and Yobe.
President Jonathan has asked parliament to extend the emergency for another six months.
According to sources who were inside the Maimalari barracks, the soldiers accused Maj-Gen Mohammed of putting their lives and the lives of their families at risk by failing to ensure that they were well-equipped to tackle Boko Haram.
They also alleged that the military top brass had failed to give them a promised special allowance for fighting on the front line, they told the BBC Hausa service.
Colleagues of the protesting soldiers were killed in an ambush while driving back on Tuesday from Chibok town, from where Boko Haram abducted the schoolgirls a month ago.

Jonathan Rules Out Freeing Detained Boko Haram Members

Meanwhile, Nigeria's president has ruled out freeing Boko Haram prisoners in exchange for the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls.
A government minister had earlier said authorities were ready to negotiate with Boko Haram, but President Goodluck Jonathan insisted on Wednesday that this was out of the question.
"He made it very clear that there will be no negotiation with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners," said British Africa Minister Mark Simmonds after meeting Mr Jonathan in the capital, Abuja, to discuss an international rescue mission for the girls.
Their kidnapping in Borno state on 14 April has caused international outrage, and foreign teams of experts are in the country to assist the security forces in tracking them down.

Source:
The BBC, SR

Survivors Allege Nigerian Military Committed "Genocide" In Birnin-Gwari Communities of Kaduna State

Communities in the Birnin-Gwari Local Government area of Kaduna State allege the Nigerian Military committed 'genocide' on their areas in a recent clampdown on armed gangs that the military spokesperson had announced was “huge success” during the week.

The communities of Kwalakwangi, Maikyasuwa, and Dokan-ruwa were over a four-day span, from Monday to Thursday of this week, under siege by the military. The Nigerian military was deployed in the area to uproot a series of armed bandit ‘safe heavens’ and safe houses, under the military tactics called, "Operation Restore Peace."

According an eyewitness from the Kwalakwangi village, the military had burnt down the village, and killed all the able-bodied men caught in the cross hairs of their guns. Several of the people shot were not connected to any of the gangs military officials sought.
At least 43 people were buried in Kwalakwangi village on Friday, including the chief imam, and the district Ward head. Apart from the Mosque located in the center of the village, no single building composed of mostly mud houses, was left standing in the village.
In both the Maikyasuwa and Dokan-ruwa villages, women and children are now refugees at Tabanni, Layin-Lasan, and kuyello. Tabanni Alh, the District Head of Abdulhamid Mahuta confirmed the story, but declined further comment, saying he has informed the Birnin-Gwari emirate. Some of the refugees, numbering roughly 123 people, are seeking shelter at the District Head residence.

Community heads in the area have called on the National Human Right Commission, and Human Rights activists to come to their aid, and they seek justice with the threat of the lawsuit to the atrocities committed by soldiers of the Nigerian military.

Source:
SR

Nigeria's Minister of Information Promises Probe into Amnesty's Allegation That Army 'Ignored' Advanced Warnings.

Nigeria's Minister Of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said on Friday that Federal Government will investigate the Amnesty International report which indicated that the Nigeria’s military had advance warning of an attack on the town of Chibok where  some 270 girls were kidnapped but failed to act.
Nigeria’s military had advanced warning of the April 14 attack by Boko Haram that led to the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls but failed to take immediate action, Amnesty International said Friday.

“Damning testimonies gathered by Amnesty International reveal that Nigerian security forces failed to act on advance warnings about Boko Haram’s armed raid on the state-run boarding school in Chibok which led to the abduction,” the rights group said.
Amnesty said it had verified the information about the abduction with “credible sources”.
“Amnesty International has confirmed… that Nigeria’s military headquarters in Maiduguri was aware of the impending attack soon after 7:00 PM (1800 GMT) on 14 April, close to four hours before Boko Haram began their assault on the town,” the group said.

The military however could not assemble the troops needed to suppress the attack, “due to poor resources and a reported fear of engaging with the often better-equipped” Islamists, according to Amnesty.
The 17 army personnel based in Chibok were overpowered by the attackers and had to retreat, the London-based group further said.

“The fact that Nigerian security forces knew about Boko Haram’s impending raid, but failed to take the immediate action needed to stop it, will only amplify the national and international outcry at this horrific crime,” said Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International’s Africa Director for research and advocacy.

Source:
Vanguard Newspaper