Ethiopian Bloggers and Journalists Charged with Terrorism

A group of Ethiopian bloggers and journalists detained for nearly three months have been charged with terrorism for having links to an
outlawed group and planning attacks, a judge said on Friday.

The seven members of the blogging collective Zone Nine and three journalists were arrested in April,
prompting an outcry from rights groups who said the case was an assault on press freedom.

The group is accused of planning attacks in Ethiopia and working in collusion with the US-based opposition group Ginbot 7, labelled by Ethiopian authorities as a terrorist organisation.
"They took training in how to make explosives and planned to train others," judge Tareke Alemayehu
told the court.
The Zone Nine website, proclaiming "We blog because we care!" features mostly social and political commentary, often critical of the government.
The judge said the group's work was a cover for "clandestine" activities and accused it of plotting "to destabilise the nation".

Nine of the accused – one is charged in absentia – smiled and waved to friends and family as they entered the packed courtroom.

The lawyer for eight of the suspects dismissed the charges. "We don't believe that there is any credible substance," Amaha Mekonnen said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the decision, accusing Ethiopia of making a "mockery of its own judicial system", according to deputy Africa director, Leslie Lefkow.
"Hiding behind an abusive anti-terrorism law to prosecute bloggers and journalists for doing their jobs is an affront to the Ethiopian constitution," she said. HRW accuses Ethiopia of using the anti-terrorism laws to silence dissent and jail critics.

Several journalists have been jailed under the law, including two Swedish journalists sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2012. They were pardoned after serving 15 months.
The dissident blogger Eskinder Nega is currently serving an 18-year sentence for having links with Ginbot 7, which calls for the violent overthrow of the ruling party.

The trial for the bloggers and journalists is expected to resume on 4 August.

Courtesy:
The Guardian

Once Again, Boko Haram Attacks Damboa Village (Bornu State), Scores Feared Dead

Residents of Damboa village said they are still picking piles of corpses after Boko Haram gunmen Friday morning invaded the besieged town, 85km south of Maiduguri, shooting and killing defenceless villagers and setting homes ablaze.

A top security official (names withheld) from Maiduguri confirmed the attack but said no details on extent of damage yet.
Vigilante official, Abbas Gava, told Echoesinn blogger that “the death casualty could be very high because my contacts in Damboa said they are still picking and piling the corpses, but many houses, nearly half of what remains of the several attacked town has been burnt”.
Gava promised to get more details on the number of deaths recorded.
He said the gunmen crept upon the villagers who were about to perform the early dawn prayers.

Since the Sunday of fortnight ago, when Boko Haram gunmen walked over a military base killings dozen of soldiers and four police men in Damboa, Boko Haram gunmen had laid siege along the road leading from Maiduguri to Damboa, and had forced soldiers going to the attacked base for evacuation of its destroyed munitions, to turn back by launching some ambush shooting on them twice. Two more soldiers were reported dead in one of the ambush attack. But the soldiers were able to
return fire from an armoured tanker at a sniper with Rocket Launcher who was firing from atop a tree, while others were shooting from the surrounding bushes, a witness said.

Boko Haram had also cut off access to Damboa from the southern part of the road coming from Biu town, 100km away from Damboa by blowing down a major bridge on the highway at a hamlet called Sabongari last Monday.

Damboa, an agrarian village where Borno state sourced most of its grocery and fruits supply, had suffered several attacks in the past two years, reasons of the newly established 7 Division of the Nigeria Army to establish operational
base called 33 Tank Battalion in Damboa.
But since after the last attack before today’s (18th July, 2014) neither the soldiers nor the police could return back to Damboa. The embattled few villagers were left at the protection of the sticks and Dane guns-carrying youth vigilante called Civilian-JTF.

Courtesy:
African Spotlight

Malaysia Airlines Jet Brought Down by Missile: US Official

A surface-to-air missile struck a Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 295 people that went down today in Ukraine near the Russian border, a U.S. official told ABC News.

The official said U.S. intelligence and analysis of the situation determined that it was a single missile that struck the Boeing 777-200 aircraft while at cruising altitude. It is unclear whether the missile was fired from inside Ukrainian or Russian territory and who fired it, the official added.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lampur with 280 passengers and 15 crew members.

Speaking in Detroit, Vice President Joe Biden said the plane had "been shot down, not an accident. Blown out of the sky."

"We see reports that there may have been American citizens on board," he added. "Obviously, that’s our first concern. We’re working every minute to try to confirm those reports as I speak."

It remains unclear if Americans were on board the flight, although officials said that 154 passengers, a majority, were Dutch. In addition, 27 passengers were Australian, 23 Malaysians, 11 Indonesians, 6 British, 4 Belgians, 4 Germans, 4 French, 3 Filipinos and 1 Canadian. Nationalities of 43 other passengers remain unknown at this time.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said the plane did not make any distress call. He said the route had been deemed safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization despite the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.

"If it transpires that the plane was indeed shot down, we insist that the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to justice," he added.

Earlier today, Ukrainian officials said a Russian missile shot down the passenger jet. Ukrainian authorities told U.S. Embassy officials that everyone was "believed dead" and that debris was spread out over a 10-mile path near the town of Hrabove in the district of Shakhtars'k.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry in Kiev claimed the plane had been "shot down."

"According to the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces, the airplane was shot down by the Russian Buk missile system as the liner was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters [33,000 feet]," the statement added. "Ukraine has no long-range air defense missile systems in this area. The plane was shot down, because the Russian air defense systems was affording protection to Russian mercenaries and terrorists in this area. Ukraine will present the evidence of Russian military involvement into the Boeing crash."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko later added, "We are not calling it an accident, or a disaster, but an act of terrorism."

The plane had left Amsterdam at 12:15 p.m. (local time) and was estimated to arrive in Kuala Lampur International Airport on Friday at 6:10 a.m. (local time), according to Malaysia Airlines.

In a tweet soon after the plane went down, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "Condolences to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in connection with the crash of a passenger aircraft in Ukraine."

A Kremlin statement said Putin opened a meeting with his economic advisers by calling for a moment of silence over the crash.

"This tragedy would not have happened if there were peace on this land, if the military actions had not been renewed in southeast Ukraine," he said. "And, certainly, the state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility for this awful tragedy."

President Obama, at an event in Delaware this afternoon, said, "Obviously, the world is watching reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border. And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now, we're working to determine whether there were American citizens on board. That is our first priority, and I've directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian government."

Obama added that the U.S. "will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why. And as a country, our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the passengers, wherever they call home."

Courtesy:
ABC News

Gunmen Invade Jeremiah Useni’s Home

Gunmen suspected to be hired assassins, in the early hours of Thursday, stormed the home of Jeremiah Useni, a former Abuja minister.
Mr. Useni was, however, not at his Langtang north Local Government Area, Plateau State home, when the gunmen came.

According to witnesses, the suspects shot at the building about 48 times.
Mr. Useni, a member of the on-going National Conference, in a telephone interview with journalists on Thursday evening, confirmed the incident.
The retired general said no lives were lost.
“I was not there myself, but I was told of the incident. No one was killed, but I will later today (Thursday) visit the scene to see things for myself,” he said.

The Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, of the Plateau State command, Abuh Emmanuel, also confirmed the
incident to journalists in Jos.
According to Mr. Abuh, the alleged assassins were repelled by the police in the area.
“The suspects shot sporadically at the building, but no one was killed. Police have brought the situation under
control,” he said.

However, residents of the area said it was a group of vigilantes and youth who chased away the suspected assassins.
One of the witnesses, who identified himself as Nanpon, claimed to no longer be afraid of the sound of guns
shots, as it had become routine in the area.
He alleged that members of the Special Taskforce, STF, posted there often shot sporadically in the air for no just cause.
Mr. Nanpon also alleged that members of the STF harassed people in the area.
“Soldiers in our area sometimes enter our houses and beat up people even when no one has committed an offence. So when the attackers came, we thought it was soldiers doing their usual business of shooting in the air,” he said.

Premium Times

Gunmen Abduct German Citizen in Adamawa (North East), Nigeria

Gunmen riding on motorcycles, Wednesday morning, abducted a German in Gombi town of Adamawa State.
The incident occurred at about 7 a.m. at Anguwan Faransa area of the town, residents said.

The man, who is said to be the principal of a technical skill acquisition centre in the town, was abducted on his way to work.
A resident of the town, who asked not to be named for security reasons, informed newsmen that the man, whose name he gave as Mr. Nachi, is a very popular figure in the town.

“The abductors laid siege on his house, and they came on motorcycles. As soon as the man came out and was about to get into his car, two persons on foot
approached him and pointed a gun at him. They now called the two other sets of people on motorcycles who approached them and they carried him away on their motorcycle,” the witness said.
“Almost everybody in this town knows him because he helps us a lot, especially in the area of repairing the town’s water bore holes. Most of the time he uses his own money to buy equipment and repair our boreholes,” he added.
He also said Mr. Nachi trains students on technical and vocational skills free of charge.

The German Embassy in Abuja when contacted over the telephone said it was not yet aware of the incident.
“The press officer is not yet in, but at this end we are not aware of something like that,” an official of the embassy revealed on phone.
The embassy also promised to get back with information as soon as it is available.

The spokesperson of the police in Adamawa State, Othman Abubakar, who said he was in a meeting and could only communicate via text messages, is yet to respond to an inquiry at the time of this report.
Adamawa is one of three states under emergency rule due to the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.

Courtesy:
NigerianEye

President Jonathan Seeks $1 Billion Loan to Fight Boko Haram

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan requested permission from parliament to borrow $1 billion to help equip the armed forces in its fight against the Islamist-insurgent group Boko Haram.

“I would like to bring to your attention the urgent need to upgrade the equipment, training and logistics of our armed forces and security services to enable them to more forcefully confront this serious threat,” Jonathan said in a letter dated July 15 and read out today in the capital, Abuja, by Senate President David Mark. The $1 billion may be sourced from other governments, said
Jonathan.

Though $6 billion was allocated to defense and security this year’s budget, Nigeria ’s government is struggling to curtail a five-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram militants, who are seeking to impose Islamic law on Africa ’s biggest economy and most populous nation of about 170 million people.

Courtesy:
Bloomberg

General Danjuma to President Jonathan: Lead Us as C-in-C to Sambisa Forest

Chairman of the Victims Support Fund Committee, General Theophilus Danjuma has challenged President
Goodluck Jonathan as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to lead the onslaught to the Sambisa forest where the Boko Haram insurgents are said to be operating from.

Danjuma who spoke on Wednesday during the inauguration of the Committee in Abuja by President
Jonathan said the war against terror was taking too long to win and must be won urgently by the Federal Government.
“One thing we will not do is to go to Sambisa forest.
The commander-in-chief will lead and we will follow the commander-in-chief. But seriously, this war must be brought to an end. We must win this war immediately.

It is taking too long.
“I called it civil war when it began; people say it is insurgency. The insurgents appear to be having an
upper hand at this very moment. They pick and choose where to strike. They are even holding positions and
displacing us. We must win this war Mr. President; we must do so immediately,” Danjuma said.

While inaugurating the Committee, President Jonathan admitted that his administration owes Nigerians victory
over Boko Haram.
Stressing that evil will never prevail over good, Dr. Jonathan said no effort would be spared by his government to bring the individuals responsible for crimes against humanity to justice.
But he called for the support of all Nigerians for the security agencies in the war against terror.
He said: “We owe Nigerians nothing but victory over terror. The life of every Nigerian is precious and we will
continue to work round the clock to put an end to this insurgency.”
“I call on all Nigerians to stand together in support of our security agencies against terrorism. They are working night and day under difficult circumstances. It is unfortunate that when our security personnel prevent
1000 attacks, it is the one attack that succeeds that makes headline news and tends to portray our security agencies as not doing enough. It is part of the realities we have to deal with.”

“The menace of terrorism has emerged as one of the most complex and challenging problems confronting governments in different parts of the world. Terrorists aim to cause social dislocation, spread fear and panic among the populace and disrupt government activities.
But they never win. They have not won in the Middle East, in the USA, in China, in Columbia, in Italy, in the United Kingdom, in Kenya, etc. And they will not win in Nigeria. And, with the support of all Nigerians, we would ensure they do not win in Nigeria. Good must prevail over evil.

The President spoke about how it began “on December 25, 2009, when a 23-year-old Nigerian attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, on his way from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, United States”.
“Although his plan failed and the lives of 289 passengers were saved, it was one incident that finally confirmed that a few Nigerians had finally embraced terrorism as a way of life. Now we could no longer deny that terror has arrived our country with its ugly claws
deployed!”

He added: “The year 2009 appears to be a tragic turning point. Boko Haram, an assemblage of heartless individuals, took it upon itself to bring evil upon our country. They have in their mission, turned women to widows and reduced children to orphans.
“They have killed and maimed and struck fear into law-abiding citizens. They have destroyed villages, attacked property and terminated people’s livelihoods without a care in the world. They have engaged our security agencies in a meaningless warfare that has wasted unimaginable human and material resources.”

“The reality today is that, we are confronted with individuals whose minds have been so twisted and
tutored to believe they are doing God a service.”
“For those who take pleasure in seeing innocent human beings in pains, to see limbs being shattered and blood flowing in all direction after terror attacks, we say, you shall have no hiding place. Nigerians will expose you.
The people of conscience around the world have rejected you.”
Jonathan praised the countries backing Nigeria to fight the insurgency and this country’s neighbours for their co-operation.

He said: “This has given us more fillip and we are confident that the days of Boko Haram are numbered. It is now just a matter of time. Our war against terrorism is gathering momentum. When you read about bombing
incidents in the mass media, they may come across to those not directly affected as mere statistics. As the old proverb says, when you carry another man’s coffin, it looks like an ordinary log of wood.”
“But to us, fathers and mothers, and the families of the victims, they are not just numbers. They are human beings – sons and daughters, uncles, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters and indeed, fathers and mothers! They are Nigerians!! They are individuals with dreams and aspirations, noble Nigerians who love their country.”

According to him, the Victims Support Fund Committee will help to mobilise collective efforts and resources in support of the victims.
He urged Nigerians and non-Nigerians, individuals and cooperate bodies, to give generously to the Fund.

The committee is to:
•Identify sources and ways of raising sustainable funding to support victims of terror activities;
•Develop appropriate strategies for the fund raising;
•Ascertain the persons, communities, facilities and economic assets affected by terror activities;
•Assess and determine the appropriate support required in each case;
•Manage, disburse and/or administer support to the victims as appropriate;
•Address related challenges as may be appropriate; and
•Advise the Government on other matter(s) necessary or incidental to support victims of terror activities.
Giving the vote of thanks, National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki, assured the committee that
the Federal Government would win the war against terror.

He said: “Sir, you gave me a very difficult task after Gen. Danjuma’s statement. The only thing I will do is
thank them for agreeing to serve and assure them that we will win the war.”
“But there are some very hard choices that would have to be made. We have to been more concern about the lives of a few versus the condition of a few million. The decision has to be made soon. This is not the first time we have been challenged by very senior Nigerians about the need to end this.

Courtesy:
The Nation

US Spying: Germany 'May revert Typewriters' to Counter Hi-Tech Espionage

German politicians are considering a return to using manual typewriters for sensitive documents in the wake of the US surveillance scandal.

The head of the Bundestag's parliamentary inquiry into NSA activity in Germany said in an interview with the Morgenmagazin TV programme that he and his colleagues were seriously thinking of ditching email completely.
Asked "Are you considering typewriters" by the interviewer on Monday night, the Christian Democrat politician Patrick Sensburg said: "As a matter of fact, we have – and not electronic models either". "Really?" the surprised interviewer checked. "Yes, no joke," Sensburg responded.

"Unlike other inquiry committees, we are investigating an ongoing situation. Intelligence activities are still going on, they are happening," said Sensburg.
Last week, Merkel's government asked the CIA's station officer in Germany to leave the country after an employee of the German intelligence agency BND confessed to passing confidential documents to the US secret service. The ongoing investigation prompted speculation that the CIA may have actively targeted the Bundestag's NSA
inquiry committee.

Last year, the Russian government reportedly took similar measures after the extent of US electronic surveillance was revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The federal guard service, a powerful body tasked with protecting Russia's highest-ranking officials, put in an order for 20 Triumph Adler typewriters, which create unique "handwriting", that allows the source of any documents created on them to be traced.

But judging by the reaction to Sensburg's comments, manual typewriters are unlikely to be widely adopted in German political circles.
"Before I start using typewriters and burning notes after reading, I'd rather abolish the secret services," tweeted Martina Renner, an opposition member of the parliamentary committee investigating the activities of US and other intelligence agencies in Germany. Sahra Wagenknecht, Die Linke party's deputy chair, described the suggestion as grotesque.

Christian Flisek, the SPD's representative on the committee, told Spiegel Online: "This call for mechanical typewriters is making our work sound ridiculous. We live in the 21st century, where many people communicate predominantly by digital means. Effective counter-espionage works digitally too. The idea that we can protect people from
surveillance by dragging them back to the typewriter is absurd."

Yet while Sensburg may regret his comments, there is little question that revelations about digital surveillance have triggered a fundamental rethink
about how the German government conducts its communications.
"Above all, people are trying to stay away from technology whenever they can," wrote Die Welt .
"Those concerned talk less on the phone, prefer to meet in person. More coffees are being drunk and lunches eaten together. Even the walk in the park is increasingly enjoying a revival."

Last November, in the immediate aftermath of the revelations of NSA monitoring of Merkel's mobile phone, the German government instructed its MPs to only use encrypted mobile phones for sensitive calls. The use of iPhones for intra-governmental
communications is reportedly banned. Since then, some have even questioned whether the state-of-the-art "Secusmart" encryption mobile currently used by the chancellor is safe from bugging attempts.

The Bundestag's NSA inquiry committee has found its own way of protecting itself from surveillance: before every meeting, members leave their mobiles in a metal box in an adjacent room, in which any remaining snippets of conversation are drowned out by the music of Edvard Grieg played at full blast.

Courtesy:
The Guardian

Biafra: Ohanaeze Demands N2.4 Trillion Reparation From Nigerian Government

As the on-going National Conference in Abuja battles with the issue of derivation, the South East geopolitical
zone of the country, under the auspices of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday demanded the sum of N2.4trn as reparation from the Federal Government. Ohanaeze demanded that the money should be paid to the five South East states, as well as Delta State, for the atrocities and injustices meted out against Ndigbo during the three-year civil war between 1967 and 1970.

The breakdown of the sum being demanded by the zone is that the sum of N400 billion be paid to each of the five South Eastern states, including Delta State, because of the Igbo speaking areas otherwise known as ‘Anioma’, as compensation to those who lost their beloved ones, for loss of property and those still suffering dislocation in the country due to the war which ended in 1970. In a document signed by Chief
Mbazulike Amechi and Chief Ralph Obioha, as Chairman and Secretary of reparation committee entitled: Ohanaeze Ndigbo: Atrocities and Injustices against Ndigbo, attached to a letter dated February 15, 2004, and addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan, copies of which were circulated to delegates at the conference, the group said Igbos in the country have suffered gross injustice which culminated in an imposed civil war which lasted 30 months.

According to the letter, millions were killed, millions suffered serious injuries, properties damaged and seized, and assets were lost families dislocated while mass starvation was imposed as an instrument of war in the course of the horrendous war. The letter stated that although it was established that Igbos as a people never conspired nor planned any mutiny against the state of Nigeria in 1966, it noted that the actions of the officers of the Nigerian army could not and should not have been visited on a people on the scale perpetrated against Ndigbo. The organisation described it as “calculated exercise of annihilation, pogrom, and planned tribal cleansing of magnitude of extermination on the pretext of resolving ‘Igbo question’ noting that “it is heinous that rather than to protect, the state turns its weapons on its defenceless citizens, waged war against them, deliberately imposed policies that marginalised them, refused to atone for the injuries caused and pretended that all is well.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo said it wanted to
know why Igbos are frequently killed in Nigeria, why the South East has the least number of states, why there is
no major Nigerian government projects or establishment in any part of Igbo land and why the Igbos are the only group that has dwindling number of census figures. They also called for the establishment of a Federal Territory in the South East as demanded by the maiden address of General Murtala Mohammed when he took over from General Yakubu Gowon in military putsch. The letter also called on the Federal Government to invest in massive re-planning of Igbo cities with proper structures of provision of urban
water works, which they called a sort of marshal plan often devised in ravaged areas.

Courtesy:
National Mirror

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

Chibok Girls, Parents Shun Meeting with Jonathan, Okupe Claims Chibok Girls Issue is a 'Political Chess Game'

AN attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan to meet with the parents and some escapee girls earlier abducted from Government Secondary School (GSS), Chibok, Borno State, Tuesday failed as they shunned the meeting slated for the State House.
The meeting would have been a follow-up to the commitment the President made on Monday to the Pakistani Girl-Child Education Campaigner, Malala Yousafzani, during an audience at the State House, Abuja.

Briefing State House correspondents, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the meeting was scheduled for 4p.m yesterday following Malala’s request, which the President graciously agreed to.
“Unfortunately, the #BringBackOurGirls# leadership
prevailed on the parents of the girls not to come. What happened was that they actually avoided the meeting with Mr. President, because the foreign media and everybody were waiting for this meeting. They made it expressly clear to us that they were no longer coming,” Okupe said.

He confirmed that the President had authorized that an official letter be written to the parents formally
inviting them to meet him, and it is going to be sometime next week. He said all the rigmarole about the Chibok girls was a prelude to the 2015 general elections, regretting that the plight of the schoolgirls had become a political chess game to the local chapter of the #BringBackOurGirls# campaigners.

Courtesy:
Guardian Newspaper

Suspected Nyanya Bombing Mastermind - Aminu Ogwuche Extradited From Sudan to Nigeria

Aminu Ogwuche, the suspected mastermind of Nyanya bombing, an Abuja suberb was today extradited aboard a Nigerian Air Force jet from Sudan where he was arrested  following a manhunt by Interpol.

He is currently been held in an undisclosed location pending further investigations and been charged to court.

His successful extradition to Nigeria has paid to rest, insinuations that the Sudanese authorities were bent on frustrating his repatriation to Nigeria.

Will keep you posted on developments in this regard.

Purported Boko Haram's 'Chief Butcher' Arrested By The Police

Nigeria Police on Tuesday 15 July said that following the massive onslaught by security forces on the activities of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, at the Balmo Forest Bauchi State , detectives attached to Bauchi State Police Command on Saturday arrested one Mohammed Zakari, a 30- year old man and senior member of the Boko Haram terrorists ’ organization along Darazo -Basrika Road while fleeing from the intensive counter insurgency operations going on around the Balmo Forest.

In a statement by Frank Mba , spokesperson for the Nigeria Police said the suspect , who hails from
Kaigamari Village, Daptchari in Darazo Local Government Area, Bauchi State is the self-styled “chief butcher” of the insurgent group at the Balmo Forest Camp and is linked with the recent slaughter of seven (7) people , including women and children.

Findings as well as disclosures from the suspect will assist the law enforcement agencies in tracking down some other members of the terror cell .
Mr. Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police said in the statement that investigation revealed that the suspect was tutored in the art of insurgency at Gombe Forest under the leadership of fleeing insurgent, Abba Taura and moved to Balmo Forest only three months ago.

Zakari actively participated in the April attack against Customs officers at Kari Town, along Maiduguri Road ,
Bauchi State .
The Police High Command therefore called on the citizens in the affected areas to be on guard for any suspicious or strange character fleeing from Balmo Forest.

The Police also called for the understanding and support of the public. Mba stated the efforts of the
police and other security forces in tackling insurgency, terrorism and other related crimes headlong.
He noted that although the war on terrorism is unrelenting, it is certainly not insurmountable and must be won with the cooperation of all .

Courtesy:
PM News

Boko Haram: Nigerian Army Take Delivery of Sophisticated Weapons in War Against Sect

In a move targeted at effectively stamping out the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, the Nigerian Army has started taking delivery of critical equipment, some of which include two sophisticated helicopter gunships with in-built night vision technology capable of neutralising the nocturnal manoeuvres of the deadly terrorist group.

Sources within the presidency told THISDAY that the special choppers come with night vision technology to enable soldiers monitor and take out the insurgents who move mainly at night to carry out their dastardly acts.

The helicopters, THISDAY learnt, are some of the highly sophisticated military and surveillance aircraft that have been ordered by the Federal Government.

The source explained: “The two helicopters, which are very expensive and boast of the latest technology were ordered for the ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

“In fact, we now have the latest aircraft for surveillance and intelligence gathering. More of these weapons are on their way but these (helicopters) are for urgent purposes. I can assure you that more equipment are coming, serious ones,” the source said.

Confirming the arrival of new equipment, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, at a public function yesterday hinted that government was enhancing the capacity of the Nigerian Army to fight terrorism, with the procurement of more sophisticated equipment.

He said the army was adopting new measures to up the ante of its counter-insurgency in the North-east, adding that “a lot of gains have been made in the various operations.

“Yes, we have equipment and the federal government is also introducing fresh and newer equipment for us...”
To give more teeth to its arsenal against the terrorist groups, THISDAY also learnt that Nigerian Army is finalising the   training of the newly formed 143rd Infantry Battalion, which has been set up as a “special elite force” to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.

THISDAY had exclusively reported last month that Special Forces troops from the California Army National Guard (CNG) are currently in Nigeria training a newly formed infantry battalion designed specifically to counter the threat from Boko Haram.

According to one CNG Special Forces soldier who spoke on the condition of anonymity, a total of 12 California Guard soldiers from two Los Alamitos-based Special Forces units — Special Operations Detachment–US Northern Command and Company A, 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) are involved in a two-month mission, the first is a three-phase plan to assist in the establishment of the battalion.

The Nigerian army’s 143rd Infantry Battalion which was formed from the ground up within the past few months, is said to be “a classic Special Forces mission — training an indigenous force in a remote area in an austere environment to face a very real threat”.

This was recently confirmed by a top military source who said that the training had reached an advanced stage at a location in Niger State.

According to the source: “The 143rd is receiving special training, kitting and equipment from the NA and US Army in Kontagora.”

The source revealed that the new battalion will help to form the core of the elite and strike force currently undergoing training in different parts of the country.

“The US is not the only country involved in this, the Israelis and other allies are also helping in various technical, tactical and operational training in the areas of intelligence, weapons handling and in general counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations,” another security source explained.

THISDAY also gathered that there is already a strike force in place in Borno State, specially trained for the possible rescue of the Chibok girls and other daring actions against Boko Haram terrorists.

The strike force was immediately put together in the aftermath of the girls’ kidnapping and the arrival of foreign military experts working alongside Nigerian security forces.

Minimah, on the other hand, yesterday added that contrary to the belief in some quarters, the ongoing military operations against the Boko Haram Islamic Sect in the North-east, does not involve foreign troops.
Minimah made this clarification yesterday at the opening ceremony of The COAS 3rd Quarter Conference 2014, which is the first under his leadership, with General Officers Commanding (GOCs) and other Operational Commanders.

Speaking to journalists against the backdrop of the popular belief that troops from the US, UK, France, Israel, and China were fighting alongside Nigerian soldiers to rescue the over 200 students of Chibok , he said: “There are no foreign troops on the ground.

Minimah added: “What the foreign nations are doing is sharing of intelligence with the Nigerian armed forces, noting that the military operations, were not being complemented by foreign troops.
“The foreign partners have  not come with boots on ground; they have come to share some level of intelligence with us.”

The COAS also frowned at what he described as “the rising acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct by troops”, recalling the attempted mutiny by troops in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, against the then GOC 7 Division, Major-General Ahmadu Mohammed.

Minimah warned that “as a professional army, the conduct of our troops must be above board at all times”.
Accordingly, he directed all unit and operational commanders “to put measures in place to check acts of indiscipline and misconduct by personnel under their commands”.

On reported incidents of desertion, Minimah insisted that “desertion is part of warfare”, adding, “We must accept that desertions will continue to be there, we had desertions during the Nigerian civil war, ECOMOG and now, it will continue with this war.”

He also debunked claims that soldiers had destroyed some BRT buses in Lagos, blaming the incident on hoodlums.

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

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