Between Boko Haram Terrorism and The Biafra war

FOR once, President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are on the same page: Boko Haram is the worst security situation that has bedevilled this country. That is their opinion, not mine. I will tell you mine shortly.

The president made his view known when he played host to a delegation of bishops of the African Church in
the Presidential Villa, Abuja way back in June. He said Boko Haram was worse than the civil war waged against the people of Eastern Nigeria because unlike the Biafra war where “enemies and their territories” were known, the Boko Haram, the faceless insurgents, live among the people.

On the other hand, Atiku in his recent interview with the Voice of America (VOA)was quoted as saying: “the
security situation in the country, I must admit, is appalling. I have never seen it this bad, not even during the civil war did we have this sense of insecurity all over the country”.

I am not surprised that these two arch political foes are sharing this candid view. But as far as I am concerned,
Boko Haram is a child’s play compared to the Biafra war. It is a classic hyperbole to compare both. It is like comparing the common cold, (which is brought on by a viral infection) with the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD, which is vectored by meaner class of virus).

When it comes to the Nigerian civil war, let us always bear in mind that there were two sides to the conflict: the Federals, and the Biafrans.

Jonathan and Atiku spoke based on the experience of the Federals – the pan-Nigerian coalition that came together with their powerful foreign backers, to stop the former Biafrans – the people of the defunct Eastern Region (especially the Igbos) – from pulling out of a wicked, murderous, unjust, poorly governed, disunited, corrupt and internally colonised Nigerian federation.

Jonathan is correct to say that while the war raged, the two sides knew who their enemies were, because it was a conventional warfare fought across clearly drawn battle lines. It became very convenient (though not easy) for the hugely advantaged side – the Federals –to eventually overcome the Biafrans.

The mighty Nigerian armed forces have found it difficult to cope with Boko Haram for so many reasons. During the Biafra war, the Federal Military Government under General Yakubu Gowon, buoyed by the onset of the oil boom, was able to raise the fighting forces from about 30,000 to above 400,000 and buy all the war machines he needed from world powers falling over one another to be on their side.
On the Biafran side, events went in the other direction.

Resources rapidly dwindled due to massive desertions by some ethnic enclaves from the secession bid, and
worsened by the sea blockades that starved the Biafrans of food and fighting equipment. That the war lasted all of thirty months was due to ingenuous improvisations, the gallant fighting spirit and patriotic zeal of the Biafrans.

Unlike the ex-Biafrans (yours sincerely inclusive) who experienced it raw, Nigerians who were on the Federal
side during the civil war never lived under such fear of insecurity, as Atiku rightly observed. Some only read
about the war in the papers and heard it on radio. Even members of the younger generation of the former Biafrans have never seen anything like it. The fear of Boko Haram has permeated the grassroots. A couple of weeks ago, we visited my hometown, Abiriba, and a woman who lives in the village told a story of how people returning from the farms scampered into the bush when they saw a helicopter landing in the
compound of a friend of mine, Abbott. “We thought it was Boko Haram people”, the woman said. My aged mother calls me almost every day warning us to keep away from areas where Boko Haram is killing people.

This is the first time since the civil war that a security situation ravaging the far North is eliciting this kind of reaction even in the rural grassroots in faraway Eastern Nigeria.

The evil of Boko Haram passes all understanding. In Biafra the federal troops sometimes committed war
crimes, especially when the Northern elements felt like having a go at the hapless civilians and captured soldiers.

The Biafran troops weren’t exactly saints, either. I am unaware that Biafra kept prisoners of war. Perhaps, they couldn’t afford to, since they never had that luxury. Your guess is as good as mine as to what happened to those Federal soldiers they captured alive.
Yes, war crimes cannot be escaped in war situations, but there were equally many instances on both sides when humanity overcame mutual antagonism, especially towards the end of the Biafra war.

Boko Haram is devoid of sense, reason and logic. They kill everyone, behead their captives, and use women, children and homeless mendicants as purveyors of their suicide bombing raids. The war on terror is difficult because the enemy has his agents everywhere. The troops cannot effectively execute campaigns because Boko Haram agents among us tip off them to lie in ambush.

But to compare it to the Biafran war is an over-kill. Boko Haram is basically terrorism. It is a hit-and-run affair. It strikes fear in the hearts of the people, though the scale of devastation and human casualty is only a drop in the pan. Boko Haram has ravaged the North in three years, producing a combined official casualty figure of less than 12,000. The thirty-month Biafra war claimed about two million lives on both sides. The whole of Igboland was all but flattened, and every Igbo person came out of the bush in utter penury. This is unlike the
terror-stricken Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where life is still going on, even though at “half-mast”.

Even before the Boko Haram is crushed the Federal Government has already raised billions of Naira to resettle the victims, unlike the former Biafrans who were simply abandoned to their fate. What did the Biafrans get, except twenty pounds per adult who could prove they had a bank account, irrespective of how much they left there?

The scale of devastation the Igbo man suffered from the Biafra war would have crippled them forever if they were not such hardy and un-put-down-able people. But glory be to God, they came out of it even stronger than most of their former adversaries.

The challenge before us, as Nigerians, is not to engage in unhelpful verbal hyperplasia. Boko Haram is a passing phase, a mere fly on our national scrotum. If we come together as one people, we will decimate these cowards. It is our internal division and sabotage that are sustaining them. When Boko Haram is beaten, we must realise that the causes of the Biafran war and the Boko Haram terror have a common root: they are the faults of the sectional imperialists who believe they were born to rule.

Atiku is an unapologetic born-to rule agent. I am surprised he is lamenting about Boko Haram. Perhaps, he has forgotten the threat that he, along with his disciples such as Prof. Ango Abdullahi and Alhaji Lawal Kaita issued in 2010, to make Nigeria ungovernable if Jonathan was elected president.

The masquerade he helped to dress up is now flogging him too.

Written by:
Ochereome Nnanna

Boko Haram: Nigerian Troops Kill 50 Insurgents, Lose Two Soldiers To Reclaim Damboa

Troops moved swiftly at the weekend to regain Borno State town Damboa from Boko Haram insurgents. In the process, troops killed 50 insurgents and lost two soldiers.

The troops survived five ambushes to reclaim the town which had been held by the insurgents for about one month.
The Special Forces and more troops have been deployed in Gwoza where more than 150 people had been killed by the insurgents, it was gathered.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki has said that the government had blocked all the source of fund for Boko Baram, thereby making it difficult for the sect to get funding for its nefarious activities.

The Defence Headquarters has also said neither soldiers nor their wives could reject deployment to Gwoza and the Sambisa Forest.

The protest in Maiduguri on Saturday by wives of some soldiers was being regarded as “indiscipline.”
According to a top military source, who gave insights into how Damboa was reclaimed, said: “The troops survived five deadly ambushes by the insurgents to recapture Damboa, Delwa, Mustafari, Manga, Wanga and secure all routes leading to these places.

“We have completed the mop up operation in Damboa and environs. So far, the troops succeeded in killing 50 insurgents and lost two of their colleagues.
“Many arms and ammunition were also recovered from the insurgents including vehicles and  anti – aircraft RPG.
“We are doing our best to restore normal life and business activities to these areas. The target is to clear the areas completely of insurgents and ward off further threats.”

On Gwoza where over 150 had been killed, the highly-placed source added: “Special Forces have been sent to the  Emirate, including surrounding hill tops.
“We will dislodge the insurgents from the town within the next one week. “The reality is that the insurgents had been taking advantage of the terrain in Gwoza to abduct, maim and kill innocent ones. The battle of Gwoza is expected to cover a lot of air strikes.”

There were indications yesterday that the Defence Headquarters has said that soldiers or their wives cannot reject posting to either Gwoza or Sambisa Forest.
Another military source said: “The soldiers or their wives cannot turn down deployment to Gwoza or Sambisa Forest or anywhere there is a security challenge.

“We are going to engage in massive deployment of troops to these places and other flashpoints in the country. Contrary to insinuations, our troops are well-kitted because we know that curtailing insurgency requires being sufficiently armed.

“What the wives of some of the soldiers did in Maiduguri at the weekend was strange to military ethics and orientation. Right from the time of enlistment, it is made clear that no soldier can reject posting.
“The so-called protest amounted to indiscipline in the Armed Forces., we will not condone such.

“Maybe some of the wives of these soldiers need more orientation and enlightenment. We will not hesitate to guide them accordingly.
The source added: “There is no Army General that has not paid his or her dues by serving in frontline zones or managing security challenges. All our Generals are tested.”

The National Security Adviser(NSA) said the nation’s educational system will be overhauled in the light of the security challenges facing the country.
He said the recent abduction of Chibok girls had compelled the government  to place the protection of schools high on national security agenda.

Dasuki made the submissions in a paper at the Nigeria Security Summit at Harvard University, Cambridge, in the United States.
He said: “When we started to deal with the Boko Haram threat, our laws were not so clear on a number of fundamentals. Through the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013, significant progress has been made.
“It has allowed us to not only define terrorism, but block avenues of financing for their activities while putting in place structures to deal with our current threats. This has included the establishment of a Counter terrorism Centre and, working with key stakeholders, we have developed a National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST).

Dasuki said the nation’s educational system will be overhauled to serve our current security and economic interests.
He said: “Further to this, the threat that we face has drawn our attention to the need to overhaul our educational system. We are struggling with an educational system that does not currently serve our security, political and economic interests and as we revisit our national security policy, education has remained a top priority.

While we grapple with education reform to ensure the right kind of education is available for all, the recent abduction of girls from their school in Chibok has compelled us to place the protection of schools high on our national security agenda.
“Working with traditional institutions, community based organizations and the police, local governments must be proactive in building community resilience and good governance.

“It is time we leverage on our democratic processes to increase access to decision making for a majority of our citizens. Inclusive, non-discriminatory and participatory governance is more likely to detect discontent before it erupts.
“The goal of politics must be to lift our people out of poverty and provide them with the enabling environment to compete favorably.
“This may not eliminate the possibility of misguided individuals or groups rising up against the nation, but will address some of the underlying factors leading to recruitment into groups prone to violent extremism.
“We must also address environmental pressure from climate change that results in increased competition for limited natural resources, leading to increased herdsmen, farmer conflicts, inter-ethnic and communal clashes.
“The youth bulge is both a challenge and an opportunity which the federal government has recognized and initiated programs to increase job opportunities.

“Insurgents seek to force fundamental changes on society, operating with impunity; they violate all decent human values in an effort to draw a commensurate response from authorities. Terrorists win when states respond to their attacks in ways that are incompatible with their values.
The NSA assured that Nigeria will abide by international practices in curtailing the prevalent insurgency.
He said the Armed Forces had been undergoing a series of training on human rights.

The Nation

Boko Haram: Soldiers’ Children, Wives Protest Husbands’ Deployment To Gwoza

There is tension in the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, as angry wives of soldiers at the Giwa Barracks, blocked the entrance to the barracks, vowing not to allow their husbands to proceed to Bama as directed by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), General Mohammed Ibrahim.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the enraged women got wind of the fact that their husbands had been directed to proceed to Bama, about 70km from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno
State.

It was gathered that the soldiers’ wives and their children came out in their numbers insisting that their husbands would not abandon them in the barracks to be killed by Boko Haram.

The women, it was gathered, rejected pleas by senior commanders, insisting to block the entrance to the barracks until the GOC reverse his directive.

A reliable military source who spoke with our reporter said that the commander of the barracks had already relocated to Bama and was waiting for his boys who should have joined him since morning for some clandestine operations.

“They blocked the road, all our weapons are now locked up inside and in case of emergency we do not have weapons to defend ourselves. The women are equally not armed but are very angry sitting down there with their children.
“They are not ignorant of what is going on. They live in the barracks with their husbands and are aware that there are over 40 of the insurgents locked up inside the dungeons of that barracks.

“Living them alone is clear suicide and there is no guarantee that they will not be attacked by the insurgents who are always bent on releasing their own regardless of where they are kept.
“You are aware of the fact that they tried releasing their people from the same Giwa barracks this year. It is by the grace of God that some of us are alive now.”

The source stated further that “some of us think the decision to move the soldiers is risky.
“This decision is due purely out of corruption because money is involved in their movement. If it is not corruption, why should they take such a decision when they know that the soldiers are protecting the city.”

Tribune Newspaper

Boko Haram Retake Four Towns In Yobe and Borno States

The Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, has routed Nigerian troops from four towns in Borno and Yobe states, both in Nigeria’s violence-plagued northeast that is the epicenter of the group’s activities.

Six days ago, insurgents belonging to Boko Haram took over the town of Gwoza after overwhelming Nigerian troops guarding the town. The Islamist sect’s fighters invaded the town in the middle of last week, massacring more than 100 residents, including a brother of the Emir of Gwoza as well as the chief imam of the town’s major mosque.

Security sources disclosed that the sect also killed or wounded numerous Nigerian soldiers during their initial assault and, days later, in a counter-offensive mounted by the Nigerian Army to try to wrest the town back from the stranglehold of the Islamists.

A top security source disclosed that Boko Haram had successfully beaten back three separate columns of Nigerian troops from Gwoza. “The most recent was a team of soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Agwu of the former Special Operations Battalion (SOB) now 234 Battalion,” the source told our correspondent.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Colonel Agwu was missing in action after his column made a hasty retreat in the face of an onslaught by a group of heavily armed insurgents. But our military source disclosed that Colonel Agwu was able to escape and to make it back alive to Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri. “I understand he had to disguise as a woman to escape from the militants,” our security source revealed.

Apart from Gwoza, Boko Haram militants have also seized three towns in Yobe State, according to other security sources. Insurgents belonging to the sect have reportedly taken control of the towns of Buni Yadi, Buni Gari and Goniri, all in Gujba local government area of Yobe State.

Several of the militants have occupied camps abandoned by Nigerian troops as they fled from a series of fierce battles with insurgents, our security sources said.
Members of the sect have bombed Katako Bridge that links Buni Yadi with Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

One source said the Nigerian Army was planning a broad strategy to mount a major military campaign to retake the towns recently seized by Boko Haram. “Our Cameroonian counterparts have been able to take back towns from Boko Haram. We’re planning seriously to do the same thing,” said the army officer. “We have the manpower, training and weapons to defeat Boko Haram,” he added.

SR

Insecurity: Sokoto Sultanate Council Asks District Heads To Monitor Newcomers In Communities

The Sultanate Council of Sokoto has
advised district heads to monitor
newcomers into their communities in view of the prevailing security situation in Nigeria.

The advice is contained in a communiqué issued in Sokoto on Saturday at the end of a meeting between the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the district heads.

The communiqué was signed by the
Secretary, Sultanate Council of Sokoto, Alhaji Attahiru Hussaini.
The communiqué said the traditional
rulers should henceforth send monthly reports about their communities to the Sultanate Council in Sokoto.

The communiqué directed “village and ward heads should monitor new comers to their hamlets and villages and report same to their district heads.
“These reports must be sent in the first week of the new month, while a
committee will be set up by the council to study and analyse the reports with a view to identifying defaulting district heads.

“There is the need for the district heads to set up a committee at the district, village and hamlet levels.
“This is with the view to taking more care of government development projects in their respective areas.”
The communiqué stressed the need for traditional rulers to continue to monitor the current campaign on polio eradication being waged by the three tiers of government.

It also stressed the need for the
traditional rulers to educate their subjects on the importance of the National Identity Card and the permanent voter card so that they could get them.

The communiqué also urged the district heads to be more pro-active in the collection of Zakkat and endowment in their respective areas.
It said that, upon collection, they should liaise with the State Zakkat and Endowment Committee for proper distribution.

News Agency of Nigeria

How Boko Haram Metamorphosed - Max Siollun

It seems that the public and media missed critical clues in the evolution of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
People seem to think the 2009 clashes between Boko Haram and security forces were the start of the group’s campaign of violence.

However there were clues about the group’s increasing radicalization as far back as 10-12 years ago. In early 2003 a group that advocated implementing a purer form of Sharia law embarked upon a Hijra (migration) away from secular society which they regarded as corrupt, to a remote village in northern Yobe State near Nigeria’s border with Niger. Its members were described as “mostly urban, comparatively well off Nigerians who had moved to a commune-like village to set up their own isolated society”.

Locals nicknamed the group the “Taliban”. Until the “Boko Haram” moniker became part of popular discourse in 2009, the group was known as the “Taliban” for about 5 years.

Who Were The “Nigerian Taliban”?
According to Shehu Sani (who has met Boko Haram members) the “Taliban” group was led by an associate of Mohammed Yusuf called Mohammed Alli. Alli led the Taliban’s migration to a village close to Kannamma in Yobe State. The Taliban were largely peaceful and devoted themselves to their own interpretation of Islam and isolated themselves from the rest of secular
society. Its members included “individuals from wealthy Islamic families in Borno State, unemployed university students and friends and
colleagues from other states including Ogun and Lagos”. The Governor of Yobe State Bukar Abba Ibrahim denied allegations that his son was a member.

Although the Taliban were not violent, a Professor at the University of Maiduguri in Borno State, Abdulmumin Sa’ad, said that the group was on an “idealistic outing in Yobe State,” but that it and other groups could easily become violent and adopt extremist ideology or foreign ties. The Professor and his colleagues noted an increase in
religiously inspired sects on Nigerian university campuses. Professor Sa’ad also said that radical Islamist groups were also emerging from unemployed academics looking to make sense of
their corrupt society.

With Nigeria becoming more corrupt and economically polarised, “radical groups will likely emerge and youth may look to Islamic extremism to strike back at economic and political injustice.” Chillingly, a U.S. diplomatic cable in February 2004 warned that “A small sect could easily turn to terrorism, or be used as a tool by international terrorist groups.”

After living peacefully with their neighbours in 2003, conflict arose after the Taliban got into a dispute with locals about fishing rights. Local leaders asked the Taliban to leave and in December 2003, the police destroyed the Taliban’s camp and arrested several of its members. This interaction with the police marked the first step in the weaponisation of the group that eventually metamophorsised into Boko Haram.

The Slide Into Violence:
The Taliban retaliated by attacking the police station in Kannamma and taking several guns and ammunition from the station. They attacked other police stations in Yobe State before finally being suppressed in the Yobe State capital Damaturu. It is important to note that at this stage, the Taliban’s violence was directed almost entirely at the police and they had little interest in conflict with civilians. One Taliban member called Ismael Abdu Afatahi (a 21-year-old student from Lagos who joined the group) said: “I don’t know the
major reason why we attacked the police posts.

Maybe it is because the police is the protector of the people in Nigeria – But I was not told actually”.
In early 2004 the Taliban took their weapons into Borno State and also battled the police there.

Press reports mentioned that scores of men wearing “red bandanas”, carrying a flag with an Islamic inscription, and chanting “Allahu Akbar!” attacked police stations in Bama and Gworza in Borno State. During their raids they also
kidnapped some locals who they tried to conscript and forced to dig trenches around their camp.

According to Shehu Sani, the Taliban who survived these clashes then joined Mohammed Yusuf’s movement. The movement that eventually became Boko Haram…

Abubakar Shekau assumed leadership of the Sect after the erstwhile leader - Mohammed Yusuf was gunned down in broad daylight.

Culled From:
Max Siollon's website

Nigeria: Challenges of Governance in the Era of Boko Haram Insurgency - Sambo Dasuki (NSA)

The essence of good governance is to effectively lead and guide the instruments of the State to meet
the needs of citizens, effectively balancing present needs while anticipating future trends. The ability
to optimally achieve these balances is what defines good governance.

If good governance is difficult to achieve under normal conditions, it is even more difficult today in Africa with the advent of global terrorism and insurgency. In this paper, I intend to show how much more complex it has become in the post-modern era of instability to deliver good governance. I will also offer some examples of how we in Nigeria are trying to accelerate our effectiveness under highly complex circumstances.

Basic Challenge in Governance:
It is important first to understand the very basic challenge of governance in a developing country. The needs and aspirations of citizens are often so diverse that good governance is needed to balance various interests while focusing on the key goal of
accelerating prosperity.

Today, Africa is fast approaching a situation where coups and dictatorships will be things of the past. This means that leaders must now earn their legitimacies by delivering on the complex and often competing needs of citizens. The subtleties of this complex situation need to be clearly understood by scholars whose insights and knowledge are critical in shaping our understanding of good governance.

This is one of the reasons why I am excited to be here at this conference being organized by Huhu Group and the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard
University, which has a reputation for being at the forefront of science and knowledge on good governance.

Governance in the Post-Modern Era:
Let me expatiate on some of the new challenges in governance in the post-modern age. The post-modern age, brought about by rapid advances in
the development and use of information and telecommunication technology, has dramatically changed the notion of effective leadership and the implications of ineffective governance.

On one hand, new opportunities for income and wealth generation are increasingly accruing to the well-
educated and talented knowledge workers, but this leaves a large and growing proportion of the population with unmet aspirations impatient for
change.

This has not only increased the pressure on governments to provide better services to their citizens, it has also increased the need for accountability and transparency. Global, regional and national imbalances in access to healthcare, job opportunities, education, housing and justice are now more readily perceived, creating dissonance and heightening feelings of personal
insecurity. Leaders can no longer easily get away with ignoring the needs of the masses, although those needs have become a lot more difficult to balance.

Again, this is particularly important in
Africa where many feel insecure; where past neglect of the people is providing spaces where discontent flourishes; which insurgents exploit to challenge constituted authority.

The absence of good governance is regarded by the World Bank as the most important, if not the sole cause of Africa’s under development. One of the lessons from the Middle-East and North African countries (the MENA region) is that the perception of ineffective governance can easily lead to regime change. A key challenge is therefore how to govern in ways that ensure the masses feel secure and committed in order to maintain peace and stability.

Leaders today must utilize resources and structures within and outside their governance domain to ensure a solid foundation for society’s advancement. Let me use Nigeria as a case study to further support my point. In Nigeria, decades of truncated democracy following serial Military coups led to deficits in multiple areas of governance. The return to long-term democracy, beginning in 1999, afforded us the opportunity to begin rebuilding our governance institutions and institute long needed reforms in the areas of education, health, science, technology, infrastructure, conduct of elections, justice sector reforms, human rights, socio-economic development and national security.

Read the full article here

Survivors of Boko Haram Attack Stranded on Mountain With No Food

MAIDUGURI, August 9, 2014 (AFP) - Hundreds of people who escaped a Boko Haram attack on their town in Nigeria's restive north and fled to a nearby mountain said Saturday they were without any food.

"We are in distress. We need help," said Liman Ngosha, a farmer from the town of Gwoza.
"We have been starving for the past four days. We are surviving now on wild fruits," he told AFP by phone from the Mandara mountain.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the town, some 135 kilometres (80 miles) from the state capital of Maiduguri, on Wednesday.

The raid left dozens dead and sent others fleeing to the mountain near the Cameroonian border.
Survivors said there were no soldiers to defend the town when the gunmen attacked before dawn.

"I cannot tell the exact number of people that were killed. Before I fled, over 100 corpses littered the streets of Gworza," Ngosha said.

The palace of the town's emir, the police headquarters and scores of other buildings were destroyed, residents said.
"Dozens of our people have been killed by the attackers. Some were slaughtered and many others shot with guns," resident James Mshelia told AFP.

Residents said the whereabouts of the Gwoza emir, Mohammad Idrissa Timta, was unknown. Timta succeeded his father, Mustapha Idrissa Timta, who was killed by Boko Haram insurgents in May.

"There is no military presence in Gwoza now," said Halima Jatau, one of the fleeing residents.
The attack on Gwoza came a few weeks after the insurgents took over Damboa, another town in the volatile state that is repeatedly attacked by the Islamist group.

Many Gworza residents who escaped the attack, including some who fled to the mountain, met in Maiduguri on Saturday with the state governor,
Kashim Shettima, who promised to discuss their plight with President Goodluck Jonathan.

"I share your pain and I know the difficulty that you are going through. I want to assure you that I will relay what is happening to the president and I will seek his support in the deployment of more soldiers to Gwoza," he said.

On Saturday, police fired shots at a group of about 300 Gworza residents who had gathered in central
Maiduguri to protest the Boko Haram attack, injuring a 26-year-old man.

The head of the state police, Lawan Tanko, later apologised to the protesters saying that the policeman who fired the shot that injured the man had been identified and would be tried and punished accordingly.

ReliefWeb

Three Things To Know During Anti- Terrorism Awareness Month - US Army

Each year, the US Army sets aside August to raise awareness of its ongoing efforts to protect Soldiers and their families, Department of the Army civilians and contractors from terrorist threats.

The Army's Anti-terrorism Program protects personnel, information, and facilities in all locations and situations
against terrorist activities. The purpose of Anti-terrorism Awareness Month is to instill Army-wide heightened awareness and vigilance to protect Army communities
from acts of terrorism.

Here are a few things to always keep in mind:

1. The threat is real:
According to a recent article by the Heritage Foundation, there have been 60 terrorist plots against the U.S., since 9/11. Their research of media reports and court documents shows that military facilities were the number one target in these plots, followed by New York City and places with mass gatherings, such as the Boston Marathon.
"Our enemies never rest and continue to seek ways to attack our nation and destroy our way of life. AT month
provides us an opportunity to contribute to the defense against terrorism and keep our families and communities safe through training and awareness," explained Col. Mike Blahovec, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's protection director.

2. Awareness is critical:
Knowledge is power, and just like in the National Football League, defense wins championships. As part of the awareness month, every member of the Army team is required to take the online AT Level I Awareness Training course. The online course is located at https://jkodirect.jten.mil.

To further enhance awareness, every Soldier within TRADOC, and all new civilian hires, are required to receive face-to-face AT Level I training, according to Jim Kirkland, TRADOC's anti-terrorism officer.

3. See something - Say something:
Sometimes seemingly benign -- but odd -- situations can lead to terrible consequences, if they go unreported.
According to Kirkland, the "See Something -- Say Something" motto has contributed to preventing planned
attacks.

For example, an alert citizen in Minnesota recently noticed someone crossing her yard to a storage area. She reported the suspicious activity, and a 17 year old was charged with attempted murder, possessing explosives and attempted damage to property. He possessed six bombs, seven weapons, and 400 rounds of ammunition, and planned to kill his family and classmates.

"We are all in this fight together," says Bill Moisant, TRADOC's G-34 protection chief.
"Our Soldiers and their families know what they've signed up for, and they know the type of business we are in, but we can all help watch each other's back. AT Awareness Month focuses on training; this is critical in protecting our people and enabling our missions.
Awareness is our most certain defense against an act of terrorism. If you see something - say something."

US Army

We’ ll Confront Security Challenges With All Our National Endowment — Pres. Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday in Abuja said that the nation would confront its present security challenges with “ all our national endowment ”.
Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Gusau (Rtd) said this at the graduation ceremony of Course 22 Participants of the National Defence College (NDC).

“We have made some gains against the adversary, we face an unspeakable evil and we must confront it with all our national endowment .
“And as government we will not compromise our sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.
“And we will not allow the authority of Nigerian state to be challenged.

Education is a human right which is
invaluable transformational value and is the bases of our development progress.
“We shall not give up that right for some faceless, misguided, self-styled using the means of terror,” he said.
Jonathan called on the populace to close ranks with government to end to insurgency saying: “there is no
challenge that can divide the collective will of the Nigerian .
“May I also use this opportunity to assure all Nigerians that we are committed to bringing back the
Chibok girls alive . ”

He called on the Armed Forces, intelligence and security agencies in the expanded security approach was crucial and urged them to take proactive measures in the discharge of their responsibilities .
“On the part of the government, we are committed to improving institutional capacity, platform and equipment , human and resources endowment of our security agencies to meet these challenges .
“Let me use this opportunity to salute the gallantry of men and women of the armed forces , the police , intelligence and the security agencies and emergency services for their loyal and patriotic service to the nation,
“My heart goes to all the service men that had paid the supreme sacrifice, so that other Nigerians may continue to live in peace and security.

“I wish to convey my personal sympathy to Nigerians, who had in one way or the other suffered human and material loss on account of terrorism, ” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Patrick Agholor , said that the
graduation of Course 22 marked the end of another successful academic journey at the NDC.
Agholor said during 44- weeks duration of the course, the participants received series of lecture on a wide range of subjects.
“I therefore, implore you to use the learning experiences, skills and values acquired here as enablers to drive your creativity and innovativeness to
meet challenges, you will face.
“I urge you, therefore, to prepare your minds and be ready to discharge your duties and responsibilities with utmost professionalism, ” he said.

The best graduating participant, Col. Joseph Chima, attributed the success of the participants to hard work.
“It was a very intense course and to have gone through it and top the class was challenging, ” he said.

Col. Cosmas Alhassan a foreign participants from Ghana who emerged as the best foreign participant said the course was educative . He said the knowledge he acquired would come handy in the discharge of duties in Ghana.

PM News

USB Devices Can Secretly Infect, Hijack Computers - Researchers

Berlin-based cyber-security experts Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell demonstrated how malicious code on
hardware connected via USB could "hijack" a PC, and gather private data.
The duo said there is no practical way to defend against the vulnerability.

The body responsible for the USB standard said manufacturers could build in extra security.
It is not uncommon for USB sticks to be used as a way of getting viruses and other malicious code onto target
computers.
Most famously, the Stuxnet attack on Iranian nuclear centrifuges was believed to have been caused by an
infected USB stick.

However, this latest research demonstrated a new level of threat - where a USB device that appears completely empty can still contain malware, even when formatted.
The vulnerability can be used to hide attacks in any kind of USB-connected device - such as a smartphone.
"It may not be the end of the world today," Mr Nohl told journalists, "but it will affect us, a little bit, every day,
for the next 10 years".

'Chip' exploited USB -
which stands for Universal Serial Bus - has become the standard method of connecting devices to computers due to its small size, speed and ability to charge devices.

USB memory sticks quickly replaced floppy disks as a simple way to share large files between two computers.
The connector is popular due to the fact that it makes it easy to plug in and install a wide variety of devices.
Devices that use USB contain a small chip that "tells" the computer exactly what it is, be it a phone, tablet or
any other piece of hardware.
It is this function that has been exposed by the threat.

Smartphone 'hijack'
In one demo, shown off at the Black Hat hackers conference in Las Vegas, a standard USB drive was inserted into a normal computer.
Malicious code implanted on the stick tricked the machine into thinking a keyboard had been plugged in.
After just a few moments, the "keyboard" began typing in commands - and instructed the computer to download a malicious program from the internet.

Another demo, shown in detail to the BBC, involved a Samsung smartphone. When plugged in to charge, the phone would trick the computer into thinking it was in fact a network card. It meant when the user accessed the internet, their browsing was secretly hijacked.

Mr Nohl demonstrated to the BBC how they were able to create a fake copy of PayPal's website, and steal user log-in details as a result.
Unlike other similar attacks, where simply looking at the web address can give away a scam website, there were no visible clues that a user was under threat.
The same demo could have been carried out on any website, Mr Nohl stressed.

'Trust nothing'
Mike McLaughlin, a security researcher from First Base Technologies, said the threat should be taken seriously.
"USB is ubiquitous across all devices," he told the BBC.
"It comes down to the same old saying - don't plug things in that you don't trust.
"Any business should always have policies in place regarding USB devices and USB drives. Businesses should stop using them if needed."

The group responsible for the USB standard, the USB Working Party, refused to comment on the seriousness of the flaw. But in more general terms, it said: "The USB specifications support additional capabilities for security, but original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) decide whether or not to implement these capabilities in their products.
"Greater capabilities of any product likely results in higher prices, and consumers choose on a daily basis
what they are willing to pay to receive certain benefits.
"If consumer demand for USB products with additional capabilities for security grows, we would expect OEMs to meet that demand."

Mr Nohl said the only protection he could advise was to simply be ultra-cautious when allowing USB devices to be connected to your machines.
"Our approach to using USB will have to change," he told the BBC.

BBC

Ebola Outbreak: Nigerian Government Install Infrared Thermal Detectors At Entry Points

The Nigerian government says it has
installed infrared thermal detectors in two of its international airports and land borders all aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola virus.

In a meeting with the diplomatic corps and heads of international agencies in the country, top Nigerian officials assured the> international community of its readiness to contain the viral disease.

The Nigerian government says it is undertaking high- level measures to contain the spread of the ebola virus which is still restricted to one of its cities, Lagos.

As such most entry and exit points into Nigeria are now to have infrared thermal detectors which are meant to detect high body temperatures.
Nigerian authorities also say they are not contemplating border closures or banning flights from some affected countries in the west African region as it will be counter-productive.

The Liberian and Sierra Leonean ambassadors complained of stigmatization of their citizens in
some Nigerian cities and are asking for the government’s intervention.
Most diplomats and international organisations pledged to support Nigeria and ECOWAS countries to curtail the Ebola virus but want African governments to step up public health campaigns.

TV Continental

Three Students Shot As Unical Student Union Government (SUG) Election Turns Violent

Three Students of the University of Calabar were on Wednesday evening shot by stray bullets discharged from the riffle of a security officer of the university.

The shooting occurred sequel to an inconclusive Student Union Government election contested by four candidates: Emmanuel Akobi, Ajang Emmanuel, Ilefa Austin and Afo Nelson.

According a student who functioned as observer in the election, Ekere Sylvanus, a year three political Science Student, trouble started when some of the students who registered to vote but could not find their names in the electoral register were not allowed to vote.
“Some students who registered during the registration exercise could not find their names on the Voters Register and the Electoral Officer who was assigned to conduct the election by the Vice Chancellor asked them to wait in a queue and the number rose to about three hundred and when it was 3pm when the election was scheduled to end, the Electoral Officer said the election
had ended prompting those students to insist they should be allowed to vote”.

NigerianEye

Boko Haram: Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Donates N125m To Victims of Terror, Insurgency

Indigenous Automobile giant, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Ltd (PAN), has donated the sum of N125m to victims of terrorism attack in the country.
This is in line with the response to the call by President Goodluck Jonathan on all corporate bodies to donate to the “Terrorism Victims Support Fund” (VSF), according to the Chief Executive officer of the company, Mr. Ibrahim Boyi.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, PAN stated that it will provide N25m worth of cars to the secretariat of VSF headed by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma.

The CEO further disclosed that PAN will provide free tuition, valued at N100m to 100 qualified family members of the victim that will be nominated by the VSF foundation for technical skills acquisition in automobile repair and maintenance training.

Daily Times

Boko Haram: Solution Lies With Northern Elders - Aliyat Yakub

A friend wanted to visit the north, and she was so scared of coming that she had to consult her pastors on whether to come or not. It is so unfortunate that this is the situation our region finds itself today.

Gone are the days when everybody in the country wanted to have a feel of the northern culture. That was in the good old days. The security situation has left the North in ruins. As a result, northern political leaders, traditional rulers, elders and religious leaders should not sit by and watch Boko Haram destroy the region completely. It is unfortunate that the group, created by some selfish politicians for their political gains, has grown into a monster they can no longer control.

Today, people are being killed on a daily basis in Borno State. Although majority of Boko Haram’s atrocities are being carried out in Borno and Yobe states, the whole region is suffering from this madness.

Our economic life has been ruined by Boko Haram. Poverty is at an all- time high. Even before the advent of Boko Haram, we were trailing the other regions in terms of economy, education, among others, but today, the gap has
been widened to the extent that if Boko Haram cease all hostilities today, it would take about 50 years to return to the level we were before.
When we finally get back to that level, we will now start working towards running after the other regions, which would have gone far ahead of us.

Many businesses have been ruined, and others have simply relocated to the more stable regions in the country.
It is now time for our leaders in the North to come together and look at ways through which they can encourage the leadership of the sect to stop all its evil activities.

While they are waging a war against the
Nigerian government, and the President
Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, it is the people of the North who are suffering.
Those being killed on a daily basis are not the president’s kinsmen. They are northerners. The Christians being killed are also northerners.
These killings affect Jonathan in no way, and it won’t stop him from completing his term as president, or even from securing another term in office. If there is anybody losing from this heinous crime, it is the northerners.

I hope our leaders can finally convince Mr. Abubakar Shekau and his evil foot soldiers to stop wasting innocent peoples’ lives.