Mutiny Attracts Death Sentence, Chief of Army Staff Warns Soldiers

THE Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Kenneth Minimah, on Tuesday, warned  that any soldier or officer convicted of mutiny would be court marshalled and sentenced to death.

Boko Haram: Nigerian Soldiers 'Mutiny Over Insufficient Weapons'

A group of soldiers in north-eastern Nigeria is refusing to fight Islamist Boko Haram militants until they receive better equipment, one of the mutineers has told the BBC.

The soldier, who requested anonymity, said at least 40 of his colleagues would refuse orders to deploy.

A defence ministry spokesman said the incident was being investigated.

Boko Haram Suspect Arrested Near Lagos Airport Confesses He Was Sent To Bomb Murtala Mohammed Int'l Airport

The Boko Haram suspect who was arrested at National Airport Management Authority (NAMA) annex in Lagos yesterday, confessed last night that he was sent along with other Boko Haram members to Lagos to bomb various parts of the city.

The physically challenged 22-year-old suspect who was caught with canisters around his neck, in his confession, told security operatives that his two other colleagues were assigned the task of bombing Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), as well as the densely populated Lagos Island and Apapa areas of the megacity.

A Security source, who spoke exclusively to THISDAY, said the suspect (name withheld) had confessed that he alongside several others were recruited from Niger Republic and were trained extensively before their deployment.

The suspect said the plot to bomb Lagos would not be simultaneously done, a clear deviation from the planned simultaneous attacks last year March, when the sect tried to bomb various designated places across the state at the same time.

According to him, the attempt by the
physically-challenged suspect was the first attempt to bomb Lagos after the twin bomb blasts in Apapa two months ago that claimed no fewer than five persons including the suicide bomber.

A security official, who spoke to THISDAY on the strict condition of anonymity, said the attempt would have been successful but for the inability of the explosives to detonate when they were supposed to.

He said: “He was caught because when he tried to set off the explosives, there was a hitch. He ran back to an obscure place to check it out and fix it.

His suspicious movement and the frustration evident on his face aroused the suspicion of security operatives attached to NAMA.”
Also speaking, another source from the state security department said already, investigations had kicked off in full gear to round up other suspects who were said to have been deployed to wreak havoc in the state.

The suspect was arrested at the NAMA annex facility, known as CENTREX, about 300 meters from the international terminal of the airport, opposite the airport cathedral.

THISDAY learnt that the suspect was making frantic phone calls, and looked frustrated and restless. His mannerism and slovenly conduct aroused the suspicion of security personnel who were watching him and subsequently arrested him.

He was taken to the MMIA police station at Beesam junction. Shortly after his arrest, the police had initially pleaded for more time to undertake the investigation to confirm the identity and mission of the suspect.

The police also said that the suspected explosive device found on the suspect would be examined and confirmed later, adding that it would be hasty to describe it as an explosive.

A police officer, however, described the device found on the suspect as locally made explosives.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager, Public Affairs of NAMA, Supo Atobatele, said the suspect was within the vicinity of the airport making phone calls along the Airport Road when the agency’s security personnel accosted him.

He said his incoherent explanation aroused further suspicion, especially with the suspicious looking canisters on his person.
“The attention of NAMA has been drawn to insinuations that a suspected suicide bomber was arrested at one of the agency’s facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday.

“The basic truth however is that the said suspect was on the ground making phone calls along the Airport Road close to CENTREX, an annex office of NAMA when the agency’s security personnel accosted him.

“His incoherent explanation exposed him to the security personnel who later found on him some devices suspected to be explosives. He was subsequently handed over to the Airport Police Command for further investigation.

“The Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, in reaction, commended the security personnel for their vigilance and prompt arrest of the suspect,” Atobatele said in a statement.

The suspect who wore brown shorts and a white T-shirt was prevented from speaking to reporters about his mission to the airport.
But another policeman told THISDAY that the suspect was not willing to talk initially, having concealed his age but later said that his father was from Kano while his mother was from Cameroon and that he lived in Nasarawa quarters in Kano.

Yet, another senior security official with one of the aviation agencies told THISDAY that enquiries had revealed that the suspect was from Niger Republic, arrived Lagos on Sunday
and was asking people for the location of the airport before he was arrested.
The official alleged that the suspect was on a mission and was sent by somebody, dismissing the initial statement from the police that he was a lunatic.

“I don’t think that the suspect is a lunatic. If the police say that he is a lunatic let them prove that he is one.
“From my own assessment, the suspect was on a mission; he was sent by somebody, but the police have not given us more information.
I went to see him and the young man spoke both in English and in Hausa. The police said they should be given time to investigate the suspected devices, so let me give them time,” the official said.

Source:
ThisDay Newspaper

Convicted Boko Haram Terrorist - Kabiru Sokoto Promises To Name Sect's Sponsors If Granted Presidential Pardon

Barring any last minute change of plans, Convicted Boko Haram terrorist, Kabiru Umar aka Kabiru Sokoto, according to reports is set to start unveiling names and organisations of alleged sponsors of the dreaded Islamic sect.

Boko Haram Kills 10, Raze Homes, Military Camp and Police Station In Fresh Attack

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed 10 people who had fled their homes to escape repeated attacks by the insurgents, after hunting them down in a nearby village, witnesses said on Monday.

Nigeria's Economy At Risk Due To Stigmatization and Discrimination From Ebola –LCCI

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, has expressed fear that Nigeria’s economy may be at risk going by the stigmatisation the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, has put on the country. It also said that the current international isolation and unwarranted discrimination against the Nigerians travelling abroad might impact the economy of the country negatively.

The LCCI in a statement yesterday by the President, Alhaji Remi Bello, urged the business community to support the current efforts by governments aimed at controlling the spread of the deadly disease in the country. “There is currently the risk of international
isolation, stigmatisation and unwarranted discriminatory practices against the citizens travelling
outside our shores. This has grave consequences for the economy and the citizens,” Bello said. The chamber
has commended the governments on the measures taken so far to contain the spread of the disease.

Although it regretted the outbreak of EVD in the country, saying the incident was avoidable but for the failure of the country's system which could not stop the Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, the carrier of the virus, from gaining entry into the country.

"Nevertheless, we note with satisfaction the measures taken so far by the federal and state governments to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease in the
country,” the chamber stated.

Bello, therefore, appealed to the private sector and the citizenry to also, in demonstration of their support for nationwide initiatives being undertaking to curb the spread of the disease, comply with protective measures as advised by the health authorities.

“We urge the business community and the entire citizenry to support the current efforts at containment of the disease. Given the way it came to Nigeria, current scope of the spread and the containment strategies, we are confident that before long, the situation would be fully brought under control.

“We urge all citizens to comply with protective measures as advised by the health authorities with regard to body contacts, general hygiene and making prompt reports of suspected cases,” he said. According to him, as the containment measures progress, the imperative of discretion in information management needs to be underscored just as care should be taken not to escalate the Ebola crisis beyond the reality of its occurrence. He noted that the Ebola hype had created a disproportionate panic, anxiety and scare, projecting the country as endemic Ebola zone.

Source:

Nigeria's First Lady - Mrs Patience Jonathan Donates Relief Materials To Boko Haram Victims

The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has donated three truck loads of relief materials to displaced victims of Boko Haram in Borno and Gombe states. The Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, who represented Mrs Jonathan, visited several camps of displaced people on Saturday.

Boko Haram Will End When Federal Govt.Wants - Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers Governor

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the weekend said the war against Boko Haram insurgents will not stop unless the Federal Government is ready to tackle it sincerely.

Chadian Soldiers 'Rescue 85 Nigerians Abducted By Boko Haram'

Reports are emerging of the rescue by Chadian troops of some 85 Nigerian villagers abducted earlier this week by suspected Boko Haram militants.

A Nigerian security official told AFP that they had intercepted a convoy of buses transporting gunmen and the villagers in a routine security check.

Neither the Nigerian or Chadian militaries have confirmed the reports.

Boko Haram is accused of kidnapping hundreds of people in the north-east of Nigeria, and neighbouring Cameroon.

The group, which wants to create an Islamic state in the region, sparked international outcry when they abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April in Nigeria's remote down of Chibok in Borno state.

Speedboat Escape
Dozens of men, women and children were seized from the remote fishing village of Doron Bag by boat across Lake Chad on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses said 26 people were killed in the raid.

A senior Nigerian security official told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Saturday that 85 people abducted in the attack were had been found by Chadian troops.

Nigeria imposed a state of emergency in Borno state last year to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency
"The convoy being led by six Boko Haram gunmen was stopped on the Chadian part of the border along Lake Chad for routine checks and the huge number of people in the convoy raised suspicion," the unnamed official said.

The six suspects were giving conflicting information on the hostages and their destination, he added.

Another official with the National Human Rights Commission in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, said some militants had escaped on speedboats when they saw the convoy being stopped.

He said the rescued villagers, totalling 65 men and 22 women, were still in Chadian custody but that 30 people were still being held by the militants.

News of the raid on Doron Bag took days to emerge, due to the remote region's poor communication links.

The militants burned down some of the houses in the village, and took mainly women and some boys and girls, a village elder told the BBC.

Other survivors said young men were also taken possibly to be turned into Boko Haram fighters.

A state of emergency was declared in Borno and two other north-eastern states last year to help the military crush the insurgency but the militants have stepped up attacks since then.

The schoolgirls abducted in April are thought to be held in the vast Sambisa forest, along Nigeria's border with Cameroon.

The group has also carried out a wave of bombings and assassinations, including that of moderate Muslim leaders opposed to its ideology.

BBC

EBOLA Outbreak: Cameroon Shuts Its Border With Nigeria, Suspends Flights From Nigeria

Following the fears of spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) through international air and seaports,
including border land outposts of Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) in the Northeast sub-region of country, Cameroon has closed its borders with Nigeria and suspended all flights to and from Nigeria.

Cameroon Orders Its Military Not To Share Intelligence on Boko Haram With Nigeria

CAMEROON has instructed its armed forces not to share information on terrorist group Boko Haram with their Nigerian counterparts after indications that intelligence was finding its way into the hands of the insurgents.

Nigeria and Cameroon share a long and porous border, which Boko Haram has exploited in its campaign of terror, mounting cross-border raids and evading security forces. Of late, however, Cameroon has stepped up its fight against the terrorists, making it more difficult for its territory to be used as a base.

Unlike as is the case with Nigeria, Boko Haram does not have a political following within Cameroon and as such has not managed to infiltrate its military. Similarly, the Cameroonian military has not been infiltrated like the Nigerian Army, in which officers regularly pass information on to the terrorists who then lay ambushes for soldiers.

Aware of the dangers working with the Nigerian military authorities poses, Cameroon’s minister of territorial administration and decentralisation, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, has directed all army commanders to withhold crucial information about the insurgents from Nigeria. In a circular with Decree number G/D/MINATD, tiled Strong Message, he made it clear to the commander of Cameroon's Rapid Intervention Brigade, that the country did not want the grave security situation in Nigeria to spill over into Cameroon.

He charged the Cameroonian forces to be vigilant along the border to prevent any further spillover of Boko Haram's violence into the country. According to the minister, the Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, had charged all the units to ensure that activities of the insurgents were not allowed to get into the country.

Mr Sadi's letter read: “As you are aware of the security situation in the country and the impending turmoil/danger coming from our neighbour, Nigeria, you must keep all important information regarding the Islamic sect under your control without sharing all the information with Nigerians. We do not want the situation from our neighbouring country to spill over to our country. Information from our Western friends portrays Nigeria negatively.”

Already, Cameroon's chief of defence staff has relocated to the north of the country as the war against Boko Haram is intensified. Ahmed Ogbole-Ode, Nigeria's foreign ministry spokesman, said he was not aware of that Cameroon was not cooperating with Nigeria in the campaign against terrorism and that it had ordered its security personnel not to work with the country.

Mr Ogbole-Ode added: “I am not aware of the content of the letter, in fact, I’m hearing it from you for the first time. I cannot comment on the level of cooperation between Cameroon and Nigeria unless I get the necessary information from our mission in Yaounde.”

In another development, Chadian troops have rescued most of the 100 people recently kidnapped by Boko Haram following a successful military operation. On August 10, the terrorist group kidnapped 100 people in Doron Baga in the Kukawa area near the border with Chad but they were stopped as they crossed the Chadian border by local soldiers who engaged them in a gun battle, setting free most of the captives.

NigerianWatch

Boko Haram: Nigerian Military Clears Terrorists’ Camps in Counter Offensive

Troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in a dawn raid operation on Friday cleared a terrorists’ camp in Buduram, north of Doron Baga, where terrorists were massing up and reorganizing to carry out a reprisal attack after being routed in Doron Baga in a previous encounter last Sunday.

The defence headquarters made this disclosure in a statement on its website Saturday.
The statement said, “seventeen terrorists died in the raid operation while some who escaped into neighbouring islands in the Lake Chad Peninsula are still being pursued”.

Meanwhile, the defence headquarters say calm has been restored in Doron Baga after the Sunday attack by terrorists who infiltrated the community with some of them disguising as women in hijab.

Five of the terrorist died in the counter offensive to defend Doron Baga by troops of the MNJTF.

Many of the inhabitants of the community who had fled into nearby bushes for safety are now returning, the statement said.

Premium Times

Boko Haram - Immigration Detains Germany-Based Nigerian Suspected To Be On Wanted List

A GERMAN-based Nigerian, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, whose name rhymes with that of a terrorist on the federal government's wanted list has been allegedly brutalized by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) attached to the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Ahmed's Elder brother, Mr. Adam Abdullahi told newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos that Ahmed who came to Nigeria during the last Ramadan holiday was going back to Germany when he was allegedly arrested at the airport and mistaken for the wanted terrorist.

Abdullahi said the 32-year-old Kwara State-born indegin claimed that three NIS officers assaulted him physically adding that one of them hit his head with a rod and left him with a deep cut.

He said all effort to secure Ibrahim's release and claim of innocence were futile as one of the officers simply identified as Alaje insisted on transferring the suspect to the NIS headquarters in Abuja.

Abdullahi also said the intervention of a lawmaker from the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Egberongbe Mufutau who represents Apapa Constituency 1, could not secure the release of the suspect.

"Ahmed called us on Saturday night after we had seen him off that his passport has been seized by immigration officers who claimed that his name was on the list of persons wanted by the federal government. We ran back to the airport and were told by Alaje and Umar who were on duty that the case must be taken to Abuja for clearance. They asked us to return on Monday with a return ticket for our brother and one immigration officer who will accompany him.

"He was made to sleep on the floor of one of the offices and was told that he would need clearance from the presidency to leave the country as his name tallies with that of a terrorist on the wanted list of the Nigerian government.

"But by Sunday night he called again to say he was being beaten by the NIS officers on duty. We went back to the airport only to meet him in the cell. His cloth was soaked in blood while his head was bandaged. He said one of the officers hit him with a rod.

"Ahmed was later taken to Abuja on Tuesday where he was detained. His mobile phone and other valuables were confiscated. Right now he is in Abuja awaiting his bail," said Abdullahi.

An NIS officer at the airport who craved anonymity confirmed the incident and said Ahmed's name appeared on the suspect index of the Service with the instruction 'refer to the comptroller of immigration'. But he said they needed to take the suspect to a detention cell because it was already late.

"The suspect refused to go into the cell. We had to apply minimum force to subdue him," he said.

Source:
allafrica.com

Boko Haram: Soldiers Intercept Convoy of Youth Moving From Borno to Abuja

The Nigerian military on Thursday said it had intercepted about 51 youth moving from Maiduguri, Borno State, to Abuja.

This was disclosed via an unsigned statement on its website.
The military said the convoy was intercepted around 3 a.m. along Babale, Plateau State on Wednesday.

The youth, travelling in three 18-seater transit buses, were led by a woman, it said.
It added that officers of the Special Task Force were currently trying to unravel the motive of the youth movement.

The statement also disclosed that during an interrogation, the youth claimed they were being conveyed to Abuja on the order of a Borno State Government official, to meet their relatives for assistance in an economic empowerment programme. It also said the youth had made contradictory statements regarding sponsorship of their mission to Abuja.

The military, however, added that efforts to reach the official, to verify the claims, were not responded, adding that the issue was being investigated to ascertain the genuine mission of the young people.

It said the investigation had become necessary in the light of the security situation and the suspicious claims by the youth.

Source:
Premium Times

Boko Haram Now Confined To Fringes of North-East Nigeria - Pres. Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan says his government has reduced the Boko Haram insurgency in the country to the Northeast alone, down from about 12 States.

President Jonathan said this on Thursday in remarks made by a special adviser, Dr. Doyin Okupe.

Okupe was reacting to the comments made by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who had criticized the government during a lecture marking the 50th birthday of former Governor Timpriye Sylva.

Okupe said Mr. Jonathan did not lie to Nigerians concerning the insurgency, stressing that terrorism is a global phenomenon which has only recently plagued the country.

"At its peak, it ravaged some 12 States in the North including Abuja. Today, because of the courage, resilience and capability of our armed forces and security agencies, we have pushed them to the fringes of the North Eastern parts of the country.”

He admitted that there are still obvious challenges but that the government is giving them the best attention and considerations possible.

"Recently, Foreign Allies including Britain, USA, France, Israel, China and Australia have arrived Nigeria soil and are co-operating with our military to resolve especially the issue of the kidnap of the Chibok girls,” Okupe said.

"These are the best global players and they have been with us for about six weeks. If the releasing of the girls was a tea-party, definitely, it should have been over by now. We have said it before and we will say it again, “yes, we know where the girls are but our approach at releasing them must be carefully weighed against their overall safety.

"It is a matter of national disgrace and shame that highly placed, and highly net worth individuals in the country will continue to politicise the nation’s misfortunes and challenges not minding the deleterious and untoward demoralising effects this attitude have on our military especially, the widows and innocent children of our military heroes who die daily on the fields, defending their country”.

SR