Hundreds Killed in Jos, Plateau State Multiple Explosion

There was a loud explosion in Jos, the Plateau State capital at about 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
The explosion, believed to have been caused by a bomb, occurred around the ever busy Jos Main Market, between Railway Terminus and the temporary site of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.
The explosion was followed by a thick smoke and is believed to have affected many shops and commercial vehicles. It is not known whether anyone was killed or injured.

The explosion has however created tension in the area with cars colliding as drivers scampered for safety.
Ambulance and other safety providers were seen rushing to the area.
The cause of the explosion and casualty is yet to be ascertained.

UPDATE:
Another explosion sounded at about 3:20 PM around the same area just as our reporter was filing report of the first explosion to his editors.
The Commander of the Special Task Force, STF, on Jos crisis, Major General Dave Enetie, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria but did not give casualty figure.

Source:
Leadership Newspaper

BokoHaram: The 2015 Election & Oil Prospecting Licence Connection, Permutations

Caveat:

This essay is apolitical; there is no intent to malign any individual, group or section of the country. The ensuing analysis is aimed at reconciling the cloaked purpose of the Boko Haram phenomenon and to proffer solutions. It is only when we can precisely connect the dots; identify the real bone of contention that we can prescribe tailored solutions.

President Jonathan Cancels Planned Visit To Chibok

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has cancelled his first visit to the village from which more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Islamist rebel group Boko Haram a month ago due to security fears, senior government sources said on Friday.

Jonathan will instead fly directly from the capital Abuja to Paris on Friday for a regional summit to discuss the Boko Haram insurgency and wider insecurity and will not now make a stop in the northeastern village of Chibok, said one of the sources.

"The president was planning to go but security advised otherwise on the visit," said the source of the last-minute decision to cancel the Chibok part of the trip.

Some Nigerians have criticized the government's initial response to the plight of the girls, who were abducted on April 14, and U.S. officials this week said the government had done too little to adapt to the threat posed by Boko Haram.

Jonathan asked France last week to arrange a security summit with neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, and officials from the United States, Britain and the European Union to discuss a coordinated response. The summit will take place on Saturday.

Source:
Reuters

President Jonathan Set To Visit Chibok

Barely one month after more than 200 Chibok school girls were abducted by the Boko Haram, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan will this Friday, 16/05/2014, visit the north-eastern town of Chibok in Bornu State.

Nothing was seen of the girls for almost a month after they were taken from Chibok by Boko Haram militants. But on Monday the group released a video showing more than 100 of them and offering an exchange for prisoners.
The president has come under pressure over his government's failure to rescue the girls, but has ruled out a swap.
On Thursday, relatives of the girls called for their unconditional release.
But the UK's Africa Minister Mark Simmonds said Mr Jonathan had "made it very clear that there will be no negotiation" at a meeting on Wednesday.
A video emerged on Monday showing about 130 of the girls wearing hijabs and reciting Koranic verses.

After visiting Chibok, President Jonathan will continue to Paris to take part in a summit convened by French President Francois Hollande to discuss Boko Haram.
The presidents of Nigeria's neighbours - Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad - are scheduled to attend the summit on Saturday, which will also include representatives from the UK, US and EU.
A statement said delegates at the meeting will "discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in west and Central Africa".

'Troubling atrocities'
Meanwhile, US officials on Thursday criticised the speed of Nigeria's response to the threat from Boko Haram.
Alice Friend, director for African affairs at the US defence department, said its security forces had been "slow to adapt with new strategies and new tactics".
She also said the US was unable to offer aid to Nigeria's military because of "troubling" atrocities perpetrated by some units during operations against Boko Haram.
"We cannot ignore that Nigeria can be an extremely challenging partner to work with," Ms Friend said.

BBC

Nigerian Army To Investigate Soldiers Mutiny In Maiduguri

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

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

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

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

Source:
SR

Suspected Nyanya Bombing Mastermind, Aminu Ogwuche, Arrested In Sudan

A suspected mastermind of the Nyanya bomb blasts, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, who was on Tuesday declared wanted by the Department of State Services, DSS, and subsequently placed on the international police (Interpol) red alert, has been arrested in faraway Sudan.

The first Nyanya bombing of April 14 left no fewer than 100 people dead and scores more injured. The second killed over 30 and wounded scores of people.

The coordinator of the National Information Centre and director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri, made the arrest known yesterday during a media briefing on the efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.

“Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche has been arrested for his involvement in the Nyanya bombing of April 14. The efforts of the Interpol and the Nigeria Police have led to his arrest in Sudan,” he said.

The deputy director, DSS, Marylin Ogar, in her remarks stated that the suspect had been apprehended in the Sudan and that efforts were being made to bring him back to the country to face justice.

The UK-born Ogwuche, a former lance corporal in the Nigerian Army with Service No. SVC 95/ 104 alongside Rufai Abubakar Tsiga allegedly masterminded the April 14 Nyanya bomb blast.

According to security sources, Ogwuche, the son of a retired colonel in the Nigerian Army, Agene Ogwuche, served in the intelligence unit of the Nigerian Army at Child Avenue, Arakan Barracks in Lagos, between 2001 and 2006. Following his deployment to the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in 2006, Ogwuche deserted the army.

He was arrested on November 12, 2011, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his arrival from the United Kingdom for suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities but was released to his father on October 15, 2012, following intense pressure from human rights activists who alleged rights’ violation.

An indigene of Orokam, Ogbadibo LGA, Benue State, Ogwuche studied Arabic Language at the International University of Africa, Sudan.

The SSS had earlier announced a N25 million reward for anyone with information on the wanted suspect.

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP could not confirm whether Col. Abubakar Sadiq Ogwuche (rtd), the chief security officer of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, is the biological father or a relation of the suspected terrorist.

When our correspondent visited Col. Ogwuche’s office at ABU, he could not meet him. He was said to have travelled to Kaduna for an undisclosed reason.

Several efforts to contact him, including placing many calls to his GSM telephone number, did not yield positive results.

Though Col. Oguche could not also respond to text messages sent to his GSM number as at the time of filing this report, associates told LEADERSHIP that the suspected bomber is a biological son of the ABU’s chief security officer.

“I can confirm to you that Aminu is his son; there is nothing to hide there,” said a source. The management of the ABU kept mum during our correspondent’s inquiry.

LEADERSHIP also learnt that the suspected terrorist’s mother is a Fulani.

Source:
Leadership Newspaper

'Mutinous' Nigerian Troops 'fire at their GOC'

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

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

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

Jonathan Rules Out Freeing Detained Boko Haram Members

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

Source:
The BBC, SR

#BringBackOurGirls: Kidnapped Chibok Girls Moved to Ashaka Forest, Gombe State

The kidnapped Chibok girls have been moved from the Sambisa forest towards the forest around Ashaka in Gombe State, a top security official has told PREMIUM TIMES.
The security official, who sought anonymity as he was not authorised to speak, also denied the rumor that some of the girls were rescued on Saturday.
He, however, said there were high hopes for the quick rescue of the girls based on the ongoing cooperation between Nigerian officials and their counterparts from the U.S. and U.K. on the rescue efforts.

“It is not true that they have been rescued yet, but we noticed and observed movement of some of the girls from the Sambisa region towards Ashaka forest in Gombe state”, said the security personnel.
The officer added that efforts are being put in place to “carefully track” the abductors and get the girls freed.
“We have not, even for once, lost hope that these girls would be freed. This is a delicate matter which must be handled with all professionalism and absolute care”, the source added.

For almost a month that the over 250 girls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, the Nigerian military has decided not to provide information on details of its rescue efforts. The military has, however, said it is doing its best to free the girls.
Efforts to speak to the military spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, on the latest report of the girls’ sighting were unsuccessful as he did not pick or return calls nor respond to a text message sent to his phone.

Source:
Premium Times

US First Lady Michelle Obama Condemns Abduction of Chibok School Girls

US First Lady Michelle Obama has said the mass kidnap of Nigerian schoolgirls is part of a wider pattern of threats and intimidation facing girls around the world who pursue an education. She said she and her husband Barack Obama were "outraged and heartbroken" over the abduction on 14 April of more than 200 girls from their school.
She was speaking instead of her husband in the weekly presidential address.

Recall that Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the abductions.

'Call to action'
Mrs Obama, who was speaking ahead of Mother's Day in the US on Sunday, said the girls reminded her and her husband of their own daughters.
"What happened in Nigeria was not an isolated incident. It's a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions," she said.

She cited the Pakistani schoolgirl and campaigner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and wounded by the Taliban for speaking out for girls' education.
It is unusual for a US first lady to make outspoken foreign policy remarks, but Mrs Obama has campaigned for the girls' release.

Michelle Obama has often appeared alongside her husband during the weekly address, but this is the first time she has delivered the speech alone. Earlier this week, she tweeted a picture of herself in the White House holding a sign with the message "#BringBackOurGirls".

The UN Security Council expressed outrage over the abductions, saying it would consider "appropriate measures" against Boko Haram. The US is seeking to have UN sanctions imposed on the group.
Western help.

US and British experts are in Nigeria to assist with rescue efforts. A senior US official said Washington was also considering a Nigerian request for surveillance aircraft.
British High Commissioner Andrew Pocock said drones could help gather intelligence but urged caution.

Source:
BBC

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

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

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

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

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

Source:
SR

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

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

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

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

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

Source:
Vanguard Newspaper

Protests in Katsina, Nigeria Over Foreign Intervention in the Abducted Chibok Girls Crises

A coalition of civil society organisations in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria staged a peaceful protest yesterday rejecting foreign intervention sought by Nigeria in addressing its security challenges.
During the protest which held in the state capital, spokesman for the coalition, Bashir Dauda, described the intervention as counterproductive.
“What is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia are indications that foreign countries could not offer any remedy,” he said.
The protesters also registered their grievances over the state of insecurity in the country and urged President Goodluck Jonathan to improve his relationship with state governors from the Boko Haram-prone areas and also asked for tight security across the country’s borders. “It is a disgrace if the almighty federal government fails to rescue the abducted students and others who are in the captivity of Boko Haram as sex slaves,” Dauda said.

Source:
Daily Trust

Boko Haram Bombs Bridge Linking Nigeria To Cameroon

The bombing and destruction of a small bridge linking Nigeria to Cameroon in Borno State has caused mass destruction and confusion. The bombing occurred on the outskirts of Gamboru Ngala, site of a Monday Boko Haram attack that claimed the lives of over 300 village residents.

At least 30 people were said to have been killed during the late Thursday afternoon bombing incident. The bridge links the immigration check points of both Cameroon and Nigeria.
The bombing event took place on the same day of a mass burial in the town of Gamboru Ngala. A Boko Haram-led raid on Monday on the small village claimed the lives of over 300 residents, nearly ten per cent of the population.

It was reported that 315 people of the 336 who died in the Monday attack were buried in a solemn ceremony led by civic and religious leaders. 
Boko Haram is yet to claim responsibility for this latest bombing attack, but residents of Gamboru Ngala said there is deep suspicion that the Islamist group is behind this latest attack in this vulnerable area.

Since the Monday attacks many of the local Gamboru Ngala youth have joined an anti-Islamist vigilante force in the smoldering village. It was created and scores of young people are helping Nigerian military forces in the area.

Source:
SR

Boko Haram Plans To Exchange the 300 Kidnapped Schoolgirls for ‘Comrades’ Imprisoned in Nigeria

Nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram militants could be released in exchange for jailed comrades, a former Boko Haram negotiator has reportedly said. 

A former mediator of the group has told the Telegraph he believes the video, where Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatens to sell the girls as slaves, shows he plans to use them as ‘bargaining chips’ rather than kill them.

Shekau claimed responsibility on Monday for the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls during a raid in the village of Chibok in northeast Nigeria last month.

Shehu Sani says he believes that the footage, released on Monday, was an attempt to persuade the Nigerian government into a prisoner trade.

He told the newspaper: ‘From my knowledge of the group, to have him saying that he will sell them is proof that this issue can be resolved.

‘The group is most likely to want to attach some kind of conditions to the girls being released, such as the freeing of some of their own prisoners.’

Source:
Mail Online

Nigeria Police Offers N50m Cash Reward For Information On Location Of Chibok Girls

The Nigeria Police has announced a cash reward of N50 million for credible information leading to “the location and rescue” of the female students abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

A statement by Nigeria Police Spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba said any such information given would be treated anonymously and with utmost confidentiality. It gave the following numbers: 09-2914649;08081777309;
08055547536; 08032125050; 08034617591 and 08035969731.

The statement offered no clues as to what would happen to the cash reward if the police received credible information leading to an unsuccessful or partly successful rescue effort.

Source:
SR