Nigerian Soldiers Retreat From Mined Boko Haram Stronghold

BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian soldiers retreated from Islamist group Boko Haram's last known stronghold in the country's northeast on Thursday, concerned the area was booby-trapped after three pro-government vigilantes were killed by a landmine.

A vigilante and a security source both confirmed the pullback from the Sambisa forest, a day after an offensive aimed at rooting out the insurgents.

"The soldiers have retreated to Bama because of mines. They had been on the road but that made them vulnerable, so they moved to the bush but there are mines planted there (too)," one soldier, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.

Nigerian Troops Foil Fresh Boko Haram Attack on Bama

Nigerian troops on Saturday quashed a fresh attempt by Boko Haram militants to recapture Bama, the defence headquarters said. Bama was retaken from Boko Haram last week.

Horror In Bama As Military Discovers Bodies In Wells

Residents have witnessed what could pass for, “Bama wells of horror,” with the military discovering scores of bodies in wells after Boko Haram was flushed out of Bama in Borno State. Also, bodies were found on the bridge across Bama River.

Nigerian Boko Haram, Self-Defence Militia Conscripting Underage Children– Report

An international network of human rights and humanitarian organisations, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, has called on the Federal Government and the United Nations to investigate recruitment and abuse of children in the North-East by both Boko Haram insurgents and self-defence militia known as Civilian Joint Task Force.

According to the report of the group’s investigation into the Boko Haram insurgency released on Thursday, both warring parties in North-East have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

It noted that the gravity and scale of these violations “warrant urgent action from the Nigerian Government,
United Nations, and other child protection actors.”

The 64-page report, entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations against Children in Northeastern Nigeria,” detailed grave violations by some parties to the conflict since December 2012 and provided recommendations on how to better protect children.

One of Watchlist’s researchers, Janine Morna, said, “While the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State, has shed some light on how children are affected by the conflict in the North-East, most abuses are still poorly documented, understood, and addressed by key actors. Children as young as 13 are being recruited by both sides of the conflict and have nowhere to turn.”

Though the study considered the activities of all the actors in the ongoing conflict in the North-East, it noted that of particular concern is the forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF, which was formed in mid-2013 in Borno State.

  - Punch

United States Planning Major Border Security Operations Against Boko Haram in Nigeria

The United States is preparing to launch a “major” border security program to help Nigeria and its neighbours combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by Islamic extremists, a senior U.S. official for Africa said Thursday.

Nigerian insurgents have begun attacking villages in neighboring Cameroon and have been seizing land in northeast Nigeria where they proclaimed an Islamic caliphate.

Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a meeting of U.S. and Nigerian officials in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, that “Despite our collective efforts, the situation on the ground is worsening.

“The frequency and scope of Boko Haram’s terror attacks have grown more acute and constitute a serious threat to this country’s overall security,” she said. “This is a sober reality check for all of us. We are past time for denial and pride.”
The government denied that Boko Haram this week overran Bama, the second largest city in Borno state, but Thomas-Greenfield said, “We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri.”

Bama, a city of about 200,000 people is just 75 kilometers (45 miles) from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital that is the headquarters of the military campaign against Boko Haram.

A senior Borno state security officer said a bombing raid Wednesday destroyed a Boko Haram camp outside Bama. The officer said two Air Force jets spotted the insurgents, who apparently were gathering for a meeting. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give information to journalists.

The officer and a member of the Nigerian Vigilante Group of civilians fighting Boko Haram both said some of the thousands of Bama residents who fled were returning home. There was no way to independently verify the confusing and conflicting information about Bama.

A Westerner working on the Cameroon side of the border said more than 100 Nigerian soldiers fled Bama and crossed into Cameroon on Tuesday. Last week, nearly 500 Nigerian soldiers fled into Cameroon from another border town that was under attack.
The United States has flown unarmed drones to spy in parts of northeast Nigeria in a joint effort to try to save more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremists in April.

“The Chibok schoolgirls and others remain hostages, enduring horrible and tragic suffering,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
She added that Cameroon’s military is increasingly forced to fight Boko Haram within Cameroon, and that the insurgents flee back into Nigeria without fear.

The U.N. refugee agency said insurgents had begun attacking villages in northern Cameroon last week, and spokeswoman Helene Caux said Thursday that Cameroonian authorities say some 5,000 Cameroonians have fled the assaults. UNHCR says 645,000 Nigerians are displaced inside their country by the insurgency while tens of thousands have fled into Cameroon and Niger.

Nigeria’s home-grown insurgency grew out of a cult that preached against endemic corruption. Now Boko Haram — the name means Western education is sinful — has declared an Islamic caliphate in seized land in the extreme east of Borno state and says it wants to create an Islamic state in all of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of about 170 million people divided almost equally between Muslims and Christians.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Aminu Wali on Wednesday told a regional security meeting of foreign ministers that Nigeria’s government remains puzzled about funding and arms supply of Boko Haram.

“Who are the sponsors of Boko Haram terrorist campaigns? Who are those funding the insurgency? Where are the sources of the sophisticated arms and ammunition being used by the terrorists? Who are those seeking to re-define the territory of Nigeria and Africa in the 21st century?” he asked.

-‎WP

Boko Haram 'Seize' Strategic Bama Town in Borno

Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram has seized the key north-eastern town of Bama after fierce fighting with government forces, residents say.

Thousands of civilians have fled the town, along with soldiers, they added.

The military has not yet officially commented on the claim that it has lost control of Bama, the second biggest town in Borno state.

Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.

If confirmed, the capture of Bama would be an extremely significant development and would raise concerns that Boko Haram's next target will be Maiduguri, the state capital about 70km (45 miles) away, says BBC Hausa service editor Mansur Liman in the capital, Abuja.

It would be the biggest town under Boko Haram control.

Residents told BBC Hausa that Boko Haram captured Bama after heavy fighting on Sunday and Monday.

The military had initially repelled Boko Haram's assault, but the group returned with reinforcements to seize the town, the residents said.

The militants, who travelled in armoured trucks, first took control of the military barracks, they added.

Soldiers and residents fled on foot, many of them walking all the way to Maiduguri, residents told the BBC.

Several security sources said Boko Haram had over-run much of Bama and there were heavy casualties on both sides, Reuters news agency reports.

About 70 militants had been killed, the Associated Press quoted security sources as saying.

On Monday, the military said on its Twitter account that the air force had been used to "repel and dislodge" Boko Haram from Bama.

The most recent census, in 2006, showed the town had a population of about 270,000.

Source:
BBC

Army Repels Boko Haram Attempt To Capture Bama, Kills 45 Insurgents

MAIDUGURI – No fewer than 45 suspected members of Boko Haram sect have been killed in an encounter with military troops when the terrorists attempted to invade and take over Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
Over 30 of the insurgents were also injured in the fierce battle with security operatives that lasted for over 5 hours.

The incident according to sources started in the early hours of Monday at about 5:30am.
This is even as an unconfirmed report revealed that another group of the insurgents were sighted on Monday around Mafa Local Government Area and Kayamula villages of Konduga Local Government Area near Maiduguri metropolis, but the ones sighted around Kayamula village were killed by military troops, while those around Mafa were suspected to be making frantic effort to enter the metropolis.

Bama is about 76 kilometres drive and south east of Maiduguri, the state capital which had witnessed series of deadly attacks by suspected terrorists.

A competent source said, “the insurgents stormed the town through Bama-Banki-Gwoza Road but were intercepted by gallant military troops near the Bama Mobile Police Unit located about 5 kilometers away from Bama town.

The Boko Haram insurgents were said to have tactically attempted to enter Bama town in convoy of military vehicles and motorcycles wearing military uniform armed with sophisticated weapons and local Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Vanguard

Update On Nigerian Air Force Helicopter Crash: Missing Crew Member Found Alive

The crew member, who was declared missing when his body could not be located in the vicinity of the crash, resurfaced at the military headquarters in Maiduguri today, having trekked through the bushes after the crash.

It is thus confirmed that Flight Lieutenant NM Halilu, Co-Pilot, and Warrant Officer Augustine Nwanonenyi, the aircraft technician, survived the crash while Flight Lieutenant Onyeka Nwakile was the only one lost in the crash. The family of the officer has been duly informed while the two survivors are in stable condition but receiving medical attention. 

Meanwhile, search and rescue operation on the incident has been concluded, while investigation into the crash continues.

CHRIS OLUKOLADE
Major General
Director Defence Information

SR

BREAKING NEWS: Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter Crashes In Borno

A Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission has crashed, the Defence Headquarters has said.
The jet crashed this afternoon due to technical fault at a location South of Bama, Defence spokesperson, Chris
Olukolade, said in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES.
The statement did not say whether anyone was killed or injured in the crash.
Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, said investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances leading to the accident.

He however said the accident was not a result “of any enemy action”.
Further details on the crash, Mr. Olukolade said, would be made known as investigation progresses.
Bama is one of the locations in the North-east state of Borno where the extremist Boko Haram sect has
intensified its terrorist activities.

The Nigerian military has continued to launch ground and aerial assaults on the area to crush the terrorists.
The Boko Haram sect has killed more than 12,000 people since it began its insurgency about five years ago.

Courtesy:
Premium Times