Boko Haram Trails Nigerians To Chad, Kills 6

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect Monday crossed over to a village in Chad and killed.six Nigerians who were taking refuge there.

Sources said the insurgents stormed Dubuwa village in Chad from Kirenowa, a border town in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.
About two weeks ago, the Boko Haram assailants attacked Kirenowa, killed some residents and burnt public and private houses, a development which forced the locals to seek refuge in Chad.

Mohammed Yusuf, a farmer from Kirenowa told our.correspondent in Maiduguri yesterday that the insurgents pursued the fleeing residents to Dubuwa and killed six.
“After the attack on our village two weeks ago, many crossed over to Chad, some to Cameroon and many others to other places in northern Borno. Sadly, the attackers pursued those in Kirenowa and succeeded in killing six people,” Yusuf said.

Some security sources that spoke off record confirmed that like in southern part of the state, the Boko Haram
fighters are attacking villages in the northern part.
“Our troops are intensifying efforts to contain the situation but the truth is that the locals must always volunteer information on the movements of the
terrorists. This is key to achieving positive results,” one of the security officials said.

Kirenowa was the first place that Nigerian forced dislodged a Boko Haram camp in 2013, shortly after the
declaration of a state of emergency.
“From all indications, the insurgents are fully back in Marte and other local government areas along the shores of the Lake Chad. We pray something urgent would be done so that we would not have a repeat of what happened last year when the Boko Haram fighters hoisted their flags in our villages and indoctrinated our children,” Abba Kolomi, a fisherman said.

Courtesy:
Daily Trust

Fight Against Terrorism & Insurgency: Nigerian Air Force Set To Deploy Locally Made Robot

The Nigerian Airforce (NAF) says it would soon finish the manufacturing of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) capable of detonating high calibre improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and intelligence gathering in crisis-prone parts of the country.

The NAF, however, said lack of funds was delaying the speedy completion of the project.
Speaking at a news conference in preparation for the 42nd graduation ceremony of Nigerian Airforce Institute of Technology (NAFIT), Kaduna, its commandant, Toni Adokwe, said the new device would enhance the success of security agents in the fight against insurgency.

According to him, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) known as Gulma, developed by the institute and launched last year by President Goodluck Jonathan, had been deployed in defence headquarters for surveillance and intelligence gathering in crises-prone areas of the country.
“When the project is completed, the robot would go a long way in countering activities of terrorist groups, as detonation of bombs will not require the physical presence of a human being at the scene,” he said.

The UAV, he said, was the first on the African continent, adding that with proper funding, Nigeria was capable of attaining higher pedestal in military aviation and defence-related technology.

The institute, established in 1979, is mandated to conduct research and run postgraduate engineering programmes in various aerospace, aeronautical and allied disciplines, in addition to providing other training programmes as may be required by the Nigerian military.
So far, it has trained a total of 5,000 graduates.

Nigerian Tribune

AIG Suleiman Abba Replaces Mohammed Abubakar As New Inspector General of Police

Assistant Inspector-General, AIG Suleiman Abba, has emerged as the new Inspector-General of Police. He will succeed the outgoing IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, who retires today from office after 35 years of service.
Senior government officials confirmed to Nigerian Pilot last night that AIG Abba’s appointment was made public at the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting yesterday. The meeting was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Abba is currently in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Police. The incoming IGP was the Aide-de-Camp, ADC to Maryam Abacha when the late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha was in power.

Indication that AIG Abba would take the plum job emerged during the Sallah celebrations when IGP Abubakar took him to visit President Jonathan.
It was learnt that the Presidency was well disposed to his choice having served in the Strike Force of the former Chief Security Officer, CSO, to Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha .Abba is seen as the officer needed to curb the Boko Haram insurgency since he did well under the Strike Force.

It was however not clear whether AIG Abba will be automatically confirmed as the substantive police boss when the outgoing IGP Abubakar leaves.
Our sources confirmed that Jonathan settled for the Jigawa-born police officer on the recommendation of the Police Service Commission under an ex-IGP, Mike Mbama Okiro.

According to sources, the decision to announce AIG Abba was taken last Tuesday in Abuja, following a meeting of Police Council chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, with the 36 state governors as members and the Chairman PSC, Mike Okiro.

The choice of Abba, according to a senior police officer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, who pleaded anonymity, said is causing a lot of bad blood among the high ranking officers particularly among the Deputy Inspectors General, DIGs, who are members of the management team of the force.

Consequently, there are strong indications that the current DIGs may take the option of bowing out of the force, hence they may not want to salute Suleiman Abba as their new boss.

Abba, Nigerian Pilot gathered had served as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Rivers State, Deputy Force Secretary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Deputy Force Sec), Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, FCT Police Command.
AIG Abba is currently commanding the FCT, Niger and Kaduna states with a police strength of 34,515 officers and men.

There were also speculations that DIG Michael Zuokumor, who is currently the man in charge of Force operation’s department and AIG for Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, Solomon Arase are also strong contenders, it was gathered that since the appointment of the IGP is political, seniority does not count in this case.

It was also gathered that at least about 60 senior officers would be retiring by July.
Zuokumor hails from Ojobo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Arase is a native of Edo State. Abba hails from Jigawa State.

Until his elevation to the rank of DIG on January 15, 2014 by the Police Service Commission, Zuokumor was the AIG in charge of Zone 4, Makurdi, and would be retiring next year while DIG Fakai has about six years to stay in service.

Nigerian Pilot

Boko Haram: Nigerian Military Set To Reinforce 'Special Forces' To Damboa, Borno State

The leadership of the Nigerian military has concluded arrangement to deploy 600 specially trained commandos in the troubled area of Damboa, Borno State.

A security source said on Tuesday that the military personnel were specially trained within the country for the purpose of strengthening the security presence in Damboa, which is considered as one of the most volatile areas in the North-East.

It was gathered that the military and the soldiers deployed in that part of Borno State had become very skeptical about the sincerity of the people following the ambushing and killing of an army officer, who was commanding the troop.

It was said that the leadership of the military was shocked that the lieutenant-colonel, a Muslim, who was on mission to convince the people to prevail on the insurgents to embrace peace could be killed in an ambush by the same people he was protecting.

The source said that the military leadership had to take the step to send the specially trained forces to the area to replace some of the soldiers with affected morale in the area.

The source said, “The Army is sceptical about the sincerity of the Damboa people. The situation is such that it has become difficult to separate the people of the area from Boko Haram elements in the area. The place is completely infested.

“And that was responsible for the ambushing and killing of the officer, who was in charge of the troops in the area.

“The morale of the troops is seriously affected, with the killing of their commander and there is the need to prevent them from acting irrationally, to boost their morale.

“The officer, who was killed went there to protect the integrity of the nation. Being a Muslim, he had to tell them they were damaging the image of the North.

“He led that soft approach, to plead with the leaders to talk to them about the importance of peace, and to warn anybody who refused would be dealt with.

“A specialised team has been trained to take over from some of the guys on the ground. Six hundred of them are ready for deployment now. It is a strong force that would boost the morale of those in the area.”

Investigations revealed that the Federal Government had embarked on massive procurement of military hardware from the United States and Russia to address the incessant Boko Haram attacks in the North-East.

It was learnt that the government had imported 40 helicopter gunships from the US and Russia. They are expected to arrive the country first week of August.

The government was also said to have imported mine-resistant tanks required for some planned operations in areas taken over by the insurgents.

The source added that the military had also embarked on massive recruitment of troops in the bid to strengthen the nation’s security forces against the threat of terrorism.

“The Federal Government has purchased some fighter helicopters for this operation; about 40 helicopter gunships have been imported out of which over 30 are from the US while the rest are from Russia.

“They are scheduled to arrive the country in August; the government is embarking on a massive purchase of equipment and recruitment of troops in preparation for the threat. They are doing a lot of recruitment this year,” the source added.

Punch

Boko Haram Kills 4 Soldiers 46 Others In Fresh Adamawa Attacks

No fewer than 50 people including four soldiers were killed on Sunday by members of the terrorist group Boko Haram in coordinated attacks across three local government areas of the state.

The attacks on Madagali, Hong and Gombi local government areas have caused serious anxiety across the length and breadth of the state. Local sources said four soldiers were killed in Garkida, Gombi LGA, during a fierce gun battle that lasted many hours between the members of the sect and soldiers while many civilians who were caught up in the crossfire were also killed.

Those feared killed by the sect in Madagali LGA where the incumbent acting governor of the state, Hon. Umaru Fintiri, hails from were many, while food items and cows were taken by the insurgents.

The hoodlums also visited mayhem on three communities in Hong LGA: they killed about 30 people.

The affected villages that came under attack of the Boko Haram include Zar, Lube and Mubeng, just as the village head of Zar community, a retired wing commander, Dauda Daniel, was abducted.

It was gathered that 20 people were similarly slaughtered at Mubeng village while the attacks lasted as many scampered into nearby bushes to avoid being killed by the marauders.

Some relatives of the head of Zar said the community leader was yet to be found after the raid and that he might have been abducted by the gunmen.

The figure of those killed in Lube was yet to be ascertained, one of the villagers who fled the community as a result of the attacks said.

An eyewitness who identified himself as Markus said most of the people in his community Lubeng were able to run to safety because they learnt of the coming of the sect members beforehand.

He added that not all were lucky to escape as children and the elderly who could not escape were trapped by the insurgents.

However, the acting governor of the state, Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has commiserated with the families of the victims in the affected local government areas of the state.

The acting governor who spoke through his chief press secretary, Mr Solomon Kumanga, said that the government was collaborating with security agencies to bring down the activities of the outlawed group.

The spokesman of the Adamawa State police command, Haa Michael, however confirmed the attacks just as he said information about the number of casualties remained sketchy.

Leadership Newspaper

Nigeria Has Failed At Fighting Terrorism – United States

The United States government yesterday said that the Federal Government of Nigeria has failed in its fight against terrorism, adding that the failure was a result of the inability of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to adequately equip and train security forces to contain violent extremist groups in the north who attacked religious freedom.

Making this known in the US International Religious Report for 2013, which was released in Washington, DC, yesterday, secretary of state John Kerry said that the federal government did not act swiftly or effectively to prevent or quell communal or religious-based violence and only occasionally investigated and prosecuted perpetrators of that violence.

“The government also failed to protect victims of violent attacks targeted because of their religious beliefs or for other reasons,” the report a copy of which was sent to our correspondent in New York said.

Citing instances, the report said legal proceedings against five police officers charged in 2011 with the extrajudicial killing of Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf did not resume during the year, adding that the court was not in session on continuation dates set in February, March, May, and June after the presiding judge transferred to a different jurisdiction in 2012.

It stated further that there were no indictments or prosecutions following three fatal attacks on high-profile Muslim leaders in late 2012.

It pressed further that local and state authorities did not deliver adequate protection or post-attack relief to rural communities in the northeast, where Boko Haram killed villagers and burned churches throughout the year.

The report also berated reported discrimination and a systematic lack of protection by state governments, especially in central Nigeria, where communal violence rooted in decades-long competition for land pitted majority-Christian farmers against majority-Muslim cattle herders.

It added that federal, state, and local authorities did not effectively address underlying political, ethnic, and religious grievances leading to this violence.

“Recommendations from numerous government-sponsored panels for resolving ongoing ethno-religious disputes in the Middle Belt included establishing truth and reconciliation committees, redistricting cities, engaging in community sensitization, and ending the dichotomy between indigenes and settlers. Nationwide practice distinguished between indigenes, whose ethnic group was native to a location, and settlers, who had ethnic roots in another part of the country.

“Indigenes and settlers often belonged to different religious groups. Local authorities granted indigenes certain privileges, including preferential access to political positions, government employment, and lower school fees, based on a certificate attesting to indigene status. The federal government did not implement any recommendations despite ongoing calls by political and religious leaders to do so” the report read.

Furthermore, the US report noted that the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, or “people committed to the propagation of the prophet’s teachings and jihad” continued to commit violent acts in its quest to overthrow the government and impose its own religious and political beliefs throughout the country, especially in the north.

“Boko Haram killed more than 1,000 persons during the year. The group targeted a wide array of civilians and sites, including Christian and Muslim religious leaders, churches, and mosques, using assault rifles, bombs, improvised explosive devices, suicide car bombs, and suicide vests.

“An attack on the Emir of Kano in January was widely believed to be an attempt by Boko Haram to silence the anti-extremist Muslim leader, although the group did not officially claim responsibility. On September 28, Boko Haram killed at least 50 mostly Muslim students at a technical college in rural Yobe State. After this and other incidents, security forces faced public criticism for arriving at the scene hours after the assailants had fled.

“Government attempts to stop Boko Haram were largely ineffective. Actions taken by security forces under the state of emergency, declared in May in the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, often increased the death toll, as bystanders were caught in crossfire during urban gunfights, security forces committed extrajudicial killings of suspected terrorists, and detainees died in custody,” the report noted.

Leadership Newspaper

NAF Helicopter Crash: Chief of Air Staff Commends Gallantry of Officers, Commiserates With Dead Pilot's Family

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Adesola Amosu has commended the gallantry of the officers who survived the Helicopter crash in Borno State.

The Air Chief who gave the commendation while receiving the officers who survived air crash in
Maiduguri thanked God for sparing their lives and commiserated with them on the loss of their colleague in the flight. He assured them of the support of Government and the Nigerian Air Force to the bereaved family.

Speaking further, Air Marshal Amosu emphasized the need for all service personnel to continue to give selfless sacrifice for the defence of the sovereignty of the nation despite the enormity of current security challenges. He enjoined the officers not to be deterred as the President was committed to providing all necessary requirement of the military in tackling the terrorists insurgency with a view to bring the menace to a speedy end, adding that the C-in-C has accordingly, ordered the immediate replacement of the lost helicopter and more platforms for the Nigerian Air Force.

The Chief of the Air Staff also stressed that the Air Force would do everything to sustain the current synergy between the Air Force and the Army as this was the surest approach to victory in the campaign against terror.

Daily Post

Fight Against Terrorism and Insurgency: Nigerian Govt. Orders 40 Attack Helicopters From US, Russia

The Federal Government in a determined effort to eliminate terrorism by routing insurgents from their hideouts in parts of the North East and North West once and for all, has placed purchase orders for 40 helicopters for attacks and transportation from the United States (US) and Russia.

Reliable security sources within the Presidency revealed this to some journalists  Friday that some of the aircraft will arrive in the country as early as next month while the remaining will be received certainly before the end of the year to boost the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

According to the source, the arrival of the weaponry before the end of the year, will be a game changer as it will help to ensure successful execution of the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, especially against Boko Haram Islamic Sect.

"Some military and other security forces are currently frustrated about their inability to storm the notorious Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram militants are keeping the abducted Chibok secondary school girls and also serving as operational headquarters of the group", the source said.

Details to follow

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

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

Cameroon Villages Bordering Nigeria Live in Terror of Boko Haram

Yaounde (Cameroon) (AFP) - In the villages that line the border with Nigeria, even those charged with protecting Cameroonians from Boko Haram fighters fear the fall of
darkness.
"When night falls, we tremble. We don't sleep," said a Cameroonian policeman from a far-northern border
town, on condition of anonymity.
The Nigeria-born Islamist group has stepped up raids into northern Cameroon in recent days, murdering and stealing with impunity despite military efforts to clamp down on their bloody insurgency.

On Sunday local police said one of their officers was killed during an attack on the village of Nariki, 500 metres from Boko Haram's Nigerian stronghold of Tarmoa, adding to scores of deaths from raids on local towns this month.
The militants have long used Cameroon to launch attacks on Nigeria as the border between them is extremely porous, with no buffer-zone clearly separating the two countries.
Earlier this month they stole a pick-up truck and weapons in a raid on a police post in Bomberi, Cameroon, only to abandon it on Nigerian territory where it was found by troops days later, said another Cameroon police officer.

Weapons and goods cross the border freely too: the remote northern Cameroon town of Amchide has
become a hotbed for Boko Haram fighters and a hub for trafficking to finance their recruitment.
Cameroon, like other west African countries, has beefed up its operations against Boko Haram since the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls three months ago sparked an international outcry.
The army claims to have killed many militants in recent weeks and suspected members and collaborators have
been arrested and sent to the capital, Yaounde.

Cameroon's elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) recently destroyed one Boko Haram camp during a foray
across the border into Tarmoa, said the second officer.
Supported by international governments, they have also targeted the Sambisa forest near the shared border where Nigerian authorities believe the kidnapped schoolgirls may still be hidden in the militants' camps.
But Cameroon's efforts have done little to stem Boko Haram's bloody five-year insurgency or stop almost daily attacks that have left local communities living in constant fear.

"Boko Haram is disorganised because of joint operations by the Cameroonian and Nigerian armed forces, but its activists carry out attacks here and there in Cameroon," the second officer said.
The first policeman said the insurgents can easily escape as "they know very well" where the Cameroonian troops are located.

The Islamist group, blamed for slaughtering more than 2,000 civilians already this year, has increasingly targeted remote border communities, razing entire villages.
Two Cameroonian shepherds were killed and 200 cattle stolen by militants on July 10 during a raid in the village of Bame, less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Nigerian border, said the first police officer.

Foiled attack -
And suspected Boko Haram fighters kidnapped a 20-year-old Cameroonian earlier this month from the village
of Balgaram after an attack was foiled by the army.
Senior local figures are also being intimidated to stop them from helping the government against Boko Haram.
In Limani, which lies in the flashpoint zone between Nigeria's Tarmoa and Amchide in Cameroon, militants
kidnapped the sons of a traditional chief who has been a go-between for the group.
"They were intimidating the father," said the second police officer. "He's a go-between for Boko Haram, which suspects him of collaborating with Cameroonian forces."

A lack of coordination by military forces -- particularly between Nigeria and Cameroon -- has hampered the efforts to stop the insurgents.
That was made clear during a botched attempt to rescue 10 Chinese road workers who were kidnapped in May.
A negotiator was hurt when a team of Cameroonians sent to bring back the workers in early July was fired on
by the Nigerian army, which was unaware of their operation, said the second officer.

"There is currently a tacit agreement between Nigeria and Cameroon to let soldiers from both countries cross
the border either way during actions against Boko Haram," he added.
But officially, the Yaounde government does not allow any right of pursuit by Nigerian forces on its territory.

Courtesy:
Yahoo News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Courtesy:
ThisDay Newspaper

Terror Attacks Timed to Frustrate Jonathan's Administration — FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared that there is a disturbing nexus between major terror attacks in the country and the development landmarks of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

A pattern, the government said, has emerged whereby almost always when there is need to collectively celebrate an important landmark recorded by it, appears to be the time when the insurgents find pleasure in attacking and making their statement of terror.
Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, made this claim in Lagos during an interview.
Maku lamented that what had been happening in the past two years was that terrorism had taken the front pages and deprived the country of news of development and social issues.
He said it was becoming very disturbing that “anytime the current administration had cause to celebrate an achievement, bombs explode to distract  Nigerians and portray the government in bad light.
“I can tell you”, he continued, “that almost every milestone recorded by this government is accompanied by bomb blasts,” pointing at the World Economic Forum which was preceded by bomb attacks in Abuja, and the widely acclaimed Ekiti State governorship election victory of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,” as examples.
The Minister said “immediately we announced the re-basing of our economy and it was now confirmed that Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa, there were bombs at Chibok.

Immediately they learnt we were going to hold the World Economic Forum, WEF, there were bombs in Abuja and its environs to make sure that Nigeria does not get the economic benefits of hosting the World Economic Forum and to discourage the world from coming here so as to make the attack the center point of international and local media…
“We also noticed that immediately after our victory in Ekiti, the bombs started raining again.”
He then concluded that, “there is a correlation between the exposure of development efforts in the media and the  insecurity in the northern part of the country.

Labaran Maku
“That is why most times I have continued to insist that the media should have a change of strategy , I wouldn’t say change of attitude. Because, as you know, with terrorism, once its takes hold, it takes very long for it to be dealt with. Because the terrorists themselves are looking for the opportunity to be exposed, to sell their ideology,  to use the media to frighten the society, to give themselves some invincible image, so they keep doing those strikes mainly because they want those headlines to be celebrated, they want the society to be afraid,” he said.
He again lamented that terrorism has exploited the liberal tendencies of democracy and  free press  to sell its own ideology to the world, and “I believe frankly that the media should, side by side, while reporting incidence of terror attacks, where they unfortunately occur, focus on development and deepening of our democracy. That is the only way we can defeat them.”

Courtesy:
Vanguard Newspaper

Germany Pledges To Support, Collaborate With Nigeria in Combating Terrorism

The German Government has promised to support Nigeria in intelligence, police and military training to combat terrorism.

This is contained in a joint communiqué signed by Martin Uhomoibhi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German State secretary, Dr Markus Ederer in Abuja on Thursday.

It said Germany also agreed to collaborate with Nigeria in crisis prevention and control of small arms and light weapons.

"Both countries were seized with the issue of terrorism and agreed that it is an international scourge rather than a national phenomenon.

"The countries recognised the importance of regional cooperation in combating the scourge and the need to address the proliferation of arms and light weapons in West Africa’’, it added.

On multilateral issues, the communiqué noted that Nigeria and Germany agreed to continue to support each other’s candidates at the UN Security Council and the entire UN system.

Germany’s last term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council ended on Jan. 1, 2013.

Courtesy:
TV Continental