Boko Haram in Disarray As Nigerian Military Advance

Boko Haram is fracturing as shortages of weapons and fuel foment tensions between its foot soldiers and leaders, women rescued from the Islamist jihadi fighters by Nigerian troops told Reuters.

Nigerian Military In 'Final Phase of Wiping Out Boko Haram' - Defence Spokesman

Maj. Gen Olukolade

The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade,Thursday said the military was in the final phase of wiping out terrorists from the North-east.

Nigeria’s Army Says Northeast Gwoza Retaken From Boko Haram

Nigeria’s military said it captured the northeastern town of Gwoza from Boko Haram on Friday, driving the Islamist insurgents out of one of their last remaining strongholds in the region.

Soldiers captured the town that Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters described as “the headquarters of the terrorists’ self-styled caliphate” in a post on its Twitter account. The military said the security forces killed “several terrorists,” captured “many more” and were “mopping up” in the town, about 716 kilometers (445 miles) north of Abuja, the capital.

Nigerian troops have been joined by forces from neighboring Chad and Niger to intensify the campaign against Boko Haram before presidential and parliamentary elections on March 28. The militants have killed at least 1,000 civilians this year, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch, and prompted a six-week vote delay after the military said it needed time to subdue the insurgents.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan thanked troops for their “immense sacrifices” and for recapturing “most of the communities and territories formerly occupied” by Boko Haram in a state broadcast Friday.

Source:
Bloomberg

Military Deploys 2 Fighter Jets, 4 Helicopters To Rescue Chibok Girls in Gwoza

A coordinated attack is set to be carried out by the military to liberate Gwoza, Borno State, from Boko Haram captivity as the defence authorities have deployed four attack helicopters and two air force fighter jets to flush out the terrorists in the areas.

A reliable source in the military told our correspondent on Thursday that the attack helicopters and the fighter jets departed Yola, Adamawa State, at about 3pm, heading for Gwoza, the last town in Borno State under the control of terror sect.

The source told our correspondent on the telephone that ground forces from Bama, Borno State, and Madagali in Adamawa State, were advancing towards Gwoza in the air and ground operation to end the reign of the insurgents in the area.

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, promised that the terror sect would be flushed out of Gwoza, where the kidnapped Chibok girls are allegedly being kept.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Chibok Girls Are In Gwoza, Says Freed Boko Haram Abductee

Chibok Girls

Over 200 girls abducted in Chibok in April 2014 are being held in Gwoza town in Borno State, a woman who was recently released by the Boko Haram sect has told the icirnigeria.org.

Boko Haram Using Chibok Girls As Shekau’s Shield’

Chibok School Girls

Troops have not carried out aerial bombardment of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau’s hideout because the sect is using the Chibok girls as shield, it was learnt yesterday.

Boko Haram Militants Executing Elderly In Gwoza, Nigeria

Boko Haram Takfiri militants in Nigeria have lined up elderly people in northeast of the country, shooting them in cold blood.

Boko Haram Renames Another Town in Borno, 21 Killed in Clash With Military

How Boko Haram Militants Rape, Abuse Girls, Women And Forcefully Convert Them To Islam – Report

Boko Haram insurgents routinely rape and abuse girls and women they abduct from Borno and Yobe States, forcefully marrying some and sending others to the frontlines to fight Nigeria’s security forces, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

Boko Haram's 'Secretary General' Assures Chibok Girls Would Surely Be Released On Monday

Yola – Self acclaimed secretary General of Boko Haram, Mallam Danladi Ahmadu have said that the group’s cases fire agreement with the Federal Government is very much on course.

'Ceasefire Agreement' Splits Boko Haram Into Two Groups

Sequel to the purported ceasefire deal the Federal Government entered into with Boko Haram, the violent fundamentalist sect has split into two. While one faction wants peace, the other doesn’t.

Boko Haram Defies Purported Ceasefire, Kills 15 in Borno, Adamawa

Less than 24 hours after a purported ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and Boko Haram was reached, the sect struck yesterday by attacking two communities in Borno and Adamawa states.

Military Orders Arrest of General for Running Into Bush With Troops in Fear of Boko Haram

There were indications, weekend, that the Army High Command has ordered the arrest and detention of a Brigadier-General attached to the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army (names with-held) over allegations of negligence that gave Boko Haram terrorists an opportunity to overrun some communities in Borno State recently.

Boko Haram Leader Abubakar ShekauAppears In New Video, Says He Is Alive

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, has appeared in a new propaganda video dismissing claims of his killing by the Nigerian military.

Nigerian Troops Back From 'Tactical Manoeuvre' To Cameroon, Deployed To Another Counterterrorism Operation

Residents of Mubi confirmed that Nigerian troops numbering up to 480, were seen on arrival from Maroua, most of them looking haggard and wearing tattered clothing.

They were ferried back to Nigeria by military trucks, according to witnesses.
The soldiers supposedly fled a Boko Haram rampage in the border town of Gamboru when they came under superior firepower, but the Defence Headquarters in Abuja said on Monday the troops were “charging through the borders in a tactical manoeuvre”.

Spokesman for the DHQ, Major General Chris Olukolade also confirmed yesterday that the troops were back but declined to state their location.
“Yes they are in the country but I will not confirm their location,” he said.

On Monday, Cameroonian army spokesman Lt Col Didier Badjek said the Nigerian soldiers who crossed the
border were disarmed and accommodated at a school in Maroua.

Nigerian military authorities said later that following talks with Cameroon military “the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.”

In Mubi, witnesses said the soldiers were conveyed back yesterday in batches by military trucks, but it was not clear whether the trucks transported them all the way from Maroua.
“At first, residents panicked before but they soon discovered they were Nigerian soldiers,” a resident told Daily Trust.

Another resident told the BBC Hausa of how they saw the returnee soldiers: “As we came out of our homes in the morning, we just saw the Nigerian soldiers, who were said to have crossed over to Cameroon, all over the place, and looking for where to get food.
“Some of them were holding their weapons, while others don’t have weapons. But their number would likely
reach 400.”
He added: “If you see them, you must pity them, because as someone who works for the army, but due to the condition they found themselves, they had to run away.”

Defence Headquarters said the troops who returned from Cameroon were addressed by the General Officer Commanding the 3 Division, Major
General Zaruwa, “as they embark on another mission in the counter-terrorism campaign.”
“All the soldiers are in high spirit with all their weapons and equipment intact,” the DHQ added.

DailyTrust

DHQ Extenuates Purported 'Defection' Of Nigerian Troops To Cameroon

The Nigerian troops that were found in Cameroun was as a result of a sustained battle between the troops and the terrorists around the borders with Cameroun which saw the Nigerian troops charging through the borders in a tactical maneuver.

Eventually they found themselves on Camerounian soil. Being allies the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.

Following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Cameroonian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.

The reference to the incidence as a defection is therefore not appropriate considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe.

Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through Gamborou Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued.

DHQ

Boko Haram Crisis: Hundreds Of Nigerian Troops 'Flee Into Cameroon' - BBC

Some 480 Nigerian soldiers have fled into Cameroon following fierce fighting with Boko Haram militants, Cameroon's army has said.
Army spokesman Lt Col Didier Badjek said the soldiers had been disarmed and were now being accommodated in schools.

Clashes are said to be continuing in the border town of Gamboru Ngala.
Boko Haram on Sunday released a video in which it said it had established an Islamic state in the towns and villages it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.

The group's five-year insurgency has intensified in recent months despite the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the worst-affected areas.
Last week, a group of soldiers refused to follow orders to go and fight Boko Haram, saying the militants were
better equipped.
Insurgents also seized one of Nigeria's two main police training academies, which is near the town of Gwoza, captured earlier this month.
Thousands have fled recent fighting - these people are now living in a school.
The Nigerian soldiers are currently in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80km (50 miles) from the Nigerian border, Lt Col Badjek told the BBC.

Thousands of civilians are also said to have fled across the border.
In May, some 300 people were killed in an attack on Gamboru Ngala, which left much of the town in ruins.
It is near Gwoza, the largest town under control of Boko Haram. In the most recent census, in 2006, it had a population of more than 265,000 people.
In the 52-minute video released on Sunday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said Gwoza was now "part of
the Islamic state".

He did not specify whether his groups now had any links to the Islamic State (IS) group, which has seized much of northern Iraq in recent months, prompting the US to respond with air strikes.
There is no evidence for such links but in July, Mr Shekau congratulated IS on its territorial gains.

Source:
BBC

Boko Haram Retreats From Magadali Town, Borno State

Boko Haram Islamic insurgents have reportedly withdrawn from Madagali town of Borno State, after holding siege to the town for 24 hours, Daily Trust gathered.

Chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, James Waltharda, said the civilian casualty has been minimal so far but that many residents have been scattered across the state.
He added that five churches were burnt down by the Insurgents in Sabongari and Hembla settlements.
“The insurgents spent the night in Madagali, but military operatives are there now, because I spoke with them. I have not heard of any encounter between soldiers and the assailants, so I can say there is peace. But people will not return to their homes until they are certain that the insurgents have left completely. Our people have left the town for Michika and Shuwa and even in those towns, people are running”, he said.

A security operative who spoke to Daily Trust said the insurgents withdrew to their camps in Gwoza and Limankara in Borno State, few kilometers away from Madagali yesterday morning.
It was gathered that after hoisting their flags at the military base located at the secretariat of Madagali North Development Area, the insurgents patrolled streets in the town throughout the night.

Another source told Daily Trust that the siege on Madagali might not be permanent as the insurgent were
there in pursuit of troops from the Nigerian Army who had launched a failed offensive in the early hours of
Saturday in an attempt to reclaim Limankara and Gwoza.

A resident, Ibrahim Madagali, said the insurgents killed three civilians and that the assailants told some trapped
residents that they did not intend to attack residents as their targets were security agents.
“How could we trust them after they killed many people in Gwoza and other places, so we quickly left and are currently in Michika and we intend to move further because the people hosting me here are planning to run
to Mubi due to rumour of imminent attack”, Ibrahim said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa, DSP Michael Haa, said security has been restored in the
area. He said he was not aware of any casualty suffered during the attack.

Source:
DailyTrust

DHQ Refutes Boko Haram's Claim of Gwoza Being Part of Its 'Islamic Caliphate', Says Sect’s Claim 'Empty'

The Defence Headquarters on Sunday dismissed as empty, claims by the leader of the Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau that the sect had seized Gwoza from the Nigerian government.

In a statement forwarded to our Correspondent, Defence spokesman, Major Gen. Chris Olukolade insisted that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country remained intact.

The statement said: “The claim is empty. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact. Any group of terrorists laying claim to any portion of the country will not be allowed to get away with that expression of delusion and crime.
“Appropriate military operations to secure that area from the activities of the bandits are still ongoing”

Source:
The Nation

Nigeria Police Confirms 35 Officers Missing Aftermath of Boko Haram Attack on Police Academy

Nigeria Police authorities confirmed that following the deadly attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters on the Mobile Police Training School, Gwoza, last week, 35 of its officers were still missing.

The police, however, noted that search and rescue efforts had led to the recovery of scores of policemen, adding that the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had ordered the tightening of security in police
formations across the country to prevent future attacks.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Emmanuel Ojukwu, in this regard, said, “Following the attack launched by insurgents on the Gwoza Training camp of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (PMF), the Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Suleiman Abba has since ordered the tightening of security around all police facilities in the country in addition to efforts made to further protect the lives of all people in Nigeria and their properties.

“It will be recalled that a ferocious attack earlier launched on the Training camp by insurgents on 7th August, 2014 was repelled by the Police.
“On 20th August, 2014, the attackers launched a fresh offensive that lasted for several hours where the policemen on duty engaged them in a fierce battle.

“The search and rescue party launched immediately has located and brought to safety all Police officers in the Training College at the time of attack.
“So far, thirty-five policemen who are still missing from the facility as a result of the latest attack are being searched for with very promising prospect of locating them.

“While enjoining all citizens to remain calm and join hands with the security forces in the collective fight against insurgency, the IGP restates his determination to work closely with other security agencies to stem the tide of terrorism in the country.”

Vanguard