Boko Haram Crisis: UK Boosts Nigeria Military Aid

The UK will increase its military and educational aid to help Nigeria tackle Boko Haram, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

He said Nigeria's army would receive extra training, especially in counter-insurgency, and a million more children would be given schooling.

This is the latest promise of Western help since Boko Haram abducted some 200 schoolgirls in April.

Since then, the Islamist group has stepped up its attacks.

Mr Hague was speaking at a summit in London.

It follows last month's summit in Paris where regional powers pledged to share intelligence and co-ordinate action against the group and its five-year insurgency.

BBC

'Bomb threat' Curtails Nigeria World Cup Viewings

Authorities in Nigeria's north-eastern state of Adamawa have ordered all venues planning to screen live coverage of the football World Cup to close.

They say they have received intelligence of planned bomb attacks during the competition, which opens in Brazil on Thursday.

Adamawa is one of the states badly affected by Islamist violence.

Open-air viewing centres - where people pay to watch live football - are popular throughout Nigeria.

"Our action is not to stop Nigerians... watching the World Cup. It is to protect their lives," Brig-Gen Nicholas Rogers was quoted by the AFP agency as saying on Wednesday in Yola, the capital of Adamawa.

Earlier this month, the US embassy in Uganda urged people to exercise caution when attending venues that may attract large crowds during the World Cup, saying there was a continued threat of terror attacks in the East Africa nation.

Somali Islamists bombed two restaurants in Kampala which were showing the World Cup final four years ago, killing more than 70 people.

North-eastern Adamawa state has often been targeted by Boko Haram Islamist militants.

On 1 June at least 14 people were killed in a bomb attack on a bar that was screening a televised football match in Adamawa. No group claimed responsibility for the blast, but Boko Haram were the main suspects.

The state is one of three in Nigeria that have been placed under emergency rule because of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Many people were also killed in two explosions blamed on Boko Haram while watching football in a video hall in the north-eastern town of Maiduguri in March.

Correspondents say many fans have no means other than the viewing centres to watch the Nigerian team - or Super Eagles - in action.

The Nigerian team's first World Cup match in Brazil is against Iran on 16 June.

They then play Bosnia-Hercegovina and finish their Group F campaign against Argentina as they attempt to reach the last 16, as they did in 1994 and 1998.

Source:
BBC

Nigeria, US, UK, 5 Others Set Up Intelligence Response Unit

Nigeria, United States, Britain and five other countries have set up an External Intelligence Response Unit, EIRU, to fast track the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in the country.

This was even as 18 Sudanese and 30 Nigeriens, some Chadians and Libyans were said to be among about 1,000 Boko Haram insurgents currently being detained at the various detention facilities across the country.

Other members of the EIRU are France, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
A statement by the Coordinator of the National Information Centre, NIC, in Abuja yesterday, Mr. Mike Omeri, said the EIRU was set up following a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by all the member countries in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

Omeri’s statement, entitled Terrorism: Nigeria, US, others set up External Intelligence Response Unit, read: “As a fall out of the Paris summit, an EIRU has been established by Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, United Kingdom, France and the United States.
“This followed the signing of an MoU in which member countries committed themselves to sharing all forms of information on security, particularly terrorism challenges, a move initiated by Nigeria.

“The development is a major achievement in the fight against insurgency in the West African sub-region and Nigeria in particular.
“The member countries met in Abuja last month to establish the framework that led to the signing of the MoU in Yaounde.

Source:

Vanguard Newspaper

My Life Under Threat Over Sanusi, Says Kwankwaso

Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso said yesterday that his life is under threat. President Goodluck Jonathan should be held responsible, if anything happens to him and his family, he told reporters in Abuja.

He also said the President would be accountable for any breakdown of law and order in Kano State over the choice of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir.
Kwankwaso said All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders did not dictate to him who to appoint, adding that Sanusi’s choice was final.
Kwankwaso said contrary to the Presidency’s posture, Sanusi’s choice was popular.

“I want to say that I think they are playing a lot of games. We don’t know their intention; we don’t know what they are going to do next,” the governor said, adding: “But I have to say, like all other people in this country, everybody is concerned about the insecurity. On the other hand, our lives are in the hands of Almighty God.

But the bottom line is we have seen a signal or a sign that there is a level of mischief coming from other places. And I want to put it on record that whatever happens to me, my family and my state, Jonathan should be held responsible.

“We have enough crises in this country and when Kano boils it would be a big problem for this country. He should thank us for working with the security agencies to ensure peace.
“But now we are seeing an attempt by them to induce crises because of Sanusi, our choice and because we have done our duty as stipulated in the law. And as I told the six contenders, I wish I had more than one slot to give but in this case, there is only one slot that had to be filled and that is it. It is not the duty of the PDP or the Presidency to approve such appointment and if there is the post of the Emir of Nigeria, let them appoint that one and leave us alone.”

For more:
The Nation

Concerns over foreign assistance on Chibok girls

ALMOST one month into the deployment of the various foreign assistance teams to Nigeria, there are concerns over the lack of communication between them and their Nigerian counterparts on the fate of the over 200 school girls abducted on April 14, 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists. The euphoria that greeted their coming with the high expectations that it will change the dynamics of the search and rescue efforts has ebbed.

They have arrived because the abduction of the schoolgirls attracted worldwide condemnation, with world political leaders, celebrities and activists expressing shock and outrage. It became fashionable to join the campaign for their release under the banner of #Bring Back Our Girls.’

The international outrage forced world leaders to express readiness to assist Nigeria, if they so request. President Goodluck Jonathan had come under fire, facing accusations of inertia. He was also berated for failure to seek international assistance. Faced with the anger at home and abroad, President Jonathan requested for foreign assistance, something the Nigerian military and some political leaders had hitherto been reluctant to do. Their coming was a lease of fresh air to the slow response of the Nigerian military in rescuing the school girls.

Nigeria specifically asked for intelligence and equipment to help trace the location of the Chibok girls. The request for assistance by the foreign militaries was sought because the Nigerian military is down in terms of equipment holdings in the area of sophisticated surveillance platforms.

President Jonathan, spoke with his British Prime Minister, David Cameron on the phone, requesting for the deployment of British Satellite Imaging capabilities and advanced tracking technologies to boost the outcome of the search. Several countries pledged to send military experts, spy planes and intelligence experts to assist the Nigerian military in the rescue mission.

Among countries that pledged assistance were the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, China and Israel. The United States deployed an Interdisciplinary Team for Assistance working with their Nigerian counterparts in the areas of security, communications and intelligence. It also deployed 80 troops to Chad. The troops will support the operation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for missions over northern Nigeria and the surrounding area, using at least one drone. The UK also sent a Sentinel spy plane in addition to its team of experts.

Read more here:
Guardian Newspaper

Hilary Clinton, State Dept. Broke Law, Lied About Boko Haram Terror Threat - Senator Vitter

A leading senator has charged that Hillary Clinton’s State Department broke the law by intentionally obfuscating and downplaying to Congress the terror threat posed by the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram, which recently gained international infamy for violently kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls.

Sen. David Vitter (R., La.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, petitioned Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday to explain why Clinton’s State Department misrepresented and downplayed key information about Boko Haram’s terrorist activities in its annual reports to Congress.

Former Secretary of State Clinton lied to Congress when she said that the State Department lacked the necessary information to designate Boko Haram as a terror group, according to Vitter’s letter, which presents new information about the State Department’s purported efforts to downplay the terror group’s impact.

Clinton’s State Department fought against efforts to designate Boko Haram for nearly two years, a move that likely limited U.S. efforts to confront the group earlier and allowed it to grow in strength.

Vitter charges that officials working under Clinton intentionally manipulated words and mislead Congress in its annual reports to create the impression that Boko Haram posed little to no threat.

Clinton’s State Department “repeatedly stated in the year leading up to the designation that it did not have data available or the necessary understanding to make the determination,” Vitter wrote to Kerry, according to a copy of unreleased letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Read more here:
Washington Free Beacon

How to Keep Your Neighbors From Hijacking Your Wi-Fi

Written By Lincoln Spector, csoonline

Your Internet connection could be slow for many reasons, but you can rule out local Wi-Fi thieves by employing strong passwords.

Rose's Internet service intermittently slows to a crawl. She wants to make sure that her neighbors haven't hacked her Wi-Fi for free connectivity.

A number of issues can produce intermittently slow Internet access, and most of them don't involve foul play. You could have bad cables, a bad modem or router, or simply outdated firmware on either of these devices. The problem may be with your ISP, and therefore completely out of your hands.

I'm assuming you've password-protected your Wi-Fi network. If you haven't, check your router's documentation and do so immediately.

But nothing is ever completely secure, and Wi-Fi networks can be cracked. You need to take extra precautions.

Every technique I've seen for cracking Wi-Fi networks involves either a dictionary or a brute-force attack. There's a very simple tool for protecting yourself against these attacks: a strong password. Use a long, random string of numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and punctuation, and avoid anything found in the dictionary.

Since you and other people will likely be typing this password manually from time to time, avoid lower-case L, upper-case I and O, and the digits 1 and 0. This will avoid confusion when people read the password and recreate it on a keyboard.

Test the password's strength with How Secure is My Password, which estimates how long it would take a standard PC to crack your password. If it would take more than a million years to crack, consider the password safe.

The usual complaint against strong passwords--they're too hard to remember and type--doesn't apply here. You only have to type this password when setting up a new Wi-Fi-capable device, or when helping a guest who brought their own device to your home. You can just keep the password on a scrap of paper--or in your password manager.

Of course, if you're worried that a neighbor has already cracked your Wi-Fi, changing the password will get them off of it immediately.

In addition to your password, make sure your Wi-Fi security is properly set up. Go into your router's setting screen and check the options. Ideally, you should be using WPA2 encryption.A . If your modem doesn't support WPA2, use WPA-Personal--or better yet, buy a new router.

Turkey Adds Nigerian Boko Haram to Terror List

Nigerian militant group, Boko Haram, whose abduction of 20 women on Thursday follows the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria's north eastern Borno state two months ago, has been added in a list of al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups by the Turkish government.

The decision by the Turkish cabinet to add Boko Haram to the list of people, institutions and organizatons related to al-Qaeda, was announced in Tuesday's official government gazzette.

Source:
World Bulletin

Nyanya Bombing: FG Files Charges Against Suspected Mastermind, Aminu Ogwuche

The Federal Government has filed terrorism charges against Aminu Ogwuche, the suspected mastermind of the April 14 bomb blast in Nyanya, Abuja.

The Federal Government filed the charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja, though it was said that efforts were still being made to extradite the accused from Sudan.

The counts, filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police, came up for mention before Justice Adeniyi Ademola on Monday.

It was learnt that the charges were filed as part of the ongoing efforts to extradite Ogwuche, who is currently being held by the Interpol in Sudan.

Justice Ademola  adjourned the matter till July 1 for mention.
It was learnt that the charges would serve as evidence to support the police’s claim that Ogwuche was being wanted in the country to face terrorism charges.

The charges were signed and  filed for IGP  by Oloye Torugbene, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Over 100 persons died in the blast, which was said to have been masterminded by the accused  before escaping to Sudan.

He was said to have been arrested in Sudan with the assistance of the Interpol.

In the three counts instituted against him, Ogwuche was alleged to have conspired with others (at large), to commit an act of terrorism by detonating improvised explosive devices at Nyanya Motor Park, which resulted in the death of 75 persons and injuring over a hundred other persons.

Count two of the charge reads, “That you, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, Male, and others now at large, on the 14th of April, 2014 at Nyanya, FCT, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did facilitate the activities of persons engaged in an act of terrorism; by detonating improvised explosive devices at the Nyanya motor park which resulted in the death of 75 persons and injuring over a hundred other persons.”
The alleged offences were said to be punishable under sections 1 (2) (d) and 17of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act of 2013.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram Abducts 20 More Women Near Chibok

Suspected Boko Haram militants have abducted at least 20 women close to where 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped in northern Nigeria, eyewitnesses say.

The women were loaded onto vans at gunpoint and driven away to an unknown location in Borno state, they add.

The army has not commented on the incident, which occurred on the nomadic Garkin Fulani settlement on Thursday.

The Nigerian military has faced mounting criticism for failing to stop militant attacks in the north-east.

Despite a state of emergency in place in the region, residents say the army is largely inactive or even absent, allowing the Boko Haram militants to continue their attacks.

'Too late'

The latest incident occurred close to where more than 200 schoolgirls were snatched from the remote Chibok village near the Cameroonian border on 14 April.

A member of a local vigilante group set up to resist such attacks said that in addition to the women, the militants also seized three men who had tried to stop the abduction.

"We tried to go after them when the news got to us about three hours later, but the vehicles we have could not go far, and the report came to us a little bit late," Alhaji Tar said.

Source:
BBC

Pro-Biafra Group’s Bid to Seize Enugu Radio, TV Stations Foiled

Members of the Pro-Biafra group, Biafra Zionists Federation, BZF, led by Benjamin Onwuka, who allegedly attacked the Government House, Enugu on March 8 allegedly struck again in the early hours of June 5 at the Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS in an attempt to seize the radio and television station for a broadcast.

The move was however foiled by a team of policemen alerted by some staff of the station who arrived for the morning duty and met their premises under siege.

The BZF leader, Benjamin Onwuka and 12 members of his group were arrested as they tried to escape from the station after the clash with the policemen and were said to be undergoing interrogation at the Criminal Investigations Department of the State Police Command.
Eyewitness accounts said the BZM members, in an operation similar to the March 8 invasion of the Enugu Government House, stormed the premises of ESBS through the fence at about 5 am and held the security men and staff on night shift hostage.

They forcefully gained entry into the offices including the studio and attempted to put on the equipment for a live broadcast.
But unknown to them, the television had been off air since the past two days while they were unable to access the radio station which was broadcasting at the time.
“While they were struggling with the station’s staff, four policemen who got wind of the invasion by the hoodlums arrived the premises in two patrol cars and moved into the station to confront them. Soon after they got into the building we started hearing gunshots and people were running helter-skelter. There was heavy shooting but I don’t know if the BZM members were armed.  At the end we saw the corpse of a police sergeant and a member of the group on the floor. The Police Inspector who sustained injuries on his head was immediately taken away by his colleagues,” an eyewitness said.

However, having failed to accomplish their mission, Onwuka and his colleagues escaped through the Universal Hotel road on foot but some mobile policemen drafted to the scene from the Government House, about a kilometer away, were said to have pursued them into the bush behind some government offices near the State House of Assembly Complex and apprehended them.
Onwuka and 12 members were reportedly arrested and taken to the state police headquarters. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu confirmed the arrest of Onwuka and his members but did not give the number of those in custody.

According to him, “one police sergeant was killed, one other police officer injured while one died on the side of the hoodlums”, promising to give further details when ongoing enquiry into their activities were concluded.

Cameroon Kills 102 Boko Haram Fighters in One Week

As the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram continues its incessant attacks in Nigeria; Cameroon has successfully been resisting the sect in its territory.

Reuters reported on Sunday that Cameroonian troops killed two members of the sect on Saturday.

The number of the sect members killed barely within one week in Cameroon has increased to 102.

Cameroon had deployed 1,000 troops along its border with Nigeria after more than 200 girls were kidnapped by the sect at Chibok Borno State.

It had killed 40 members of the sect on May 31, 2014 shortly after two Italian priests and a Canadian nun were released in the town of Kousseri.

On Wednesday, Cameroon also killed 60 members of the Boko Haram in its territory 24 hours after the sect raided three villages of Danjara, Agapalwa and Antagara in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State killing more than 300 people.

According to the VOA, the 60 sect members were killed by Cameroonian troops in the villages of Dabanga in far northern Cameroon, when they crossed from over from Borno State, Nigeria.

The sect members were ambushed by Cameroonian soldiers the report said.

Fonka Awah, the governor of the far north region of Cameroon, said his office had received information that some Boko Haram members might be hiding in Cameroonian villages, and asked for specialized troops to be deployed.

“Of course yes, without mincing words, after such a situation you reassemble the forces and map out strategies, you galvanize them and put them back into action and I think that is what we have just done,” he had told the VOA.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that suspected Boko Haram militants from Nigeria attacked a town in Cameroon’s far north on Saturday but local security forces fought them off, killing at least two gunmen, Cameroon’s government said.

Cameroon deployed 1,000 troops to the far north and the attack in the Mayo Tsanaga Division in the Far North Region is the latest in a series of clashes between Cameroon security forces and the group.

Cameroon government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary said a raid was carried out early on Saturday morning by 50 well-armed gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram.

“Our defence and security forces fought back immediately. (They) killed two of the assailants, seized one of their vehicles and a Kalashnikov war weapon, forcing them to run back crossing the border into the Nigerian territory,” he said.

He did not say if any government troops were killed or wounded in the fighting.

Nigeria’s head of counter-terrorism said last month Cameroon was the weakest link in the regional fight against the group.

Before Cameroon deployed troops along its borders, the sect had been fleeing to the West African country after carrying out attacks in Nigeria.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

Female Suicide Bomber, Soldier Die as Bomb Explodes at Gombe Army Barracks

A female suicide bomber and one soldier died while another soldier was wounded when a bomb exploded at a Nigerian army barracks in Gombe, on Sunday.

Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, confirmed that a bomb exploded at the barracks on Sunday.

Olukolade, who told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview from Abuja, on Sunday, however, said normal activities had, thereafter, been ongoing at the barracks.

“Intelligence deduced from credible information earlier received on this plot confirms the vigilance of some members of the public,” Olukolade said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Fwaje Atahiri, had earlier told NAN that he heard of the incident but did not have details.

NAN gathered that the female bomber, riding on a motorcycle and on approaching the quarter-guard of the 301 Battalion, disembarked and hugged a soldier, a development that led to the explosion, killing both of them.

The source said the explosion also injured other soldiers, who were rushed to the military hospital for treatment.

Immediately after the explosion, soldiers cordoned off the road leading to the barracks, while shops and other business centres were hurriedly closed by their owners.

Source:
Tribune Newspaper

United States Set To Launch "Counterterrorism TV Channel" in Northern Nigeria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is financing a new 24-hour satellite TV channel in northern Nigeria meant to counter insurgencies by the militant Islamist Boko Haram and other groups in the region, the New York Times reported on Friday.

A U.S. official confirmed the project was under way but did not give full details. The official said the United States would "support Nigerian efforts to provide an attractive alternative to the messaging of violent extremists."

The project is a result of discussions with Nigeria dating back to late 2012 on ways to cooperate against Boko Haram and the content of the channel will be produced by Nigerians in Nigeria, the official said.

The United States has in recent months increased its collaboration with Abuja in response to violence from Boko Haram, including surveillance and communications help after the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in April.

The Times said the TV channel, which is not yet broadcasting but is near to completion, is financed by the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and is expected to cost about $6 million.

The project is run in Nigeria by Equal Access International, a San Francisco-based government contractor that has managed media programs sponsored by the State Department in Yemen and Pakistan meant to encourage youth participation in politics and counter Islamist extremism, it said.

The paper quoted foreign policy experts saying the project faced several challenges in a region with low levels of infrastructure, public services, literacy and security. Access to electricity is limited and few people own televisions.

In addition to the broadcasts, the Times said the project would provide training to journalists in the region.

Source:
Reuters

Reuben Abati Denies Jonathan's Purported Amnesty Offer to Boko Haram

A sharp disagreement and confusion emerged on Saturday over the offer of amnesty by the Federal Government to members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

The Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna had on Thursday during a programme to mark the nation’s Democracy Day titled ‘A day with young leaders of Nigeria.’ announced that the President had offered amnesty to the insurgents in his determination to bring the ongoing violent attacks to an end.

President Jonathan, who spoke at the occasion after Boni Haruna made the comment, did not make any reference to the Minister’s remarks.

Haruna, at the function said: “President Goodluck Jonathan has also declared amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect. Series of integration programmes have been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.”

“Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the Federal Government, to call on the members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the government’s gesture and key into the amnesty programme,” he stated

But speaking with State House correspondents on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati maintained that the President did not offer amnesty to members of the sect.

Stressing that he would not say anything about the ‘amnesty’ announcement, he said that he would rather refer Nigerians to the Democracy Day nationwide broadcast by the President where he never used the term “amnesty.”

He said: “Let me refer you to the speech by the President. If you read the speech line by line, you will see that it contains the very message that the President wanted to put across and in that speech if you look at it I don’t think the President used amnesty, instead he spoke about those who are willing to renounce terrorism, those who are willing to embrace, opportunities have been created for them through the fact-finding committee, through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.”

“So I will refer you basically to the speech by the President,” Abati stated.

On the murder of the Emir of Gwoza on Friday, he said: “The President got the news and he was sad about it because what it means is that  these terrorists who are threatening peace and stability in Nigeria, are desperate and they continue to show that desperation.”

“But as the President made it clear in his democracy day broadcast, that was his main message to Nigerians, that at the end of the day it is the people of Nigeria that will prevail, no matter how desperate terrorists may be and that his government is determined to rid the country of terrorism.

“And the support solidarity the cooperation, the expression of partnership that we are receiving from our neighboring countries, the whole of the West African sub-region, Africa and the entire world shows that this is the battle that the whole world is prepared to fight. So the days of peace as the President said in his speech is assured because this battle will not end until it is won and sustainable development is fully guaranteed,” he said.

Source:
The Nation Newspaper