Boko Haram Kidnaps Wife of Cameroon's Vice PM, Kills at Least Three

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - The wife of Cameroon's vice prime minister was kidnapped and at least three people were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants on in the northern town of Kolofata on Sunday, Cameroon officials said.

A local religious leader, or lamido, named Seini Boukar Lamine, who is also the town's mayor, was kidnapped as well, in a separate attack on his home.

Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist militant group, has stepped up cross-border attacks into Cameroon in recent weeks as Cameroon has deployed troops to the region, joining international efforts to combat the militants.

"I can confirm that the home of Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali in Kolofata came under a savage attack from Boko Haram militants," Issa Tchiroma told Reuters by telephone.

"They unfortunately took away his wife. They also attacked the lamido's residence and he was also kidnapped," he said, and at least three people were killed in the attack.

A Cameroon military commander in the region told Reuters that the vice prime minister, who was at home to celebrate the Muslim feast of Ramadan with his family, was taken to a neighboring town by security officials.

"The situation is very critical here now, and as I am talking to you the Boko Haram elements are still in Kolofata town in a clash with our soldiers," said Colonel Felix Nji Formekong, the second commander of Cameroon's third inter-army military region, based in the regional headquarters Maroua.

The Sunday attack is the third Boko Haram attack into Cameroon since Friday. At least four soldiers were killed in the previous attacks. Meanwhile, some 22 suspected Boko Haram militants, who have been held in Maroua since March, were on Friday sentenced to prison sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. It was unclear whether the events are related.

Courtesy:
Reuters

Abubakar Shekau’s Growing 'Caliphate': Boko Haram Control More Than Half of Borno State

Boko Haram insurgents are daily becoming more daring in their attacks, moving into strategic towns and villages, killing, maiming and sacking residents in northeast Borno State.

The militant group has widened its tentacles and is now in control of more than half of the entire communities in the state.

“The more we thought the security situation would become better, the more the attacks on communities,” says Abba Kakami, Borno State chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Kakami’s view only captures the feelings of Borno residents and others in the two North-east states of Adamawa and Yobe where Boko Haram exert more presence. “Each day is like traveling on a long lonely road in apprehension with a faulty vehicle that could break down anytime,” a resident of Maiduguri who did not want his name in print told Sunday Sun, adding that residents had been living in perpetual fear.

“About a year ago, our hope was brightened when young men with sticks arrested Boko Haram militants. We thought the end has come but it is clear now we haven’t seen the end,” he added. The residents lamented that their initial optimism was gradually waning especially as Boko Haram had found safe havens in southern part of Borno and neighbouring Bauchi state to launch more attacks.

Strategic attacks/movement

Boko Haram insurgents have been very strategic in their operations since 2010 when full scale insurgency was launched in Borno, its birthplace. While in Maiduguri, its initial operational base, the sect expanded its base and camps to Marte, a border community in northern Borno, hilly Gwoza area, southeast of the state, Mubi area in north of Adamawa and Gujba, eastern part of Yobe where it occasionally attacked communities. By late 2011, it began full scale attacks in northern Borno, sacked almost all the communities and by early 2013, it took on the central part of the state, starting from Alao near Maiduguri, Borno State capital. It moved gradually to Konduga, Kawuri, Bama, Pulka junction, to Gwoza. The insurgents burnt down almost all the towns and villages around the area and subsequently moved to the southern part of the state. Residents believed the hilly and good vegetation of the Savannah southern part of Borno provides a fertile ground for Boko Haram activities including establishment of camps and operational base. It stepped up its attacks on communities and educational institutions in Borno and Yobe late 2013 and early 2014, leading to the massacre of over 40 students of College of Agriculture Gujba, Yobe State, over 60 students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, St Joseph Seminary School, Shuwa, Adamawa State and then, the April 14 abduction of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls, which attracted international outrage. Gujba and Gulani in Yobe and Mubi as well as Madagali in northern Adamawa share border with southern part of Borno where Sambisa Forest, a major Boko Haram camp and Chibok are also situated.

Boko Haram’s new-found haven

Until now, residents of Borno believed the Christian dominated southern part of the state was insulated from Boko Haram attacks but with the kidnap of the schoolgirls in April and subsequent attacks with less restriction from military forces, it became obvious that the terrorists have found a new haven in the friendly southern area. A security source told Sunday Sun that the insurgents shifted their activities to the southern part because of persistent pressure on them and killing of their fighters by Nigerian military troops. “We didn’t give them breathing space. We smoked them out and rooted their camps in Marte. So they decided to move to southern Borno where they can get cover with the vegetation there,” the source explained. He also disclosed that all the nine local governments areas in that axis are easily linked from Sambisa. “I think it was a clear operational strategy by the terrorists. They simply established their camp at Sambisa, a very large area, to continue their terror in the area having been chased out of the northern and central parts. From this point too, they can easily move to Adamawa by the north and Yobe-Bauchi axis by the east,” he stated.

He, however, admitted that the attention of the military “was actually on Sambisa and communities  around the general area,” adding that they “did not consider possible attacks” in places like Chibok, Hawul or Askira-Uba “because of the understanding that their children are not easily recruited into the sect due to their level of education.” That purported wrong assessment of the Boko Haram activities, gave the sect opportunity to plan and execute attacks on communities in the area.

Boko Haram’s newly captured areas

A recent daring attack on a newly established military base in Damboa, also in southern Borno, about 85 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital by Boko Haram, presumably gave away the control of the muddy town to the insurgents. Just last week, the insurgents sacked the town, burnt down almost all the houses and killed over 25 people. The northeast zonal office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 15, 204 people have been displaced. Damboa, mostly peopled by peasant farmers and traders, has a population of about 231, 573, according to 2006 Nigeria census. Fleeing residents of the area said two-third of the total 6, 219 km2 landmass that made up Damboa Local Government, have been taken over by Boko Haram with unverified claims of the sect hoisting its flags in the area. Other communities in the local government taken over by the insurgents include Kimba, Madaragrau, Chikwar Kir, Mandafuma, Bomburatai and Sabon Kwatta.

In Hawul local government area, most communities around the Kwajafa district have been largely deserted after incessant attacks.

Chairman of Hawul Local Government Area, Dr Andrew Malgwi told Sunday Sun on phone that the residents of Gaggirang village are now taking refuge on a road around the area after the insurgents took over their homes last Sunday.

“The attackers burnt a woman in her house, shot many and set the whole village ablaze after carting away their food items and livestocks,” he disclosed.

Boko Haram have also sacked half of communities at Askira-Uba, another major local government area, in the southern part of the state. The insurgents killed over 40 people in Dille recently after previous attacks on five villages while Biu, headquarters of Biu Local Government Area, about 100 kilometres to Damboa, remains the only major town still standing in the area, although it has equally witnessed deadly attacks in the past.

The insurgents have ravaged Gwoza Local Government Area, about 135 kilometres from Maiduguri as all the autonomous communities behind the hill are deserted. These communities, which are located along the Cameroon borders include Attagara, Aghapalawa and Aganjara. Over 2,000 residents of the area are now in two camps in Maiduguri at present.

Only Shani, Bayo and some parts of Kwaya Kusar local government areas out of the nine council areas in the southern Borno are enjoying relative peace.

More than half of the communities in Konduga, Bama, Dikwa and Mafa local government areas in the central district have been destroyed.

So how large is the area destroyed and/or taken over by the insurgents? A lecturer at the University of Maiduguri who preferred anonymity, said Boko Haram have destroyed more than half of the communities in the state. “Geographically, Boko Haram’s presence can be seen and felt in almost all part of the state though with more control of the southern and central districts, which translate to more than half of the state.” He also said there are isolated communities in some instances, which are not attacked by the insurgents because they offer some gifts to Boko Haram to pacify them. He declined to mention the villages. “Mentioning them could be counter-productive because the insurgents may go back there to attack them again for leaking what ought to be an agreement between them but of truth, such accord for protection actually happens in some villages,” he stated.

Military Efforts

Many residents said they believed the military was capable of tackling Boko Haram insurgency but expressed concern over what they described as unwillingness of the authority to nip the terror act in the bud. “The Nigeria military is capable of handling the situation but it appears there is conspiracy on the part of the leaders not to do so,” Abdullah Ahmed, a social crusader said. There is military presence in most of the major towns in Borno but residents said they often said they have not received instruction from their superiors when alerted to Boko Haram attacks in nearby communities. “We found this very awkward because it looks like an excuse not to act and that is why Boko Haram often attack people and communities for hours without resistance from any troops. It happened at Dille in Askira Uba at Chibok Local Government Area and lately in Damboa,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has stepped up actions against the Boko Haram, while assuring that it would not allow any group to annex any part of Nigeria.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said the military had ordered troops to up the ante against the sect in Damboa and other vulnerable areas.

He said: “We have put in place necessary machinery, including the patrol of vulnerable areas, to check the insurgents. Activities are being stepped up to curtail the menace.”

Olukolade, however, declined to explain the military activities, saying: “I won’t go into details on the actions we have taken. I cannot disclose military plans.

“We will not say when troops will take charge of Damboa to avoid a repeat of the last ambush of these committed and loyal soldiers. But we are firming up deployment of troops to Damboa and other places.

“We are ready for the insurgents but we will prefer to keep our strategies to ourselves because of the nature of the battle ahead.”

The Sun

Nigeria Police Issue Nationwide Red Alert For Sallah Celebration

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has put the force on red alert across the country to ensure adequate security as Nigerians prepare for the Sallah celebration.

The IGP directed all commissioners of police to personally supervise the special security deployment and ensure 24-hour surveillance of their respective area of operations.

Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Frank Mba said in a statement the commissioners are to ensure that
maximum attention is paid to critical public places and other points prone to enemy attack and to retool their
security infrastructures in line with their local security realities.

Courtesy:
SR

How the United State's Terrorism Watchlists Work – and How You Could End Up on One

Placement on a terrorism watchlist is a life-changing event. Your travel is monitored and in many cases restricted. If overseas, you could be stranded, costing your employment or reunion with your family. You could be detained and, certain lawsuits allege, tortured by foreign governments.

Yet the ease with which someone can be placed on US watchlists and terrorism databases contrasts markedly with the impact placement has. A long-withheld document published on Wednesday by the Intercept detailing the guidelines for placement shows that the standards for inclusion are far lower than probable cause, and the ability for someone caught in the datasets to challenge their placement do not exist. In 2013, the government made 468,749 nominations for inclusion to the Terrorist Screening Database, up from 227,932 nominations in 2009; few are rejected.

The rise – and the low standards the Intercept documented – is partially explained by the near-miss airliner bombing in Christmas 2009, by a man connected to a Yemeni branch of al-Qaida. Partially it is explained by the overwhelming secrecy surrounding the process: attorney general Eric Holder has called it a state secret (although the guidance document itself is unclassified), preventing meaningful outside challenges that would recalibrate a balance between reasonable expectations of security and liberty.

That secrecy, as the Intercept's publication indicates, is starting to erode – slowly. Recent court.cases have given the beginnings of insight into how the US government's apparatus of terrorism databases and watchlists works in practice. Here is
a guide.

They're reading your tweets:
The watchlisting guidance says that "first amendment protected activity alone shall not be the basis" for nominating someone to the lists. The
key word: alone. What you say, write and publish can and will be used against you. Particularly if you tweet it, pin it or share it.

The guidelines recognize that looking at "postings on social media sites" is constitutionally problematic. But those posts "should not automatically be discounted", the guidelines state.
Instead, the agency seeking to watchlist someone should evaluate the "credibility of the source, as well as the nature and specificity of the information". If they're concerned about a tweet, in other words, they're likely to go through a user's timeline. That joke about that band blowing up could come back to haunt you at the airport.

Where you go might get you placed on the list –and then stranded Contained within the guidance is a potential reason why many US Muslims find themselves abruptly unable to return from trips abroad without explanation. An example given of "potential behavioral indicators" of terrorism is "travel for no known lawful or legitimate purpose to a locus of TERRORISM ACTIVITY". Not defined: "lawful", "legitimate" or "locus". That could mean specific training camps, travel to which few would dispute the merits of watchlisting. Or it could mean entire countries where terrorists are known or suspected of operating – and where millions of Americans
travel every year.

The guidelines themselves, in that very section, warn that such behavioral indicators include: "activity that may have innocent explanations wholly unrelated to terrorism". It warns analysts not to judge any circumstance "in isolation".

What happens on the no-fly list does not stay on the no-fly list. A federal judge, writing in June, noted that the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center shares information on banned passengers with 22 foreign governments as well as "ship captains", resulting in potential "interference with an individual's ability to travel by means other than commercial airlines".

Many people who have sued the US government over the watchlists have reported being unable to return from travel abroad. Ali Ahmed, a US citizen
in San Diego, attempted in 2012 to fly to Kenya to meet his fiancee for their arranged marriage. But first he flew to Saudi Arabia to make the religiously
encouraged pilgrimage to Mecca; he found himself stranded in Bahrain after he was unable to enter Kenya. Ayman Latif, a disabled US marine originally from Miami who now lives in Egypt, was prevented from flying to the US for a disability evaluation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
There's room for the family (and perhaps your friends)

A precursor data set that feeds the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB or, "the watchlist") is the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE, maintained by the National Counterterrorism Center. TIDE contains records of known or suspected international terrorists. It also contains information on their families and perhaps their friends.
"Alien spouses and children" of people NCTC labels terrorists get put into TIDE. They "may be inadmissible to the United States", presumed to be dangerous. TIDE also contains "non-terrorist" records of people who have a "close relationship with KNOWN or SUSPECTED terrorists", the guidance reads. Examples listed are fathers or
brothers, although the guidance does not specify a blood or marital relationship as necessary for inclusion. Those people can be American citizens or non citizens inside the United States. While those "close relation[s]" are not supposed to be passed on for watchlisting absent other "derogatory information", their data may be retained within TIDE for unspecified "analytic purposes".

Just because a jury finds you innocent doesn't mean watchlists agree:
The guidelines explicitly state that someone "acquitted or against whom charges are dismissed for a crime related to terrorism" can still be
watchlisted. A federal official nominating such a person for inclusion on the list just needs "reasonable suspicion" of a danger – something defined as more than "mere guesses or hunches", based on articulable information or "rational inferences" from it, but far less than probable cause. A judge or jury's decision is not controlling.

Watch how you walk:
In keeping with a general enthusiasm exhibited by law enforcement and the military for identifying someone based on their seemingly unique physical attributes, biometric information is eligible as a criteria to watchlist someone. Several of those biometric identifiers are traditional law enforcement ones, like fingerprints; others are exceptionally targeted, like DNA. Then there are others that reflect emerging or immature analytic subjects: "digital images", iris scans, and "gait" – that is, the way you walk.
Gait and other biometric identifiers do not appear sufficient to watchlist someone. But they are sufficient to nominate someone to the watchlist or
TIDE, provided they rise to the "minimum substantive derogatory standards" – articulable reasons for suspecting someone of involvement of terrorism, a far lower standard than probable cause– unless they come accompanied with evidence that
the manner of walk in question includes "an individual with a defined relationship with the KNOWN or SUSPECTED terrorist". It does not appear that a particular swagger by itself can be watchlisted.

Lisa says …
Lisa Monaco is a former US attorney who holds one of the most powerful and least accountable positions in the US security apparatus: assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism. She has enormous influence over the watchlisting system.

The guidelines empower Monaco, her successor or a designee to make a "temporary, threat-based upgrade" to "categories of individuals" already
watchlisted. The intent appears to be the creation of a single government official able to rapidly keep people off airlines once threat information, often
fragmentary and rarely specific, emerges to indicate an imminent terrorist attack. It is unclear what
characterizes a "category". The White House says she has never exercised the power.
Monaco, like others holding her position, does not answer to Congress. No Senate confirms her.
Anyone who tries to obtain her official
communications will face a legal defense of executive privilege. It appears commensurate with
the extraordinary if inconsistent secrecy surrounding watchlisting – attorney general Eric Holder said the procedures were a state secret even as the guidelines outlining them are not classified – that she and not a Senate-confirmable appointee makes the upgrading decision.

An administration official declined to confirm authenticity of the document, but said Monaco has never exercised any such temporary authority. The
administration did not say why she and not a cabinet official or subordinate has those powers in the first place.

You can be turned into an informant (or punished if you refuse)
Keeping track of suspected terrorists may not be the only purpose the watchlisting system serves.
Recent lawsuits allege that the FBI uses it to as leverage to turn people into snitches.
A 30-year-old Afghan American, Naveed Shinwari, found that after FBI agents questioned him about his 2012 travel to Afghanistan – he was getting married – he couldn't obtain a boarding pass he needed for an out-of-state job interview. Soon he found himself talking to other FBI agents, who wanted to know if he knew anyone "threatening" his community in Omaha, Nebraska.
"That’s where it was mentioned to me: you help us, we help you. We know you don’t have a job; we’ll give you money," Shinwari, who is suing over the apparent quid pro quo, told the Guardian in April.

Similarly, in Oregon, a man named Yonas Fikre is suing the government for allegedly attempting to parlay his no-fly list placement into getting him to infiltrate a prominent Portland mosque. After Fikre declined, he claims, he traveled to the United Arab
Emirates, where he was detained, beaten on the soles of his feet and placed in "stress positions" –all, he says, while his torturers asked him questions about the Portland mosque that were suspiciously similar to those the FBI asked.

Effectively, said Gadeir Abbas, attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the watchlists "provide law enforcement with an extra-judicial tool to impose consequences on predominantly Muslims who choose to exercise their rights instead of becoming informants."

So much for that job
Being unable to travel is in some ways more invasive than other forms of surveillance. Unless your friends spend their time digging through court records, they will be unlikely to find out that, say, your assets were frozen, even you suddenly can't pay for dinners. Not all jobs ask about or care about an arrest.

Traveling is different. Being unable to travel on short notice is what Abbas calls a "publicly accessible fact" – that is, something your friends, family and co-workers will learn about in time. His.client Gulet Mohammed is an information-technology professional in northern Virginia. "Not allowing him to be able to cover great distances in.a short amount of time, that has a dramatic impact on what his prospects are," Abbas said.
Earl Knaeble IV, an army veteran from California, alleges in a lawsuit that he lost a job offered to him after he was unable to return to the US for a pre-
employment medical exam after he got married in Colombia. He attempted, unsuccessfully, to drive home.

You can't get off – yet
There is no procedure to challenge and reverse your status on the no-fly list, the terrorism watchlist or TIDE. Inclusion on any is not typically disclosed – making legal remedies difficult – nor does the government provide any process for removal. Travelers suspicious about why their attempts to fly were unsuccessful can launch a redress request through the Department of Homeland Security, but that process does not challenge inclusion on a watchlist or database, nor will even successful requests guarantee against
future travel restrictions. Procedures that will, identified within the guidance, are exclusively internal government processes.

"The only way to get off the federal watchlist is through the beneficence of a federal agent, routinely coupled with some form of cooperation with the FBI," Abbas said.

But that lack of redress has now imperiled the no-fly list. Last month, in a federal judge in Oregon ruled that the inability of individuals to extricate
themselves from the list is a due-process violation, rejecting the government's contention that there is no constitutional right to travel.
"Such an argument ignores the numerous reasons that an individual may have for wanting or needing
to travel overseas quickly, such as the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a business opportunity or a religious obligation," judge Anna
Brown found.

Yet the legal battle over the no-fly list is practically certain to continue. Nor does Brown's ruling touch on the broader watchlists and datasets from which the no-fly list draws.

The Guardian

One killed in PDP, APC Clash in Osun State

One person reportedly lost his life on Friday in a fracas between supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State .
Fighting broke out shortly before the door- to -door rally organised by the PDP ’s gubernatorial candidate , Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Saturday Independent learnt that people suspected to be political thugs , around 8am at Irojo area of Ilesa , went on rampage, destroying billboards and posters of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The hoodlums numbered about five and were allegedly led by Ibukun Fadipe, former local government chairman of Ilesa - West, according to eyewitness accounts . They went wild and stormed the house of one Tolu , believed to be supporter of the APC in the area , and unleashed terror on him.

It was further learnt that one of the hoodlums shot sporadically into the air to scare onlookers away and a stray bullet hit Tolu in the chest. He died on the spot.

The thugs left the vicinity and escaped through Osun Ankara Road and Express Road before the arrival of policemen from Ayeso police station.
A neighbour who declined to be named said Tolu, though an avowed supporter of Aregbesola and the APC was not politician.

The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs . Folasade Odoro , a deputy superintendent of police , confirmed the incident and said that the police have commenced investigation on the
matter.

Daily Independent

'Freewheeling Violence By Jihadists' Caused Shutdown of US Embassy in Libya - Kerry

The U.S. State Department was forced to suspend operations at its embassy in Libya because of "freewheeling militia violence" there, Secretary of State John Kerry said today.

Kerry, who spoke to reporters before a meeting with the Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers about Gaza , made
the comments after the State Department announced it evacuated its staff in Tripoli.
He blamed the "freewheeling militia violence," caused by Jihadist groups which have only grown in power since
the ouster of former president Muammar Gaddafi, for creating an environment in which the diplomatic
activities at the Libya embassy had to be suspended.

"A lot of the violence is around our embassy but not on the embassy, but nevertheless it presents a very real
risk to our personnel," Kerry said.
As a result, embassy personnel were transported in vehicles escorted by U.S. military guards and helicopters to Tunisia and dispersed throughout the
region from there.
Kerry insisted the special envoy to the region, David Satterfield, would continue to engage with his British
counterpart, and that the U.S. embassy personnel would return as soon as the situation stabilized.

But he stressed the need for Libyans to engage in a peaceful political process in order to permanently change the tide of violence in the violence-ridden nation.
"We're very, very hopeful that those people will recognize that the current course of violence will only bring chaos and possibly a return of difficulties," said Kerry.

The State Department also issued a travel warning for Libya and urged Americans there to leave.
The groups in Tripoli have been fighting for weeks, with dozens killed and wounded on all sides.
The withdrawal comes two years after a deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

ABC News

Aftermath of Bomb Attack on Buhari: FG Ramps Up Security Cordon Around Former Leaders

Sequel to the bomb attack on former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, a massive security cordon has been reportedly thrown around former leaders irrespective of political
leanings.

Buhari escaped being killed in a bomb blast in Kaduna on Wednesday, hours after a hot verbal exchange between him and President Goodluck
Jonathan over the impeachment of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors.

Jolted by the possibility of finger-pointing in an event of any eventuality, the Jonathan administration is said to have improved on the existing security around the former leaders, to avoid a repeat of the near-fatal attack on any of the living former leaders.

A couple of the former leaders, especially those of Northern extraction had issues with the president, with Buhari, his defeated challenger in 2011 presidential election, being his most strident critic. Buhari is also the president’s projected challenger in 2015 election.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also has political differences with Jonathan.
Apart from the normal security in place for them, more soldiers and men of the State Security Service, it was learnt, are to be added to the former leaders’ retinue of security details.

An aide to the president who is currently abroad told Saturday Tribune by phone that the former leaders had always been given a full complement of security details, adding that he was not on ground to confirm if an addition had been made to their security arrangement.
The aide, however, noted that the Kaduna blast was beyond the quantum of security arrangement around the former leaders, adding that the real story behind the blast would soon be known as investigation progresses.

A security source said the move was being handled as surreptitiously as possible to avoid any possible compromise since it has become
difficult to trust even close associates of the said former leaders.

Spokesperson of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he had no comment when contacted.
He said it was a security issue that should not necessarily be discussed.

Tribune

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

Why Umar Abdulmutallab Failed To Blow Up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 – United States TSA

The United States Has Said That The
Nigerian Terrorist, Umar Abdulmutallab, failed to successfully
carry out a bomb attack in 2009 because the explosives he was wired with became ‘degraded’ after he wore the same pair of underpants for two weeks.

Abdulmutallab had, at the age of 23, confessed to and convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while aboard a Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Michigan, US on December 25, 2009.

However, United States officials explained that the bomb failed to detonate aboard the flight, which was
carrying nearly 300 people, but caused a brief fire that caused burns to his groin.
He was sentenced to life without parole in February 2012 after he pleaded guilty to all charges on the second day of his trial the previous October.

The U.S. Head of the Transportation Security Administration, John Pistole, said during the week that the bomb failed to detonate because of how long Abdulmutallab had been wearing his underwear.
Pistole said, “The bomber had had the device with him for over two weeks.”
When he was then asked whether the bomb had become ‘damp’ Pistole replied that the explosive had become damp due to the length of days Abdulmutallab carried the device in his underwear.

During his trial, Abdulmutallab said the bomb in his underwear was a ‘blessed weapon’ to avenge poorly treated Muslims around the world.

However, after the bomb failed to detonate, passengers pounced on Abdulmutallab and forced him to the front of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 where he was held until the plane landed minutes later.

Punch

Sultan of Sokoto To Boko Haram: It's Delusional To Kill & Expect Paradise, Says Boko Haram Now a 'Franchise'

Sultan of Sokoto and president-general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar (III) has declared that life is sacred, thus anyone who bombs himself thinking he will go to heaven is delusional.

The Sultan, who said this on Friday when he hosted security chiefs during the breaking of the Ramadan fast
in his palace in Sokoto, further explained: “For us, one single life lost means a lot to us because life is sacred.
You cannot love God if you do not love your neighbour and if we all agree that you cannot love God if you do not love your neighbour, then why are we having all these problems?” the Sultan asked.

Stressing that Boko Haram has now become a ‘franchise’ used by many to commit series of crimes, the Sultan warned that any attempt to politicise the insecurity that is confronting Nigeria will not bring solutions.

His words: “When we politicise the security issue, there can never be a solution to it. We should not narrow it
down to an ethnic or religious thing. Let us stop pointing accusing fingers and vieweing terrorism as Hausa or Fulani issue. We must all join hands to fight insecurity because by the time you feel relaxed and say they should continue to kill themselves, by the time they finished killing themselves they will now get back to you…

“Therefore, let us collectively fight insecurity. Though, we might not know those behind this insecurity,
but we should take our hands up to Almighty Allah to expose those doing these killings. We must also not
pray and go to sleep. Let us continue to be proactive. Let us continue to work harder and sensitise our people on security matters.”

Sheikh Zakzaky’s Son, 10 Others Feared Killed As Nigerian Troops, Shiite Muslims Clash in Zaria Over Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Nigerian Shiite Muslims have accused Nigerian troops of killing 11 of their members and injuring 40 others in a
clash between the group and soldiers in Zaria on Friday.

In a statement on Friday night, the group said among those gunned down were Mahmud, the son of the leader of the group, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, as well as a woman with a baby strapped to her back.

Ibrahim Musa, the editor of Al-Mizan, the weekly newspaper published by the group, said in a statement,
“Reports reaching our news desk now indicated that some soldiers of the Nigerian army have opened fire on
the tail end of the Quds procession held after Jumaat prayers in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Mahmud Ibrahim Zakzaky
“The procession, which took off from Sabon Gari Jumaat Mosque, reached Kofar Doka peacefully with no
incident. However some soldiers attacked the procession [at the] PZ junction in Zaria.
“They shot Mahmud Ibraheem Zakzaky, but [his body] was taken away by the Muslim brothers. But several [other] Muslim brothers were shot by the security agents.

“As at the time of writing this report, there is no confirmation on the number of Muslim brothers shot or
killed by the soldiers, but our [sources] say five people were killed. The Quds procession was held today
peacefully in more than 10 Nigerian cities. Why the attack on the Zaria procession?

“[The] latest report on the attack by soldiers on Quds peaceful procession is that ten Muslim brothers were
gunned down by the soldiers, among them Mahmud Ibraheem Zakzaky, son of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky,
and a Muslim sister with her child on her back. There are over 40 Muslim brothers’ casualties with different
degrees of gunshots by the soldiers. The story is still unfolding, with reinforcement of soldiers coming from Kaduna, according to our news sources.”

The military did not respond to requests for comment.
Defence spokesperson, Maj. General Chris Olukolade, did not respond
to calls to his phone.  Spokesperson for 1 Mechanized Division Nigeria Army, Usman Abdullahi, said he would provide details later.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier quoted residents who narrated how soldiers exchanged fire with members of
the group who were on a procession around the PZ area of the town, in response to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The procession, called Muzahara, is an annual ritual after the Ramadan, during which thousands of faithful
walk around the city dressed in black.
This year, the Shiites dedicated the march to protesting the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

Residents reported prolonged gunfire that lasted about an hour.
One resident said he saw five bodies taken away from the scene of the shooting.
“I can’t really ascertain what happened, but I saw five unidentified corpse taken away from the scene,” the resident, a Shiite Muslim, said.
Another witness said the incident occurred when military personnel tried to force their way through the
crowd of Shiite followers.
“Mahmud, one of Shiekh Ibrahim El-Zakzaki’s son is shot and the second son Ahmed was arrested and taken
away by the security. Mahmood is however, not dead,” a witness, Musa Ali, said.

Suspected Mastermind of Kaduna Bombing Arrested By Troops

The Defence Headquarters on Friday said that troops in Kaduna had arrested a man suspected to be connected with the explosion targeted at Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

This information is contained in a statement posted on Defence headquarters web site defenceinfo.mil.ng.

The statement said that the young man was apprehended by military patrol team that swooped on the area immediately after the explosion.

It said that he disguised as a woman clad in female garb to exude femininity with a brazier affixed to his chest.

“The suspect was arrested while trying to fizzle into a crowd of onlookers when the patrol team arrived the scene.

“Youths in the area attempted to mob him while he was being arrested but were restrained by troops who quickly whisked him away in an armoured personnel carrier,” it explained. 

The statement said that he was currently being interrogated by security agencies in a bid to ascertain his links.

It would be recalled that there was a twin bomb explosion on July 23 in Kaduna metropolis.

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

Lagos State Police Launch Counterterrorism Enlightenment Campaign

THE police in Lagos State have begun an enlightenment campaign on how to fight terrorism with the launch of security tips pamphlets, which will be shared to the people of the state.

Over 17 million pamphlets, containing tips on how to prevent, identify and tackle terrorism will be distributed among the people of the state.

This was disclosed on Thursday by the image maker in charge of the state police command, Sade Braide, who said the new initiative was necessitated by the security challenges in many parts of the country.

Braide, while speaking on the pamphlets  entitled:   “Counter- Terrorism  Campaigns”  said the content would help Lagosians to be more security-conscious and know what to do when confronted by any security issues.

The Lagos police image maker stated that strategies had been mapped out to  distribute the pamphlets in churches, schools, banks, hotels, among other places.

She advised that “people should know their neighbours and their means of livelihood. Landlords should conduct background checks on all their prospective tenants.”

She  also advised that residents of the state should “draw the attention of the police to vehicles parked or abandoned by unknown persons, do not allow unknown persons to drop or abandon bags, boxes, fruit barrows, trolleys, articles of trade or cartons.”

The Lagos police image maker also advised that “ legitimate sellers of chemicals such as fertiliser, ammonium products, acid, etc should be wary of persons they sell such products to.

She said people should be vigilant at public places,  as objects such as bombs could be kept by unscrupulous persons in unattended bags, packages, cans, and containers.

Tribune

Two Cameroon Soldiers Killed in Crossborder Boko Haram Attack

Yaounde: A suspected crossborder raid overnight by Nigeria's radical Islamic group Boko Haram killed two Cameroonian soldiers, a Cameroonian security official said on Friday on condition of anonymity.

The attack occurred late Thursday in the border village of Balgaram in northern Cameroon. Eight soldiers posted there fought back, and "in the clash we lost two men," the official said.

Military reinforcements were sent to the area and several troops "entered Nigerian territory with the aim of finding the assailants," the official said.

The armed Boko Haram movement is seeking to install an extremist Islamic state in Nigeria. It started its bloody insurgency in 2009.

In recent days, the group has been blamed for several clashes, abductions and killings targeting troops in northern Cameroon deployed to counter them.

More than 3,000 Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram attacks have taken refuge in the Cameroonian town of Fotokol, a municipal official said.

"We are worried about infiltrations" by the Islamists among the refugees, a police officer in the town said.

Courtesy:
NDTV