Boko Haram Insurgency: MASSOB Leader Asks Ndigbo Living in The North To Return

Chief Ralph Uwazuruike who is the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has again requested Ndigbo residents in any part of northern Nigeria to relocate to Igboland with immediate effect so as not to fall prey to the raging Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

Uwazuruike who expressed worries over the constant killing of innocent Igbo sons and daughters doing legitimate businesses in the north, told reporters that, although it was painful for them to abandon their life-time investments in the north to relocate home, their lives were more precious than their wealth.

Speaking at the MASSOB headquarters, Okwe, near Okigwe, Imo State, the MASSOB leader regretted that his previous calls for his kinsmen to return at the beginning of the insurgency were not heeded, stressing that this accounts for why many Igbo sons and daughters have been killed by the insurgents.
He stressed that since the lives of Ndi-Igbo could no longer be guaranteed by the Nigerian security forces, the only option left for them was to return
home for now, warning that this might be his last time to make such a call.

Uwazurike recalled that the late Biafran war hero, Chief
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had similarly warned Ndigbo to return home before the outbreak of the Nigerian/Biafran civil war, adding that those who heeded the warning returned and saved their lives, while those who disobeyed perished with their investments.

DailyPost

Boko Haram Renders 650,000 Nigerians Homeless - United Nations

Attacks by Boko Haram in the crisis-hit northeast have forced nearly 650,000 people from their homes, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) said Tuesday, an increase of nearly 200,000 since May.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on its part reported that about 1,000 people trying to escape the fighting had fled to an uninhabited island on Lake Chad across northeastern border. "The group, mainly women and children, is in urgent need of food, water, shelter and
medical care," the UNHCR said. They reached the remote island of Choua on Thursday after fleeing a Boko Haram attack in their hometown of Kolikolia,
according to the refugee agency.

Chad has pledged to send two helicopters to the island to help evacuate the Nigerian refugees to a nearby area where they can be temporarily settled with host
communities, the UNHCR added. The refugee agency said it was sending staff to the area to coordinate the relief effort. Thousands have fled over Nigeria's borders into Cameroon, Chad and Niger seeking refuge from Boko Haram's relentless violence, which has killed more than 2,000 civilians this year and left scores of villages destroyed.

Relief workers have avoided setting up refugee or internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, but some fear camps may soon become necessary, especially in
Nigeria, as the security forces struggle to contain the escalating Islamist violence. OCHA said 436,608 people have been displaced in the three states - Adamawa,
Borno and Yobe -- that were placed under emergency rule in May 2013.

The agency put the IDP figure at 250,000 in May this year. Another 210,085 have fled their homes in areas neighbouring the state of emergency zone, bringing the total number of people displaced by Boko Haram unrest to nearly 650,000, OCHA reported.

ThisDay

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

United States Surveillance Planes Searching for Boko Haram Abductees Spot Girls in Nigeria

Recent U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.

The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven't been forced into
marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the release of
prisoners.

The U.S. aerial imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern Nigerians who have
interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram's most famous set of captives are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to have kidnapped. Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re- election in February, is under political pressure to secure the girls' release, with some people urging him to agree to a prisoner swap.
His government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls' lives, or a prisoner swap.
"We don't exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not in the cards," said Mr. Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati, last week in an interview.

In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open
field, said two U.S. defense officials. Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a different field.
When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence analysts say they don't have enough information to confirm whether the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.

They also can't say whether those groups included any of the girls the group has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are indeed those schoolgirls.
"It's unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space," said one U.S. defense official.
"We're assuming they're not a rock band of hippies out there camping."

A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls' release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor discouraged those efforts. Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.

"He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately," the adviser said.
"If true, it is cheering."
It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic of swapping hostages for money and
political gain.

Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in both Nigeria and
Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.
Now, the group appears to be testing the bargaining power of a group of girls who had been ordinary teenagers at a school—until their abduction on the night of April 14. That night, fighters with the Islamist insurgency—which is opposed to modern education—stormed a boarding school and drove 276 girls away hours before their final exams. Fifty-seven later escaped.

The captivity of the rest became a cause célèbre, prompting a Twitter campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, that was joined by notable figures including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also spurred Boko Haram's latest effort to get its captives released from crowded Nigerian prisons—a long-standing grievance. Three months after seizing the girls, Boko Haram's leader, Mr. Shekau, appeared in a video demanding a prisoner exchange. "You are saying bring back our girls," thundered the bearded gunman, before firing his AK-47 into the air. "We are saying bring back our men!"

Dozens of demonstrators still gather in the capital each day to press for the girls' freedom. Their rallies have become a referendum on whether Nigerian women particularly poor, young, Muslim girls— are valued by a government of mostly wealthy, elderly, Christian men.
Mr. Abati said Mr. Jonathan has worked tirelessly to win the girls' freedom.

It isn't clear how many of the girls Boko Haram can deliver. A former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, who has a history of contact with the group, has said some of the girls are likely dead or pregnant. Only about 130 of them—out of 219 missing— appeared in the sole video of the girls that Boko Haram has ever provided.

Meanwhile, the international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now carrying out just one
surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defense
officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.

Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram's ranks.
In July, four girls and women aged 16 to 22 hid in their bedrooms as Boko Haram fighters broke into their home in the town of Damboa, they each said in an interview last week. They feared they would be kidnapped.
When their aunt, Fatima Abba, argued on their behalf. The roughly 20 Boko Haram insurgents decided not to
kidnap them—and instead began to complain about the scores of schoolgirls they already have.
"They are always crying. They behave like children," Ms. Abba quoted the Boko Haram fighters as saying of the
schoolgirls. "We don't want them around."

Source:
WSJ

Nigeria’s 1,479 Illegal Porous Borders May Hamper Efforts To Curtail The Spread Of Ebola Virus

There are fresh fears that porous Nigerian land borders may thwart the Federal Government’s efforts to check
the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations revealed that the porosity of Nigerian land borders exposed the country
to the risk of the deadly disease.
At the last count, there are about 1,479 illegal routes into Nigeria through which smugglers, undocumented immigrants and terrorists have been infiltrating the
country.

Checks also show that port health officials, who are usually deployed by the ministry of health in border points, are not available at many of the unauthorised routes where individuals infected with Ebola virus could access the country without let or hindrance.

Findings revealed that the 114 regular border posts manned by immigration and health officers, were inadequate to protect the country from Ebola virus
which could be imported into the country through infected migrants and even documented visitors.

Although visitors to Nigeria are expected to possess the International Health Certificate (Yellow card), investigations show that most foreigners using the
international land borders do not have the document.
Investigations by Saturday PUNCH indicated that the Nigerian Immigration Service, with 23,000 workers, and other security agencies do not have the manpower, material resources and capacity to secure even the normal legal and massive borders and prevent
infiltration of the country by immigrants infected with Ebola disease.

Thus, infected persons, who do not show symptoms of the virus can easily enter through the land borders as the deadly Ebola disease may not be obvious to the
health officials and immigration personnel at land borders.

Nigeria, being a hub of economic activities in the West African sub-region, is an attractive destination for illegal migrants from Chad, Mali, Niger, Cameroun, Togo, Benin Republic and other countries.

Though the Federal Government had issued a health advisory to port health officers and the immigration service personnel, Saturday PUNCH’s investigation showed that they were not given enough equipment that could assist them in the task of identifying and
isolating infected persons coming into the country.

Ebola is an acute viral illness and often characterised by fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and
sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

Experts, including the Medical Director, Clinical Research Physician, United States, Dr. Hezekiah Adesanya, said that Nigeria was at the risk of the disease through land borders.

Adesanya said the Federal Government should set up Ebola quarantine centres at land borders like it did in airports.
He stated that the possibility of the disease spreading through land borders is worse than air and sea ports because more people preferred roads as a mode of transportation.
“Due to the long travel from Liberia to Nigeria in cramped and close proximity, potentially infected people have more time to interact and opportunities to
“touch” and therefore spread to co-travellers,” he stated.

Advising Nigerians going through land borders, he said, “Be careful and observe the same care; no touching of
anyone. If anybody manifests any of the symptoms, inform the driver, evacuate the bus and get the person to the nearest health facility which is to be isolated
immediately.”
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health should liaise with ECOWAS and the WHO to set up health posts along the ECOWAS highway.

On his part, the Vice -President of the Commonwealth Medical Association and former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said, “Indubitably, there is a possible risk of Ebola Viral Disease spreading to Nigeria on account of the highly active migration activities at all of Nigeria’s land borders, including the active and unrestricted movements of immigrants from afflicted African
countries such as Guinea, Sierra-Leone, Liberia and Ghana.”

He called for the re-orientation of the Nigerian border patrol and health staff as well as the strengthening of the disease surveillance mechanisms at the land borders.
Enabulele stated, “The spread can further be buoyed through contact by uninfected persons with persons
infected with the Ebola Virus following contact with infected bodily fluids, blood and blood products or the consumption of infected animal meat products by
unsuspecting persons migrating through Nigeria’s land borders.”

Courtesy:
Punch Newspaper

Boko Haram Kills Nigerian Army Captain, 8 Months After His Wedding

Members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic Sect, have killed Captain Benjamin Sule, a Nigerian army officer who just wedded eight months ago.

A close military friend of the late Captain Sule told SaharaReporters that Boko Haram gunmen killed the young, newly wed officer in an attack on a military contingent over the weekend.

“Captain Sule was killed in a battle launched by Boko Haram fighters against our troops between Saturday and Sunday,” said his military friend who is based in the Ikom Barracks in Cross River State. The officer, who provided wedding photos of Captain Sule, added that he and other friends of the deceased officer “received the news with utmost shock. He was killed between Saturday and Sunday, but we only got the information today [Monday].”

He said he and Captain Sule had been friends since their days in secondary school. The source said the Nigerian Army later posted Captain Sule to Cross River State. “It was from here that he went on a military duty to the Borno area.”

The source told SaharaReporters that he last spoke with Captain Sule a week ago. “We talked over the phone and he told me that he was fine, but said we should continue praying for him.”

The officer said he was distraught that the captain’s death has made a widow out of the young wife Captain Sule married in November 2013.

Our source disclosed that Captain Sule’s wife and family were aware of his death, even though the Defense Headquarters was yet to officially announce his death at the time of this report.

SR

Magnitude-5.3 Earthquake Hits South Africa, 1 Killed

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An earthquake shook buildings in Johannesburg and surrounding areas in South Africa's most populous province on Tuesday.
At least one person was killed and three were injured, medical staff said.

The magnitude-5.3 quake was centered in Orkney, 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
One man died when a wall of a disused mining building fell on him, said Werner Vermaak, a spokesman for emergency responders working in the Orkney area, a center of gold-mining operations.

Mine managers ordered the evacuation of workers from shafts and there were no immediate reports of casualties underground, Vermaak said.
Three people were hurt when the quake damaged a training center at a mine, said Phoka Sefali, a receptionist at a hospital in Orkney.

"The roof fell on them, but they haven't got serious injuries," he said.
Hospital staff were on standby, awaiting the outcome of safety checks on miners who were underground at the time of the earthquake, Sefali said.

Quakes are a concern to mining companies that operate around Johannesburg, the biggest city in
Gauteng province. Mining is a traditional pillar of industry in South Africa.

Lindy Sirayi, a guesthouse owner in Orkney, said the tremor broke glass lampshades and cracked a wall, and that dogs started barking during the quake, which lasted about a minute. Aftershocks were felt, but the electricity in the guesthouse stayed on, Sirayi said.

The quake was also felt in Pretoria, the South African capital, and Hartbeespoort, a nearby resort
town. The area has periodic, moderate tremors, though the quake on Tuesday was one of the strongest in recent years.

Courtesy:
USAToday

President Jonathan Using Third Parties To Negotiate With Boko Haram To Free Abducted Chibok Girls

The president of Nigeria disclosed Monday that his government is using third parties to talk to Islamist
extremists and try to secure the safe release of the 200 schoolgirls they kidnapped, saying military action could prove too deadly.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, President Goodluck Jonathan also said that U.S. help during the schoolgirls crisis has not produced any results.

“They have been with us for over a month, and we have not been able to get the girls out,” he said. “So you really see that the help has not yet resulted [in] something positive. I wouldn’t say they have helped or they have not helped. Basically they are there to help with intelligence gathering and so on.”

In Washington for an African leaders’ summit with President Obama, Mr. Jonathan directly addressed the
criticism both inside his country and abroad to his response to the terrorist group Boko Haram’s kidnapping of the girls from the town of Chibok in April, saying a swift military response likely would have resulted in the death of the children.

“We have not been able to get [an answer]. How do we get these girls out?” he said. “If it is to risk a few dead
bodies, it is easier. You can blast the place and carry the corpses. But is that what we have to do? So it is delicate, and that’s why we are proceeding with caution.”

Mr. Jonathan, who faces re-election in
2015, disclosed that he has authorized third parties to try to secure the girls’ safe release.
“Negotiations from Day One. We have set up a committee — what I call a dialogue committee — [for] the challenge we have in the north, even before the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. We have a team. And we encourage people to assist them. We do negotiate,” he said. “Quite a number of people have come with different information. We encourage them. But none of them have yielded any results.”

Nigerian and U.S. advisers to Mr. Jonathan immediately clarified his remarks after the interview, stating the Nigerian government was not directly negotiating with Boko Haram but instead using intermediaries.

“The president is not negotiating with Boko Haram. He is, however, encouraging dialogue between the sect and the government,” said Lanny Davis, a former Clinton White House adviser who has been advising the Jonathan administration on international media strategy related to the crisis.
“Recently, even before the girls were taken, he set up a committee to dialogue with Boko Haram. Currently,
there are third parties reaching out to Boko Haram to secure the safe return of the girls, and the administration is actively encouraging these backroom
initiatives,” he said.

The kidnappings fueled international outrage and spurred a social media campaign in the West with the
rallying cry of “#BringBackOurGirls.”
Mr. Jonathan, who belatedly accepted offers of help from the Obama administration to find the girls, said
American help hasn’t produced any measurable results.

Mr. Jonathan took baby steps on the carpet of his hotel suite to demonstrate the impact so far of the effort by the US and other global allies to help his country finds the girls — “one fraction of a centimeter.”
“It’s like when we are learning elementary physics in secondary school, and they will define ‘walk’ as ‘effort by distance,’” he said. “No matter what the effort, if you don’t move the load by a distance, the walk is zero. The effort I put, multiplied by zero, is zero. No walk. Yes, they are doing something, but no result yet.”

Mr. Davis, the adviser to President Jonathan, said Nigeria was appreciative of the help offered by numerous countries.

Washington Times

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

Emir of Kano - Muhammad Sanusi II Says Security Is A Collective Responsibility

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has said that the general public should not leave security matters to government or traditional rulers alone, even as he blamed insecurity situation in the country on poverty and illiteracy.

The emir who made the call on Monday, while speaking at a meeting of Kano elders, said ensuring adequate security in the society, should be collective efforts of all Nigerians.

His words: “If you see a 17-year-old carrying bomb, there is a need to ask ourselves a question; was she brainwashed because of illiteracy or how much was she paid because of
poverty.”

He, however, informed that his council had already met with Ulamas in the state over the situation.

Nigerian Tribune

Amnesty International Claims Nigerian Army Committed 'War Crimes'

Nigeria's army has committed atrocities in the north-east in its fight against Islamist militants belonging to Boko Haram, Amnesty International says.

The campaign group said it had seen "gruesome footage" including alleged members of the military slitting the throats of detainees.
The Nigerian authorities said such barbarity had no place in the military and promised to investigate.

Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.
Thousands of people have been killed in a series of bombings and assassinations in the north-east and in the capital, Abuja, this year alone.

Amnesty says footage obtained from multiple sources on a trip to Borno state, in the north, "includes horrific images of detainees having their throats slit one by one and dumped in mass graves".

The perpetrators "appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the "Civilian Joint Task Force" (CJTF), state-sponsored militias," the organisation adds.
"The ghastly images are backed up by the numerous.testimonies we have gathered which suggest that
extrajudicial executions are, in fact, regularly carried out by the Nigerian military and CJTF," says Amnesty
International Secretary General Salil Shetty.

The Nigerian authorities say they are "deeply concerned" about the footage in circulation, adding: "That level of
barbarism and impunity has no place in the Nigerian military."

Guardian

Defence HQ's Response To Amnesty International's Claims of 'War Crimes'

The Nigerian military takes the issue of Human Rights seriously and will never condone any proven case of abuse by its personnel. Military authorities are deeply concerned about the set of video footage being circulated and which unfortunately has also become reference data for Amnesty International in its report.

Much as the scenes depicted in these videos are alien to our operations and doctrines, it has to be investigated to ensure that such practices have not
crept, surreptitiously into the system.  The Defence Headquarters considers these allegations too grievous to be associated with Nigerian troops, considering the doctrinal and operational contents of the training
imparted to personnel on a continuous basis; emphasizing the importance of respect for Human Rights and dignity of human person as well as observance of humanitarian laws.

Notwithstanding the cases of impersonations that have pervaded the counter terrorism operations in Nigeria and many other related issues which cast doubts on the claims made in the video, the military authorities view those grave allegations very seriously, more so as it borders on the integrity of the ongoing counter-terrorism operation, which must be sustained in the interest of our national survival.

Consequently, the Defence Headquarters in addition to the already existing Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has constituted a team of senior officers and legal cum forensic experts to study the video footage and the resultant allegations of infractions in order to ascertain the veracity of the claims with a view to identifying those behind such acts. This will further determine and stimulate necessary legal action against any personnel or anyone found culpable in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The Nigerian Armed Forces cannot condone any action or inaction that tramples on the right to life of any Nigerian. The ultimate objective of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operation is the complete cessation of the heinous and barbaric activities of the terrorists and to stamp out every vestige of terrorism in our country with the application of international best practices in such operations.

It will therefore, be absurd for the Nigerian Armed Forces as an institution to perpetrate such unprofessional acts in the manner and level depicted in that video as alleged by Amnesty International.  Indeed, that level of barbarism and impunity has no place in the Nigerian military.  Respect for the sanctity of life is always boldly emphasized in our doctrinal trainings. It must thus be reiterated that the Nigerian military is a very well organized professional body of troops whose conducts in war and peace times are guided comprehensively by law.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria is conscious of the nation’s obligation to observe all rules, regulations and commitments in all activities, and wishes to reassure all Nigerians, the civil societies and the international community that it will not encourage or condone any form of human rights violation as depicted in the said video.

Nigerian Defence HQ

Countering Radical Islamic Extremism: The Niger State Example

On Tuesday June 3, 2014, the Niger State government dislodged members of a radical and controversial Islamic group, the Nibrassiya Huda Islamic sect, from Lapai, in Lapai Local Government Area of the state. The sect’s camp had been situated inside a forest on the outskirts of the town. In that raid, which was carried out by the military, no fewer than 240 members were dislodged.

The sect, led by Sheik Mohammed Abubakar, had become a menace to the public and the traditional institution of the town. Members of the sect had been accused of disturbing public peace by attacking people who did not share their views. Their members viewed other Muslim adherents as largely misguided and treated them with no regard. Indeed, the Etsu Lapai, Alhaji Umar Bago Tafida, had accused the leader of the sect of teaching and propagating wrong doctrines that have no root in Islam.

Before routing the sect from the location, the state government had, in May 13 this year, revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of the land on which the camp was situated and gave an eviction notice of two weeks to the sect.

This is not the first time the government of Niger state is taking proactive measures to stem religion extremism. In 2010, the government took a preemptive initiative against the Darul Islam group, led by Amrul Bashir Abdullahi, settled on the outskirts of the state. Earlier in
2009, the Niger State government had set up an interreligious body to promote peace and friendly living among the adherents of the various religions in the state.

The last three decades have witnessed a proliferation of religious sects and groups in Nigeria. Many of them have extremist orientation, including a propensity to violence.
The most problematic of these sects in Northern was the “Nigerian Taliban” which many think transmuted into the Boko Haram sect.

A review of the evolution of the Boko Haram sect and other violent religious movements shows that they pass through several phases, usually marked by radical and messianic doctrines. They may not initially espouse violence but as they become strong and institutionalised with a large and fanatical following, their leaders begin to take on the image of a messiah, called to create a world
without the social ills of corruption, drunkenness and prostitution. The bulk of those who flock to such groups are usually the dispossessed, the disturbed, those in trouble, those in states of hopelessness, those who seek a world free from the frustrations of ordinary life, and those in search of quick solutions to challenging problems. That is why many have linked the rise of Boko Haram, especially its capacity to recruit
persons, including teenagers, to the relatively severe level of poverty in Northeastern Nigeria.

Terrorist organisations capitalise on an environment in which their ideology resonates and smart, competent individuals are then motivated to act either with or on behalf of the organisation because they consider their grievances legitimate.

The likelihood of ideological resonance is greater when members of a community are desperate for justice, social agency, human dignity, a sense of belonging, or positive identity as they live in a variety of depressingly negative or outrageous social conditions.

Their intense outrage or hatred of a specific entity, because of their actions, translates into suicidal opposition to prevailing conditions and systems of authority. The extent to which the early apprehension of the emerging extremist groups in Niger State has saved Nigeria from housing additional terror groups may be a subject of speculation. But it is clear that preemptive measures are central to addressing the challenge of terror. There is always a need for
intelligence backed by prompt action.

Terrorism cannot be addressed by means of hard power alone. That is why several individuals and groups have called for a variety of strategies, including dialogue with the sect.
There is a need to improve conditions of life and mount campaigns to win the hearts and minds of the people and communities in those areas.
Such moves are important elements of soft power strategies. Dealing with terrorism requires preemptive measures like those taken by the Niger State government and more. We believe that if the Boko Haram had been apprehended as a small religious sect before it blossomed, it would not have become the Frankenstein monster that it is today.

We call on state governments to collaborate with the security agencies in intelligence gathering and in taking preemptive action against ‘shadow’ economies in their states. These may
be underground, covert, or illegal businesses that trade in small arms and light weapons, hard drugs, or religious groups that propagate hatred, violence and other destructive values. These provide the infrastructure for terrorist organisations to operate in.

Such economies make financing easy for terrorist groups and render their detection difficult.

Tribune

Former Army Chief - Ihejirika Recommends Re-deployment of Soldiers to Porous Borders, Asks Public To Volunteer Information To The Security Agencies

Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff , retired Lt.- Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, on Saturday called for the deployment of military personnel to the country’s
porous borders.

Ihejirika said such deployment would prevent illegal arms importation into the country.
He said the military would work hand in hand with other security agencies in preventing and arresting all those involved in the illegal business.

He explained that illegal arms importation posed threat to the country’s corporate existence.
Ihejirika also called on traditional leaders to complement the effort of the security agencies by sensitising the people on the need to be security
conscious and report dubious characters.

He said that the active support of the royal fathers would enable members of the public to come forward with information on bad eggs in the society.
He explained that since security officers could not be everywhere all the time, Nigerians should develop the habit of offering information that could lead to the arrest of insurgents.

Ihejirika said the Nigeria Army and other security agencies were in dire need of intelligence reports from members of the public.
He explained that such information would enable the security agencies to come out with a formidable security method for peace, progress and political stability.

DailyPost

Anxiety Mounts Over Whereabout of Detained Boko Haram Chief ‘Butcher’ - Muhammed Zakari

The lack of inter-agency coordination between security forces in Nigeria appears to be playing out again in
Nigeria as Police and military authority appears lost on the where about of suspected Boko Haram chief butcher, Mohammed Zakari.

The suspect was arrested on July 15 after a counter-insurgency operation in Balmo forest in Bauchi State, which was rated as the major armoury of the sect and has been undergoing interrogation in a police facility.

The inability to account for the where about of Zakari is coming few days after another suspected Boko Haram Kingpin, Farouk Abubakar allegedly escaped from custody.
Abubakar was arrested by the Nigerian troops in the Darazo-Jigawa operations early last month and was detained alongside 3 other members in 33AB Bauchi, but a report alleged that he escaped from custody on 25th July 2014.

The sad reality according to report is that the Military Police reportedly didn’t realize his absence in the cell until August 1.
While Farouk Abubakar is believed to have escaped from prison custody, nothing is known about Muhammed
Zakari. Is he alive or dead, no one can tell?

According to The Nation, a source claimed that the suspect was in Bauchi; another said he had been transferred to a secret location in Jos.
It was gathered that the tension over the suspect’s whereabouts was heightened by the fact that he had not been grilled by the military and other security
agencies.

A top security source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, confirmed that there was disquiet over
the fate of the suspect because the police did not state the extent of their investigation into his activities.
“No one can also explain who is keeping the suspect in the last two weeks. There are different claims on whether he is in Bauchi, Jos or Abuja,” the source said,
adding: “It could also not be confirmed whether he is still alive or dead during encounters. The situation is creating fears in the states under emergency rule.
“Those from these states have been raising concerns on Zakari’s actual status.”

It was also learnt that there were issues about the lack of coordination between the police and the military and
security agencies.
A military source, who spoke last night, said: “Well, the police arrested the suspect they should be in the best
position to account for his whereabouts.
“So far, we have not been involved in the quizzing of the suspect.”
Attempts to get official confirmation from the police last night did not yield results.

A text message to the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba, was not replied as at 8pm.

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