Chibok girls not among 900 people rescued from Boko Haram - Cameroon

Cameroon said on Monday that schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok, kidnapped by Boko Haram last year were not among a group of 900 hostages liberated by the country's army.

"The people that were freed are just villagers. The schoolgirls who are missing are not amongst the group," Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakari told Reuters by telephone.

Last week's hostage release raised hopes that some of the girls might be among the group.

The army also said it killed at least 100 Boko Haram fighters in the operation as it seeks to strike back after a series of attacks, not least in its Far North region.

The freed hostages were driven in crowded open-topped trucks to the town of Maroua in the Far North at the weekend and given food aid and water by regional officials, Reuters television pictures showed.

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Military Arrests Another Wanted Boko Haram Suspect

The Nigerian military has reportedly arrested another wanted Boko Haram suspect, Abdullahi Abubakar along the Borno-Adamawa border on Friday.

Abubakar, who is number 58 on the list of 100 wanted Boko Haram terrorists recently released by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was arrested by the vigilant troops at the Uba Askira area along the border of Borno and Adamawa State.
It is learnt that the suspect is currently undergoing interrogation at an undislosed military facility.

The Brigade Commander of the 28 Task Force Brigade in Mubi, Adamawa State, Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, who confirmed the arrest said the troops indeed arrested a Boko Haram kingpin, but refused to provide further details.

Source: DailyPost

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Another Boko Haram kingpin arrested in Borno, troops uncover rocket making factory

Troops of 7 Division Garrison, Nigerian Army have arrested a Boko Haram kingpin identified as John Trankil at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect said that nine of them were sneaked into Maiduguri armed with AK-47 assault rifle each and a Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city.

The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Yusha'u Mahmood Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed call for the troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious particularly at all check points, markets, worship centres, motor parks and schools.

In a related development, troops of 21 Brigade Nigerian Army, while on offensive operations on Boko Haram terrorists location, with the support from the Nigerian Airforce, discovered and destroyed the terrorists' Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and rocket making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno State.

The items recovered included gas cylinders, welding machine, pipes and poles. Others included locally made rocket shells, large quantities of assorted chemicals, unprimed IEDs and various technical and laboratory equipment suspected to be stolen from schools' laboratories around Bama before they were dislodged from the area.

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Borno residents express doubt that Buhari will end Boko Haram activities by December

Some residents of Borno state have expressed doubts that President Buhari will end Boko haram activities in the North East by December this year. In an interview with Nigerian Tribune, a resident of the state, Ma'aji Kolo, who is currently taking refuge in Maiduguri, said

"We love and supported Buhari, but we are getting confused because we hope and believe he has all it takes to end the Boko Haram madness, but today, we are more afraid that they might come back in full force to take over more towns and villages.

A lot of them have come into town, they are occupying Mobbar and Abadam local government areas. They are in Marte and Baga, soldiers are yet to engage them and are regrouping. We have complained through our leaders and nothing seems to be happening as to engaging them. We are afraid. For me personally, I don't think end is in sight looking at the December deadline. The last time the military told us to go back that they have liberated the local government, we went back and that was when I lost two of my brothers, when the Boko Haram attacked Munguno. I still feel bad for believing in the military and taking that decision. Now, they are urging people to go back again, but our people who are trapped in the local governments are telling us that all is not well," he said.

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Boko Haram: Ghosts of militants, haunt "liberated" areas in Nigeria's northeast

Life seems to be returning to normal in this northern Nigerian town a year after the army expelled the Islamist fighters of Boko Haram - shops bustle with customers and vendors hawk their wares in the pot-holed streets.

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to crush Boko Haram by December and the army has recaptured much of the territory the jihadists seized in their six-year-old campaign to carve out an Islamic state in Nigeria's remote north east.

But a recent surge of suicide bombings and hit-and-run attacks makes residents doubt there is any end in sight to an insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced 2.1 million. Boko Haram has killed more than 1,000 people since Buhari was elected in May on a promise to crush the group.

"We are afraid that they might come back," said Abubakar Idi, 60, a farmer who fled with his two wives and 16 children when Boko Haram captured Mubi in October last year.

"Anybody who has seen such a terrible thing must be afraid," he said, sitting in front of his single-storey house and recalling how Boko Haram fighters fired volleys of gunshots at random as they took over the town.

The insurgency is the biggest security challenge facing Africa's top oil producer, already grappling with a severe economic crisis due to a plunge in oil revenues.

Like thousands of other residents, Idi returned to Mubi, which lies close to the border with Cameroon, when the army started a counter-offensive which has accelerated in recent months.

Signs of fighting can still be seen, despite the buzz in the main market. Banks remain closed having been robbed by Boko Haram, while electricity is almost non-existent.

Schools have reopened in the town but many are still shut in the countryside as the jihadists burned the buildings and killed the teachers. Boko Haram, whose name means Western education is sinful, abhors secular learning.

PROGRESS

Diplomats say the army's performance has improved since Buhari took office pledging to "fix" Nigeria's legendary corruption and mismanagement.

The former military ruler has appointed a new army leadership and moved its anti-Boko Haram command centre to Borno state, where the jihadists started their revolt.

Residents say Buhari's anti-corruption drive has had an effect as army commanders are now less inclined to steal resources intended for the security forces, though it remains to be seen how long this trend will last.

Better cooperation with neighbouring Chad has helped the Nigerian government to regain several villages, although along-planned regional cross-border force is still not operational.

Residents say the soldiers no longer run away when Boko Haram arrive in their pickup trucks. "The difference is that back then if there was a report of an attack we all ran with the security men," said 55-year-old Mohamed Joda, who makes a living repairing bicycles in Mubi.

"But now they respond to reports of an attack proactively," he said. "The level of security is better than what it was."

Boko Haram, which never responds to the media except to deliver jihadist videos to local journalists, is trying to set up a state based on Islamic law. In March it pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which controls much of Syria and Iraq.

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Boko Haram: Police Officer's Son Among 100 Wanted Persons

One of the Boko Haram insurgents, whose picture was among the 100 most wanted members of the terrorist sect, is a son of a police officer.

The Punch reports that an unnamed police officer has said that one of the underaged Boko Haram members, paraded on the photographs by the military days back, is his missing child.

According to a senior security personnel, who spoke to The Punch on the condition of anonymity, the photos of the boys alongside others were released after they were seen in highly classified photos and videos with arms and ammunition. The boys were also seen with human limbs of victims they allegedly killed while in action.

Although the photos were released to make the free movement of the alleged persons difficult, it however also led to the startling revelation by a police officer that one of the children belonged to him. The children are listed under 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 and 99 in the 100 pictures of insurgents released by the Nigerian Army on October 29, 2015.

Acting-Director-Army-Public-Relations-Col.-Sani-Usman

The source said, "Nigerians should not be agitated about these pictures. The military authorities are not passing a sentence on the kids. They are declared wanted because they have committed heinous acts against humanity. All these people were caught with weapons. Some of them carried out gory activities too unpleasant to mention.

"The pictures are very necessary and they are serving a strong purpose. Do you know that a policeman saw his child among them? Many parents don't even know that their children are now fighting on the side of Boko Haram. The security agencies went a long way to get these pictures for a purpose.

"The military is going after them to arrest the minors, not to kill them. The motive is to prevent them from carrying out further acts against humanity."

Meanwhile, the Nigerian army has said it has overwhelming evidence against the 100 wanted terrorists whose images were released last week.

The army spokesperson Sani Usman said although the army would not divulge how it identified the suspects, he could only say that suspects were involved in some form of terrorist activity.

"No, I don't think we need to tell you how we came about them but the fact remains that they are Boko Haram terrorists suspects; they were involved in one form of terrorist activity or the other," Usman said.

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Boko Haram after guy who converted from Islam to Christianity

A 35-year old man, Raphael, has raised the alarm over threats by members of Boko Haram militants to kill him.

He also narrated how the Boko Haram sect burnt his stores, father’s house, offices, and thereafter killed one of his cousins, an undergraduate at the University of Maiduguri.

Trouble started when he converted to the Christian faith contrary to the wishes of his father, and other relatives.

A few months after my conversion to Christianity, I received several threats and warnings from the insurgents, telling me to revert to my former religion or face dire consequences,” he told National Mirror.

“I received written threats saying I could only run but could not hide, which I took to the Police and they told me they would do something about it, but nothing was done. If they had done something about it, I wouldn’t have received the second note that said I could only run but could not hide.”

“I was born in Maiduguri, Borno State, but my father was from Oyo State while my mother was born in Abuja. Both of them had been living in Maiduguri before I and my siblings were born. My father is a Muslim, and I was born into a Muslim home. I am into buying and selling of animal skins, a business I started after my National Diploma (ND) education at The Polytechnic, Ibadan in 2007/2008, and I have so many people working under me.

“In 2012, I lost my mum to illness, and towards the end of that year, I converted from Islam to Christianity. My father and all other Muslims around the neighborhood who knew my father were not happy with my conversion, because my father is one of the leaders of the Islamic group, Nasru lahi fathi (NASFAT) branch in Maiduguri.

I am a member of the youth association in Gwange ward, and I give them financial assistance and sometimes release my bus to them for developmental projects.
“I conducted my own investigations. One of my neighbours whose brother received the same notes because of his conversion a few years ago was killed by an unknown killer.
“My family members and I have been marked for death, and everyone in the community denied ever knowing me or my family because they said I was one of the people supporting the youth with finance and cars to protest against them and kill their members.”

Raphael, who released his image, further appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to intensify efforts so as to defeat the Boko Haram insurgents

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Meet the Boko Haram that was arrested today

Nigerian troops on Wednesday 23rd of September arrested scores of suspected Boko Haram terrorists including one of the Boko Haram kingpins in the area, Bulama Modu who happen to be the ‘Amir’ of Bulakuri (pictured below). The troops also rescued 241 women and children during the operation.

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Boko Haram Ambushes Buses, Kills Passengers

Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram militants on Friday resurfaced along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, where they waylaid two passenger buses and killed scores on board, security and witnesses said.

Confirming the incident through an SMS, the Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, Aderemi J. Opadokun, told Daily Trust that three passengers were killed in the attack.

“At about 1130hour on Friday, Boko Haram terrorists attacked a passenger vehicle at Malori village near Mainok in Kaga LGA. Two women and a man were killed. However, the situation was brought under control by troops in the area,” Opadokun said.

But an eyewitness said the victims were more than two, adding that their vehicle was able to escape the ambush.

“The gunmen who covered their faces with turbans suddenly appeared on the route, shooting a passenger bus heading to Maiduguri and another one going out of the metropolis,” he said.

“They ordered passengers on board to come down and shot some of them to death, while others ran for their lives,” he said.

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Busted: Producers of fake National ID cards for Boko Haram terrorists nabbed

The Nigerian Army said on Thursday that it had arrested two business center operators in Maiduguri who allegedly produced fake National Identity Cards for Boko Haram terrorists in the city.

Col. Tukur Gusau, the spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, made the disclosure while presenting the suspects to newsmen in Maiduguri.

“A business center around Post Office area in Maiduguri was identified as an accomplice of Boko Haram terrorists by producing National Identity cards and other documents for the terrorists,” Gusau said.

He said that this was in furtherance to the combined efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security organisations to counter terrorism and insurgency in the North-East.

Gusau said that the two operators of the centre, Mr Makinta Umar, and John Zakariya, were arrested after a suspected Boko Haram member confessed that the suspects were producing the ID cards for members of the terrorists group.

“The operators of the center were apprehended after a Boko Haram suspect earlier arrested, confessed to the Joint Investigation Center that the suspects were in the business of producing the ID cards for the terrorists group.

“Among the items recovered from the suspects were; computer laptops, memory sticks, still camera etc,” he said.

“It was discovered that the accomplices produce fake National ID cards and other documents for the terrorists in the business centre.

“These documents enable the terrorists to move freely to various destinations and carry out their terrorists activities killing and inflicting hardships on the law abiding citizens of the country,” Gusau added.

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Pictures: Nigerian troops arrest 33 Boko Haram food suppliers

The troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested 33 suppliers of foodstuff to members of the Boko Haram insurgents.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in an electronic mail on Wednesday that the insurgents were arrested around Azir-Wazikoro in the Damboa axis of Borno State.

He said the suspects were arrested with large quantity of foodstuff at Korode during an intensive patrol by the troops.

According to him, nine of the 33 suspects came from Korode, five from Auma, ten from Geargube, four from Bulbul and one from Dolomi.

"Intensive patrols and vigilance of troops have continued to yield positive results with the arrest of 33 suspected food suppliers to the Boko Haram terrorists in Damboa axis around Azir-Wajiroko road, Borno State.

"The 33 suspected Boko Haram accomplices were arrested with large quantity of foodstuff meant for Boko Haram terrorists at Korode.

He said while the  suspects claimed to be traders, they did not deny buying and selling items to the insurgents.

Usman said the Army had commenced investigation to uncover the level of involvement of the suspects with the deadly sect.

He stated also that the troops also discovered and destroyed some Improvised Explosive Devices planted by the Boko Haram insurgents at Sadia, along Korode Road.

According to him, the troops also rescued some women and children who were abducted by the insurgents at Buduwa general area of Bama Local Government Area which was under Boko Haram's occupation.

He stated that while the Nigerian Army had ensured the safety of rescued persons, it was also conscious of the possibility that some of them could be terrorists.

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Revealed: Boko Haram members want to swap Chibok girls with arrested bomb expert

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that one of the conditions given by Boko Haram for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls was for the Nigerian government to release one of the sect members with expertise in making Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the President stated this on Tuesday in Paris while responding to questions from members of the Nigerian community in France under the auspices of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO).

Mr. Buhari however said his government would not accept such a demand.

“They wanted us to release one of their leaders who is a strategic person in developing and making Improvised IEDs that is causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing people in Churches, Mosques, market places, motor parks and other places,” Mr. Buhari said.

He reiterated the administration’s readiness to negotiate – on certain conditions – with the terrorists for the release of the schoolgirls abducted since April 2014.

“The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy throughout the country and the world. The government is (looking into possibility of) negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership,” the president said.

Mr. Buhari, however, stated that government must first establish genuine members of the sect so that it would not make the mistake of engaging the wrong persons.

“It is a very sensitive development in the sense that first we have to establish, are they genuine leaders of the Boko Haram. That is number one.

“Number two, what are their terms, the first impression we had was not very encouraging,’’ the president said.

He expressed his administration’s worries over the continued stay of the Chibok schoolgirls in the hands of their captors, saying he was working tirelessly to get them released.

Mr. Buhari noted that the unfortunate incident had attracted global attention and sympathy within and outside Nigeria and government could not fold its alms over the issue.

“But, it is very important that if we are going to talk to anybody, we have to know how much he is worth.

“Let them bring all the girls and then, we will be prepared to negotiate; I will allow them to come back to Nigeria or to be absorbed in the community.

“We have to be very careful; the concern we have for the Chibok girls, one only imagines if they got a daughter there between 14 and 18 and for more than one and a half year, a lot of the parents who have died would rather see the graves of their daughters rather than the condition they imagine they are in.

“This has drawn a lot of sympathy throughout the world; that is why this government is working very hard in negotiating and getting the balance of those who are alive,” he said.

Mr. Buhari assured the diasporans that his administration was doing everything possible to improve on the state of the economy through provision of infrastructure in critical sectors.

The president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had, in July, confirmed the willingness of government to engage the sect in negotiations if they were ready.

The Nigerian Army spokesman, Sani Usman, was quoted in the media as saying that members of the terror group were surrendering “en masse” and that the regional offensive was recording fruitful results against the militants.

Some Nigerians, who fielded questions during the interaction with President Buhari, requested to know what government was doing to guarantee the plight of the disabled.

Questions were also asked about the possibility of diaspora Nigerians to vote during elections.

(NAN)

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I'm ready to give Boko Haram members amnesty - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari told newsmen on Wednesday that Nigerian authorities were talking to Boko Haram prisoners in their custody and could offer them amnesty if the extremist group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last year. Buhari added that he was confident “conventional” attacks by the group would be rooted out by November — but cautioned that deadly suicide attacks were likely to continue.

“The few (prisoners) we are holding, we are trying to see whether we can negotiate with them for the release of the Chibok girls,” Buhari said in an interview in Paris during a three-day visit to France. “If the Boko Haram leadership eventually agrees to turn over the Chibok girls to us — the complete number — then we may decide to give them (the prisoners) amnesty.”

Boko Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok on April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world. Fifty-seven escaped, but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video, dressed in Muslim attire and reciting the Koran.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they have all converted to Islam and been “married off”. Buhari, who has promised to stamp out the group’s bloody six-year insurgency, said the government would not release any prisoners unless it was convinced it could “get the girls in reasonably healthy condition”.

But he cautioned that negotiating with Boko Haram militants was fraught with difficulties. “We are trying to establish if they are bona fide, how useful they are in Boko Haram, have they reached a position of leadership where their absence is of relevance to the operation of Boko Haram?” he said.

‘Occasional bombings’ won’t stop

Boko Haram’s insurgency, which has claimed more than 15,000 lives and forced 1.5 million others out of their homes, has intensified since Buhari came to power on May 29 on the back of a historic election win. While it has lost territory it once controlled in northeastern Nigeria, the group has nevertheless stepped up deadly ambushes in its traditional heartland and across the border in Cameroon and Chad.

In August, Buhari gave a brand new set of military chiefs a three-month deadline to end the insurgency. He said Wednesday he was confident this deadline would be respected — but only on Boko Haram’s “conventional” assaults and not necessarily on the random suicide attacks that have killed hundreds since he took office.

“The main conventional attacks, where Boko Haram use armoured cars they took from Nigerian troops, or mounted machine-guns on pick-ups and so on, we believe by the end of the three months, we will see the back of that,” he said.

“What may not absolutely stop is the occasional bombings by the use of improvised explosive devices,” he cautioned. “We do not expect a 100 percent stoppage of the insurgency.”

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Breaking: Over 200 Boko Haram fighters surrender to Nigerian troops

Fresh reports reaching us has it that over 200 Boko Haram fighters have surrendered to Nigerian troops in Adamawa, according to Brig.-Gen. V O Ezugwu, Commander Task Force Brigade, Mubi.

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We are currently negotiating with Boko Haram - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that the Federal Government had begun negotiations with members of the Boko Haram sect to secure the release of the Chibok girls.

The President disclosed this while responding to questions from members of the Nigerian community in France under the aegis of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation.

Buhari said that he was worried by the continued stay of the girls in the camps of Boko Haram since April 14, 2014 when they were abducted by Boko Haram fighters.

The President noted that the incident had attracted global attention and sympathy within Nigeria, adding that his government could not fold its arms.

“The issue of Chibok girls has occupied our minds and because of the international attention it drew and the sympathy throughout the the world. The government is negotiating with some of the Boko Haram leadership,” he stated.

According to him, government has to first establish genuine members of the sect so that it will not make the mistake of engaging the wrong persons.

Buhari said, “It is a very sensitive development in the sense that first we have to establish whether they genuine leaders of Boko Haram? That is number one. Number two, what are their terms, the first impression we had was not very encouraging.”

The President said one of the conditions given by Boko Haram sect was to release one of its members who was developing Improvised Explosives Devices.

He, however, said that his government rejected the demand.

Buhari stated, “They wanted us to release one of their leaders who is a strategic person in developing and making IEDs that is causing a lot of havoc in the country by blowing people in churches, mosques, market places, motor parks and other places. But it is very important that if we are going to talk to anybody, we have to know how much he is worth.

“Let them bring all the girls and then, we will be prepared to negotiate, I will allow them to come back to Nigeria or to be absorbed into the community. We have to be very careful, the concern we have for the Chibok girls, one can only imagine having a daughter who is between 14 and 18 years there for more than one and a half years. A lot of the parents who have died would have preferred to see the graves of their daughters to the condition they imagined they were in.”

According to him, the kidnap of the girls has drawn a lot of sympathy throughout the world. This, he said, was the reason government was negotiating for the release of the girls.

President Buhari assured Nigerians in the Diaspora that his administration was doing everything possible to improve the economy through provision of infrastructure in critical sectors.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, had in July confirmed the willingness of the Federal Government to negotiate with the sect.

Adesina, who lamented that the insurgents, killed many people, said the Federal Government would not rule out negotiations with the sect, if it would lead to the end of terrorism.

The Nigerian Army spokesman Col. Sani Usman, a few days ago, said that members of the terror group were surrendering “en masse.”

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