The police command in Borno has confirmed that five persons sustained injuries in an attack coordinated by Boko Haram insurgents in the Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Abdu Umar, confirmed the incident in an interview on Saturday in Maiduguri, the state capital.
He said the terrorists fired several gunshots targeting voters from the top of Mandara Mountains, adding that five persons sustained injuries in the attack.
Mr Umar said the victims comprised two females and three males.
“Efforts of the military within the area of responsibility helped in chasing the terrorists, forcing them to flee due to the superior firepower,” he said.
The CP said that normalcy has since been restored as the voting exercise continued while the victims were referred to the hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno (NECSOB) has expressed optimism about the turnout of voters in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
The group chairman, Bulama Abiso, who led a team of observers for the election, described the turnout as “encouraging”.
Members of the deadly terrorist group, Boko Haram, killed over 20 women labeled as witches in the Gwoza community in Borno state on Tuesday, November 15.
SaharaReporters reports that the deceased women were labelled as witches following the death of the children of a Boko Haram commander, identified as Ali Ngulde.
“Boko Haram commander, Ali Ngulde slaughtered about 20 women by slitting their throats after accusing them of being witches in Borno.
About 40 of them were abducted last week, over 10 were slaughtered in Gwoza town last Thursday and more than 10 were killed during the weekend.
The women were all suspected of witchcraft after the sudden death of the children of the jihadist group’s commander.” a military source was quoted as saying
A cholera outbreak in Hajj camp where about 12,000 surrenders are currently kept in Maiduguri, Borno state’s capital, has led to the death of about 25 people including 20 surrendered Boko Haram fighters.
Daily Trust reported that seven of these people died on Tuesday September 20, while 14 other causalities were recorded in the Hajj camp on Wednesday September 21.
It was also learnt that health workers with the support of Non-Governmental Organisations and the World Health Organisation are battling to control the fatalities.
A source told the publication;
“At least 20 Boko Haram surrenders have died as a result of cholera outbreak in Hajj and four others died in Bama camp.
Also, three reportedly died in the Muna Garage IDP camp. Nearly 1,000 cases have been reported so far, and hundreds are currently receiving treatments in various health centres.”
A top ministry of health staff who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed the incidents but claimed that only 11 repentant Boko Haram insurgents and three others in the Muna Garage IDP camp were killed by cholera, not 20 people.
The source added that the ministry and its partners are on top of the situation.
Seventeen Boko Haram terrorists including their family members have surrendered to the Nigerian Army in Borno State.
The terrorists surrendered with their weapons to troops of 151 Task Force Battalion deployed at Banki-Junction in Bama Local Government Area of the state.
The Army in a statement on Tuesday, September 20, said the terrorists surrendered due to renewed military onslaughts by gallant troops of Operation Hadin Kai.
“Profiling of the surrendered terrorists is ongoing,” the statement added.
The latest develoment is coming days after a chief executioner from Shekau’s faction, Bashir Bulabuduwaye, recently surrendered to the Nigerian troops.
Bulabuduwaye, alongside his wives and children, surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai stationed in Baking, Bama.
Apopular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, should be successful in their mission. Yabo, who said the prayer while reacting to Shehu’s comment on the terrorists’ threat, however, appealed to the kidnappers to release the innocent victims in their custody. He insisted the terrorists are free to kidnap Nigerian top leaders. SaharaReporters earlier reported how terrorists who abducted passengers of a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, in a viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufai and some lawmakers if they did not comply with their demands. But Shehu while reacting to the threat had said that the “terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world.”
In response to Shehu’s statement, the Islamic cleric berated him (Shehu) for simply describing the threat as prograpanda. The cleric accused Shehu of being insensitive to the unfortunate plight of kidnapped victims. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Yabo prayed for Shehu to fall into the hands of the kidnappers, “I pray they kidnap you, Garba Shehu, and demonstrate as propaganda.” “We are praying for you kidnappers. May God grant you success in carrying out your threats to kidnap those people. But please release the innocent people in captivity. “If these were the kind of people you have been abducting all this while, we wouldn’t have bothered ourselves. We would instead pray and bless you because they have become a disaster [to us]. “These are people who promised heaven and earth, and now they have the opportunity but became incompetent. Take them to the bush and flog them, instead of humiliating innocent citizens who are striving to make ends meet.
“And please make good your threats, and we will support you with prayers.”
The Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, on Thursday charged Nigerians to defend themselves against the Boko Haram insurgents, bandits, and other criminal elements in the country.
Doguwa, who made the call at the plenary in Abuja, insisted that security agencies had failed to protect Nigerians.
The lawmaker was reacting to Monday night’s attack on the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train by terrorists.
At least eight persons died and several others were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by terrorists in the train went off and forced it to derail from the track a few minutes into the trip.
Doguwa urged Nigerians to organise themselves in the form of civil defence, and protect themselves.
He said: “Mr. Speaker, I arise to speak in the capacity of the majority leader who of course is the ambassador of the government on this floor.
“When you have a government in place, the major responsibility of that government, especially a democratic one that was elected by the people, is to ensure the safety of lives and property of the innocent citizens.
Mr. Speaker, when things like this continue on a daily basis, those of us who are representatives of the government become speechless. We become speechless here to defend actions by the government. This is an elected government, under a popular democracy but day in, day out, there are killings, massacre and armed robbery all over. Left, right and centre.
This is a report from just one local government out of the 774 — Giwa local government, and the case of Giwa is not just a new case.
“Giwa has fallen coincidentally in a state (Kaduna) where you have the representation of the Nigerian military and other security agencies. Why should this thing continue to happen?
“The government in this case has to rise up to its responsibility. Call a spade, a spade. If it is about funding, each of us here knows we have never had any cause to contemplate funding our security agencies. I believe our relevant committees are following up in terms of implementation of such funding through our budget, their oversight processes.
“Why should things continue this way? We are here for the Nigerian people and we must speak for Nigerian people. We can not sit down here and fold our arms; see our electorate being killed by the day.
With all sense of responsibility, with all sense of commitment, with the fact that yes, even after this world we shall all rise to answer our fathers’ name in the next world to account for actions. I think Nigerians should at this moment be allowed to also take arms.
“Nigerians must be allowed to take up arms in defence of their innocent souls, defend their hard-earned resources and properties because it is like a monumental failure.
“If the agencies of security have failed, then Nigerians should not be seen as failures. Let Nigerians organise themselves in the way of civil defence. Let them organise and raise defence for their innocent souls because if the responsibility of the government and the security agencies cannot be carried out democratically, then let’s go to the jungle.”
The United States has blacklisted six Nigerians for supporting the Boko Haram sect.
The spokesman for the US Department of State, Ned Price, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Washington.
The decision, according to the statement followed the prosecution and conviction of the individuals in the United Arab Emirates for supporting terrorism.
The statement read: “The United States is designating six individuals for their support of the terrorist group Boko Haram.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added Nigerian nationals Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad to the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Boko Haram.
“Today’s action follows the United Arab Emirates’ prosecutions, convictions, and designations of these individuals for supporting terrorism.
“The Department of State designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization on November 14, 2013.
“The Nigeria-based group is responsible for numerous attacks in the Northern and North-East regions of the country as well as in the Lake Chad Basin in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger that have killed thousands of people since 2009.”
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Thursday, briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the latest security situation in the state.
The governor, who addressed State House correspondents after the meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said over 30, 000 insurgents including members of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had so far surrendered to troops in the state.
He added that the state was relatively peaceful as the security agencies continued to take measures aimed at checking the activities of insurgents in the North-East.
The governor expressed optimism that the insurgency in the North-East would soon be a thing of the past.
The Nigerian Army claimed last year that at least 17,000 insurgents had surrendered to troops in the region.
Zulum said: “I briefed Mr. President on the status of Borno State as regards security as well as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and so far so good.
“I have been witnessing gradual return of peace in Borno State and I came to brief Mr. President on the ongoing massive defection of Boko Haram members. This time around, we have also started witnessing the defection of ISWAP members.
This is a welcome development and under a closed-door session we discussed a lot of issues and how the government of Borno State as well as the Federal Government will manage the ongoing surrender by the insurgents.
“As at now we have received nothing less than 30,000, from beginning of the year to date.’’
The governor disclosed that the government’s decision to engage the insurgents in dialogue had started yielding results.
He also commended the federal government for the heavy military deployment to southern Borno and expressed the hope that the northern part of the state would also witness similar deployment in a bid to restore peace and order in the state.
So far, so good, the objective has started yielding positive results. Apart from this also, in the Borno State, for example, as I told you last time, we had problems on the shores of Lake Chad as well as in Southern Borno.
“I’m pleased to inform you that there was a very heavy military deployment into southern Borno.
“And I hope such a deployment will also take place in northern Borno, with a view to clearing the ISWAP insurgents in Lake Chad.
“So, this has also yielded positive results.
“And then on the relocation of the two local Government Areas that last time, I said were not occupied by human beings, we are also doing very well with the military to see how we can return back the population,’’ the governor added.
Boko Haram insurgents have abducted an unspecified number of police officers at the police mobile training school in limankara Gwoza local government area of Borno State.
The training school was reportedly invaded by Boko Haram fighters on Thursday night with gun trucks.
The Punch reports that the assailants shot sporadically into the air before kidnapping the mobile police instructors.
The attack is coming seven days after terrorists were repelled by the Nigerian Army when its base in Gwoza was attacked.
Also, the Senate committee on Army led by Senator Ali Ndume paid a working visit to the theater command operation, Hadin Kai, in the area two days ago.
Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly invaded Tarmuwa, the headquarters of Babangida local government area of Yobe State.
Babangida is about 50km North-East of Damaturu, the state capital.
Sources told journalists the insurgents armed with anti-aircraft trucks and grenades stormed the town on Sunday evening and fired sporadically at security formations and communities.
The development forced residents to scamper for safety.
The insurgents also engaged troops of Operation Hadin Kai in a fierce gun duel.
However, the number of casualties in the attack has not been ascertained.
“The Boko Haram insurgents are currently engaging the troops in Babangida now. But we have mobilised heavy reinforcement to the town,” a source said.
In the wake of the mass surrender of Boko Haram insurgents, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has revealed the dilemma facing the administration over their reintegration into the wider society.
Zulum made this known on Sunday when he addressed military officers and community leaders at the Brigades in Gwoza and Bama, and community leaders at the palaces of the Emir of Gwoza and Shehu of Bama.
According to him, the situation required diverse stakeholders including representatives of attacked communities, to come together and critically review the pros, cons and implications of the surrender, in order to agree on a framework that was well-thought-out.
We (in Borno) are in a very difficult situation over the ongoing surrender by insurgents. We have to critically look between two extreme conditions and decide our future. We have to choose between an endless war or to cautiously accept the surrendered terrorists, which is really painful and difficult for anyone that has lost loved ones; difficult for all of us and even for the military, whose colleagues have died and for volunteers.
No one would find it easy to accept killers of his or her parents, children and other loved ones. In the last 12 years, we have been in this war, and we have lost thousands of fellow citizens.
“We don’t know the whereabouts of thousands of others; we don’t know whether they are alive or dead? In these 12 years, millions have been made homeless and many wealthy farmers, transporters and others have been rendered poor.
“In these years, we were able to cultivate maybe around 3% of the arable land, and as a result, our people became dependent on food aid amid donor fatigue and potential food insecurity, infact the repercussions of the Boko Haram crisis are enormous and as someone, who has been involved with assessment of the impacts and rebuilding efforts in the last seven years. I am in position to know the endless negative impact the Boko Haram has made in Borno,” Zulum said.
The governor said accepting Boko Haram had the risk of seriously offending the feelings of victims with the potential of civil rebellion, just as there was the risk that if Boko Haram fighters willing to surrender were rejected, they could join ISWAP to swell the ranks of fighters in the bush and the path of peace becomes narrowed.
“On my way travelling to Gwoza and Bama, I saw many people cultivating their farmlands by the roadside and this is an indication of emerging peace, which we have to sustain in order to salvage our people.
“However, as I said, we must come together to carefully analyse the two extremes and come up with a workable framework” Zulum explained further.
The Nigerian Army said on Friday at least 91 members of the Boko Haram sect and their families have surrendered to troops in the North-East.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
He said the troops of 202 Battalion took custody of eight insurgents and their families who surrendered at Ruwaza village in Bama local government area of Borno State.
These, according to him, comprised 10 adult females and 22 children.
The army spokesman added that the troops of Forward Operational Base operating along BoCobs-Bama road also arrested 20 terrorists and their families at Nbewa village in Bama LGA.
Nwachukwu said: “The surrendered families of the insurgents comprised 15 adult females and 26 children.
“The suspects all surrendered to the troops during clearance operations in the areas on July 29 following ongoing intense clearance operations by troops in the general areas.
“The children among the surrendering suspects have been vaccinated with polio vaccines, while the adult and female suspects, who have been documented and screened are currently undergoing preliminary investigations.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Boko Haram menace in Nigeria is due to the instability in Libya.
Buhari made the remark when he received the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr Mahamat Saleh Annadif, a Chadian, at the State House on Tuesday.
He urged countries in the West African sub-region and the Sahel to team up against insecurity.
A statement released on Tuesday, quoted the president as saying: “You are our neighbour. You have vast experience on matters affecting the Sahel, having served for five years in Mali. I hope you will get the countries to work together to confront the issues affecting them.”A statement released on Tuesday, quoted the president as saying: “You are our neighbour. You have vast experience on matters affecting the Sahel, having served for five years in Mali. I hope you will get the countries to work together to confront the issues affecting them.”
Describing the problems as “enormous; ”Buhari noted that “Boko Haram has exerted a heavy toll in terms of lives and resources on Nigeria and some neighbouring countries, while Mali equally has a large swathe of the country occupied by militants.
“I hope under the auspices of UNOWAS, you will help get the problems sorted out. Most of them have to do with the instability in Libya, and it affects all of us.”
Buhari promised Nigeria’s support to the Special representative to help him succeed in his assignment.
On his part, Annadif said he was visiting shortly after his appointment because he recognized the crucial role of Nigeria in West Africa.
He said he was quite familiar with the problems of the Sahel region and would depend on the help of Nigeria to succeed.
The Nigerian Army has begged Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, saying soldiers and the public are not happy people are dying.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Brigadier General A.A. Eyitayo, made the appeal at a feast organised for journalists by the Army on Sunday in Maiduguri.
Eyitayo, who is also the commander of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai, noted that the recent military onslaught against the insurgents dealt a decisive blow on the terrorists leaving their remnants in disarray.
He, however, pointed out that the Nigerian military was not happy about the bloody insurgency.
According to the Army commander, the reconciliatory move would avail insurgents the opportunity to enjoy rehabilitation and acquire skills to enable them to live a useful life in society.
The GOC also lauded the contributions of the media in the counter-insurgency campaign and urged it to enlighten the insurgents to see the light and repent from their wasteful ventures.
“We are not here for bloodletting. Nobody is happy that people are dying.
“Some of them (insurgents) are listening to the media, so it is good for us to appeal to them through the media to shun violence, turn up to seek forgiveness and reconciliation,” Eyitayo said.
According to him, the feast with journalists was to show appreciation of the media reportage of military operations in the state.
“For the past three months since I assumed duty in Maiduguri in this capacity, there has never been any bad report.
“This is to appreciate the media for positive reportage,” he said.
On his part, Mohammed Ibrahim, Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Borno, commended the GOC for carrying the media along and assured him of more support and cooperation.
Mohammed also lauded the military and other security agencies involved in the fight against insurgency for their sacrifices. He urged the military not to relent, adding that North-East residents were behind them.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria is largely fuelled by youth unemployment and poverty, noting that the “level of poverty is almost unimaginable.”
He said this in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, June 10, 2021.
According to Buhari, his government has done a lot to fight the terrorists but the problem in the “North-East is very difficult.”
He said he believes majority of the Boko Haram members are Nigerians after being told so by the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, who according to him, is working very hard and taking a lot of risks.
He noted that he recently changed service chiefs to re-energise the fight against Boko Haram and other security challenges.
Condemning the Boko Haram terrorists, President Buhari said: “You can’t kill innocent people and say God is great.”
He, however, added that his administration has recorded significant achievements, noting that Nigerians know the difference between when he came in and now.
The Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) has confirmed the death of former Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
ISWAP confirmed that Shekau blew himself up after refusing to surrender following the invasion of his hideout on May 19, 2021, Daily Post reports.
This was contained in a message from Abu Mus’ab Habeeb Bin Muhammad Bin Yusuf al-Barnawi, born Habib Yusuf, leader of the terrorists.
According to HumAngle, al-Barnawi, in an address on Friday, described Shekau as “the leader of disobedience and corruption.”
He said Shekau’s fighters rejoiced over his death, adding that the former terrorist leader, who took over after the death of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, was apprehended “in the most humiliating manner.”
Speaking in Hausa, al-Barnawi said: “This was someone who committed unimaginable terrorism. How many has he wasted? How many has he killed? How many has he terrorised? But Allah left him alone and prolonged his life. When it was time, Allah set out brave soldiers after receiving orders from Amirul Muminin [leader of the believers].”
ISWAP, which broke away from Shekau’s Boko Haram faction in 2016, disagreed with the late extremist leader over his excessive use of force, especially on Muslims in areas under his influence.
He stated that the interim leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ordered them to take action on Shekau for deviating and killing “believers.”
ISWAP fighters then took their arms, travelled through the Sahara, went into Shekau’s enclave, and engaged in a gun battle with his followers.
“Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the afterlife than getting humiliated on earth. He killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive,” he said.
Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, says Boko Haram members are the ones behind the abduction of the students of Greenfield University, Kaduna state.
Bandits, had on April 18 stormed the school and abducted 22 students and a teacher. Five of the students have been killed by their abductors. The gunmen had threatened to kill the remaining 17 if their N100m ransom demand is not met.
However, Gumi, speaking in an interview with AIT on Tuesday, said Boko Haram members were behind the abduction.
When asked by the reporter if he indeed mentioned that Boko Haram were behind the abduction, Sheik Gumi said; ”Yes, really because when we tried to trace them and put some sense into them, the contact who is also a Normadic Fulani, they threatened him. They said if he insists on them they were going to catch him and he will have to pay ransom before he gets out.
And the leader is from Jalingo. He is from Adamawa. He is not the local fulani we have here. So this means that North-Eastern element is coming into this area and we have to move fast. We don’t have that luxury of time.
I have been trying to speak with government but nobody is really trying to listen to me or speak with me on this issue.
We are trying to pacify and remove this banditry and they are responding.”
Reacting to the decision of the Kaduna state government not to negotiate with bandits, the cleric said;
”Five souls were killed. Why? What amount of money is too big for us to save the lives of those five students, what amount of money? secondly, we can give them the money to get the boys out of danger then go after our money. Nobody is saying you shouldn’t find them..you can get the two back.
To say you will not negotiate with them and also not take action against them, I cannot understand that.”
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, on Sunday, assured that the war against insurgency in Nigeria would soon come to a successful end.
Attahiru, who visited the troops of the Nigerian Army’s Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole in Damaturu, Yobe State, assured them that Boko Haram would be defeated soon.
His words: “We have come to Yobe State to the sector headquarters to meet you, to get to know you and you to get to know us. We pledge to put an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.
“I will like to tell you that I personally, as the Chief of Army Staff, am here to take cognizance and note of the challenges you have and ensure that they are addressed to ensure you have the highest level of morale to be able to do your job and do it proudly as Nigerian soldiers.”
The COAS commended the troops for their success in Operation Tura Takai Bango, and how they fought the Boko Haram insurgents.
“We are proud of you and I believe in the second phase of that operation, you will do more,” he added. Meanwhile, he urged Yobe State residents to continue to help and collaborate with the security forces in their war against the insurgents.
The Nigerian Army has declared 12 officers and 86 soldiers missing in the wake of last week’s Boko Haram attacks on Marte and Dikwa local government areas of Borno State.
A signal dated March 1, 2021 from Operation Lafiya Dole Headquarters in Maiduguri, sighted by the Daily Trust, showed that the soldiers were declared as deserters.
It indicated that three majors, three captains, six lieutenants, three sergeants and 89 soldiers fled in the aftermath of the attacks on Marte and Dikwa.
The signal, signed by Col. A.O. Odubiyi, on behalf of the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, partly read, “I am directed to connect Reference A on above subject and to respectfully forward details of additional officers and soldiers who absconded from the defensive location during the BHT attack on New Marte and Dikwa.
“You are requested to declare the named officers and soldiers’ deserters WEF 19 Feb 21. You are also requested to cause HQ NAFC to freeze their accounts and apprehend/bring them under military escort to this Headquarters if seen within your AOR.”
When contacted last night for official reaction, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, told our correspondent that, “If Army has anything to tell the world, shall we wait for the media to prompt us? No! Well, if we have anything to tell the world on that, we will tell the world, we won’t allow you to prompt us.”
It would be recalled that Boko Haram fighters had dislodged Nigerian troops in Marte on February 14, prompting the troops to relocate to Dikwa.
The insurgents reportedly foisted their flags at Marte area after killing seven troops of the 153rd Task Force Battalion.
Thereafter, the terrorists waged another war against the troops in Dikwa on February 19 but were repelled.
Shortly after the attempted attack, the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru went to Dikwa and gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the troops to recapture Marte and other towns which they did.
A military source told Daily Trust that the case of the 101 soldiers that deserted was a source of concern.
“This case should not be seen as mutiny because they went different ways when they were dislodged by the insurgents. It is possible that some of them have been killed; some may have retreated to their main bases and others maybe on the run.
“This is not a new thing. It happens when military bases are dislodged,” he said.
Another military source familiar with the recent development said most of the deserters left in protest because the terrorists had superior weapons and not because they didn’t want to continue serving their country.
“The fact is that the weapons procured by the federal government between 2013 and 2014 have all worn out while others have been stolen by the terrorists during raids on military bases.
“Also, the terrorists have procured additional weapons from other sources which they are now using to take the war to the doorsteps of our troops.
“The terrorists also believe that they are fighting a religious battle and therefore are ready to fight all the time, confronting the troops with the conviction that they would either win or die. All these factors have collectively dampened the morale of our troops and the federal government must do something to revive it,” he said.
File photo of the graduation ceremony for Batch 4/2019 deradicalized former Boko Haram combatants at the ‘Operation Safe Corridor Mallam Sidi’ in Gombe State on July 25
Deradicalised Boko Haram fighters pick up arms again
Meanwhile, many deradicalised Boko Haram members have reportedly re-joined the group and picked up arms against the state, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State said.
Zulum, who is the Chairman of the North East Governors Forum (NEGF), said this on Wednesday in Bauchi during the meeting of the six governors.
He lamented that the Boko Haram terrorists have changed tactics and were becoming more vicious, saying the federal government should halt the deradicalisation exercise and prosecute all terrorists in order to end the over 11-year insurgency.
“It has been confirmed that the concept of deradicalisation or Safe Corridor is not working as expected. Quite often those who have passed through the Safe Corridor initiative or have been deradicalised, usually go back and re-join the terror group, after carefully studying the various security arrangements in their host communities, during the reintegration process,” he said.
Zulum also said most communities were not amenable to accepting the so-called deradicalised terrorists.
“The host communities where the reintegration process is going on usually resent the presence of Boko Haram terrorists, even if they have been deradicalised, because of the despicable and atrocious activities they have committed in the past.
“So the idea of deradicalisation, as currently being implemented, needs to be reviewed because the main goals and the underlying objectives behind the initiative are not being achieved.
“The best option is to immediately prosecute the terrorists, in accordance with the Terrorism Act. However, those people who, ab initio, were forcefully recruited but have been rescued or have escaped from the group, should be the ones to be subjected to the deradicalisation process.
“On the prosecution of terrorists, we must make effort to avoid the current encumbrances and intricacies associated with the process, which usually takes considerable time, by urging the appropriate federal authorities to devolve the powers of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation to state attorneys-general in order to facilitate the prosecution process,” he said.
While applauding the appointment of new service chiefs in his welcoming address during the meeting which is their fourth, Zulum said: “As it is now, especially in Borno State, violence, being perpetrated by the insurgents, seems to be on the increase, both in scope and viciousness; and it has become a matter of tactical necessity for the new service chiefs to devise new offensive strategies to counter the current attacks and forestall any future attacks.
“Undoubtedly, the commitment of our military to the war against the insurgency is unquestionable and their determination to succeed is undeniable, as they have considered and acted upon a full range of options to deal with the insurgency.
“However, with the current escalation of deadly attacks by the terrorists, the various courses of action being pursued seem to have some limitations in terms of the expected impact; hence the need for a new set of pragmatic and result-oriented initiatives to completely subdue the terrorists and ultimately end the insurgency.
North East govs mull regional security outfit
The North East governors have also considered the idea of a regional security outfit because of the rising insecurity in the region.
Zulum said the current escalation of deadly attacks by terrorists and the various causes of action being pursued to fight insurgents have some limitations in terms of the expected impact, hence the need for a new set of pragmatic and result-oriented initiative to be deployed to completely subdue the terrorists.
“On our part, in addition to the logistic and financial support we are rendering to the armed forces in their fight against general insecurity in the sub-region, we should also look into the possibility of forming a security outfit within the ambit of constitutional precedent and operational feasibility as has been done in other parts of the country,” he said.
He also reiterated his call on the federal government to seek support from mercenaries from neighbouring countries to enable it win the war against insurgents in the country.
“The government should also seek support from neighbouring countries such as the Republic of Chad, Cameroon and Niger with a view to providing a joint action that will look into the possibility of ending this crisis.
“The federal government has to look into the possibility of involving mercenaries with a view to ending this insurgency because it seems that the commitment is not there.
“Therefore, for us to end this insurgency, we must be committed enough, we must bring in external support to ensure that mercenaries are hired to end this insurgency,” he said
Earlier in his remarks, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State emphasised the need for standing up and fighting the insurgents so that after the defeated, they will not be able to regroup again.
“Our fight against insurgency must be total because by the time Maiduguri is subdued, then we are not safe here too. Security infrastructure must be put in place to be able to fight this war considering the sophistication of the terrorists.
“If we must be honest, the public opinion at the moment is that we have failed, that many of our people have resorted to self-help in order to get away from this despondency. We must accept the fact that the over-centralization of the security arrangement is an obsolete school.
“We will not just sit down and watch until terrorists overrun us, we must stand up to fight them, chase them away and ensure that our areas are well secured,” he said.
Learning a vocational skill is a must on DRR camp. Tailoring is one of it
Reservations about deradicalisation not new
Daily Trust reports that the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), had in November last year faulted the deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of the repentant terrorists, saying it was not in order.
Ndume’s words: “I am in disagreement with the government on the issue of deradicalising and reintegrating (repentant Boko Haram members). I still maintain that. You can’t be resettling people, pampering them while the war is on.
“The committee is on the same page and I believe many Nigerians are on the same page with this. In my village, mallams that are Muslims, not ordinary Muslims but mallams, elders above 60, were taken to an abattoir and slaughtered by Boko Haram. 75 of them,” he said.
The background
Daily Trust reports that the deradicalisation exercise is part of Nigeria’s Operation Safe Corridor aimed at facilitating the rehabilitation of ex-insurgents.
It was also part of the carrot and stick approach of the government towards ending the over 11- year Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions and destroyed their economy.
The initiative was first proposed at the Nigerian National Security Council (NSC) meeting in September 2015, after which repentant Boko Haram members were encouraged to surrender and embrace peace.
During their stay at the deradicalisation camps, such as the one in Gombe, they would be subjected to a combination of psychotherapy, art therapy and psycho-spiritual counselling.
They would also be subjected to skill acquisition programmes, offered certificate of “psychosocial normalcy” and then reintegrated into the society.
However, those against releasing the ex-Boko Haram militants said many of them ended up re-joining the terror group. They said that was partly responsible for the inability of the Nigerian security forces to end the crisis.
The Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abdulkarim Lawan has faulted the claim made by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), that all the 27 Local Government Areas in the state have been liberated from the stronghold of Boko Haram.
Lawan who faulted the claim on Monday while speaking at a Concerned Stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri, said that terrorists were in full control of the Guzamala Local Government Area of the state.
The lawmaker further stressed that the entire Guzamala Local Government area where he hailed from, is still under the control of the Boko Haram sect as there is no existence of civil life in the area.
“There is no single existence of civil life in Guzamala, not to even talk of Military presence in the Council Headquarter and its surrounding communities. All the area is dominated by armed Boko Haram Fighters,” Lawan said.
He also added that he has been agitating for military presence in Guzamala to enable his displaced people take advantage of Gov. Babagana Zulum’s move in reconstruction and resettlement, but to no avail, as Guzamala is still a ‘no go area’.
“We have a total of 774 Local Government areas in Nigeria, we in Guzamala Council want the Federal Government to tell us whether Guzalama has been cancelled out of the 774 so that we can know our position and look for the option,” Lawan said.
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