Boko Haram: We under siege again – Chibok LG Chairman

The Caretaker Chairman of Chibok Local Government Area of Borno state, Mr. Yaga Yarkawa, has raised alarm over renewed attacks perpetrated by Boko haram terrorists.

He said the sect attacked Thlaimaklama village over the weekend and that hundreds of people have been displaced.

Yarkawa said Boko Haram burned down houses, looted foodstuff and livestock, warning that Chibok is again under Boko Haram siege.

Yaga Yarkawa spoke to our Correspondent Monday night in Maiduguri where he had gone to receive food items donated by the State Government for onward delivery to the displaced people.

He said, contrary to claims by the military that Chibok is safe, there have been series of renewed attacks in communities including Kuburmbula, Tsilari, Kamdzilari, Kuburnvwu , Kautikari, Kwada, Buftari and Kakulmari villages bordering Damboa and Sambia forest.

He recalled that the latest attack on Thlaimaklama village saw Boko Haram cart away food items loaded in about 15 vehicles after setting ablaze three vehicles and several houses without confrontation.

The chairman pointed out that apart from recent attacks on the communities, the terrorists have resorted to burning of farm produce of his people, who were eagerly waiting for harvest.

Also speaking on the renewed attacks, leader of vigilantee group in Chibok, Commander Aboku said that “the boko haram terrorists are always on the move and this makes it difficult to effectively monitor and apprehend them with ease”.

He stressed that, just last week in the course of their operations, the vigilantes were able to dislodge some of the terrorists, killing two with recovery of two AK47 rifles and a Hilux vehicles mounted with anti aircraft gun.

Aboku called on the Military to intensify efforts by giving the vigilantes free hands to operate, as they know the terrain of the Sambisa forest and the general operation area of Sambisa, Chibok and Gwoza local governments better.

SOURCE: Dailypostng

Boko Haram 'has no problem' moving to central Nigeria as offensive strangles northern stronghold

Offensive has scored Some successes, but intelligence warns insurgents fleeing to Taraba state.

The Boko Haram terror group has waged a seven-year-long insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria, killing thousands of people. The conflict, which first erupted in 2009, has also spilled over into neighbouring countries, sparking a grave humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad basin region, where 2.6 million people are currently displaced.

In addition to its own military operation Lafiya Dole against the insurgents, Nigeria is now leading a regional offensive – consisting of 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin – to tackle Boko Haram.

The offensive has scored some successes, such as the recapture of key territories and the release of thousands of civilians held captive by the group.

The Nigerian security forces are also succeeding in foiling most of the attacks planned by Boko Haram, renowned for kidnapping civilians and forcing them to carry out suicide-bombing missions.

However, an unwanted consequence of the military offensive in Nigeria's north-east is the possible relocation of the militants to other states in the country.

Earlier this week, Shehu Saulawa, Taraba state director for Nigeria's state security service said the terrorists were fleeing into the central-eastern state, seeking a shelter from the military offensive. Saulawa added security operatives had trapped and arrested some of the terrorists.

Root causes of terrorism

Although Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari declared a technical victory over the fight against the insurgents in December 2105, Boko Haram still carries out attacks, with security experts warning that underlying issues such as disenfranchisement, poverty and strong links with Islamic State (Isis) would continue to pose major threats to stability in the region.

David Otto, counterterrorism expert at UK-based TGS Intelligence Consultants, believes "a soft dialogue strategy" is necessary to end the crisis.

"Boko Haram will have no problems penetrating the central-south, although it could be more difficult to find a complex hiding place like in the Sambisa Forest," he said, referring to Boko Haram's last known stronghold.

"On one hand, the military offensive shows a mounting pressure from the government and security services, and on the other hand it spreads the movement beyond the confined zone of north-east, making it more difficult to deal with the group strategically.

"The window of opportunity and dialogue that led to the release of the 21 Chibok girls should be extended to include a dialogue for disengagement," Otto, who is also a senior adviser for Global Risk International, continued. "The security system in place is insufficient to stop a spill-over to the central. These groups know the terrain and also understand the weaknesses of the security architecture."

In September, Nigeria launched an "inter-ministerial taskforce" to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the northeast of the country, where 65,000 people are at risk of famine.

"Nigeria has been providing food support, reintegrated healthcare, shelter, psycho-social support, and access to water and sanitation amenities for those in need. We are also engaging highly respected community and religious leaders to discourage vulnerable youth from being radicalised," Buhari said.

SOURCE:ibtimes.co.uk

Boko Haram would not exist if I was President – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the Boko Haram insurgency would not be a challenge to the country if he was President of Nigeria.

Abubakar said this in Yola yesterday at the distribution of relief materials to over 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at American University of Nigeria (AUN) drawn from all over IDPs camps across Adamawa State.

The distribution was part of programmes lined up to commemorate Atiku’s 70th birthday celebrations.

The relief materials were also distributed at Saint Theresa Catholic Church and the Jamatu Nasrul Islam Headquarters in Yola.

According to Atiku: “If you recall, while we are in office in 2002, such a small uprising ,very similar to this Boko Haram, reared their head in Yobe State. We smashed it immediately.

“We never heard anything about it again, until we left government.

“So I think it requires a steadfast leadership, a leadership that is decisive.”

Atiku stated that he would have used all at his disposal to ensure that Boko Haram did not strike in any part of North-Eastern Nigeria and other places in the country.

Atiku regretted that Boko Haram took over seven of the 21 local government area of Adamawa, adding that what he did to prevent Boko Haram from completely over running Adamawa State is between him and Almighty God.

The Turaki Adamawa stated that the Adamawa Peace Initiative was put together to ensure peaceful coexistence of Adamawa State and its people.

In her remark, President of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Margie Ensign lauded the philanthropic efforts of Atiku Abubakr for sustaining Adamawa Peace Initiative for almost five years since creation.

“Nobody ever assisted us within the period under review, in providing succour to the vulnerable like Atiku did,” she said.

SOURCE|: DAILYPOSTNG