Photos: Boko Haram Raid Borno Town, Leave 55 People Dead.

Suspected members of the Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram raided the northeastern town of Bama on Tuesday, leaving 55 people dead, the military said on Tuesday. 

Boko Haram gunmen killed 22 police officers, 14 prison officials, two soldiers and four civilians, while 13 of the group’s own members died, military spokesman Sagir Musa said.

Gunmen freed 105 prison members during the raid which began at around 5 a.m and lasted almost 5hrs, Musa said. Bama’s police station, military barracks and government buildings were burned to the ground, witnesses saw.

Bama is a small, remote town in northeastern Borno state, where Boko Haram first launched an uprising in 2009.

The Boko Haram sect and offshoots such as the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, as well as associated criminal networks, pose the main threat to stability in Africa’s top energy producer.

Western governments are increasingly concerned about Nigerian militants linking up with other jihadist groups in the West African region.

Boko Haram wants to carve out an Islamic state in a country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims. One of its chief demands is that its imprisoned members and family members are released and it has carried out several prison breaks.

Violence in Nigeria’s north has shown no signs of letting up. Clashes between Islamists and a multinational force from Nigeria, Niger and Chad killed dozens of people last month.

A senator who visited the site said 228 people were killed, but the military puts the figure at 37.

Continue for more photos but viewers discretion is strongly advised…

Source: Sahara Reporters

Boko Haram Attacks Army Base, Police Station In Gashua, Yobe State.

Gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram early Thursday morning attacked security bases in Gashua Town of Yobe State shooting for hours and engaging security forces in a shootout.

Fati Umar, a female school teacher in Gashua, sent a text message at about 1 a.m. saying “please do pray for us! We are in danger.”

The spokesman of the peacekeeping Joint Task Force in Yobe, Lieutenant Eli Lazarus, confirmed the incident via a text message sent to reporters at about 12:35 a.m.

In his text, Mr. Lazarus said; “fighting is currently ongoing between JTF troops in Yobe State and suspected Boko Haram terrorists who attacked military location and the police station in Gashua town of Bade LGA. Other details would be provided later. Please acknowledge.”

185 Killed, 2000 Houses Razed In Borno Town As Soldiers And Boko Haram Fight.

At least 185 persons including women and children were reported to have been killed by either gunshots or fire after suspected Boko Haram gunmen engaged soldiers of the Joint Task Force in a deadly shootout that left the commercial border town of Baga in Borno State completely burnt down.

Local government officials said 185 persons died, at least 2000 houses, 64 motorcycles and 40 cars were burnt in the wake of the attack.

The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, visited the town on Sunday and was told by residents that soldiers were responsible for the torching of houses that led to the death of many.

It was also gathered that scores of others are currently hospitalised with various shades of burnt injuries.

Residents said most casualties, especially the aged ones and children, died as a result of the conflagration that engulfed the entire town.

Governor Kashim Shettima, who visited the town on Sunday, became emotionally drenched at the sight of charred houses, vehicles and how homeless residents took refuge in the bush.

The Commander of the Task Force, Brigadier General Austin Edokpaye, explained that the fire that consumed the town and resultant deaths should be blamed on the Boko Haram terrorists who opened fire on soldiers while hiding in the mix of civilians.

A local trader in Baga told also said that the attack started at about 8 p.m. on Friday and was continued the next day.

“Only God can understand what we have done to deserve this. But the soldiers were mindless that night in their approach; they killed and burnt our houses, chased everyone into the bush including women and children. So far we have buried 185 corpses. – some were burnt beyond recognition; others are hospitalised with various degrees of burns,” said the resident who begged to remain anonymous.

Governor Shettima who drove through the burnt town amidst heavy motorcade of security personnel condemned the incident which he said was a ‘nasty occurrence’.

At the town’s hospital, the governor had to commiserate with women, children and aged men receiving treatment for various degrees of burns caused by the fire.

Bashir Isa, a grocery merchant, had this to say, “Everyone has been in the bush since Friday night; we started returning back to town because the governor came to town today.

“To get food to eat in the town now is a problem because even the markets are burnt. We are still picking corpses of women and children in the bush and creeks.”

Brigadier General Edokpaye denied allegations by residents that the shootout was unprovoked.

We lost an officer during the attack on our men on patrol. We’ve received intelligence that some suspected Boko Haram members usually pray and hide arms at a particular mosque in town. It was around that mosque that our men were attacked with several of them injured and an officer died.

“When we reinforced and returned to the scene, the terrorists came out with heavy firepower including RPGs which usually has a conflagration effect,” the army chief said.

Governor Shettima pleaded with fleeing residents to return to their burnt homes as a committee had been empannelled to provide a palliative compensation for the loss they suffered.

He also called on the commander to “take full charge” of his operation and ensure he personally supervises his field officers from time to time “in order to avert such nasty incidences in the future.”

We Are Now Ready For Dialogue - Boko Haram Leader To Federal Government.

There appears a ray of hope for the Federal Government’s planned amnesty programme for Boko Haram sect members as a leader of the sect, Mohammed Marwan, has hinted that the sect is now ready for dialogue with the Federal Government.

According to the sect leader, the reason the sect ordered the release of the French nationals its members took hostage was to demonstrate its readiness for dialogue with the Federal Government on the way forward in the offer of amnesty.

Marwan, who was speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA) monitored in Kaduna on Saturday, explained that he ordered the release of the French nationals who had been in the sect’s custody for about two months after a meeting with 11 other top members during which the decision was taken.

He, however, warned that the agreement would be breached should the government continue its offensive against the sect members or attack any member of the Muslim community unjustly.

According to him, “Those that were in our custody for some time, I gave the directive that they be released on Saturday around 2.00 p.m. I gave the directive for their release as a result of some discussions we had amongst us. The discussions revolved around what the government came up with after their meeting with the Northern elders.

“That is why I ordered that they should be released and allowed to go without being handed over to anybody. I said a vehicle should be brought so that they go back to where they came from in-between Cameroon and Adamawa. It was as result of the many calls and the preparations ahead. That was why I gave that order after our joint meeting; 12 of us had met.”

Commenting on the amnesty committee set up by the government, Marwan said it was high time the government stopped what it was doing to the sect members and the sect too ceased fire.

“We thank Allah; we should all sit. They should stop what they are doing and we too should stop what we are doing. I also directed that no security official will be touched unless he touches us or the Muslim community; those who committed no crime, as we will revenge if they do that. But I have given that directive so that we would see how they will go about it. (So will it be) unless another confusion comes up again,” he said.

Boko Haram Is Not An Islamic Organisation – Governor Aliyu Of Niger State

Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, Tuesday condemned the activities of Boko Haram sect, saying the sect “does not represent Islam.”

Aliyu said this yesterday at the 2013 Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony organised by Leadership Newspapers in Abuja.

According to him, “Boko Haram is not a Muslim organisation. If a Muslim commits suicide, he goes straight to hell. If a Muslim kills another man without justifiable reason, the sin of that person is transferred to him. There is no compulsion to the religion of Islam”, he explained.

While appealing to Nigerians to tolerate their differences and live amicably, the governor called for devolution of power to Local Governments to bring governance closer to the people.

He bemoaned a situation where people sit down in Abuja “and plan for people they don’t know”.

Aliyu also urged politicians to promote internal democracy so that people would have the right to choose their leaders.

“Some people are a misnomer to the positions they occupy. People must be given chance to elect people they think can do better for them,” he said.

Aliyu, who is the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, advised ruling parties at the federal and state levels to tolerate the opposition.

He said, “If you have credible opposition, it will keep you on your toes. You will know you can’t take things for granted. You will know you need to consult with the people so that you can do the right things otherwise the opposition will come and take over. Those who do not appreciate the opposition have no business being in politics.” He added.

Boko Haram Is Not Nigeria’s Worst Evil - Aliko Dangote

Despite its bloody impact on national psyche currently, sectarian killings by extremist group Boko Haram, is by far, not Nigeria’s worst evil, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote believes.

peaking somewhat more of a businessman, keener about growing his expansive business empire than the insecurity around him, Mr. Dangote said Nigeria’s notorious deficient infrastructure is far more of a headache than Boko Haram.

“I don’t have any issue with government raising money, that is, loan, so long as it is spent well. Beyond the issue of Boko Haram and insecurity, the greatest threat that confronts us is the threat of decaying and decayed infrastructure. And this is not just in Nigeria but in all of Africa, the greatest threat is infrastructure,” Mr. Dangote told journalists last Wednesday, his 56th birthday.

“Somebody was asked how he would operate in government and the person said he would face only two things – infrastructure and education. And he was asked what about the rest. He said with infrastructure, other things would follow. This is what I think confronts us as the greatest danger even beyond Boko Haram”.

Mr. Dangote said nothing hurts the economy more-and by extension jobs, security and others-than obsolete roads, railways, ports, power and others. He cited a dysfunction at the port:
“To clear a container in Lagos it would take about $1000 but in Brazil where they are not even efficient, it costs less than $100 to clear the same container.

“The issue which people seem to forget is that the last port we built in Nigeria, the Tin Can Island Port, was built in 1978 – look at the population of Nigeria at that time, the size of the economy, crude oil was being sold for about $9 and compare with the expansion of the economy and the population and people think we should still manage with the same facility?

“God forbid, some people were expressing fears about Third Mainland Bridge; God forbid I say, should something happen to that bridge, how would people move around in Lagos? Look at how difficult it is for people to move around now and it is being said that by 2020 Nigeria’s population would be about 200 million.”

We Will Start Retaliating Against Mosques and Muslims - MEND

Nigeria’s Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said it will start a bombing campaign against mosques and Islamic institutions, a week after the rebel group said it killed 15 security personnel in the southern oil-producing Bayelsa state.

“The bombings of mosques, haj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate will form the core mission of this crusade,” MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an e-mailed statement today. The campaign, codenamed “Barbarossa,” will start May 31, it said.

MEND may consider a cease-fire if the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Catholic Church and the group’s suspected leader Henry Okah intervene, according to the statement. The threat comes as the government of President Goodluck Jonathan battles Islamist militants in the mainly Muslim north and the capital, Abuja, in which hundreds of people have died since 2009.

MEND, the main rebel group in the the area, destroyed a Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) oil well in Nembe in southern Bayelsa state yesterday as part of an operation it calls “Hurricane Exodus,” Gbomo said.

Precious Okolobo, a Lagos-based spokesman for Shell’s Nigerian unit, said he couldn’t confirm the attack when contacted by phone today.
Claimed Attack

MEND said April 3 it would resume attacks in Africa’s largest oil producer after Okah was sentenced last month to 24 years in prison in South Africa. He was found guilty of 13 counts of terrorism, including a bombing claimed by MEND in which 12 people died in Abuja on Oct. 1, 2010.

On April 10, Nigerian authorities recovered 10 bodies of policemen killed four days earlier in an attack on a boat by gunmen in the oil-rich Niger River delta, Bayelsa state Police Commissioner Kingsley Omire said.

Three policemen and the boat driver jumped in the river in the southern state when gunmen opened fire and were later rescued, Omire said. The attack was claimed by MEND, which said it killed all 15 people aboard.

Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Chevron Corp. (CVX), Total SA and Eni SpA (ENI) run joint ventures with state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. that pump most of the country’s oil. Nigeria depends on crude exports for more than 95 percent of foreign income and 80 percent of government revenue, according to the Petroleum Ministry.

While Okah denies being a leader of MEND, he has said he commands the support of many armed factions in Nigeria’s oil region.

Attacks including kidnappings and bombing of oil installations by groups including MEND cut more than 28 percent of Nigeria’s oil output between 2006 and 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The violence declined after thousands of fighters accepted a government amnesty offer in 2009 and disarmed.

Shootout At Yobe Police Station Kills Nine.

Nigerian Islamists stormed a police station in the restive northeast on Thursday, sparking a shootout that left four officers and five insurgents dead, police said.

The overnight attack happened in the remote Babban Gida village of Yobe state, an area repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram, the Islamist group blamed for killing hundreds in northern and central Nigeria since 2009.

“They came to attack our station there early this morning at about 1:00 am and our men engaged them in a shootout,” state police chief Alhaji Sanusi Rufai said.

“We killed five of them but they fled with the corpses. Unfortunately, we also lost four of our policemen,” he added, labelling Boko Haram gunmen as the suspected culprits.

Police stations have frequently been among the group’s targets.

Boko Haram has said it wants to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, but the group’s demands have repeatedly changed.

Crippling poverty and frustration with government corruption are key factors fuelling the insurgency, analysts say.

Last week, Nigeria’s presidency said it would study whether an amnesty for the Islamists could help curb the unrest.

Boko Haram’s purported leader, Abubakar Shekau, dismissed any potential amnesty deal in an audio statement obtained by AFP earlier Thursday.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and top oil producer, roughly split between a mainly Muslim north and mostly Christian south.

"It Is We That Should Grant You Amnesty" - Boko Haram Rejects Amnesty.

The Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram has rejected the idea of an amnesty.

Last week President Goodluck Jonathan asked a high level team to look into the possibility of granting the militants a pardon.

The announcement was made via an audio statement believed to be from the group’s leader Abubakar Shekau.

In recent years Boko Haram has carried out a campaign of violence across northern and parts of central Nigeria killing at least 2,000 people.

According to the BBC, the group says its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.

Mr Shekau said his group had done no wrong and so an amnesty would not be applicable to them.

It was the Nigerian government that was committing atrocities against Muslims, he said.

“Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should grant you [a] pardon,” AFP news agency quotes him as saying in the Hausa language audio recording.

BBC Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says that northern religious and political leaders have been urging President Jonathan to grant an amnesty to the militants as they say the army’s response to the insurgency is not bringing peace.

The amnesty panel was set up by the president last week and includes senior military representatives, presidential sources said.

The move surprised many as President Jonathan had dismissed the idea of amnesty and dialogue, our reporter says.

In 2009, then-Nigerian President Musa Yar Adua granted an amnesty to thousands of militants wreaking havoc in the oil-rich Niger Delta in the south.

The violence fell dramatically but there are worrying warnings of further unrest in the Delta, analysts say.

US, Buhari Support Amnesty For Boko Haram.

The United States of America have announced its support on amnesty for Boko Haram.

On Wednesday, the Political Counsellor at the Embassy of the USA, Gregory Lawless, said it backed the Federal Government’s plan on the condition that amnesty was the solution to ending violence in the north and around the country.

“We think it is a positive development. We will work with Nigerian government as it develops its own policy approach as to counter violent extremism,” Lawless said.

“Security concerns in Nigeria would be addressed through our regional security cooperation working group as part of the Bi-National Commission.

“We are looking at a holistic approach to address the unmet grievances of the population, especially in the north.

“Through that mechanism, we think by broadening the scope of response to violent extremism, we believe that we will be addressing some of those issues in a more fundamental way.”

Lawless was speaking on the issue at a teleconference on US-Nigerian Binational Commission. He added that on another note, the US had not changed its disapproval of the state pardon given to former Bayelsa Governor, Dipreye Alamieyeseigha.

“The situation has not changed,” he said.

According to reports, U.S. Department of State spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, recently spoke in Washington.

“We see this as a setback for the fight against corruption, and also for our ability to play the strong role we’ve played in supporting rule of law and legal institution-building in Nigeria, which is very important for the future of the country obviously.

“We have made clear to Nigerians that this puts a question mark on the kind of work that we’ve been trying to do with them.

“We haven’t yet taken the kinds of steps that you’re suggesting Matt (the reporter who asked the question), but we’re continuing to look at what’s appropriate.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, former president Muhammadu Buhari has thrown his support behind the federal government efforts at exploring the feasibility of granting amnesty to Boko Haram members in the interest of peace.

Buhari said this yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State while on a visit to condole with Mrs. H.I.D Awolowo, the matriarch of the Awolowo family, whose son, Oluwole, died recently.

“This is not the first time amnesty would be given to a violent group, you remember it happened in the time of Yar ‘Adua when he granted amnesty to militants in the Niger Delta. Whatever that would bring us peace as a society, we should do it,” he said.

Gunmen kill 4 Borno State Govt Officials.

Armed men, suspected to be members of the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram, killed four officials of the Borno State Government who were on official visit to Schools in the state.

The officials are members of the state school feeding committee that were on a tour of schools in the state.
The victims include; Mr Tijjani Mafe - Chairman, feeding committee programs in public schools, Modu Kura Gubio – Accountant, The Driver and a yet to be named Committee member.

The terrorist laid ambush on the vehicle of the committee members at Logomani Village near Bama Town, 89km from Maiduguri and shot them dead. 

May their souls RIP.

Boko Haram Gives Federal Government New Conditions.

A leader of the Boko Haram sect, Muhammad Marwan, has said that if the Federal Government would not blackmail or deceive them as was done in the past, they will be ready to avail themselves for dialogue as was initiated by the Northern Elders Forum.

Marwan spoke in an interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA) monitored in Kaduna on Tuesday, adding that he was speaking on behalf of members of Jamatul Ahlus Sunnati lil Daawati wal Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram, on the call by Northern Elders Forum for amnesty for the sect members.

“We thank Allah, we will extend our hands for dialogue to the northern elders just as was done before under my leadership. But if they come there shouldn’t be any deceit in it as was experienced in the past,” he said.

Marwan, who said they were yet to be contacted on the issue of amnesty, however agreed that dialogue was the most important thing in settling matters between aggrieved parties and hoped that a genuine and sincere discussion would eventually lead to amicable resolution of the dispute.

His words: My hope is this, everyday, it is the government that is seeking for this ,on matters pertaining to everyday life, we thank Allah our hope is that there shouldn’t be any deceit, let them come for it. This dialogue is the most important, it is what people want, anytime the issue of dialogue comes in, it is what people are looking for to settle matters between two warring factions.

“Nobody contacted us on this amnesty and we did not contact anybody also. What I’m saying now, truly you are talking with Muhammad Marwan and those that sat with me in the past, will definitely know that you are talking to Muhammad Marwan. I hope if they come through the right channel just as they came to us in the past, Allah willing, they will achieve the desired result. I am assuring the Muslim community particularly in the North, the desired result will be achieved but they should pray so that there will not be any blackmail and deceit on the government’s part as was experienced in the past. This should be their prayers,” he said.

Similarly, an analyst on Boko Haram issues currently in Washington DC for a course, Hamza Idris also spoke with the VOA Hausa Service on the proposed amnesty for the Boko Haram members, saying it’s a good intention but urged that there were certain matters that have to be looked at critically.

“For example it’s a person who believes he has offended that you can now tell that he has been forgiven. That’s my believe in the years that I’ve been writing on the Boko Haram. This is because the sect members still believe they have been offended, that the Federal Government offended them and therefore, if it comes to forgiving, it is they , if they wanted, that will forgive the federal government and not the government to forgive them. “

“Their thinking is what have they done? Like all these security breaches, in their opinion they feel it is like a revenge on what was done to them in 2009. The killing of their leader, destroying their mosque and dispersing the sect members. The government said that all their activities are not recognized by law.

“So when they decided to retaliate, they said they don’t even believe there is anything like government or leadership in the whole of Nigeria. So if you are granting amnesty to someone who doesn’t even recognize your existence, then there is a missing link. They don’t even believe in the existence of the Federal Government so it is something ambiguous to say you are granting them amnesty.
“But in my understanding, there are certain things that should be done. If you look at the past few months, their leader, Abubakar Shekau and those talking for the group have been explaining certain things ,if these things will be carefully looked at, if honest people will be engaged, religious leaders and so on, if people that will not bring the issues of politics will be involved, it will not be a surprise to achieve success.

“First and foremost, the kind of ideology they adopted is independent,on what pertains to religion. If you look at the constitution ,it gives people the freedom of worship. But when they were dispersed, they were denied the freedom to practice their kind of religion. When their mosque was destroyed, anybody who comes out and professed their kind of religion will be dealt with, security agents will arrest him and say the federal government is not in support of that religious creed.So it is therefore necessary to sit down with them and discuss these issues toward resolving them.

“Secondly, many of the sect members have been arrested and detained in prisons, military, police and other security camps like that of the SSS. They explained that it will not be possible to sit down with you for dialogue when everyday, your members are being arrested and detained.

“They also talked about their little children, wives that are detained and they believe in the whole world, nowhere is a war fought and children with their mothers are arrest and taken to unknown destinations. These are important issues that should be put on table to deliberate and find the solution.

“Also, this talk of nobody knows them, they are ghosts etc, it is an important problem that should be resolved. For example, the President had said he won’t grant amnesty to ghosts, and now he agreed to grant the amnesty to ghosts. This is difficult problem, in my opinion that statement should be changed, it should be now there are some sect members in detention and we are going to start discussing with them. If the talks are genuine and sincere, perhaps it won’t be difficult to achieve result.

“Many of them are detained, some in Abuja, some in Maiduguri, many were taken to other towns in the South. If you are talking of the youth, they are countless. If for example there was a raid in Maiduguri,40 to 50 youths will be arrested at a time .Weapons will be displayed that they belonged to the youths. So if such things are happening, the idea that no one knows them does not even arise. If you will arrest 40 and claim to have discovered certain weapons from them, them the idea of saying you don’t know them shouldn’t arise,” he said.

Northern Leaders Now Fighting Over Boko Haram Amnesty Money.

The Arewa Consultative Forum and two prominent Northern leaders on Monday disagreed on the composition of the committee on amnesty for the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

While the two activists – Mallam Shehu Sani and Dr. Junaid Muhammed – are of the view that nothing worthwhile would come out of the amnesty, the ACF thinks otherwise. One group is focusing on the larger picture, the other is looking at the material benefits.

Mallam Sani, a respected activist and Executive Director of the Civil Rights Congress, told Punch that the process so far adopted by the Federal Government for the amnesty committee is faulty.

He said, “Before the amnesty, there must be first and foremost, a committee accepted by the government and also recognised by the sect. Now, setting up a committee that is constituted by friends of the government and security agents will not be accepted by the insurgents. All committees that had been set up in the past were dismissed by the insurgents.

“And again, if you have a committee to serve as a mediator, it should extract a commitment to a ceasefire for at least six months and within this period, issues about victims of Boko Haram could now be addressed.”

Mallam Sani said those who attended a meeting that formed the amnesty committee at the Presidential Villa last week are “government apologists” who knew little about Boko Haram and its mode of operations.

He went on to warn that, “If we are not careful, we will fall into a trap where hundreds and billions of naira will be paid to people who are not part of the insurgency. As far as I am concerned, this amnesty is not going to work and it is very likely that the group will dismiss the amnesty."

It was further gathered that those who have set their eyes on the money they will make from the "faulty" process are assuring President Goodluck Jonathan that all is well. But how far would this go?

Source: Punch

How Boko Haram Planned To Bomb Third Mainland Bridge.

THE security and intelligence community chiefs that talked about the vigilance that prevented the planned attack of Lagos three weeks ago failed to disclose to the public the magnitude of weapons the masterminds of the terror act had deployed for the failed operation and the main target, The Guardian’s inquiries have revealed.

The Guardian Intelligence Unit learned at the weekend from the authorities concerned that apart from the deadly weapons uncovered, the arrested attackers’ main target was the strategic Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

According to revelations at the weekend, the attackers surreptitiously conveyed the weapons to Lagos inside some of the numerous fuel tankers that ply major roads to Nigeria’s former capital and indeed Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre.

The Guardian learnt at the weekend that indeed the Federal and Lagos State authorities were quite startled that the masterminds of the planned terror act could pile up weapons of mass destruction in Lagos, generally considered the safest haven for investment at the moment in Nigeria.

It was learnt that the Lagos State authorities, including the governor, were shown the illegal arms that the security and intelligence community’s interagency co-operation confiscated recently. “They were shocked, really shocked when they were shown the level of organisational capacity of the evil ones that planned to attack Lagos…” a top source disclosed last week.

In a related development, security chiefs that briefed the National Assembly top-shots last week about the reality of the planned attack of Lagos reportedly told the federal legislators that indeed the attackers had planned to attack Lagos to cripple the economy. Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. Former Head of State, the late Gen. Murtala Muhammed, had in 1976 recognised the strategic importance of Lagos even while he was announcing the creation of Nigeria’s new capital Abuja then.

His words in a national broadcast to the nation on January 3, 1976: “…Lagos will, in the foreseeable future, remain the nation’s commercial capital and one of its nerve centres. But in terms of servicing the present infrastructure alone, the committed amount of money and effort required will be such that Lagos State will not be ready to cope.

“It will even be unfair to expect the state to bear this heavy burden on its own. It is therefore necessary for the Federal Government to continue to sustain the substantial investment in the area. The port facilities and other economic activities in the Lagos area have to be expanded.

“There is need in the circumstances for the Federal Government to maintain a special defence and security arrangement in Lagos which will henceforth be designated a special area. These arrangements will be carefully worked out and written into the new constitution. Kaduna and Port Harcourt are to be accorded similar status and designated as Special Areas…”

The Guardian Intelligence Unit learnt that the security chiefs told the federal legislators and their presiding officers that some of the attackers captured had hinted that the plan of attack on Lagos was deliberate: to cripple the nerve centre of Nigeria’s commerce and industry, a city that plays host to the international air and sea ports so that Nigeria’s economy could collapse.

It was said that the insurgents had reasoned that since they had successfully crippled business operations in the North, there should be federal character spread of the destruction, as even the East and South-South geo-political zones too have been negatively affected by the insurgency and kidnapping. The federal legislators were said to have been alarmed by a revelation about the sense of urgency of the insurgents to hit Lagos “just to make Nigeria ungovernable for the present administration”, as it was revealed.

It was not clear at press time whether the Federal Government’s planned amnesty programme for Boko Haram insurgents has been partly influenced by the confirmed incursion to the unofficial commercial capital that makes the money that Abuja spends. It is on record that as critics of Washington DC often say, “New York makes the money that Washington spends”, so it is with Lagos that consumes about 60 per cent of the fuel that PPMC/PPPRC imports and the rest of the country shares the remaining 40 per cent.

The Guardian was told that the implications of targeting the very strategic Lagos Third Mainland Bridge have been worrisome to authorities at all levels. This is part of the reasons for the concerns in Abuja and Lagos.

The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of the three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland. The other two are the Eko and Carter Bridges. It is the longest bridge in Africa. The Third Mainland Bridge is a vital artery of the network of federal highways and commands high patronage in Lagos Municipal Area, as it connects two of the Lagos State’s commercial hubs, Victoria Island and Ikeja.

The bridge, which has about 350,000 daily users, is also a vital link to Lekki, Ajah and Epe communities. Midway through the bridge, there is a link to Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. The bridge starts really from Oworonsoki, which is linked to the Oshodi–Apapa Expressway and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island. Built by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the bridge was commissioned by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and it measures about 11.8 km in length.

The bridge posts huge economic relevance to the country as it saves commuters who shuttle between two of the Lagos State commercial hubs, Victoria Island and Ikeja, a lot of man-hours. It was said that the last repair of the important bridge cost the nation N1.055 billion.

It is feared that if Lagos Third Mainland Bridge is destroyed, Lagos and indeed Nigeria, are destroyed. It was estimated that the cache of arms seized from the insurgents about three weeks ago when it was reported that Boko Haram entered Lagos was capable of wreaking havoc on the vital bridge in the heart of Lagos.

Source: The Guardian

Boko Haram Rejects Amnesty Offer.

The members of the Yusufiyya sect popularly known as Boko Haram said that they will not accept the amnesty, which the Governor Elect Alhaji Kashim Shettima promised to offer them. 

The spokesman of the sect, who gave his name as Abu Dardam in a BBC Hausa programme monitored in Maiduguri, stressed that their reason of not accepting the amnesty is that they don’t recognise democracy as a form of government.

The group also faulted the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, saying that justice can only be found in the Holy Quran that is Shariya system of government.

Reacting the Borno state Commissioner of Home Affairs Information and Culture Mr. Hyeladi Inuwa Bwala, appealed to the group to see reason and embrace dialogue with a view to restore lasting peace in Borno state.

He said most wars and crisis in the world were settled mostly through dialogue, and therefore called on the group to see wisdom in the amnesty offer and come to a round table for dialogue. 

Why Boko Haram targets Lagos.

More facts emerged yesterday on the plot by Boko Haram to bomb Lagos. The main reason for the planned attack on Lagos, the “commercial nerve centre of Nigeria,” is its booming economy. The motive is simple: Attack Lagos and Nigeria grinds to a halt. One of the service chiefs reportedly confirmed at the Executive Session held with the Senate last Wednesday on the state of insecurity in the country that the threat to bomb Lagos was real.

He listed five reasons for the plot. The sect, it was gathered, reckons that the economy of the North is already in ruins with the incessant bombing of its major commercial cities including Kano, Kaduna and Maiduguri in Borno State. Kano is no longer the thriving commercial nerve centre of the North, while the Joint Task Force (JTF) occupies every 10 kilometres in Maiduguri, making commercial activities difficult.

Kaduna is also worse off as some bombings have shattered the peace and trust which hitherto existed among the different tribes in the city. The spate of bombings, they argued, has almost crippled commercial activities in the North as investors no longer look towards that region. Moreover, it was assumed that it would take more than 50 years for the North to bounce back economically.

While the bombings have heightened insecurity in the region, the economy of the South, symbolized by Lagos State, continues to boom. To ensure “balance,” the sect reckons that the South should also “taste and feel what is happening in the North. A National Assembly source told Daily Sun that the only target in the South is Lagos State which is believed to be the “honey pot of Nigeria. Bomb Lagos and the economy of the entire South would collapse.”

Recall that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Sa’ad Ola Ibrahim, Lt. Gen Azubuike Ihejirika (Army), Vice Admiral Ezeoba Dele (Navy), Air Marshal Alex Badeh (Air Force), and Mr. Ita Ekpeyong of the Department of State Security (DSS), took turns to brief the Senate behind closed doors last Wednesday.

The meeting lasted five and a half hours after which the Senate urged the security agencies to do more in addressing the spate of insecurity in the country. Senate reportedly convened the meeting with the service chiefs after some members suspected to be members of Boko Haram were arrested in Lagos.

Also recall that the DSS had late last month and with the co-operation of the military, arrested a Chadian suspect with two AK 47 rifles and suspected Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The arrest also led to the rounding up and deportation of about 100 aliens.

Source: Daily Sun

Keep Away From Schools Or Risk Attack - Boko Haram To Teachers.

Schools in Maidguri, Borno state capital in the past few weeks have been targets of members of the Islamic Terror group, Boko Haram, a development which forced many wards and teachers alike to stay away from the classrooms.

However, the situation has assumed a frightening dimension as the Islamic sect sent out warnings to primary and secondary school teachers in the town to stop going to school or risk bomb attacks.

It was learnt that some of the teachers received the warning Thursday morning while preparing for the day’s academic programmes in their various schools.
The teachers in schools around Kasuwa Guza Road in Lamisila Ward, Maiduguri, were sternly warned by the group to stay away from school or risk attacks.

The teachers, who were said to have been accosted on their way to school, were said to have been shocked by the threat and quickly fled for their various homes.

Boko Haram Bomb Kills Members In Kano.

Two separate bomb attacks targeted at the Joint Task Force checkpoint at Maiduguri road and police check point at eastern bypass, both in Kano metropolis have claimed the lives of two of the suspected bombers of the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram.

According to the State police commissioner, Musa Daura, the explosive which targeted the JTF checkpoint was remote controlled and buried in the ground very close to the checkpoint.

Mr Daura added that the person that targeted the police checkpoint disguised as a water truck seller pushing a truck towards the checkpoint with one other person giving him cover on a motorcycle. However, on throwing the explosive, it hit the motorcycle rider and killed both of them on the spot.

The commissioner further disclosed that no police officer was killed or injured from the attacks, adding that four other people were arrested while attempting to attack the police after the explosion.

500 Boko Haram Suspects Arrested In Lagos.

No fewer than, 500 nationals of some neighbouring countries resident in Lagos, were yesterday arrested by the state police command in connection with Thursday’s arrest of two Boko Haram suspects at Ijora area of the state.

It was gathered that the arrests which was coordinated by operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau, SIB, and police divisions across the state, were carried out during raids of several locations in the state.

Also sources at the command said that the raid was reportedly ordered by the state Police Commissioner, Umar Manko, who asked his men to fish out suspected Boko Haram infiltrators into the state.

According to the police sources those arrested were detained at the Police Command’s Headquarters, Ikeja, where they were rigorously interrogated, documented and vetted.
Most of the arrested were later discovered to be Chadians, Nigeriens and Malians who had no proper documentation to stay in the country.

”We are waiting for the CP’s order on what to do with the foreign nationals who do not have any business Lagos” the source stated.

The National Vice Chairman, Arewa Youth Development Association of Nigerian, Shuaibu Dansudu, who was at the command headquarters, to secure the release of some Hausa residents of Oke-Odo Market, Ile-Epo and Oja commended the police for making efforts at ensuring that members of the deadly Boko Haram sect do not infiltrate the state.
Dansudu however, asked the Federal Government to do all it can to ensure that the sect’s insurgency was put to an end.

”Government needs to do all it can to ensure peace in all parts of the country even if it requires granting them amnesty. We cannot continue to live like this,” he pleaded

Meanwhile, residents of Oyegbemi Street, at Ijora 7up area of the state where two Boko Haram suspects were arrested have commended the security agencies for apprehending the suspects.

Oluwa Idowu, a resident whose uncompleted building is situated next to the area where one of the suspects was arrested, urged landlords in the state to properly vet their would-be tenants before letting their apartments to them.

”I was shocked when I heard the news but I am not familiar with the man because he just moved in three months ago. But I am grateful to God that he was arrested before he succeeds in carrying out his plans. But this issue is an eye opener to landlords and home owners in this state.

BOKO HARAM SPOKESMAN ARRESTED BY SSS

Nigeria’s State Security Service SSS has captured the spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Abul Qaqa.
Abul Qaqa, who often speaks to journalists after Boko Haram attacks is said to have been tracked using his mobile phone.

According to an SSS officer, “It was a landmark feat that was achieved through collaboration with various stakeholders,” he said.

“Qaqa is a senior member of the Shura (Supreme Council) of the sect and his arrest is probably the biggest ever made by security forces since after the death of the leader of the sect Mohammed Yusuf in 2009,” the SSS source said.