5/17/13: Nigeria: Casualties as military launch air strikes on Boko Haram strongholds

KANO  – Nigeria’s military on Friday attacked Boko Haram Islamist strongholds across the northeast, launching deadly air strikes on insurgent camps, the military said, while residents reported that forces had deployed in border areas to block the militants from fleeing.
Several thousand soldiers have spread across three northeastern states where President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency after Boko Haram seized territory and declared war against the government.

“There have been air strikes since Wednesday,” defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade told AFP, specifying that they were continuing Friday.

“Every one of their strongholds is under attack,” he said, adding that he believed “there are a lot of casualties,” without providing a figure.

The offensive is ongoing in all three states put under emergency decree, including Adamawa and Yobe, but Borno state is expected to see the most intense fighting.

Many have warned that there is a risk of high civilian deaths and Nigeria’s military has been accused of massive rights violations in the past, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

The operation is the largest against Boko Haram since 2009, when soldiers flooded Borno’s capital Maiduguri, killing more than 800 people and forcing the insurgents underground for a year.

In the town of Gamburu Ngala on the border with Cameroon in northern Borno, residents said that heavily armed troops and tanks arrived on Wednesday, sealing off previously unmanned border posts.

Northeast Nigeria, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, has porous borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger, with criminal groups and militants flowing freely between the countries.

“Since January the border posts have been abandoned…but now these posts have been taken over by soldiers,” said resident Haruna Garba.

Olukolade confirmed that forces had been sent to the region, but would not say whether the borders had been sealed.

Reports of Boko Haram’s presence in Cameroon first emerged in February, following the kidnap there of a French family visiting a game park near the Nigerian border.

The abduction was claimed by Boko Haram and the family was released in April.

Soldiers have surrounded the town of Krenuwa in Marte district, also in northern Borno and one of the areas where Boko Haram has taken power, chased away all government officials and removed Nigerian flags, residents said.

Abur Kullima told AFP Friday that he fled his home in Krenuwa in fear of the coming assault.

He said that after the state of emergency was declared in a national broadcast late Tuesday, Islamist gunmen began moving through the district trying to mobilise people “in preparation to face Nigerian troops.”

“I was so scared for my life and my family’s, which led me to decide to leave,” he told AFP from Gamburu Ngala, where he is staying with a friend.

Anyone who tries to leave Krenuwa is screened by the soldiers who have encircled the town, he said.

Boko Haram has become notorious for blending in with the local population, both in towns and major cities where they have carried out suicide bombings as well as gun and bomb assaults.

The group says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north, but its demands have repeatedly shifted.

Some believe it has sought closer ties to foreign extremist groups like Al-Qaeda’s North Africa affiliate, but most analysts believe its agenda is primarily domestic.

Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer but the population remains extremely poor and many of Boko Haram’s fighters are believed to be youths radicalised out of frustration with government corruption.

The conflict is estimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2009, including killings by the security forces

from VANGUARD

On May 17, 2013 ·12:26 pm

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Nigeria: JTF Repels Attack On Military Barrack in Munguno

The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) said on Sunday it repelled an attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on the military barrack in Munguno, Borno.
Munguno is about 200 km from Maiduguri, about two hours drive from the capital.

"Information available to JTF indicated that some suspected terrorists attempted to attack a military barrack in Munguno, headquarters of Munguno Local Government Area of Borno State on Sunday.

"The attack was repelled by the JTF troops at the outskirt of the barracks," JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, stated in a statement in Maiduguri.

He said that 20 of the attackers were killed during exchange of fire with the soldiers.

"The encounter led to the death of 20 suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

"Three four-wheel drive vehicles and eight motor cycles used by the suspects were destroyed and several arms and ammunition were recovered.

"The following items were recovered, seven AK 47 rifles, 10 rocket propeller grenade, two RPG Tubes, large quantities of assorted ammunition and eight assorted magazines," he said.

Musa said that the JTF had also arrested suspected masterminds of last week's bomb blasts in Maiduguri.

"In a related development, based on intelligence reports, a special operation was conducted by the JTF which resulted in the arrest of two suspected high profile commanders of the Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri.

"Those arrested were suspected to be responsible for the Feb. 28 explosions which coincided with the Progressive Governors' meeting in Maiduguri," Musa said, adding that the two suspects were being interrogated. (NAN)

from allAfrica/Leadership
3 March 2013

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Nigeria: 17 Boko Haram Members, Soldier Die in JTF Raids

A series of raids launched by the Joint Task Force (JTF), code named Operation Restore Order (ORO) in suspected camps of the Boko Haram sect, has claimed 17 terrorists and a soldier.
The task force, which confirmed the casualty figure yesterday, said the victims died during gun battles in two special operations supported by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter gunship.

In a statement issued yesterday by the JTF spokesman, Lt-Col. Sagir Musa, he said the raids were launched to dislodge Boko Haram terrorists' camps in Sambisa Game Reserve in Bama Local Government Area and Farin-Ruwa forest in South-West/East of Demboa Local Government of Borno State on Wednesday and Thursday.

Musa said the camps were properly sighted and fortified and had training facilities; armoury, accommodation, drugs store/medical, kitchen, vehicle holding area, latrine and water points (river).

According to him, the camps were used to conduct training and carry out recent attacks, killings and bombings in Maiduguri, Musari, Konduga, Biu, Bama, and Demboa communities.

Musa said, "Efforts by JTF troops to destroy the camps led to fierce exchange of fire that resulted in the death of 17 Boko Haram terrorists with one JTF personnel killed. The camps were destroyed and are being monitored. The following items were recovered: 6 Ak 47 rifles, 2 G3 rifles, 3 pistols, 1 rocket propelled grenade bomb (RPG), 1 RPG tube, 20 RPG chargers, 2 double barrel rifles."

"Others are 2,543 assorted ammunition, 33 assorted empty magazines, 3 laptops computers,10 assorted Motorola walkie talkies, 20 telephone handsets, 40 assorted primed IED canisters, 3 bags of rice and 2 bags of beans, 2 jerry cans of palm oil, 1 bag of salt, 1 generating set, and light green uniforms (sown and unsown)."

The JTF spokesman reiterated the need for local communities to give credible and timely information to the task force/ security agencies. He urged members of the public to pass any credible information to the JTF through the hot lines, which he gave as 080-64174066, O81-54429346.

from allAfrica/Leadership
By Sadiq Abubakar, 2 February 2013

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Nigerian army says 14 die in gun battle with Boko Haram

(Reuters) - Nigeria's military killed 13 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and lost one soldier on Tuesday in a gun battle in Maiduguri, the group's northeastern stronghold, the army said.

Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose sharia, or Islamic law, in Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

At least 32 people have now died in the northeast in the last week alone in violence presumed to be linked to Islamist militancy, the biggest threat to stability in Africa's main oil exporter.

"One soldier was killed by Boko Haram while the JTF killed 13 Boko Haram," Sagir Musa, spokesman for the military Joint Task Force, said on Tuesday.

The military in the northeast have in the past played down their own casualties in fighting with Boko Haram.

Musa said members of the sect had detonated a bomb at a JTF checkpoints in Maiduguri, and that all the deaths had occurred in the ensuing gun battle.

Maiduguri, a remote dusty town close to the borders of Chad and Niger, has been a hotbed of violence, directed mostly at the security forces, since Boko Haram took up arms in 2009.

Boko Haram's insurgency intensified after Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, was elected president in April 2011.

Jonathan has been unable to stop the rebellion despite waves of military offensives in the northeast and other parts of northern and central Nigeria where Boko Haram has a strong presence.

Western governments are increasingly concerned about Islamists in northern Nigeria linking up with outside groups, including al Qaeda's north African wing.

The Islamist group Ansaru, known to have ties with Boko Haram, appears to have become more active in recent weeks. It claimed an attack on a major police barracks in the capital Abuja last month, where it said hundreds of prisoners had been released.

The group, which has been labelled a "terrorist group" by Britain, has also said it was behind the kidnapping of a French national last week.

from REUTERS
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria | Tue Jan 1, 2013 9:23pm GMT
(Reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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Nigeria: One Cop, Four Insurgents Killed in Yobe Clash

Maiduguri — A policeman and four suspected members of the Jama'atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, were killed in Potiskum on Saturday during a fierce fight between insurgents and security forces, the Joint Task Force ( JTF) said in a statement yesterday.

Residents of Yindiski, a suburb along Gashua road in the outskirt of Potiskum, said the casualty figure may be much higher because they heard multiple gunshots for over four hours at Juma'a, a nearby settlement behind the Maximum Prisons Quarters in the area.

They said the shooting started shortly after a combined military and police troops cordoned a location and restricted movements of people.

A local said trouble started when some gunmen fired at a soldier and a policeman who were manning a checkpoint.

Spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant Lazarus Eli said a cordon and search operation was carried out at Yandiski where 59 suspects were arrested during the operation for interrogation.

"The JTF had an encounter with suspected terrorists. Four of the suspected terrorists were killed in the encounter. One policeman attached to the JTF lost his life and a soldier sustained injuries," he said.

from allAfrica/Daily Trust
By Hamza Idris, 31 December 2012

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Nigeria: 15 Killed in Potiskum in JTF, Boko Haram Gun Duel

Bauchi — A shootout in North-eastern Nigeria between security forces and members of Boko Haram sect has left about 15 people dead including a local police chief, the Associated Press (AP) has said.

This came as gunmen attacked a supply tug boat in the Niger Delta, kidnapping four foreign sailors in the latest attack that is increasingly becoming dangerous for shippers and oil companies.

Also, an unknown gunman yesterday killed three persons and injured five others in Bigi village, a suburb in Bauchi in what was described as an unprovoked attack.

However, it was gathered that the shootings took place in the city of Potiskum, which has increasingly become the scene of violent attacks by the sect.

Army spokesman, Lt. Eli Lazarus, said the attack began late Sunday night in the city and went on for hours after suspected sect members bombed a local police station and attacked a bank branch.

Lazarus said the dead included a police chief and 14 suspected Boko Haram members. Civilians have been killed in such shoot-outs before and Nigeria's military routinely downplays such casualties.

The identity of those who died could not be independently verified, though Lazarus said those killed had been carrying weapons and ammunition.

Lazarus said authorities only collected four corpses of the suspected sect fighters, as the other 10 "were dragged away by other Boko Haram members in order to hide their identity."

It was unclear the motivation behind the attack, though analysts and local security officials believe Boko Haram has funded some of its attacks through bank robberies in which sect members blow open bank buildings to steal the money inside.

The kidnap of the four foreign sailors, according to Associated Press, happened 40 nautical miles off the coast of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta on Sunday night, as the gunmen stormed the moving vessel, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said yesterday in a warning to other shippers.

The gunmen seized four workers and later fled, the bureau said.

It added that those remaining onboard safely guided the ship to a nearby harbor, the bureau said.

The bureau did not identify the shipper, nor the sailors.

However, a separate notice to private security contractors working in Nigeria and seen by AP identified the four hostages as foreigners.

In Rome, the Foreign Ministry confirmed the kidnapping, saying the four hostages were members of the crew.

A foreign Ministry official said three of the four were Italian.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information publicly, said he didn't know the nationality of the fourth hostage.

Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, was following the case personally, and the ministry was working with Nigerian officials to secure the safe return of the crew, the official said.

The official and the private security notice seen by the AP identified the vessel attacked as the Asso Ventuno, operated by Augusta Offshore SpA, a Naples-based shipping company.

The company's website says itdoes business with oil companies Total SA and Exxon Mobil Corp. in Nigeria.

A spokesman for Nigeria Navy, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, declined to comment on the issue.

Pirate attacks are on the rise in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, which follows the continent's southward curve from Liberia to Gabon.

Over the last year and a half, piracy therehas escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts.

Last year, London-based Lloyd's Market Association - an umbrella group of insurers - listed Nigeria, neighbouring Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category as Somalia, where two decades of war and anarchy have allowed piracy to flourish.

Analysts believe many of the attackers come from Nigeria, whose lawless waters and often violent oil regionroutinely see foreigners kidnapped for ransom. Increasingly, criminal gangs also have targeted middle and upper-class Nigerians as well.

Sunday's kidnapping is just the latest attack in the region.

On December 17, gunmen kidnapped five Indian sailors on the SPBrussels tanker as it sat about 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of the Niger Delta.

That came the same day gunmen abducted four South Koreans and a Nigerian working for Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. at a construction site in the Brass area of Bayelsa State.

Those workers were later released, though the Indians are still believed to be held by the abductors.

The gunman was said to have to have shot and killed the people at a local food joint.

A reliable security source told THISDAY that "the gunman entered a joint where people were eating and drink, he sat there and ate something and after, he shot three people. Some good Samaritans in the joint attempted to overpower him and arrested him. He used his gun to hit two people that also sustained injuries before he fled."

The source further disclosed that "all the five injured people have been taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abbas Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident, said, "Yes it had happened but all the people shot did not die they are in the hospital I don't know the number but I saw the signal."

Security operatives have beefed up security in the area to prevent further attack or break down of law and order.

from allAfrica/This Day
By Segun Awofadeji with agencies, 25 December 2012

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Boko Haram emir praises al Qaeda

By Bill Roggio - November 30, 2012 - LWJ

Boko Haram emir Abubakar Shekau, from a propaganda tape.

The emir of Boko Haram, the Nigerian terror group that has ties to al Qaeda, has praised the global jihadist organization, and said he and his fighters support jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Algeria, Libya, and Mali.

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, lauds and supports al Qaeda and its affiliates in a videotape that was released yesterday on jihadist forums. Shekau's speech, which was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, was issued in Arabic, which is an indication that he is seeking to appeal to both the wider jihadist community and al Qaeda's leaders. The 39-minute-long videotape includes numerous clips of Boko Haram fighters in training, as well as video of weapons seized by the group during raids.

Shekau repeatedly refers to the fighters in the jihadist theaters as his "brothers." He directly addresses "the soldiers of the Islamic State in Mali ... our brothers and sheikhs in beloved Somalia ... our brothers and sheikhs in Libya ... our brothers and sheikhs in oppressed Afghanistan ... our brothers and sheikhs in wounded Iraq ... our brothers and sheikhs in Pakistan ... our brothers and sheikhs in blessed Yemen ... our brothers and sheikhs in usurped Palestine, and other places where our brothers are doing jihad in the Cause of Allah."

Shekau warns "Britain, America, Israel, and Nigeria" that the killing of jihadist leaders and imams will not defeat the groups. He also refers to some of al Qaeda's top leaders who were killed over the past two decades, and notes that "jihad" did not end with their deaths.

"Don't think that jihad stops with the death of imams, because imams are individuals," Shekau says.
"Don't you see and think how many sheikhs and men were martyred, like Sheikh Abdullah Azzam [the co-founder of al Qaeda], Abu Musab al Zarqawi [the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq], Abu Omar al Baghdadi [the emir of al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq], Osama bin Laden, Abu Yahya al Libi [a top al Qaeda leader], Abu Yusuf Muhammad bin Yusuf al Nigiri [the former emir of Boko Haram], and others ...."

Shekau says that Boko Haram is "with our mujahideen brothers" in the major theaters of jihad in their fight against "the Jews and the Crusader Christians."

"We are with our mujahideen brothers in the Cause of Allah everywhere, in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Pakistan, Kashmir, Iraq, the Peninsula of Muhammad [Saudi Arabia], Allah's peace and prayer be upon him, Yemen, Somalia, Algeria, and other places that I didn't mention," Shakau says.

Shekau's videotape is very similar to tapes issued by Shabaab in 2008, when the Somali terror group was making overtures to openly join al Qaeda. Shabaab officially joined al Qaeda in February 2012, but the two groups had already worked closely for years, and al Qaeda leaders served in Shabaab's top leadership circles prior to the merger.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/11/boko_haram_emir_prai.php#ixzz2DnsAUDWo

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One soldier, three Boko Haram sect killed in Nigerian city

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian military authority said one soldier died on Wednesday during an exchange of fire with Boko Haram while three of the sect were shot dead in the troubled northeast city of Maiduguri.

Spokesman of the military led Joint Task Force (JTF), Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa told Xinhua that the soldier died during a special operation conducted in the metropolis which also resorted into the killing of three of the suspected Islamists while 31 were arrested.

"Based on information, a cordon and search operation was conducted at Bulabulin Nganaram area in Maiduguri metropolis at about 12:30 p.m., local time. In an exchange of fire, one soldier was killed, one injured and one immigration personnel missing in action," he said.

"Three Boko Haram men were killed, 31 suspected Boko Haram were arrested, one Ak 47 rifles, one G3 rifle and some quantity of assorted magazines and ammunition's were recovered," Lt Col. Musa added.

Militants of the Boko Haram sect staged an uprising in Maiduguri in 2009, attacking state institutions including prisons, police stations and schools. Hundreds of people have been killed ever since, either in the attacks or clashes with local security forces.

from XINHUA
2012-11-29 05:45:02

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Nigeria: Gunmen Attack Abuja 'Boko Haram' Holding Facility

Unidentified gunmen in a commando style raid, attacked the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) head office in Abuja around 2 am on Monday morning and freed many suspected terrorists.

The SARS facility is one of the centres that Boko Haram suspects are held in Abuja.

When contacted, FCT Police Commissioner Aderenle Shinaba assured that he will soon brief the press about the details of the attack.

A SARS operative, who does not want his name mentioned told Daily Trust that the attack started around 2 o'clock in the morning, and the attackers succeeded in freeing some of the suspects held at their detention facility.

He also told Daily Trust that although he could not ascertain the number of the attackers, two police officers were killed in a confrontation with the gun men.

He further explained that in the ensuing gun battle some of the freed suspects were recaptured while a few others escaped.

However, unofficial sources claim that over 10 people were killed in the attack and about 150 suspected terrorist incarcerated at the facility were freed, and are presently at large.

The SARS headquarters, along Apo Highway in Abuja, has since been re-fortified with detachments of mobile police men manning the front gate of the building and dotted all around the perimeter fencing of the facility.

Two Armored police vehicles have also been deployed to add more fire power to the fortification.

from allAfrica/Dailytrust
By Ronald Mutum and Misbahu Bashir, 26 November 2012

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Gunmen kill policeman, burn police station in northeast Nigeria

BAUCHI, Nigeria, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed on Sunday night while another injured by unknown gunmen who attacked a police station in northeast Nigeria's Bauchi State.

A Xinhua reporter in the state said the police station was later burnt down by the gunmen after the attack.

State commissioner of police Mohammed Ladan confirmed the attack to Xinhua in Bauchi, the state capital city.

A security source said that the gunmen came to look for arms and ammunition, but did not succeed as they were not able to get any arms.

from XINHUA
2012-11-12 16:07:51

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Nigeria: JTF Arrests Boko Haram Commander In Senator’s Home

A commander of the Boko Haram sect has been arrested by the military in Maiduguri, Borno State, Spokesman of the Lt-Col. MusaSagir, confirmed the arrest of the suspect yesterday.

In a statement he sent to journalists in Maiduguri, Musa said his men arrested “a notorious Boko Haram commander, known as  Shuaibu Mohammed Bama, who has been on the list of wanted terrorists group operating between Bamaand Maiduguri in a serving senator’s house (name withheld) along Damboa Road, Government Reserved Area (GRA) of Maiduguri, Borno state.”

Sagir said the arrest took place on Thursday at 11a.m. He added that “the suspected Boko Haram members launched multiple attacks at different locations of the JTF troops in Sinimari and Lagos streets of Gwange area and that all the attacks were repelled by JTF

He noted that a follow up was conducted on Friday which led to shootings and the recovery of two AK47 rifles, 55 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunitions, large quantity of Impoverished Explosive Devices (IEDs) materials and a notorious commander of the sect, one, Bakura Kulima a.k.a. Bin Walid was killed during the exchange of fire with troops.

A Chinese construction worker, three soldiers and 10 civilians were killed yesterday in Maiduguri as members of the Boko Haram held the town hostage.

Recently, three Indians, a Ghanaian were killed by insurgents in Gubio, It was gathered that the Chinese was shot yesterday morning by suspected terrorists at his company’s construction site and was rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

He was said to have given up the ghost on the way to the hospital.

The killing of the Chinese caused confusion in the town while Chinese nationals in the area ran for safety.

At the Lagos street axis where the Chinese was killed, bodies of two persons allegedly killed by soldiers in the milieu that followed were found on the street.

There were allegation that many houses were set ablaze by the ravaging soldiers forcing many residents of the area to flee.

In other parts of the town, eight civilians including a pharmacist, automobile technician and some traders were killed by suspected Boko Haram members.

Three soldiers were also killed when the terrorist attacked a military checkpoint in the town.

The pharmacist was killed at Old Maiduguri, while five persons shot dead at Bayan quarters and two others at Abbaganaram area in the yesterday morning.

from LEADERSHIP
by SUNNY NWANKWO
Sat, 20/10/2012 - 1:09am

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Nigerian Army: 30 Boko Haram Members Killed in Gunbattle

Nigeria's army says soldiers on Sunday killed 30 suspected Boko Haram members during a gunfight in northeastern Yobe state.

A spokesman says a senior aide to Boko Haram's leader was among those killed. Nigerian soldiers seized a number of weapons including rifles, knives and bows and arrows.

The army says it arrested 10 Boko Haram suspects who it says are helping troops track down other members.

There is no word on any army casualties.

Boko Haram is an Islamic militant group that is trying to set up a strictly conservative Islamic state in Nigeria. Authorities blame the group for killing more than 1,400 people. Churches and police are frequent targets.

from VOA News
October 07, 2012

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Nigeria's Boko Haram says no peace talks, spokesman arrested

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - The purported leader of Boko Haram, the Islamist sect in Nigeria, has denied government statements the group is involved in peace talks and has said its spokesman Abu Qaqa has been captured by security forces.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said the authorities were in dialogue with Boko Haram via back channels and that this was helping neutralise the threat the sect posed.

But Abubakar Shekau, the group's leader, said in a video posted on YouTube on Sunday that no such talks were going on.

"Let it be clear that we never sought dialogue or to sit down with government agents or representatives ... they (Nigerian leaders) will never know peace while they attack our members."

The sect is widely considered to be the biggest security threat in Africa's biggest oil exporter. It has been blamed for more than 1,000 deaths since its insurgency - which is aimed at carving out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria - intensified in 2010.

Shekau also said the sect's spokesman was being detained by the security forces.

"Our spokesman, Abu Qaqa is alive but with the security agents, but I believe strongly that after this message from me they may decide to kill him this night," Shekau said.

It was the first public statement on the matter by the militants since a raid, which it says led to Qaqa's arrest but not his death.

Senior security sources said on September 16 that troops had killed a man identified as "Anwal Kontagora, alias 'Abu Qaqa'", whose pen name is often used to claim responsibility for the sect's pronouncements from its base in the northeast of the country.

Shekau said security forces had also begun to arrest militants' wives. The release of sect members held by the security forces has been one of Boko Haram's main demands.

There were two bomb blasts on Monday in Maiduguri, the home town of Boko Haram in the remote northeast. One witness said seven soldiers had been killed in one blast but the military said only two of its officers had been wounded.

The military has often been accused of playing down the casualties Boko Haram inflicts, while exaggerating the number of sect members it kills and captures.

A recent military crackdown appears to have weakened the sect and there has not been a repeat of large-scale coordinated attacks seen earlier this year.

from REUTERS
Tue Oct 2, 2012 5:33am GMT

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Nigeria: Suicide Bombers Die While Heading For Kaduna Mosque

What could have possibly caused  another major havoc was yesterday averted when suicide bombers suspected to be heading to the famous Sultan Bello Mosque in Ungwa Sarki met their untimely death when the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) they were carrying exploded on them, killing two of the carriers with the third one is no where to be found.

According to an eyewitness, the bombers, who are three in number, rode on three different motorcycles heading to the Sultan Bello Mosque at Ungwan Sarki where thousands of Muslims assembled for the daily Ramadan Tafsir.

But the suspects could not beat the timing on the bombs, perhaps due to the series of security checkpoints along the route, thus they could not reach their alleged target before the bomb exploded.

The incident occurred at about 4pm at Abakpa directly opposite a bank and close to the NNPC Mega Station along Ali Akilu Road en-route Kawo.

WARNING! GRAPHIC IMAGE! (Photo: Leadership)

Bodies of two of the suspected bombers were shattered by the strong explosive while the third accomplice could not be seen when our correspondents visited the scene. Eye witnesses confirmed that the suicide bombers were three, but our correspondents only confirmed the presence of three motorcycles.

A combined team of security men immediately cordoned off the area while making efforts to evacuate the remains of the bombers in spite of the presence of the bees which prevented them for almost an hour.

Although details of the suicide bombers’ mission could not be ascertained, correspondents observed that the suspects could have targetted the Islamic scholar that often gives the Tafsir at the Sultan Bello Mosque, Sheik (Dr) Ahmad Abukakar Gumi.

The scholar had, in a series of sermons during the Tafsir sessions, condemned members of the actions of the Boko Haram sect, which he had consistently described as un-Islamic.

Consequently, the sect members were said to have threatened to attack the said scholar. This perhaps explains why security was beefed up around the residence of the cleric for fear of the unknown.

The remains of the suspected bombers were evacuated to a nearby hospital.

When contacted, the Commissioner of Police Kaduna State command Abubakar Muhammed Jinjiri, confirmed the death of two suspected suicide bombers, adding that the area had been condoned off.

“Two suspected bombers carrying explosives died when the explosives exploded on them.

“They were on motorcycles heading towards Kawo when they exploded along Ali Akilu road; no other casualty was recorded and no persons were injured,” he said.

from LEADERSHIP
Wed, 15/08/2012 - 1:58am | ISAIAH BENJAMIN and MIDAT JOSEPH

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Nigeria security forces raid bomb factory in Kano

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces discovered a bomb-making factory on Saturday in Kano, a northern city that has been plagued by an Islamist insurgency, the secret service said.

Boko Haram, a group styled on the Taliban, is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan's government with the avowed aim of carving an Islamic state out of Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

The group has killed hundreds in gun and bomb attacks in the past two and a half years, mostly in the predominantly Muslim north, although it has struck central Nigeria and the capital Abuja.

The director of the Kano branch of Nigeria's State Security Services (SSS), Bassey Eteng, said the raid had uncovered 12 improvised bombs and bomb-making chemicals, more than 600 rounds of ammunition, military uniforms and eight AK-47 assault rifles.

"Most of the items recovered were going to be used to mount an attack on Sallah (Muslim holiday), according to our intelligence report," Eteng said.

"There was no casualty of any party during the operations. An investigation to find the terrorists continues."

A military push in the north appears to have weakened the group. However, Jonathan's critics say he relies too much on the military to defeat Boko Haram, rather than addressing northerners' grievances such as poverty and unemployment.

As Boko Haram comes under pressure in its northeastern heartland, its attacks have spread further afield. Suspected Islamists opened fire on Christian worshippers in the central state of Kogi on Monday, killing 19.

from REUTERS
Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:00am GMT

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Nigeria's Boko Haram claims responsibility for northern village attacks

ABUJA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The dreaded Boko Haram sect known for carrying out various deadly attacks in the northern parts of Nigeria and the west African country's capital city Abuja on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the killing of over 90 villagers including two lawmakers of different levels in central north Plateau State last weekend.

In a statement made available to Xinhua, the sect said there is no going back in their decision to declare war on Christians and security agencies in the country.

Plateau State is situated in Nigeria's middle belt where the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian-majority south meet. It has seen years of ethnic tensions and is a major potential flashpoint ahead of the 2011 April presidential elections in the country.

"Like we said earlier, Christians in Nigeria should accept Islam, that is true religion, or they will never have peace. We do not regard them as trusted Christians as some illiterates are campaigning because it was Christians that first declared war on Muslims with the support of government," said the sect.

Members of the Boko Haram sect reiterated their aim and objective is to establish an Islamic kingdom in the country.

The sect also denied having anything to do with the newly appointed National Security Adviser (NSA) of Nigeria, Col. Sambo Dasuki, saying he never contacted any of its members.

"We heard the information going round that the new NSA has gotten means of reaching us for a dialogue, that is a new lie," it said.

At least 90 people were killed during attacks that started since Friday night on villages in Gashik District of Barkinladi local government area of Plateau State by Sunday afternoon, according to security sources and Xinhua reporters on ground.

A serving Nigerian senator Gyang Dantong, representing Plateau north and the majority leader of the State House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani were also killed in the attacks by the Boko Haram sect last Sunday.


from XINHUA
2012-07-10 20:28:03

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Nigeria: JTF Kills Four Suspected Boko Haram in Kano

The Joint Task Force in Kano Saturday killed four suspected militants in their hideout at Janbulo quarters of Rijiyar Zaki general area of Kano metropolitan during an afternoon raid.

The JTF raided a house believed to have been the operational base of the militants and uncovered a Honda vehicle which has been primed for a suicide mission.

Spokesman of the JTF, Lt Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the operation, said: "A raid operation was carried out resulting in a gun duel, at the end of which four suspected terrorists were killed in their hideout, located at Jan-block of Rijiyar Zaki general area"

Iweha , who said the operation was carried out based on tips from the public, called on the residents of the state to continue supporting the security agencies with useful information so as to make Kano free from terrorists.

The JTF operation at the hideout which lasted about two hours recovered large arms, ammunitions and high explosives.

Eyewitness told reporters that "We were all in a state of shock over the unusual discovery at the premises of a magnificent building at Jan-bulo, believed to be the hideout of the suspected militants."

It could be recalled that the latest incident came a day after the discovery of explosives at a Mosque during Juma'at prayers at Fagge quarters, which the police promptly defused before it could wreak havoc.

from allAfrica
via ThisDay - 24 June 2012

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Nigeria: Kidnapped German, Six Gunmen Killed as JTF Invades Boko Haram's Den

Kano — A German Engineer, Edgar Fritz Raupach, who was held hostage by gunmen since January 26 this year was killed by his captors yesterday when Nigerian security forces stormed their hideout, a bungalow apartment located at Danbare surburb, along Gwarzo highway, in Kano.

from allAfrica.com

It was gathered that members of the security forces who conducted a raid on the building were unaware that the German was being held there but attacked the building based on intelligence report that sect members were hiding there.

A reliable source who witnessed the incident related how it happened. Said he: "Members of the Sura Council were holding their meeting in a secluded place in Kano. The Sura Council is the highest decision making organ of Boko Haram comprising their operation commanders, thinkers, planners and strategists. Somehow, the security forces including the Joint Task Force got hint that Boko Haram members were meeting there and stormed the place in full force unknown to them that the kidnapped German national was being kept there. There was heavy exchange of fire and when the sect members realised that there was no escape for them they killed the German. In the course of the gun battle, the security forces killed all the members of the Sura Council at the meeting, no single one escaped. It was only their leader, Shekau who was not at the meeting that escaped being killed".

The German's death came on the heel of a similar incident on March 8th in Sokoto when a Briton and two Italians died in a failed rescue attempt by security

A counter terrorism officer who participated in yesterday's operation told Vanguard on condition of anonymity that seven people died in the operation while one AK 47 was recovered including129 rounds of ammunition and a hand grenade

Security sources however explained that six people died during the encounter including the five sect members, a woman, while three soldiers were believed to have sustained injury from a blast that rocked the building during the operations.

Vanguard learnt that the sect members detonated a primed Improvised Explosive Device when the Special Forces stormed their residence.

In a statement issued by JTF spokesman in Kano, Lt Ikediche Iweha he confirmed the death of the German saying that he was killed by his captors who held him hostage.

Lt Iweha stated that the security forces stormed the enclave where he was being held near BUK, adding that "Upon search of the premises the security forces, found the hand cuffed gruesomely murdered corpse of an expatriate, later identified as the German national, Mr Egdar, who was kidnapped since January 26rd 2012 along Zaria bye pass Kano. The German was apparently killed by the terrorists on noticing the security forces".

Iweha added that "During a further search of the terrorists' hideout, the security forces recovered 2 AK 47 rifles, huge quantity of ammunition. 36 hand grenade and Improvised Explosive Devices stored by the terrorists for possible attack against innocent persons and security personnel".

Giving a graphic details of the operation, the Army Spokesman explained that "At the early hours of this morning (31/5/2012) precisely at about 0635 hours, based on intelligence of an ongoing meeting of senior commanders of the terrorists elements, the JTF raided an enclave near Bayero University Kano new site, where the terrorists senior commanders were meeting". On sighting the security forces, the terrorist elements opened fire and threw Improvised Explosive Devises on the security forces. The security forces responded immediately resulting in a gun duel that lasted for about thirty minutes. During the encounter five of the terrorists were killed". A military source in the city confirmed that the body of the German engineer and the six other casualties have been deposited at the Armed Forces military Hospital in Kano.

Residents reported hearing explosions and gunfire in the neighbourhood of Danbare for more than half an hour at around 6:00 am, and said it appeared several hundred soldiers were involved along with trucks and armoured vehicles.

"Following intelligence reports, men of [a military task force] raided a hideout where he was being held by his abductors."

A shootout occurred and the abductors also detonated explosives, said the official.

"They were subdued, but realising that it was the end for them, they killed the hostage," the official added.

Another military source and a police source confirmed Raupach's death. He was said to have been shot and stabbed by his captors.

The sources also said a number of the abductors had been killed in the raid, with differing accounts putting the figure between two and five.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said in March it was holding the German and that it wanted to swap him for Filiz Gelowicz, the jailed wife of Fritz Gelowicz, the leader of a Sauerland-based group of Islamists. He is serving 12 years in prison for a bomb attack, while she is serving two-and-a-half.

They released a video which showed Raupach flanked by two armed men, begging for his life.

Speaking first in German and then English, he asks the German government to do something. "I beg my government to save my life," he said. "My life is in your hands now, I beg you, or these people will kill me here."

AQIM has not been known to operate directly in Nigeria, though Islamist group Boko Haram and other extremists in the country are believed to have links to the group.

Related articles

• Nigeria: Kidnapped German Killed in JTF Raid (allafrica.com)

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Nigeria: Four Killed As Bomb Explodes in Maiduguri

Maiduguri — Four people were killed yesterday afternoon as a result of pandemonium at Lawan Bukar Ward in Maiduguri metropolis when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted at a military patrol vehicle exploded.

Residents said the bomb was thrown at a moving patrol vehicle and shortly thereafter, vehicles loaded with men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) mobilized to the scene and launched manhunt of the suspects.

An officer of the Nigerian Red Cross in Maiduguri who does not want to be quoted because he was not authorized to speak told newsmen that four people were killed during a gun duel and their corpses have been taken to a hospital.

"I am not in the position to tell you who and who died or how they died," the officer said, when asked whether the victims were military men or civilians. He did not also say whether they died as a result of the blast or where shot.

Our correspondent reports that hundreds of residents of Lawan Bukar and the adjoining Mafoni and Hausari area, all densely populated settlements fled from their residents even as some people alleged "brutalization" by the military operatives, who according to them cordoned off the area.

"As I am talking to you now, many houses are on fire and our wives and children are crying," Babagana Ari, a resident said.

But a press statement released by the spokesman of the JTF Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa which confirmed the blast indicated that it was the fire from the explosive device that ignited fire on houses in the area.

According to the statement, "At about 1330 hrs hours (1.30pm), a failed attempt was made to throw an IED at JTF troops on routine patrol in Maiduguri metropolis by suspected Boko Haram members. The IED missed the patrol team and exploded at Lawan Bukar Junction. "The explosion damaged some houses in the area. No casualty was recorded. The area has been cordoned off and search is going on at the moment with a view to apprehending the culprits. A suspect in a Honda Accord car, 'End of Discussion', navy blue has been arrested," the statement said.

from allAfrica

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Nigeria: JTF Uncovers Terrorists Hideout in Kogi

A Joint Task Force (JTF) comprising Police, State Security Service (SSS), Navy, Air-force and Army recorded a major breakthrough Wednesday in Kogi State as a key hideout of terrorists was discovered and dismantled with different kinds of dangerous items recovered.

The state Director of SSS, Mr. Mike Funbara, said the discovery was a "turning point in the security situation in the state," adding that security operatives had been able to get to the root of crime perpetration in the state.

He added that: "It is now clear that there is a terrorist group in the state but we are dismantling all their arsenals."

While briefing journalists on the discovery, Funbara said the command was able to recover 14 locally made hand grenades, eight anti-tank improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one firing cable, three 9 volts power sources, ten AK 47 rifles, two revolver pistols, one bareta pistol, one sub machine gun, one SMG magazine, 545 live ammunition, 55 rounds of 9mm ammunition for pistols, four bondalia bags for carrying magazines, a Nissan Pathfinder with registration number Lagos LF 98 AAA and 57 empty magazines among items recovered from the hideout.

He however urged the Federal Government to redeploy capable hands to the state in order to assist in the protection of lives and property. "The combination of the agencies has hit the bull's eyes. We have the details of their whereabouts and we will continue to go after them. The intelligence we are getting in the state is as clean as a whistle," he assured.

Though details of causalities on both sides and the number of arrest made were not made public due to security reasons, the leader of the operation, Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Olorunyomi, said the hideout was located in Okenwen, a border town between Kogi and Edo States where items recovered were said to have been dug out from the ground where they were buried.

Olorunyomi noted that the cache of arms recovered during the operation was capable of wrecking significant proportion of havoc on the state except for the timely intervention of the security agents, which he said was made possible by intelligence reports coming from the public.

He therefore urged the people to continue to collaborate with security agencies in the state by giving prompt and reliable information about criminals, in the quest to ensure that criminals are stamped out in the state.

from thisday

By Shola Oyeyipo

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