Tag Archives: Terrorism

Nigerian Troops Kill 70 Boko Haram Fighters In Konduga

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Nigerian troops backed by civilian vigilantes on Tuesday claimed to have killed more than 70 ?Boko Haram fighters in a foiled attack to capture the strategic town of Konduga near Maiduguri.?

A would-be suicide bomber was shot and killed before he could ram his explosives-laden car into a military checkpoint in the town during the attack on Monday, witnesses said.

Around 150 Boko Haram fighters entered the fishing town with a large herd of cattle pretending to be ?herders and opened fire on troops stationed in the town, leading to a six-hour gun battle.

“At the last count 73 Boko Haram gunmen were killed in the foiled attack,” a civilian vigilante, Butari Mala, told AFP.

“Among those killed was a suicide bomber who was shot inside his car loaded with explosives before he could reach his target,” he said.

“The rest fled into the bush but were pursued and bombarded by a fighter jet that deployed from Maiduguri.”

A military source in Maiduguri, who requested anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed Mala’s account, including the death toll.

The attack happened at about 7:00 am (0600 GMT) and the gunmen abandoned the cattle as they approached a military post, said Konduga resident, Abba Kaka.

“Unknown to the Boko Haram gunmen herdsmen in Konduga had been asked to keep away from some designated no-go areas,” he added.

“So when the gunmen came in through these designated areas it was clear to soldiers they were not genuine herdsmen and they met the soldiers waiting for them,” Kaka said by telephone from Maiduguri.

Soldiers and vigilantes have repelled more than a dozen attacks by Boko Haram on Konduga, which is some 35 kilometres (21 miles) southeast of Maiduguri.

Troops and vigilantes have been stationed in Konduga to prevent it from being used as a launchpad to attack the Borno state capital, where the group was founded in 2002.

The latest defence of the town comes after a number of claimed Nigerian military successes, including the recapture of the town of Baga, on the shores of Lake Chad.

Soldiers, backed by armies from neighbouring countries have been involved in a fight-back against the militants, whose attacks have threatened regional security and upcoming elections in Nigeria.

UK Vow Revenge And Justice After Media Unmask ‘Jihadi John’

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Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to defeat jihadists and defended Britain’s secret services on Friday after media reports named Islamic State executioner “Jihadi John” as London graduate Mohammed Emwazi.

“We will do everything we can with the police, the security services, with all that we have at our disposal, to find these people and put them out of action,” Cameron said at a press conference in Wales.

“Jihadi John”, believed to be responsible for beheading at least five Western hostages, was identified Thursday by media and experts as a Kuwaiti-born computing graduate who had lived in London since the age of six.

As families of the slain hostages were calling for justice, Britain’s domestic spy agency MI5 came under scrutiny following revelations Emwazi had been known to security services for several years.

“I work very closely with our security services, I meet with them regularly, I ask them searching questions about what they do,” Cameron said.

“While we are in the middle of this vast effort to make sure British citizens are safe, the most important thing is to get behind them,” he added.

Campaign group Cage said MI5 had been tracking Emwazi, aged in his mid-20s, since at least 2009.

“MI5 blunders that allowed Jihadi John to slip the net,” read a headline in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, while the Daily Mail asked: “On the MI5 watch list, so how could he escape to Syria?”

“One of the difficulties here is that you can’t keep an eye on everyone all the time,” Menzies Campbell, a member of parliament’s intelligence and security committee, told BBC radio’s Today’s programme.

But he said MPs would look into the questions raised, adding: “There’s no doubt that from time to time the security services have got to prioritise those upon whom they are conducting surveillance”

Army Chief Visits Baga, Vows ‘War Is Almost Ended’

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The head of the Nigerian Army has visited soldiers in the northeastern town of Baga, telling troops that the conflict against Boko Haram will soon be over.

Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah flew by helicopter to the fishing hub on the shores of Lake Chad and spent about 30 minutes on the ground, an AFP correspondent accompanying him said.

“The war is almost ended. We will liberate Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza, Marte and other places in a few days’ time,” Minimah told troops on the brief visit.

Boko Haram fighters overran Baga on January 3 and are thought to have killed hundreds, if not more, in what is feared to be the group’s worst massacre in the six-year insurgency.

The military said on Saturday that the remote town in the far north of Borno state was retaken after two days of fighting, killing “a large number of terrorists”.

Defence chiefs have published dozens of photographs purporting to show vehicles, arms and ammunition used by the Islamists that were destroyed in the fighting.

The offensive is part of a fight-back by Nigeria and regional powers against Boko Haram to secure and stabilise the restive region to make voting possible at the general election on March 28.

The vote was initially scheduled for February 14 but delayed by six weeks because military top brass claimed that troops would be unavailable to provide security on polling day.

President Goodluck Jonathan and his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been accused of playing for time to revive their election campaign in the face of a strong opposition challenge.

On Monday, Jonathan said that “the tide has now definitely turned against Boko Haram”, despite two bombings earlier that day that killed at least 27 in the north.

Minimah said the six-week deadline was “achievable”, adding: “We are still within the timeframe.

“But six weeks should not be taken that everything must be attained because this is war.”

He added: “Never again will Nigerians suffer this kind of large-scale destruction in the name of insurgency.”

Jordan Still Holding Prisoner Demanded By Islamic State As Deadline Passes

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The fate of a Jordanian pilot and a Japanese journalist remained unclear as a deadline passed for Jordan to release an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL).

Japanese officials had no new progress to report on Friday after a late night that ended with the Jordanian government saying it would only release an al-Qaeda prisoner from death row if it got proof the airman was alive.

“There is nothing I can tell you,” government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday. He reiterated Japan’s “strong trust” in the Jordanians to help save the Japanese hostage, freelance journalist Kenji Goto.

Suga said the government had been in close contact with Goto’s wife, Rinko Jogo, who released a statement pleading for her husband’s life.

“I fear that this is the last chance for my husband, and we now have only a few hours left,” Jogo said in a statement released through a London-based organisation for freelance journalists.

“My husband and I have two very young daughters. Our baby girl was only three weeks old when Kenji left. I hope our oldest daughter, who is just two, will get to see her father again. I want them both to grow up knowing their father.”

An audio message purportedly from Goto said Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh would be killed unless Jordan freed Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people in Amman.

Earlier, a spokesperson for Jordan’s government demanded proof of life for their pilot before moving ahead with any possible swap to bring about his release.

“We want to see a proof of life of the Jordanian pilot and then we can talk about the exchange,” Mohammed al-Momani said.”

Chadian Fighter Jet Reclaims Borno Town From Boko Haram

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Eye witnesses and security sources have claimed that the Chadian military yesterday retook Malumfatori, being the headquarters of Abadam local government area of Borno State from Boko Haram insurgents.

It was reported that the troop from Chad yesterday demonstrated rare gallantry when its Air Force launched a major aerial campaign over Malumfatori, dropping several bombs in major spots occupied by the insurgents.

Abari Modu, who resides in a village near Malumfatori, disclosed that thick smoke bellowed over the deserted border with Boko Haram terrorists running helter skelter as the Chadian fighter plane kept bombarding and decimating them.

Modu, who spoke on phone from a village in Chad, was quoted as saying, “The fighter jet started shelling and bombarding the insurgents who were lodged mostly inside the local government secretariat and district head’s palace.”

While disclosing that many Boko Haram members died considering that the Chadian soldiers ensured that they did not escape through the bushes, he said, “Honestly, the operation was well-coordinated because the soldiers on the ground gave the fighter jet a chance to bombard while they tackled the terrorists that were fleeing.”

This report was confirmed to Leadership Friday by a Nigerian soldier stationed in Maiduguri. He said, “Many buildings, including the local government secretariat and district head’s palace in Malumfatori were bombed by the Chadian air force jet,” said the soldier who spoke under strict condition of anonymity.

“The Chadian forces may be proactively reacting to the recent threat issued to their government by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who warned the country alongside the government of Niger and Cameroon that he may soon be taking attacks to them if they don’t stay off his business in Nigeria. The forces had the backing of their government; that was why they took the fight up to them, even in the shores of Nigeria,” he added.

Boko Haram Attacks Are Coming To An End – President Jonathan

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As we earlier reported, President Goodluck Jonathan made a surprise visit to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, where he assured Nigerians that all areas currently under the occupation of Islamist terrorists Boko Haram would soon be liberated, making it possible for displaced people to return to their homes.

Jonathan made the promise during a visit to a camp for internally displaced people. He asked the displaced people to bear with the Federal government, assuring them that his administration was doing everything possible to see that they returned to their communities soon.

“I believe from the briefing I got from security services most of these people [the displaced] will soon be relocated to their communities,” said the president. He added: “We know most of their houses have been destroyed, but immediately we take over the areas and secure [them], we will create camps within their communities and assist them financially so that they will gradually move away from the camps. We have [a] similar plan for people who are in neighboring countries, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.”


According to him, “It is a sad thing to be talking about internally displaced persons. Nobody is happy that you are displaced within your own land. Of course we all know that the issue of terror is global but the excesses of Boko Haram are quite traumatic for all of us. And we know that my good friend the governor of Borno State will not sleep because when I was the governor I had some tough time too in the Niger Delta. The issue of militancy is not an easy job to manage.”

Speaking further, Jonathan said, “As a president I feel traumatized whenever I hear about these excesses. I feel very burdened. Let me reassure all of you and indeed the IDPs that government is working very hard that you do not stay in these camps for too long.”

President Jonathan visited the headquarters of the Nigerian Army at the Maimalari barracks where he assured officers and soldiers of government’s commitment to the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno thanked the president for visiting the beleaguered state, adding that his visit had rekindled hope and confidence of the people that the insurgency would soon come to an end.

Speaking during the president’s visit, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, said the president was in the state to interact with officers and soldiers in appreciation for the sacrifices the soldiers were making in the ongoing war against Boko Haram in the northeast.

Nigeria Military Takes Delivery Of Attack Helicopters, Armoured Personnel Carriers & Other Hardware

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The Defence authorities have started taking delivery of some military hardware required for the prosecution of the war against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

Investigation revealed that the military hardware were imported from Russia, Belarus and other Eastern European countries.

It was learnt that some of the items were received at the Port of Lagos and were being moved to designated locations in Abuja and other parts of the country.

Our correspondent sighted several Russian-made Armoured Personnel Carriers being conveyed in long open military trucks along Okenne-Lokoja-Abuja Express Way.

Some other heavy trucks (painted in military green) were also sighted conveying containers of items suspected to be military hardware along the same routes.

It was however learnt that the military was receiving the items in batches from Russian, Belarus and other European countries by sea and by air.

A senior military officer said on Wednesday that the military equipment were being received at the Apapa Port, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and Kaduna.

The officer added that containers of spare parts for attack helicopters had also been received by the Defence authorities early in the week.

It was further learnt that the attack helicopters and other platforms would be coupled in the country.

“It is true that we have started receiving some military hardware in the country. Of course, we couldn’t get them from our friends in the West. It is no longer news that they refused to sell to us.

“We are getting the items from Russia, Belarus and other Eastern European countries. They are coming in batches. We are receiving them in batches both by sea and by air.

“Apart from the items from Lagos, there are others coming in by air from the air ports in Kaduna and Kano.

“Some of the items that are being received include the APCs that you saw, components of some Air Force platforms. Yes, there are some attack helicopters; they are to be coupled together in the country. These are expected to boost the already high morale of the troops,” the source said.

When our correspondent contacted the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, for his comment on the issue, he neither confirmed nor denied the arrival of the items.

He said, “We are incrementally enhancing our stock in all the mission areas as part of the ongoing measures to enhance our effectiveness.”

Thousands Of Troops Could Return To UK To Fight Copycat Attacks After Charlie Hebdo Massacre

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Thousands of troops stationed overseas could be sent home to help police cope with a Paris copycat attack amid fears they are not prepared for a large-scale bloodbath.

Ministers are examining plans to have ‘high-readiness’ battalions stationed across the country to respond to a terror attack within minutes.

The infantry units would provide back-up support to armed police and would be especially vital if there is more than one attack at any given time.

Currently there are hundreds of troops on standby for an onslaught by Islamic State fanatics. But there are concerns there are not enough armed police outside London, especially in villages.

If there was to be an attack outside the capital, it could be more than half an hour before the police have back-up from the Army

As a result, it is understood various government departments are now looking at having more soldiers stationed in places such as Birmingham, Manchester and Scotland.

A senior Whitehall source told the Mail: ‘The country has a force of more than 80,000 troops and they need to be deployed where the threat is. Homeland security needs to be stepped up and as part of that we are looking at where there are gaps. We are looking at bringing back soldiers from overseas.’

The Ministry of Defence last night denied that troops are to be brought home, but senior Whitehall sources insisted the plans were under discussion. Details are not yet clear but it is understood thousands of soldiers could be re-deployed across the UK from overseas.

The Army is stationed in more than 80 countries. There are thousands of troops in Germany – a legacy from the Second World War – as well as hundreds in Cyprus and hundreds in the Falkland

Source – Daily mail

Soldiers Repel Boko Haram From Entering Biu As Armed Youths Mobilize

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A report reaching DAILY POST from Borno State says the Boko Haram insurgents are being repelled by soldiers from gaining entrance into Biu town.

A resident, in a frantic call to our reporter Wednesday morning, said youths in the town have also mobilized and are set to fight back in the event the insurgents over power the military.

Two fighter jets are currently hovering on air.

Boko Haram last week murdered hundred of locals in one of its deadliest attacks ever.

The Boko Haram sect is reportedly in control of about 20 local government areas in Borno with its eyes set on the state capital, Maiduguri.

Clark wants Nigerians to emulate France on terrorism, blasts those criticizing Jonathan
Details later…

Source – Daily Post

Number Of Deaths In Baga Were 150 People And Not 2000 As Reported – Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade

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The Defence authorities have faulted the claim that over 2,000 people were killed in the Boko Haram attack on Baga, the headquarters of the Multi-National Joint Task Force on January 3.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said this during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday. He said that 150 people including a large number of members of the Boko Haram sect were killed in the confrontation.

Olukolade explained that many of the residents of Baga and the nearby communities had fled the area because of incessant attacks on their towns by the Boko Haram sect.

He added that many of the residents of the community were able to flee the area while the battle between the soldiers and the insurgents lasted.

Olukolade said that the figures being reported and attributed to eyewitnesses were exaggerated.

“…It is however necessary to inform Nigerians in the interim that the exercise so far has not corroborated the report on the casualty rate which was put at 2,000.

“From all available evidences, the number of people who lost their lives during that attack has so far not exceeded about 150 in the interim. This figure includes many of the terrorists who were bearing arms and got killed in the course of their attack and battle with troops.

“It should be noted that Baga and the neighbouring towns have been under a series of attacks and harassment by the terrorists. In the course of this, many residents have left, leaving the population in the town almost seriously depleted. Many were also able to escape while the terrorists’ battle with troops lasted.

“The figure given by sources who claim to be eyewitnesses must be an extremely exaggerated estimate. Unfortunately, this figure is now being bandied about in a section of the media as if it has been authenticated. It cannot be true,” he said

Watch Your Back! ISIS Hacks US Central Command ,Releases Personal Details Of High Ranking Military Officers

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The social media accounts of the US military’s Central Command in Florida was hacked by ISIS who posted threatening messages against troops, their families and the home addresses of 4-star US generals.The cyber attack began at around 12.30pm on Monday when a message was posted to CentCom’s Twitter account reading,

 ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the CyberCaliphate continues its CyberJihad.’

The hackers also changed the photograph used on the the Twitter cover page to a masked jihadi with an underline that said ‘i love you isis.’
The security breach, occurred while President Obama was giving a speech on cyber security..
One of the posts on the Twitter feed read ‘

American soldiers, we are coming, watch your back’ while another warned, ‘We won’t stop! We know everything about you, your wives and children.’

US officials confirmed that the U.S. Central Command Twitter account and its YouTube account were suspended 40 minutes after being compromised at around 1.09pm.

BREAKING: Australian Siege is Over

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Police say a hostage situation in Sydney is over after a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown cafe where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people.

A police spokesman confirmed “the operation is over” early Tuesday but would not release any further details.

Police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running out of the building.

After the police moved in, one weeping woman was helped out by the officers and at least two other people were wheeled out on stretchers.

Credit: Yahoo News

Barrack Obama Condemns CIA Torture And Interrogation Techniques

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US President Barack Obama has said that some of the tactics described in a Senate report on harsh CIA interrogations were “brutal”, “wrong” and “counterproductive”.

He said that the CIA techniques, which were employed in the wake of September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, “were not only inconsistent with our values as nation, they did not serve our broader counterterrorism efforts or our national security interests”.

“One of the things that sets us apart from other countries is that when we make mistakes, we admit them,” Obama told the Spanish-language television network Telemundo.

The US president said that releasing the information was an important step in the process of making sure that such a scenario isn’t ever repeated.

“I hope that today’s report can help us leave these techniques where they belong – in the past…,” he said in a statement.

Obama said the report, which condemned the CIA for brutality and deception, makes clear that the interrogation programme under the administration of his predecessor, George W Bush was created too hastily and without enough thought about potential consequences.

The enhanced interrogation programme was dismantled by Obama in 2009.

The heavily redacted 480-page report – published on Tuesday – covered the treatment of around 100 suspects rounded up by US operatives between 2001 and 2009 on terrorism charges. The full 6,200-page report remains classified.

The US embassies in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Thailand are warning of the potential for anti-American protests and violence after the report. Afghanistan and Thailand were hosts to two of the secret facilities where prisoners were interrogated.

Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein said the techniques used by the CIA were “far more brutal than people were led to believe” and that “coercive techniques regularly resulted in fabricated information” from detainees.

“There are those who will seize upon the report and say see what the Americans did? And they will try to use it to justify evil actions or incite more violence,” said Feinstein. “We can’t prevent that, but history will judge us by our commitment to a just society governed by law and the willingness to face an ugly truth and say never again.”

Insurgency Is Not The Presidents Problem Alone- E.K Clark

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Former Federal Commissioner for Information, Edwin Clark has again reacted to the believe in some quarters that President Goodluck Jonathan is not doing enough to tackle the Boko Haram violent sect.

According to him, insurgency was a national problem, which was spreading all over the world.

He said citizens must stop the blame game and join hands with the federal government to confront the challenge.

“It’s not the president’s problem alone. It’s not a North East problem alone, it’s not the ruling party’s problem alone; It’s not the problem of the opposition party. It’s everybody’s problem”, Clark told Daily Independent.

“We must put our differences aside and fight a common enemy trying to invade our country. The soldiers alone cannot do it. The Armed Forces alone cannot do it. It requires the cooperation of everybody.

“Also I believe the victims of insurgency should be taken care of. NEMA should give out enough relief materials. Major religious bodies like the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA should join hands to bring succour to the people displaced by insurgency”.

Asked if the president had done enough for Nigerians to vote him in for a second term, the Ijaw leader replied in the affirmative.

“Yes, he has. And if his party, the PDP, and the various organs of the party unanimously decide to make him the sole candidate, the party is a great party. That means they are satisfied that he has done enough. I think, without being immodest, he has done more than many other rulers in this country.”

Boko Haram Insurgents Raid Ashaka Cement Factory

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Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Thursday stormed Ashaka Cement factory in Gombe. The attack on the Lafarge-owned cement plant is the second in two months. They were however repelled by the military.

The insurgents had stormed Ashaka town, where the cement company is located, as well as Bajoga town. They also raided banks and burnt government buildings and offices of political parties.

The gunmen dressed in military uniform had at about 7am first stormed Bajoga, about 60 kilometres from Gombe city, the Gombe State capital, in a convoy of 20 vehicles. They were however pursued by the military from Bajoga to Ashaka, after three hours of fighting.

In Bajoga, residents told newsmen that the militants shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) before firing sporadically and burning down a police station during the battle with the troops.

“They raided two banks and set fire to offices of political parties. They also set sections of the local government secretariat on fire,” a resident of the town, Babani Ashiru told Vanguard.

A school teacher, Sa’adu Balarabe said troop reinforcements were sent from Gombe and a military jet which bombed the militants and forced them to withdraw.

In Ashaka, residents reported heavy fighting between troops and the gunmen in the town from about 11 am.

According to one of the residents, Samaila Adnan, “The gunmen kept shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) and firing guns haphazardly. They went into the cement factory and took away some vehicles. They didn’t touch anyone.” Adnan added that after initial skirmishes in the town, the soldiers withdrew.

A staff of Ashaka cement who chose to remain anonymous said that the factory was evacuated before the attack.

“Our fear was confirmed. They went into the factory and headed to the administrative building where company vehicles were parked. They took away several Hilux (four-wheel drive) vans. They also went to the factory clinic and took away an ambulance along with drugs. They didn’t harm anybody.”

Source – Daily Times

ISIS Militants Set Up Training Camps In Eastern Libya – US

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IS_Militants_CampsThe Islamic State group, which overran large areas of Iraq and Syria, has set up training camps in eastern Libya.

The Head of the US Africa Command, Gen David Rodriguez, says ‘around a couple of hundred’ Islamic State militants have set up training camps in eastern Libya, and that the camps were at a very early stage, warning that the US is watching them “carefully to see how it develops”.

Since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, Libya has been in turmoil with various tribes, militias and political factions fighting for power with some militants recently declaring allegiance to IS. The elected government has lost Libya’s three main cities amid the political crisis.

Benghazi, the country’s second city, is in the hands of Islamist fighters, and the internationally recognized parliament is now based in the coastal town of Tobruk in the east.

Gen Rodriguez in Washington said it was not yet clear how closely aligned the trainees were with IS and that “It’s mainly about people coming for training and logistics support right now, for training sites . . . Right now it’s just small and very nascent and we just have to see how it goes.”

The United States has been waging an air war against the IS group in Iraq and Syria but when asked if the training camps in Libya were a potential target for American forces, Gen Rodriguez said: “No, not right now.”

Pope Calls on Muslim Leaders Worldwide to Condemn Terrorism

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Pope Francis on Sunday called on Muslim leaders to issue a global condemnation of terrorism, saying it would help to dispel the stereotype that equates Islam with terror.

Speaking to reporters aboard the plane as he returned from Turkey, where he condemned Islamic State insurgents several times, Francis said he made the suggestion in private talks on Friday with the country’s president, Tayyip Erdogan.

“I told the president that it would be beautiful if all Islamic leaders, whether they are political, religious or academic leaders, would speak out clearly and condemn this, because this would help the majority of Muslim people,” Francis said in answer to a reporter’s question.

“But this must come from the mouths of their leaders, from religious leaders, academic leaders, intellectuals and political leaders,” he said.

Catholic Church officials have urged Islamic leaders to speak out more forcefully against Islamic State, but the pope’s words on the plane were his most comprehensive so far.

He called for “a global condemnation (of terrorism), including from Muslims, who have their own identity and say ‘we are not that, the Koran is not that’,”.

He said he understood how Muslims were offended by the stereotype that equates Islam with terrorism.

“They say: ‘No, we are not this, the Koran is a book of peace, it is a prophetic book of peace. This is not Islam,’” he said.

Credit: Reuters

The 2014 Halifax International Security Forum Concludes #HISF2014

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23 NOVEMBER 2014

HALIFAX, NS –The 2014 Halifax International Security Forum has united individuals who are on the ground facing consequential local threats, writers who challenge and influence the world’s thinking on security, and decision-makers who make the tough choices. These individuals completed a successful conference today and set the security agenda for the upcoming year.

The 6th annual Halifax International Security Forum featured three hundred participants from sixty countries, including the largest US congressional delegation to set foot in Canada, led by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), and international security leaders from the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East.

“We met against the backdrop of a turbulent, troubling year and we are tackling the challenges ahead as a network of thinkers who are committed to improving our prospects for peace,” said Peter Van Praagh, President of the Halifax International Security Forum. “Our systems, with values that lead to democracy, opportunity and peace are better than the alternative. Let’s take good care to secure them strongly in 2015.”

The Halifax International Security Forum featured an introductory session that was broadcast live online, eight plenary sessions, a Halifax Chat with the 11th President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, numerous senior level nation-to-nation meetings as well as off-the-record discussions about today’s most pressing security issues. Political leaders, senior military officers, business leaders, academics and members of the media spoke frankly about war, peace, leadership, Africa, resources and new challenges such as cyber security.

Together with Ipsos, the leading global market and opinion research firm, the Halifax International Security Forum released new findings about global views of today’s crises. These findings indicate global citizens increasingly see the world as a more dangerous place and are more fearful of armed conflict and epidemics.

The Halifax International Security Forum is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC. The Forum is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, including the Government of Canada, the Halifax Canada Club and our media partner Foreign Affairs who share the vision that a more peaceful, cooperative and secure world is achievable.

Omojuwa Halifax 2014

2014Banner2 Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak speaks at the Halifax Security Forum at the Westin Nova Scotian hotel in Halifax

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Follow the Halifax International Security Forum on twitter @HFXforum and join the conversation using #HISF2014

A full list of participants and detailed agenda, as well as photos and videos from past years, is available at www.halifaxtheforum.org

For more information about the Halifax International Security Forum please contact our communications team at: communications@halifaxtheforum.org

Fear Of Boko Haram Wrecks Tourist Business In Cameroon

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Tourists once flocked to the rugged far north of Cameroon for its wildlife and spectacular scenery, until cross-border raids by the Nigerian Islamist extremists of Boko Haram all but halted such visits.

“Before we had many tourists, but people are afraid to come now,” said Moussa Ali, who has a stall in the craft market at Maroua, the main town of the Extreme North region, a strip of territory between Nigeria to the west and Chad to the east.

A handful of potential customers, mainly Cameroonians, stopped to look at Ali’s stand, but he said that he could “go for two weeks without a single sale. It was above all the white people who gave us a living”.

In the dry season from October to March, the Waza National Park, famous for its elephants, giraffes and antelopes, drew several thousand visitors each year, until fear of Boko Haram activity dried up the flow almost two years ago.

The visitors often included expatriates living in the capital Yaounde and the economic hub of Douala, a major port city. Others came from the Chadian capital N’Djamena, which is not far away.

Hikers used to enjoy the high plateau of the Mandara mountains, a breathtaking lunar landscape where tall rocky outcrops stand out as far as the eye can see.

“You’ll cross the border without even knowing it,” local guides used to tell visitors until the far side of the frontier was considered dangerous and security forces declared the area a “red zone”.

Source – http://www.newvision.co.ug

Photo Credits – AFP

This War We Fight (A Tribute To Our Wonderful Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram, Lord Bless Them)?

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This war we fight
Its goes through the night till the morning
Are fallen soldiers Standing Angels?
We stand up on the shoulders
About the cold war they told us, peace
Be still, peace is not far away
It’s not far from where we are today
This war we fight with the might of the almighty
So even on dark days
This light will guide me
A life given for another, Is a time used wisely.
I write for the brothers and sisters
Eyes of them
Between the sheets of humanity
Our families the devil’s calamity
Soldiers that fight for our sanity
We celebrate them only annually
But everyday, everyday is a way to salute
Those of fatigue and boots , the mothers and fathers of those troops
The mission is to harmonize like old groups
This war we fight is for our young
So that our young can become recruits
Teachers, lawyers, writers
Fighters for a higher purpose
Becoming fine young men and women for service
Serving each other and the mother earth that birth us
Serving to God, that truly knows what there worth is
So for all our soldiers are write these words
Because of what you contribute
We pay tribute
For those of you who left us you still live through
Because this war we fight is everywhere all over
And in this war we are all soldiers.
@aaogungbesan
The peom was originally written by a Rapper Common to the veterans ,

Articles on www.omojuwa.com are solely authors opinion

We Would Never Fund Boko Haram – CBN

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The Central Bank of Nigeria has denied allegations that there are people using the Bank to fund the activities of Boko Haram.

This was disclosed in a letter dated October 16, 2014 and addressed to Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.

The letter with reference LSD/ACL/GEN/SRP/02/090 and by O.A. Ogundana on behalf of the Director, Legal Services Department of the Bank reads in part: “We write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 15th September 2014 on the subject captioned: request to provide information about alleged money laundering to Boko Haram through the Bank.

“In your letter you had requested from the CBN information about persons or office involved in alleged money laundering activities of the Boko Haram through the CBN; and information on the exact nature and duration of any such transactions.

“We wish to inform you that after investigating the allegations across various Departments at the Bank that deal with payments, the Bank could not find any information pertaining to persons involved in money laundering through the CBN to fund the activities of Boko Haram.

Nigeria To Purchase Three Fairly Used Warplanes From Czech Republic

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There are ongoing discussions between Nigerian government and Czech Republic over the former’s interest in acquiring three ‘fairly used’ aircrafts from the country as part of its efforts to tackle terrorism currently tearing the nation apart.

Czech ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Pavel Mikes, made this disclosure yesterday when he led a delegation, including the Deputy Commander of Czech Airforce, Brigadier General Sebesta Jeromir, to the office of Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro in Abuja.

He said the warplanes, which are designed with GPS that is active both in the day and night, will help Nigeria in tackling the insurgents and monitor its borders.

36 Killed In Libya’s Renewed Clashes

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Renewed clashes in Libya’s second largest city Benghazi have killed at least 36 people and injured 71 others, military sources said .

A spokesman for the Libyan army’s Special Force said that “a total of 36 people have been killed due to a double suicide attack and the clashes with Islamist militants, who were advancing towards the Benina airport.

” The spokesman said the death toll quickly rose after many of the injured died of their wounds, according to Al-Marj General Hospital.

Since Thursday, renewed clashes have erupted around Benghazi’s Benina Airport between Islamist militants and pro-secular militias who are loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar,

who launched Operation Dignity last May against Islamist militants in what he described as an anti-terror campaign.

Local media reported that the Islamist militants, including those with Ansar al-Sharia, Shura Council and Libya Shield, were trying to seize the airport before Eid al-Adha, or Muslim’s feast of sacrifice.

The crucial air hub was considered as Haftar’s last stronghold to house heavy weaponry and ammunition.

Local citizens also saw Haftar’s helicopters and warplanes taking off from the airport to launch several sorties of attacks on Islamist militant bases on Thursday

300 Boko Haram Insurgents Arrested In Cameroon Seek Asylum

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The Defense Ministry of the Republic of Cameroon, has said that it has arrested at least 300 Boko Haram terrorists and they are currently being interrogated in the country.

The Spokesman of the Ministry, Lt. Col. Didier Badjeck was quoted by agency reports as saying that the militants have demanded for asylum in Cameroon and have freely given up their arms.

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It would be recalled that the country claimed victory weekend over the insurgents when they announced that one of its leaders, Abakar Ali, was captured in Kousseri, a town in northern Cameroon.

Seized from Ali, according to the report were 5 machine guns, 14 rifles, 24 rockets, 4 rocket launchers, 6 Kalashnikovs, 60 Kalashnikovs magazines, 4 automatic pistols , over 500 9mm ammunition, 469 12.7mm ammunition, 4,454 7.62 mm ammunition, 1,491 5.56 mm ammunition, 822 ammunition of 7.62 mm, 6 grenades, 28 rocket launcher chargers and other equipment like pincers, tweezers and knives

Americans Doubt Reports of Shekau’s Death

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The United States voiced skepticism Thursday over reports from the Nigerian military that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had been killed in recent clashes with troops.

“The Nigerians have announced several times that the head of Boko Haram was dead and every single time we find out that it is not true,” a senior State Department official told reporters.

“What I read recently is that Shekau’s lookalike or some Shekau impostor was killed and then I read later that maybe Shekau himself was killed. I don’t put a lot of weight on those stories until we see more evidence,” the official added, asking not to be identified.

The Nigerian defense ministry said on Wednesday that Shekau was dead and that one Bashir Mohammed, killed during recent clashes with troops, was a lookalike who had been impersonating him in videos.

The announcement was the first time that the military high command had said Shekau was dead, after refusing to confirm two previous claims from police and a regional task force in 2009 and 2013.

But analysts also dismissed it as propaganda, and the State Department official highlighted that Boko Haram was still carrying out attacks.

Saudi’s Top Clerics Talk Down on Islamic Militancy

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Saudi Arabia’s top clerical council, the only body in the country authorized to issue fatwas or Islamic legal opinions, declared on Wednesday that “terrorism is a heinous crime” under Sharia, and perpetrators should be made an example of.

The statement, days after Saudi Arabia and other Arab states pledged in Jeddah to combat militant ideology, was the most comprehensive attack the kingdom’s conservative clergy have made so far on Islamist radicalism and the Islamic State group.

In a statement carried on state media, they did not specify particular punishments, but said they should act as a deterrent. Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty, usually by public beheading, for many serious crimes.

Signed by all 21 members of the council and quoting extensively from the Koran and sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, the statement also prohibits militant financing or encouraging young people towards militant acts.

It said people who issued fatwas or other opinions that “justify terrorism” were not permissible in any way and were “the order of Satan”.

Saudi Arabia has joined international efforts headed by the United States to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and has also worked with Washington in its battle against Al Qaeda.

Battle On Terrorism – UK Sends Arms To Iraqi Government To Tackle ISIS

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Heavy machine guns and ammunition are being donated to Iraq to help fight Islamic State militants, the Ministry of Defence says.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the equipment was worth about £1.6m, and there would be an estimated £475,000 in transport costs.

He said the UK is committed to assisting the Iraqi government and to help Kurdish forces defend themselves.

The equipment is due to arrive in Iraq on Wednesday.

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The “gifting” of the equipment is being sent at the request of the Iraqi government, including the Kurdish regional government, Mr Fallon added.

The news comes after Iraq created a new government, sharing posts between the Shia Arab majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

The Islamic State jihadist group has taken control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria and in June declared the creation of a “caliphate”, or Islamic state.

Mr. Fallon said the UK wanted to offer help to the Iraqi authorities by “alleviating the humanitarian suffering” of those Iraqis targeted by IS.

He also said Britain wanted to promote “an inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq” that can push back on IS advances and restore stability and security across the country, while working with the international community to tackle the broader threat it poses to the region and countries around the world, including the UK.

He added: “The Kurdish forces remain significantly less well equipped” than IS and the UK was responding to help them.

He said IS was “guilty of shocking brutality”.

“I am pleased that we will supply weapons to the Kurdish forces who are at the front line of combating their violent extremism.”

 

Manpower Vs Armoury: Tale of the Nigerian Soldier – Omojuwa.com’s Dinah Adams Engaged Nigerian Soldiers

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A farmer to the farm without a hoe probably has no intention of tilling the earth. Words about how our Soldiers have been conditioned to battle boko haram without decent armoury has hovered enough and is ready for thrashing.

Note that the words, “Nigerian Soldiers” here will always begin with capital letters, which is a glimpse for the reader to understand the high pedestal of honour rendered, on which these men are beheld.

And that should start it; of course they are men with flesh and blood, tears and sweat, emotions and faith. These men however subject themselves to all sorts of inhumane treatment to themselves, all in the name of training to attain the “Soldier” status and experience the alteration of the default man, because the danger does not find them; they find danger.

“Soldiers Love War”, one of them confessed with an excitement that can be likened to the connection between a child to a candy. One would obviously blend into comprehending this statement because we are meant to understand the kinds of training they engage in. One mentioned how his final training deprived him of sleep for three days, in a thick forest and stood the risk of being shot or gunned down by his own counterparts (with real steel bullets).

Point is, these men put their lives on the line even before they march forward to protect their country, which is their primary duty.

Now picture a typical Nigerian house girl who is expected to wash the children’s cloths and dishes without her madam providing her with detergent or any cleaning agent. Madam should be rest assured that these cloths and dishes will enter water, but that does not do the job.

Be reminded of the fact that armoury is not sold in the provision store down the street and no magician has turned a bunny to a rifle yet.

It is thus tremendously and awfully disturbing that these Soldiers are handed with a 60 round ammunition rifle each without steel helmet and fragment jacket. Notice, it is not a bullet proof jacket, but a fragment jacket. Question now is, what happens to the Soldier if he has exhausted his bullets? Here are possible options, use stones, get killed or employ Tai Chi; whichever ways, going home is not among the options, neither is asking for more rounds.

It will disgust you more than interest you to know that, the old school alpha jets given to our Soldiers dates back, even before Shagari’s administration, or maybe the fact that our armoured tanks cannot trail beyond 1 Kilometre without stoppage. And if you have seen any Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher in the possession of the Nigerian Soldiers, it must be the one they seized from boko haram. Our Soldiers weren’t given one or probably never had one.

As if not arming these men is not enough, some of the Soldiers have confirmed the possibility of very highly placed Nigerian citizens who are devoted to snitching our noble Nigerian Soldiers sent out there to the battlefield to protect lives and properties. One revealed that Soldiers had been expecting weapons for over six months and when they eventually arrived, they were seized by insurgents after six major attempts to move them to Maiduguri.

It is horribly annoying to realise that the political interests of some specially insane and unpatriotic people are justifiable enough for them to put the lives of our Nation’s Soldiers in the line. It was a shame to discover that Boko Haram used the T55 (Tank Gun) they seized from the Nigerian Army to attack Bama. We were made to understand that the insurgents employ the sophisticated military strategies and intelligence against our Soldiers; i. e “Platoon- Company- Battalion.

Thus the big question won’t be asking who leaks valuable security information to the insurgents, rather let the questions be skipped and let these snakes be brought to public light and charged with treason and the murder of noble Nigerian Soldiers.

A couple of these Soldiers confessed that they are highly capable of wiping out the persisting insurgency, but the big boys in Defence Headquarters are not willing to allow that happen yet. It was disappointing to realise that some Nigerian citizens made mockery of our Soldiers after reports said they ran into Cameroon to flee from the insurgents. Truth however is, no human born of a woman will stand if he is holding a FN Rifle and his opponent is holding a rocket launcher.

Soldiers revealed that out of a hundred BH troops, 50 of them carry rocket launchers, while some had anti- aircraft guns to fight with.

More so, some of the Nigerian Soldiers said there are no efforts whatsoever put in place to boast their morale. No armoury, no food, 30 thousand monthly payment, betrayal and even denial of Fallen Soldiers by the Government.

Let’s be reminded again that these men are men with flesh and blood, tears and sweat, emotions and faith. Some of them have wives and children and have not felt the warmth of their homes for a long time. These men have shed blood, tears and sweat to protect the lives and properties of other nations’ citizens within Africa and have halted civil wars courageously. They are still shedding blood, tears and sweat to defeat the common enemy of their very own Motherland with insufficient armoury and are persisting amidst betrayal and injustice. Let the story of the Nigerian Soldier be said by the nationals they protect and let it never cease till the armoury matches the manpower of the Nigerian Soldier.

Dinah Adams and Japheth Omojuwa spoke with some soldiers in Abuja. This report was compiled by Dinah Adams

Unsung Hero: The Diary of A Nigerian Soldier – Femi Falodun

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My name is John Martins and I was born to be a soldier.

It was all I had wanted to do from the first James Bond movie I saw on TV as an 8 year-old.

I love guns too. I love the uniform, the boots, the gear… I love the honour and respect that comes with being a soldier. I love that people fear us. I love the mystique. I love the life!

I was born on January 20, 1986 in Lagos. But my parents are from Adamawa.

Many people think I am Yoruba, because I speak the language fluently. I was raised in Yaba, Lagos.

I left the University of Lagos in my 200 level, studying Mechanical Engineering just so I could follow my childhood dream of becoming a professional soldier.

I joined the Nigerian Defence Academy where I studied Computer Science.

My friends call me “Jigga” or “The Eagle”.

Jigga because I never let a social night go to waste. I party hard!

I am The Eagle… because I am the best shot in my battalion. My eagle eyes have earned me several awards and accolades, and I am a 3-time champion of the Commander’s Shooting Contest.

I won’t dwell too much on my past and childhood and all that now. The story of my life will unveil itself in these short notes I will be writing weekly (hopefully). These notes will be a sort of diary about my current life, my life in the Nigerian army. I will try and send these short notes to my blogger friends weekly, even though I doubt if I can be consistent. The network out here is a ‘female dog’.

This story of mine is also the story of many others like me out here. From those of us currently serving in the heart of Borno to those abroad serving in foreign missions.

This story is not fiction. So, be prepared for some harsh truths and scary drama… and some boredom too. The life of a soldier could be boring at times. 90% of the time, a soldier is just waiting… Waiting on some action. That could be boring…and scary.

Also, sometimes I may ramble. Do pardon me. Loneliness and long cold nights can make one act funny. You hold so many thoughts to yourself with no one to share, and you finally get a platform to share and you can’t help but talk and talk and can’t stop talking.

Therapy. That is what these notes are for me.

So, bear with me.

I will try not to bore you.

I count myself lucky to be having a platform to share and express myself. To share my story and put a face/personality to the uniform that many of my countrymen see on TV.

Many Nigerians have hated this uniform for so long, and I can’t blame them. The army has made many errors, and it is hard to earn forgiveness. Many opinion-shapers in Nigeria today still blame the military for the country’s woes. However, the present-day politicians (many of whom are ex-military) are giving the military regimes a run for their money in terms of ineptitude, and failure to develop the nation.

Well, I am not going to defend the army, neither am I going to blame the generals either.

This is not a political blog and I am not partisan.

I am here to put a face to the ‘unknown soldier’ dying everyday for the peace of this country.

We are not mere uniforms. We are sons, daughters, brothers, fathers, husbands, lovers and nephews of somebody out there. Maybe even you.

We are real and not mere statistics.

I am not my gun. I am not my ‘khaki’. I am John Martins, Captain in the Nigerian Army, and I am proud of who I am.

This is not an entertainment blog, although I must warn you that my stories may look fictional every now and then. You wouldn’t believe what goes on in the battles that a 21st century soldier has to fight these days.

I am here to share that story.

Hopefully, I will have your attention.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Today, we managed to take back Bama town from the Boko Haram insurgents. They have become very powerful now, much more than they were when they attacked Chibok and took those girls away. Ansure, a terror group operating with AQIM is now heavily involved. This their new-found mission of “Caliphate” expansion is driven by these bloodthirsty monsters who came from the regions around Mali.

I once trained members of  Malian army special forces in anti-insurgent strategies, so I know these groups well. They are well equipped, well trained, and crazy enough to face a bullet for their sick beliefs.

Please pray for us.

I have to go now. So much to say, but I have to go and lead my men out for the nightly patrol we conduct around the edges of Sambisa.

  • This is an adaptation of real stories of Nigerian soldiers *

Femi Falodu blogs at http://mythoughonlots.blogspot.co.uk and this story was initially published here

Reign Of Insanity: President Jonathan To Replace Elected Borno Governor With Military Administrator reports Sunday Trust

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The Sunday Trust reports that the Governor of Borno State may be replaced with a Military Administrator by President Jonathan  Jonathan Plans Next Move: Military Governor To Replace Shettima – Sunday Trust

.It’s Unconstitutional -Lawyers
.Nigeria Closes Border with Cameroon
Governor Kashim Shettima is to be suspended from office early this week and replaced by a Military Administrator as part of plans by the Federal Government to launch a decisive military offensive against Boko Haram insurgents, Sunday Trust learnt from authoritative sources in Abuja at the weekend.

Members of the Borno State House of Assembly are also to proceed on suspension to enable the Military Administrator to exercise full executive and legislative powers. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to announce the sudden move on Wednesday when he swears in 11 new ministers, including Lt General Aliyu Mohamed Gusau, who is expected to take over as Defence Minister.

Sources told Sunday Trust that the Presidency has already identified a retired Army General that it intends to appoint as the Military Administrator of Borno State. According to the sources, the Presidency believes that placing a soldier in charge of the state government will send a signal to the recalcitrant insurgents and also give impetus to the highly stepped up military effort that it is planning in the wake of deadly attacks on several Borno communities by the insurgents in recent weeks.

It was not immediately clear if the presidency’s planned move is meant to punish Governor Kashim Shettima, who had a sharp exchange with it last week over handling of the war against Boko Haram. Emerging from a private meeting with the president, Shettima told reporters that the insurgents were often better armed and better motivated than the army in the ongoing war. Jonathan’s senior special assistant for public affairs, Doyin Okupe, replied the next day, saying Shettima’s claim was not true, that the governor is too inexperienced to know about weapons and that the military is winning the war against Boko Haram. Shettima, however, visited the State House again last Thursday and had another private meeting with Jonathan, where observers thought they had resolved their differences. Sources said Jonathan invited Shettima to the meeting after last Wednesday’s renewed Boko Haram attack on Bama town.

Sunday Trust learnt that the move to suspend democratic structures in Borno State was recently revived following a similar attempt last May, when Jonathan first declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. His proposal to suspend governors and state legislators in the affected states was vehemently opposed by the National Assembly, lawyers and civil society groups. They pointed out that a Supreme Court ruling in the case of Atiku versus Obasanjo made it clear that a governor, deputy governor, vice president or a president can only lose his position in one of four ways. These are death, permanent incapacitation, resignation and impeachment. A parallel move by Jonathan to seize the financial allocations of the three states and commandeer it to fund military operations was also thwarted by the House of Representatives, which deleted it from the gazette emergency notice issued by the president.

Contacted for his comments yesterday, Shettima’s spokesman Isa Umar Gusau said he was “surprised to hear that the federal government may be contemplating such an illegal, unjustified, unconstitutional and highly controversial move that will heat up the polity and endanger this country’s democracy.” He said his boss is a very calm, extremely patient person, who is not given to muckraking or unguarded utterances. He said “what the governor said was a product of long observation, a welter of information from persons at the receiving end of the attacks and also careful reflection. The view is shared by all elders and community leaders in the state. It was not meant to embarrass anyone but to alert Nigerians to the danger we all face and to seek the support of all citizens towards overcoming it.”

Gusau also said, “If the reason for the alleged move is in order to win greater support for the military in this battle, I doubt if anyone else can do what Governor Shettima has done and is still doing by way of assisting the security operations and also by bringing quick relief to victims of insurgent attacks, including the widows and families of security agents.” He said the Borno State Government under Shettima has provided vehicles, allowances, fuel and other equipment worth hundreds of millions over the years to the military and other agencies fighting Boko Haram.

In addition, he said, Shettima paid over N200m to families of soldiers killed in operations as well as provided hundreds of millions of naira as relief to families of civilians killed by insurgents. The governor, he said, promptly visits communities attacked by insurgents and arranges immediate relief and resettlement. This is necessary in order to build up public confidence in security operations and maintain popular backing for the military operations, he said.

Contacted for comments yesterday, President Jonathan’s spokesman Reuben Abati told our reporter that he was not aware of any such moves by government.
“I’m not aware of such a plan,” Dr Abati said. “We’ve just returned from Owerri, Imo State, where the president received politicians who have joined the PDP. Why not call the military authorities to confirm that to you. As you know, the constitution is very clear on how a governor could be replaced. I cannot confirm anything to you on this issue.”
Meanwhile, constitutional lawyers spoken to yesterday described the planned move by the Presidency as illegal and unconstitutional.

A constitutional lawyer and executive director of the Human Rights Monitor, Barrister Festus Okoye, said removing a state governor and dissolving the state assembly will amount to ‘constitutional aberration’ capable of affecting the 2015 polls and giving the fight against insurgency ‘an unwarranted political colouration.’
He said the state of emergency that was declared in accordance with Section 305(1) of the constitution and published in Federal Government’s Gazette, after its approval by the National Assembly, did not provide for dissolution of any of the states’ democratic structures.
“The details of the proclamation do not include the removal of the governor and the dissolution of the House of Assembly and other elected democratic structures. It is a constitutional aberration to declare and (or) assume that a state of emergency must of necessity extinguish democratic structures or lead to their dissolution or suspension. The governor and the state assemblies are elected and the conditions for their removal or suspension are also constitutionally spelt out,” he said.

“The governors of the affected states have displayed uncommon courage in the face of the massive onslaught by the insurgents. The security agencies have been doing their own bit. The missing link in the fight against insurgency is in the area of intelligence gathering, analysis and implementation. There is also an imagination deficit in the approach to the challenge of insurgency.
“Any approach to tackling insurgency that does not creatively factor the local population into the solution will not achieve the desired result. The Nigerian people must bond together and tackle the challenge of insurgency.

“The dissolution of democratic structures in any of the states will put an undeserved strain on the 2015 elections and give the fight against insurgency an unwarranted political coloration. The dissolution will be unconstitutional and will polarize the National Assembly. I do not see the National Assembly approving the amendment to the details and when such is defeated in the National Assembly it may demoralize the armed forces. As we move towards the 2015 elections, we must avoid constitutional impunity that will put an undeserved strain on our fragile constitutional democracy,” he said.

Also, human rights activist Femi Falana, SAN, said Governor Shettima cannot be held responsible for the seeming successes being recorded by the dreaded Boko Haram troops in the North East.
Falana, who stated this in a telephone interview with Sunday Trust yesterday, said that no Military Administrator can fight the Boko Haram when army commanders have failed to conquer the insurgent group.
The senior lawyer said it was because of the illegality of the arrangement that President Jonathan could not appoint Military Administrators when he declared state of emergency in three states in the North-East zone last year.
“It was because of the illegality of the proposition that the president could not appoint Military Administrators (MILADS) for those three states when he declared a state of emergency last year. Since the constitution has not been amended to empower the president and the NASS to remove an elected governor, there are no bases to remove the Borno State governor. If anybody has to take responsibility for the worsening security situation and for the crisis in Borno State and the North-East, so far, it is the president who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and not the governor, who is a glorified chief security officer of the state.
“In fairness to Jonathan he has repeatedly assured Nigerians that the situation is under control and that the FG is winning the war against terror. The unarmed governor of Borno State cannot be held vicariously liable for the seeming success being recorded by the Boko Haram fighters, who appear more armed than Nigerian soldiers and have resorted to guerilla warfare, which is very alien to the Nigerian armed forces.
“Instead of resorting to any diversionary tactic, FG should go back to the drawing table by motivating the soldiers and equipping them with modern weapons as well as improvement of the intelligence gathering,” Falana said.

#KakandaTemple ~ Islam: In Receipt of the Outsiders’ Criticisms

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I was seated in a tea stall in my neighbourhood, among an entirely Muslim clientele, when a conversation between two fellows struck me. One was a provision store owner in one of the illegally occupied parts of Life Camp and his colleague was just who I may call “a random hustler”—a fellow you may dial to supply you with water, do your laundry and even run an errand for a small fee. Both were people of amazing faith in God, in the future, in a kinder destiny. Though on the surface, they seemed similar being both homeless and living in the mosque, their worldviews would never co-exist. They were debating a post-prayer sermon delivered in the neighbourhood mosque a day before which the store owner disagreed with. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to condemn your good neighbours’ religion in that fashion,” the store owner said of the preacher’s sermon. He added, “There is always a need to respect one another in any religion!” I followed their conversations not only because the store owner panders to commendable political correctness, but in my amusement at the private exchanges of fellow Muslims. Especially among the supposedly unenlightened of the lower social classes, those who grow up in closed societies where the foreign is either inferior or unacceptable!

Last week, I followed the arguments against perceived unresponsiveness to terrorism among Muslims by some non-Muslim social critics who are not in the know of the frictions amongst Muslims along the lines of personal, ideological, cultural and sectarian differences. In their unjust reviews, terrorism thrives on the silence of the “moderate” or politically correct Muslims. Loudest among these are from professors Wole Soyinka and Okey Ndibe, who both insist that Muslims must “take back” Islam and “stand up to be counted” in their justified outrage over the killing of the middle-class citizens in Nairobi and of the socially subaltern citizens we mourn in north-eastern Nigeria. I do not consider their criticisms as mischievous, even though Soyinka has always struggled with the temptation to condemn an entire faith for the sins of some confused members. I was thus happy that this time Soyinka candidly observes in his commentary “Humanity and Against”, that “as for their (the terrorists’) claims to faith, they invoke divine authority solely as a hypocritical cover for innate psychopathic tendencies.” Gbam!

I testify to the corruptions of religions. I am a witness to the sheer lack of ability among my Muslim brothers and sisters, which is also so among Christians, to tell adherence apart from fanaticism. The line between the two is too thin; many, as I always offer, don’t know it when they cross the line. Fanaticism is when you obey the commands of your God without respecting the “live and let live” principle of existence. You’re a fanatic unless you respect that your neighbours and friends and fellow citizens who practise other religions are under no obligation to follow your Way. That they only owe you one thing: respect!

As a younger person, I witnessed an interesting drama that still remains with me. Once, I returned from the Koranic school with a revelation: never prostrate, kneel, squat or bow for anyone aside from Allah. I was afraid because it was going to affect my relationship with my beloved mother, and also because I was cautious about losing my spot as her favourite child. In my culture, it’s a mark of respect to squat or kneel down while greeting elders, and here my mullah asked me never to do this again. Even to my own mother. I invited Mum to the room and told her that I was going to offend her and that it was not meant to disrespect her—that thenceforth I was going to stop kneeling or bowing whenever I greet her. The following day, while we were in school, she stormed with other neighbours whose children and wards were also affected by the “revelation” to challenge the mullah’s ways. They called the mullah an “Izala”—a member of a religious group promoting what it views as abhorrence to “innovations” while promoting an adherence to a strict orthodoxy of their own strict interpretation. The parents said his attempts to corrupt us had failed. We, the children and wards, were then taken out of the school!

This and the example of the provision store owner are just instances from the many resistances to extremism and contested fundamentalism within Muslim communities. To the outsider, Islam has been taken over by extremists but among us they are simply a bunch of confused minority in whose minds are riots of identities and consequent loss of humanity. Muslims have always been sensitive to deviancy, so asking them to take back Islam reeks of the campaigners’ ignorance of the frictions within. You can only take back what has been taken over; there are two sides to everything, and here the statistics still favour the “moderate”. Every religion has always in the hands of two sides at every time and in every issue, every article of faith, sometimes in the hands of more than two schools of thought and practice even. In the case of this escalating terrorism, one may only rightly ask the government to regulate religious activities. Let’s at least recognise the efforts of the “moderate” who have suffered to challenge religious aberrations, to my mother and to every Muslim who have been risking their lives to stop the productions of religious robots. What method hasn’t been set up to defeat the ideologies of these insurgents? And if you’re expecting the Muslims to take up arms against the terrorist, the Civilian JTF are already up in the North-East. That our fanaticism devolves into terrorism is not due to the silence of the Muslims, it’s the insensitivity of the government. Yes, the only option right now is government—to defy this “Freedom of Worship” blackmail by regulating and stamping out any religious activity, especially education that threatens our existence. You don’t have to be Turkey’s Mustafa Ataturk to protect your citizens from the religious corruptions. Theirs is not religious, I agree! You’re not religious until you’re humane; you’re human first before you earned any other label. And until you’re able to reconcile your love for whatever you worship with your love for the humankind, my last words remain: May God save us from us!

By Gimba Kakanda
@gimbakakanda (On Twitter)

#KakandaTemple – Black Africa: This Earth, My People!

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“My people, I have been somewhere
If I turn here, the rain beats me
If I turn there, the sun burns me
The firewood of this world
Is for only those who can take heart
That is why not all can gather it.” ~

Song of Sorrow, Kofi Awoonor (1935 – 2013)

Africa has been the perfect laboratory for every evil ideology; this is the earth where slavery had its worst results, where colonialism too had its worst, where several sociological experiments were, and are still being, designed to confuse and test the intelligence of a people whose history, perhaps for lack of verifiable documents, is an inverse of achievement.

Our disquieting absence in the history of great discoveries and inventions, and the lack of wisdom to challenge corrupting impositions, has set in us a riot we may never be able to end anytime soon. This is a riot of identities, this is a riot initiated by our ignorance of who we were. It’s thus strange that despite our exploits in arts and humanities, our people still allow themselves to be used against one another, in pursuits of religious and political ideologies designed overseas. And all the evil things we have done to one another in the name of politics and religion are simply due to this ignorance – and that nothing is ever universal unless it’s accepted by all.

While it’s applaudable that we accept influences that ought to redeem us, it’s really baffling that such are being used to destroy our polities. Islam is increasingly being used by many groups of perverts to hurt the conscience of humanity. And the ongoing sparks of terrorism around us are justifications of Blackman’s folly. It’s understandable to see a lining of religion when the Arabs who are largely Muslim wage a war against a country in the west, which is either secular or Christian-dominated. But having the same race torn apart by religious or political ideologies introduced by foreigners is a strange example of tragi-comedy!

Africa is a in a deep mess right now, and the sooner we realise the danger ahead, the more the chances of forestalling an eclipse of our existence as a sane people. What the children of Black Africa needs now is immediate orientation and regulations of hatred-rousing religious activities; not just more arms to fight terrorism. Terrorism is one monster we can never ever fight with arms alone; it’s too strong for a continent that can’t even feed its people; it’s too smart for a continent whose people lack the brains to understand that we are humans first, before any other label; it’s too elusive for a continent whose security operatives rely on foreign interventions to fight a group of barely schooled extremists.

Africa is already losing the fight; even though we have lost significant figures of our human capitals to Brain Drain, the few home-based may be no more if these killings of “infidels” and “apostates” by God’s “litigators” on this earth continue. We’re already used to headlines announcing the killings of “hundreds”, already used to the killings of those we consider social nonentities among us; the indefensible peasants, artisans and herdsmen dying of the bullets of the terrorists or the soldiers sent to protect those poor citizens. Theirs are no longer news. What makes the headlines now are the killings of Africa’s intellectual and political ambassadors and, well, scientists – that’s if we really can call those memorisers of ancient theories, trained in our academic abattoirs, “scientists!”

Last Saturday the world woke up to a defeat; we have lost one of Africa’s renowned poets. To terrorism, yes. At a mall in Kenya. His name roused nostalgias, because he defined the worldview of many with his verses. Inspired by the traditions of his people, Ghana’s Kofi Awoonor explored and symbolised the miseries of Black Africa with imageries derived from the practices of his ethnic group. His verses are memorable, and were also models for some of my early poems which were abandoned when I realised that I was not really created for ethnic profiling, never fancy being an ethnic ambassador in my writings. This earth, my people, is going to be too slippery if this rain beats us any longer. And if we flee overseas, the racist sun of the west is not any merciful. But we can’t “take heart”; I hope we find the wisdom to understand the danger of terrorism in a continent of armed circuses!

While I have always empathise with every Solomon and Suleiman killed by the folly of our ideologically confused brothers, the death of Awoonor portends a certain doom for Black Africa. Our unimpressive human capitals will definitely lose key figures in this despicable insurgency. We have seen, sorry watched, the ruins of several nations in the Middle East, studied how religion is being manipulated to serve a group’s interests, so protecting this earth from such sociological erosions is a task upon us. It’s really sad that all we mutter is the “Islam is a religion of peace” cliche anytime our estranged brothers kill the “kuffar” in the name of our faith; we’re a powerful majority unless we begin to react to religious deviancy detected in our communities; the mullahs who have risen against these tides of anti-religious activities must be supported by all means. Not every bearded person who has his named prefixed with “Sheikh” or “Ustaz” must be allowed to preach in our mosques, to our children – or anywhere! While we’re busy in our offices, there are a few whose words can trigger a confusion in the minds of the unenlightened believers. Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Islam is not a secret cult; it’s a beautiful and open religion for those whose minds are open!

The radicalised Muslims are students of a closed society, as found in Nigeria, and politicised Islam, as found in the Middle East and parts of Africa. Even the killers of Awoonor are foot-soldiers of politicised Islam – which is a brand of Islam we must never allow to interfere with what they consider “secular”. Politicised, not political, Islam is the distortion and application of selective decrees by an individual or a group to pursue selfish interests in the name of Islamic advocacy. It’s a fraud, a criminally designed ideology whose unprogressive proponents are on a blind rush to make the ideal believers unfair victims of negative profiling. Their mission is to create divisions along the lines of religion, which may be exploited to campaign for an impossible homogenous entity. Sadly, Africa is too complex for a successful segregation. They can only destroy the efforts of our years of labour, like the animals they actually are, while the other world moves on with their exploits in technological inventions to build a civilisation which the terrorists too enjoy. The world is not waiting for you, Africa! Today, we no longer want to go see the adobe mosques of Timbuktu – Mali only evokes pity now. We no longer want to go visit our friends in north-central Nigeria – that’s seen as a suicide mission. And, just last week, my dream of a vacation in Nairobi was closed in parentheses. May God save us from us!

By Gimba Kakanda
@gimbakakanda (On Twitter)