President Jonathan Withdraws From 2015 Presidential Elections?

Less than a year before the Nigerian presidential elections, President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that a different government and leadership would be installed in the country come 2015.
President Jonathan made this statement while delivering a speech at a “Democracy Day” church service held on May 25, Sunday, in Abuja, a statement many believe would catch his allies, foes and watchers of his administration by surprise.
Prior to Jonathan’s speech, the head of the Nigeria Pilgrims Commission, Reverend John Kennedy Opara, had told the gathering that this year's Democracy Day would be the last to be celebrated by Mr. Jonathan.

* President Jonathan may have withdrawn his candidacy for next year's presidency
Sahara Reporters reports that when it was the president’s turn to speak, he assured Nigerians that the Democracy Day event was the last for his current administration.
A PDP official who was at the event told newsmen that he was mystified by the statements. He said he had no advance notice about the president’s remarks, and so was in no position to interpret its political meaning.

It is still unknown if the two statements are indications that the Nigerian president had decided not to seek a second term in office in general elections scheduled for next year.
Mr. Jonathan continues to face criticism both in Nigeria and abroad for his dismal performance since he assumed office more than five years ago.
Among those that attended the church service included the Senate President David Mark, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, and some military chiefs. The president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, as well as his mother were also in attendance.

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Boko Haram kills another 24 in Borno

No fewer than 24 people were reportedly killed on Sunday in an attack carried out by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Kamuyya village, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.

Boko Haram militants have recently intensified bloody attacks in the rural areas as over 100 villagers have reportedly lost their lives within the last one week.

The latest incident occurred in the afternoon on Sunday when dozens of the insurgents, armed with assault rifles and explosives, invaded a weekly market in Kamuyya village, and killed 24 persons.

Residents said the insurgents had visited the town about two months ago and asked the village head to mobilise his subjects to contribute N250,000 for them to execute God’s work.

The villagers, most of them peasant farmers and petty traders, had only managed to raise N70,000, a situation which angered the insurgents.

They reportedly threatened to return and collect the balance, warning the community to either heed their demand within a stipulated period or face deadly attack.

A resident, Bukar Umar, said: “Actually, when they issued such threat, we all took it lightly and nobody bothered to make any extra effort to raise the amount they requested for.

“Maybe that was what ignited this bloody attack because we were unable to meet their demand.”

Umar said over 20 insurgents stormed the Kamuyya weekly market, when traders were conducting their businesses and opened fire into the crowd before setting shops and vehicles on fire.

According to him: “The militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, raided the area and proceeded to the major market. They began to shoot sporadically into the crowd, killing 24 people on the spot and burnt most of the shops in the market.”

He said the people were taken unawares as the town had not come under such heavy attacks for a long time.

He expressed dismay that innocent people were killed without the intervention of the security forces.

He said: “Throughout the onslaught, which lasted over five hours, there was no single security personnel to confront the invaders as they had a field day.

“The invaders snatched several vehicles and loaded them with bags of foodstuff before fleeing the area.

“They destroyed everything we had, carted away our foodstuff and burnt down the remaining ones.

“The most painful thing is that they did not spare even the fleeing residents as they trailed and killed anybody who attempted to escape.”

Another resident, who preferred anonymity, claimed that over 100 houses were burnt after the attackers killed 24 people, leaving several others wounded.

Umar decried the absence of security operatives in the area, even as they alerted relevant authorities on the need to deploy troops to safeguard the community.

He said: “Immediately after the last week attack in Kimba village, where scores of people were murdered, we urged the security agents to deploy their personnel, but our appeal fell on deaf ears.”

The resident further explained that after wreaking havoc in market, the hoodlums proceeded to the main town and set houses and vehicles on fire.

“After the carnage in market, the militants moved into the main town as they set ablaze several houses and vehicles,” Umar said.

Vanguard.

Boko Haram kills 30 vigilantes in Borno

Militants in Nigeria have raided three villages and killed those they accused of being anti-Boko Haram vigilantes, residents have told the BBC.

More than 30 people were killed in the attacks overnight into Friday in north-eastern Borno State, they said.

The raids took place as the UN Security Council approved sanctions against the Islamist group.

It is five weeks since Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls, prompting international outrage.

Nigerian officials say President Goodluck Jonathan is due to travel to South Africa for discussions with other African heads of state on combating terrorism in Africa following on from last weekend’s summit hosted by France.

Earlier his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, said African presidents should take responsibility for their failures and resolve their own conflicts together.

“I find that our leaders, who should have been working together all along to address these problems that only affect their countries, wait until they are invited to go to Europe. Why does anybody wait for that? What image does it even give about Africa?” he said.

Residents from two of the villages that came under attack said militants had arrived in a convoy and gathered the men of the community together.

They accused them of being members of vigilante groups and killed them all, one villager from Moforo in Marte district who escaped across the border to Cameroon told the BBC Hausa service.

They then burnt down all the shops in the market, leaving the villagers destitute, he said.

Correspondents say that most villages have formed vigilante groups to try to protect their communities from militant attacks.

A resident of Kimbi village in Biu district said the villagers contacted the security forces to alert them to their attack, but were told it was not an area under military control so they could not be helped.

The military has not commented on the allegation.

About 25 men were killed in Moforo, another eight men in Kimbi. It is not known if there were casualties from a raid early on Friday on Kabrihu village near the Sambisa forest.

The latest attacks came after another deadly village raid in Borno and twin bombings which killed 122 in the central city of Jos on Tuesday. The authorities also suspect Boko Haram of being behind those attacks, but there has so far been no claim of responsibility from the group.

Boko Haram was added to the UN Security Council’s al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee’s list of designated entities on Thursday at the request of Nigeria.

US envoy Samantha Power said it was an “important step” in support of efforts to “defeat Boko Haram and hold its murderous leadership accountable”.

BBC.

Graphic Photos: Genocide Committed In Borno State? OMG!

I cannot verify the authenticity of what you are about to read and see but according to a popular Muslim cleric, Dr. Ahmad Abubakar Mahmu Gumi, who shared the photos on his Facebook page, he claims the men lined up are young Almajiris who were executed without trial as Boko Haram members in Borno state. He claims vigilante groups would move into the villages, pick up young men, take them to the field and kill them. He said this is how some innocent people are killed in the name of fighting Boko Haram. He shared four photos...find them after the cut...but viewer discretion advised. It's quite graphic...

ACF, Jang decry Jos bomb blast

The Arewa Consultative Forum has described the twin bomb blasts that rocked Jos, Plateau State on Tuesday as “wicked and gruesome”.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna.

Ibrahim added that the act was condemnable considering the huge destruction of property and loss of lives it left behind on its trail.

“The Northern part of Nigeria has witnessed and experienced too many bomb blasts in the last six years, distorting its economic life and undermining its socio-economic development,” the statement said.

The ACF also described the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in the North as most unfortunate, adding that it had led to the death of innocent people.

The forum appealed to the perpetrators of crimes against the country to embrace the civilised way of addressing their grievances.

It said: “Killing innocent people through bomb blast and gun attacks is not a solution to the grievances of the perpetrators.

“ACF finds it agonising and traumatic to always condemn such barbaric acts by insurgents and gunmen.

“The forum therefore calls on government to take proactive measures that will halt the occurrence of these dastardly acts.

“ACF further extends its heartfelt sympathy to the families of those killed and injured in this unfortunate incident.”

The forum also called on the National and State Emergency Management Agencies to immediately provide rehabilitation facilities to the injured and displaced persons in the incident.

In a related development, the Plateau State Governor, Da Jonah Jang, has described those behind the blast as “enemies of humanity and democracy”.

“The sponsors of these attacks on humanity stand condemned now and in the hereafter. We must all mobilise to check the carnage,” Jang said on Wednesday in a statement signed by James Mannok, the Director of Press Affairs.

Jang, who was reacting to the twin explosions that hit Terminus Market, Jos on Tuesday afternoon, condemned the “headless destruction of lives and property by these elements”.

He urged the security agencies to fish out the attackers.

He advised Nigerians to see the war against terrorism as a collective challenge that must be tackled collectively.

The governor said that government was assessing the situation and would take prompt actions thereafter.

17 killed as Boko Haram invades village close to Chibok

The Islamist group Boko Haram is accused of killing 17 people in an attack on a village in Borno State, close to Chibok, where hundreds of schoolgirls were seized.

It comes a day after 118 people died in a twin bomb attack in the central city of Jos, Plateau State, also blamed on Boko Haram.

In the latest attack, Boko Haram fighters reportedly spent hours killing and looting in the village of Alagarno.

Alagarno is near Chibok, from where the schoolgirls were abducted last month.

The abductions caused international outrage and have put pressure on the Nigerian authorities to deal with the threat from Boko Haram.

People in north-east Nigeria are extremely vulnerable to attacks because many areas are no go zones for the military and the insurgents operate freely, the BBC’s Will Ross reports from the country.

Witnesses in Alagarno said the suspected Boko Haram fighters arrived close to midnight, and killed and looted for hours before leaving in stolen vehicles.

One survivor told the BBC that every single building in the village had been torched.

Meanwhile in a fresh indictment on the poor maintenance culture in the country, the surveillance drones which Nigeria bought from Israel years ago that might have been used to hunt for the more than 200 girls held by Islamist rebels, have been left grounded due to poor maintenance, two official sources and the aircraft’s manufacturer have. Said.

“To the best of our knowledge, these systems are not operational,” Tsur Dvir, Marketing Officer for Aeronautics Defence Systems, a firm based south of Tel Aviv that supplied Nigeria with Aerostar unmanned aerial vehicles, said Tuesday.

Adopted Son Of General Buhari Arrested Over N20million Scam

Mohammed Buhari, an adopted son of former Military Head of State and APC Chieftain Mohammdu Buhari has being arrested by men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly defrauding a businesswoman, Mrs Florence Nwokocha, to the tune of N20million, Sahara Reporters reports. 

According to SR, Mohammed, who was introduced to Mrs Nwokocha through his account officer at Ecobank, had promised Mrs Nwokocha 10% of annual profit from a supposed oil deal which she was made to invest N20m into. After receiving her money, Muhammed reportedly disappeared. When he was eventually arrested by the EFCC, Muhammed claimed he ran into trouble after losing bank guarantee which he secured from another new generation bank. He is currently in the custody of the EFCC.

Man Arrested For Blackmailing Women With Their Nude Videos

32 year old Iweka Nnamdi who claims to be a graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University has been arrested by the Lagos Police command for allegedly blackmailing and forcefully extortiing money from unsuspecting female victims, Vanguard reports.

Nnamdi used multiple Facebook profiles, where he impersonates notable persons in the society such as the Secretary to the State Government Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, House of Rep Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Michael Adenuga, actor Van Vicker and a host of others, to deceive unsuspecting victims.

Through the fake profiles, the suspect would announce contract advertisement as well as job vacancies to his followers and then invite only the female applicants for a supposed interview at a hotel location where he would pose as the Personal Assistant to the Prominent Nigerian who owns the job or contract. 
Nnamdi in the course of the supposed interview would then demand for sex from these ladies, some of whom may be married. Unknown to those who would agree to his demands, Nnamdi would have setup a camcoder where he would record all their sexual activities and nudity. He would afterwards use the clips from the recorded video to torment his victims, threatening that he would post the video and nude photos on the internet if they don't meet his financial demands.

Luck however ran out on him when he posted the nude pictures of an Enugu state born lady who refused to give him the N20,000 he demanded.

A policeman from Area J in Ajah Lagos, explained;
"The suspect met a female banker (names withheld)on facebook where he posed as one of the big shots in Nigeria. After chatting with her for sometime, he invited her to a hotel in Ajah on March 14, 2014, where he slept with her . Unknown to the lady, a camp coder was placed in a corner of the hotel room, where all that transpired was recorded. He later abandoned the lady while she was sleeping. Next day, the lady called him on the phone, saying she was no longer interested in the relationship. But Iweka would not agree. Rather, he sent her his GTB account details asking her to pay in some money which she refused. But to her chagrin, Iweka posted her nude picture on internet , on April 15, 2014,which prompted her to report the case to the Police. We used the lady as a bait to get him by asking her to call him on the phone and book for an appointment with him in a hotel at Ikota in order to settle the case. And when he came we apprehended him. During investigation, we discovered he is not in any way related to any of these persons he claimed to represent. 

When we conducted a search in an apartment at Road 34, Ikota villa estate in Ajah, where he squats with his elder sister’s husband, we found the laptop he uses for these atrocities. Stored in, were video of several women in their nude, including that of the banker. We also found black berry phones with same pictures stored in. During interrogation, he said he only used such means to get beautiful ladies and also make some money. His victims included bankers, students in the different universities and married women. For the married women, he tells them to bid for contracts. From our acount, he has destroyed about fourteen marriages, by posting pictures of the women who turned down his blackmail, on the internet”

Iweaka has been charged to court on an eight- count charge ranging from impersonation, publication of provocative pictures, threat to life, conduct likely to cause the breach of peace, obtaining under false pretense and threat with intent to extort. The first hearing for his case was heard on April 28th where he pleaded not guilty. He was granted bail of N200,000 with two sureties.The case comes up for hearing again May 26th.

Adamawa Villagers Today Killed 70 Boko Haram Men Searching For Food

According to a report by Sahara Reporters, no fewer than 70 members of Boko Haram were killed today May 16th by members of a vigilante group in the Madagali town of Adamawa state and captured seven alive who they handed over to the police. 

The vigilantes reportedly acted after they were tipped off by a local food vendor that the militants were coming to get food before heading out for a major operation to raid villages in the area, usually carried out at night.

With this information, the vigilantes mobilized, laid ambush and patiently waited for the men of the sect. The men, numbering about 100, showed up later at night to pick up their meal and that was when the vigilantes attacked them, killing most and arresting the ones that survived the assault. Continue...

Today's attack is reportedly the second time this week that local vigilantes have defeated Boko Haram men. A security source told SaharaReporters that resident in many remote areas in the North seem to have decided that the best way to repel incessant attacks by Boko Haram insurgents was to take matters into their own hands.

A vigilante member involved in today's ambush told a Sahara Reporters correspondent that Nigerian soldiers appear unable or unwilling to wage an effective war against the insurgents.
"They (soldiers) seem to be helpless and to fear the Boko Haram warriors who terrorize us here. But we are not afraid. They are men like us. And we are tired of folding up our hands and allowing them to kill us, to kill our wives and to kill our children."
Source: Sahara Reporters

Ex-Governor Ohakim’s house bombed

The Owerri, Imo State residence of a former Governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has been bombed.

Sources said the house was attacked at about 1:30am on Thursday.

Those who threw in the explosives that wreaked the havoc were said to have removed part of the roof to gain access.

The house was said to have almost been totally destroyed by the impact of the explosion.

Reacting to the development, Ohakim said: “This is the only building I have in this state.

“I built it in 1992 when I was a commissioner.

“Now I have to knock at people’s door to have a place to sleep.”

Nigerian Army Removes Commander Whose Battalion Revolted Yesterday

The Defence Headquarters on Thursday announced the redeployment of Major General Ahmed Mohammed as the General Officer Commanding, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State.

The redeployment is coming on the heels of the mutiny by soldiers of the 7 Division, who were reacting to the killing of six of their colleagues by members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram.

The dead officer and soldiers were ambushed by the Boko Haram members during a patrol in the Chibok area of Borno State.

The 234 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram were taken in Chibok.

They were of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

Major General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information, announced the redeployment of Mohammed at a news conference in Maiduguri.

“The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters,” Olukolade said.

He said an acting GOC had been appointed to oversee the affairs of the division.

He promised that the redeployment of the GOC would not affect the ongoing anti-terrorism war of the Nigerian military.

“Let me assure that the military will sustain the current tempo in the fight against insurgents,” he said.

Olukolade, however, denied reports that Mohammed was wounded in Wednesday’s protest by some soldiers, who fired at his official car during a sympathy visit.

He said: “The GOC or his aides were not wounded during the incident.

“Let me say again that nobody was injured during the incident.”

The spokesperson said the Defence Headquarters had instituted a military inquiry into the unruly behaviour by the soldiers, who fired shots during the GOC’s visit.

He said: “On May 13, our troops, who had been on an assignment in Chibok, were returning to Maiduguri when they were ambushed in Dalwa, few kilometres to the city.

“One officer and five soldiers were killed, while a number of others were wounded.

“The division has embarked on the normal recovery processes to recover wounded soldiers for treatment and to evacuate the bodies of those killed to the morgue.

“The General Officer Commanding was touched by the incident.

“So, he wanted to sympathise with the troop by addressing those present.

“In the process, some soldiers became unruly and began to fire some shots into the air.

“The situation was quickly brought under control and normalcy restored as there was calm in the cantonment and normal operational activities are ongoing.”

Olukolade said the inquiry would come out with exact situation of things based on which the military authorities will take next action.

He described the situation as sad, saying: “The Nigerian Army is poised to uphold its principle of discipline and loyalty to service.”

IGI owes staff salary, fails to remit pension, housing funds

High profile insurance company, Industrial and General Insurance Plc, is in arrears of staff salary, The Eagle Online has learnt.

The company last paid some of its staff in March, this newspaper learnt on Sunday.

Those who have been paid their March salary are junior and intermediate staff, it was learnt.

The management staff are yet to earn their March salary.

As at press time, no staff had been paid April salary.

Apart from this, the company has also failed to remit pension and housing contributions made by staff in the last two years.

This is more so for the housing fund.

The Eagle Online learnt that the housing fund has not been remitted for over two years.

The company has only just paid part of the personal income tax of staff, over which the Lagos State Government sealed its premises recently.

It was gathered that the government has only given the company a grace period to pay up or be sealed again.

It was learnt that things went out of hand for the company after its Executive Vice Chairman, Sir Remi Olowude, fell ill about two years ago.

Olowude has been out of the country since then.

A source said that the management that has been in place since the exit of the vice chairman has failed to put the welfare of the staff first as Olowude did.

Soldiers go haywire in Borno, fire shots as commanders address troop

Some soldiers on Wednesday went haywire while they were being addressed by some General Officers Commanding.

Contrary to rules of conduct, the soldiers fired shots during the address.

This led to pandemonium at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where the soldiers were being addressed.

The shots were said to have been fired by the soldiers as a reaction to the arrival of the corpses of four of their colleagues who were shot dead during patrol duties in Chibok area of the state.

It was in Chibok that 234 schoolgirls of Government Girls Secondary School were abducted by members of dreaded sect, Boko Haram, on April 14.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, who confirmed the development, said a Board of Inquiry would be set up by the 7 Division of the Nigeria Army to probe the incident.

Olukolade added: “There is calm in the cantonment and all normal operations activities are ongoing.”

We won’t swap Chibok girls for Boko Haram – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has told members of Boko Haram to perish the thought that his government would swap arrested members of the dreaded sect for the 234 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State.

Jonathan was reacting to a video release by the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, that the girls would only be freed if the government released its members arrested during various operations by the military.

In the video, through which some parents of the abducted girls have identified their daughters who were writing their final secondary school examination at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Shekau said the government should forget seeing the girls again unless the demand of the group was met.

But on Wednesday, Jonathan spurned the offer during a meeting with the Minister for Africa Affairs of Britain, Mark Simmonds.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Simmonds said: “He (Jonathan) made it very clear that there will be no negotiation with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners.”

The meeting also discussed the planned international rescue mission for the girls.

If I Speak, Heads Will Roll – Gov. Shettima Threatens

Borno state Governor, Governor Kasim Shettima has stated that he is under pressure not to speak the truth. The governor while confirming that 36 of the girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno state, have been identified in the video released yesterday by the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, said there is little a governor can do. The governor stated, “Leadership calls for restraint. Believe me, if I should speak, heads will roll.”

Reports from CNN suggests that not all the girls in the video shown by Boko Haram were taken on April 14 because some of the relatives of the missing girls could not identify most of them in the footage while another report from Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana to CNN, suggests only two parents were able to identify their daughters and other girls may have been taken in abductions which occurred years ago.

Stop Killing Boko Haram Members – Buhari Tells FG

Former Head of Military Ruler and Chieftain of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Federal Government to stop the clampdown of Boko Haram insurgents, saying Niger Delta Militants were never killed or properties belonging to them destroyed.

Buhari who spoke on Sunday on a Liberty Radio programme, Guest of the Week monitored said accused the government of killing and destroying houses belonging to Boko Haram members while the Niger Delta militants get special treatment.

The former dictator said that unlike the special treatment given to the Niger Delta militants by the federal government, the Boko Haram members were being killed and their houses demolished by government.

While accusing President Jonathan of failing from the beginning to address the security situation in the country, Buhari said he has never been in support of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa state.

According to Buhari “what is responsible for the security situation in the country is caused by the activities of Niger Delta militants. Every Nigerian that is familiar with what is happening knows this. The Niger Delta militants started it all.

“What happened is that the governors of the Niger Delta region at that time wanted to win their elections. So they recruited the youths and gave them guns and bullets and used them against their opponents to win elections by force.

“After the elections were over, they asked the boys to return the guns; the boys refused to return the guns. Because of that, the allowance that was being given to the youths by the governors during that time was stopped.

“The youths resorted to kidnapping oil workers and were collecting dollars as ransom. Now a boy of 18 to 20 years was getting about 500 dollars in a week, why will he go to school and spend 20 years to study and then come back and get employed by government to be paid N100,000 a month, that is if he is lucky to get employment.

“So kidnapping becomes very rampant in the South -South and the South -East. They kidnapped people and were collecting money.

“How did Boko Haram start? We know that their leader, Mohammed Yusuf started his militant and the police couldn’t control them and the army was invited. He was arrested by soldiers and handed over to the police.

“The appropriate thing to do, according to the law, was for the police to carry out investigations and charge him to court for prosecution, but they killed him, his in-law was killed, they went and demolished their houses.

“Because of that, his supporters resorted to what they are doing today.

You see in the case of the Niger Delta militants, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua sent an aeroplane to bring them, he sat down with them and discussed with them, they were cajoled, and they were given money and granted amnesty.

“They were trained in some skills and were given employment, but the ones in the north were being killed and their houses were being demolished.

They are different issues, what brought this? It is injustice”.

While fielding questions in English in the same programme, Buhari said that the promoters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) were aware of the challenges ahead of them in an effort to get the party registered, saying “the road to merger is quite rough.

“The ruling party, with its enormous resources and its capacity for coercion has seen it as a threat and they have said it. Personally, I came to realise since 2007 that Nigerians believe that the only way to stabilise the system of multi-party democracy is for the opposition parties that have representatives right from Councillors to the National Assembly come together to deliver their constituencies democratically.

This is the only way you can counter PDP’s enormous physical and material influence in the country”

He expressed optimism that the All Progressive Congress will be registered saying “by nature, I am an optimist. If I were not an optimist, I will not attempt to contest the presidency three times and end up in the Supreme Court three times. I believe we are going to be registered.

“There is a law guiding party registration which states that you must have your headquarters in the nation’s capital that can be identified by INEC and you must have a convention. All the three parties involved have held their conventions and have agreed to forsake our existing parties and go for APC.

“At the national level, we must have those who will run the party. As soon as we meet these criteria and INEC acknowledge that, 30 days after the acknowledgement, we are APC whether INEC write us and give us the registration or not”.

- See more at: http://gistpage.com/p/1976/stop-killing-boko-haram-members-buhari-tells-fg#sthash.nKtOgYDA.SjjmsPDf.dpuf

I Know Where The Female Students Are But I Wont Tell Anybody ––Senator Opens Up

Nigeria is at a cross road and that is the explanation for this madness going on. While international community and countries like the USA, France, China, the UK are strategizing on how to rescue the over two hundreds girls kidnapped from their School in Chibok, Borno State, a Nigerian senator representing Borno North, Senator Ahmed Zanna, has said he wont tell anyone where the abducted girls are being kept.
As an insider, he was asked where the girls are, the senator said: “I won’t tell where they are being kept again because I have told the Federal Government where they are likely being kept before the video was released. Now that I saw the video, the vegetation in the clip confirmed what I have told them earlier. 
“If they want to know where they are being kept, then the government should remember what I told them before. What I can tell you is that the girls are no longer here in Chibok.”
Senator Zanna made this declaration on Monday on CNN when he was being interviewed by Isha Sesay.

When the lawmaker was asked by the reporter about what he felt about the latest video released on Monday by the Boko Haram terror group showing some of the abducted school girls, the senator said he experienced mixed feelings when he saw the video.

Sen. Zanna opined that while he was happy to know that the kidnapped girls are still alive, he also informed that he felt sad to realise that the teenagers are being used as ransoms by the terrorists in exchange for some of the members captured by the military.

While saying he was privy to information about the movement of the insurgents when the girls were abducted, the Senator said he told security agents that contrary to their belief that the abducted girls were in Sambisa forest with their abductors, that they have since been split and ferried through Lake Chad to neighbouring countries among which he said were Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Senator Zanna blamed the military for failure to rescue the girls before the development given that they got all the necessary information about the movement of the insurgents from him personally.

- See more at: http://gistpage.com/p/1973/i-know-where-the-female-students-are-but-i-wont-tell-anybody#sthash.1CZLVTWj.4mqI0p6r.dpuf

Boko Haram Chief: We’ll Attack Abuja, Refineries

Boko Haram threatens to attack Abuja, Refineries as government rejects deal to swap prisoners for abducted girls.
Boko Haram leader Imam Abubakar Shekau has made another video appearance, daring the United States and others.

He said none of the world powers could locate his whereabouts, no matter how hard they try. Besides, Shekau vowed that the sect would attack Abuja – the seat of the government and the refineries – the symbol of Nigeria’s economic power.

In a 56-minute video in which Shekau mixed Arabic, Hausa, English and Kanuri, he declared war against those he described as infidels, including Christians.

He also spoke on the fate of the girls, who have been converted to Islam.
He said: “I am going to marry all these girls off; you cannot see them again. We will sell them in the market; there is a market where I will sell them.
“If you bring three trillion troops, we will not release the girls. We stand to deal with infidels.

“If they catch me, it does not stop me from what I am doing. They said anybody that catches me will be given $50million. So I am important; Obama and Jonathan are unimportant.

“You are looking for who? It is not a new thing that they are catching children and selling them. It is the owner that puts them in the market.
“We are stronger than America anywhere they are. If you want to defend do so because I am ready.
“Where do you say you will come and look for me? Do you know where I am since all these days?
“You are just searching in vain by looking at every nook and cranny.
“I don’t have a land; anywhere I find myself is my land because all land belongs to God.”
Shekau likened the sect’s campaign to the one in Afghanistan signposting a link with Al-Qaeda.

He said: “The war we are fighting is like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is the war against Christians and infidels.
“Those fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, Mali are my brothers. We will doJihad. This is my message.”

Shekau took on many countries and world leaders.
The list includes the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, Israel and Italy
He said: “Some of you (like Germany, Russia, China, Italy) think because we do not mention your names, you think we don’t know you people are involved.
“If I catch Jonathan, Obama and others I am going to sell them. Don’t think I am joking. God, you are my witness.
“If you (Obama, Jonathan, others) seek God’s forgiveness, He forgives. He is a merciful God. If you don’t seek forgiveness, I am going to cut you into pieces.”

He went on: “You Jonathan, you are watching me. If you like, go and bring everybody all over the world, you cannot do anything. Bring up human rights issue, you don’t know anything. Do Nigerians know their rights?

“I am the President; there is no President in Nigeria; there is no President in the world. I am the President in Islam and in the world.”
Shekau vowed that the spate of killings by the sect would continue in any part of the country.

He added: “We will kill until we get tired. We will kill all infidels until we get tired. We will kill unbelievers like chicken. We will tie them. We have decided what we will do.
“Any amount let them spend; we will bring this country down. We are stronger than America anywhere they are.

“We will open a killing pool for all those who have insulted us like George Bush, Obama and even Jonathan.
“I pledge to Allah my God to be faithful, loyal and honest. And you to your country. We will know who God will answer between you and I.

“There is no government existing in Nigeria. Do you think you have government?”

On the sect’s recurring attacks on FCT, the Boko Haram leader said the sect would also not ceasefire.
He added: “We are in Abuja, we will cause havoc. We will do Jihad. We are all Abuja residents. Very soon, we will come to Abuja.

“We are going to the refineries. We are going to the unbelievers. We won’t go to your (Jonathan’s) state; we will go to where there are refineries.”
Shekau listed the sect’s grouses against some world powers, including opposition to western education, democracy and homosexuality.

He said: “The war we are fighting is against democracy, constitution, Christianity and Western Education.
“I don’t have any relationship with Saudi Arabia, they are nothing. They are also unbelievers. I don’t follow white men. I am not going to follow anybody except God. I won’t have any relationship with anybody than God.

“You say you want to use democracy to cheat us or to deceive us. You are talking of government of the people by the people for the people. I am talking of the government of Allah by the Allah for the Allah

“What is the essence of allowing a female to marry a female? I don’t understand what they are saying. They said it is about freedom which I do not understand.”

- See more at: http://gistpage.com/p/1941/boko-haram-chief-we-ll-attack-abuja-refineries#sthash.fIvpsrKF.1TIWEHdm.dpuf

BREAKING: Suspected Boko Haram Men Bomb Bridge Linking Nigeria To Cameroon

Information reaching us, indicates that suspected Boko Haram militants, have bombed a small bridge that links Nigeria to Cameroon.

The destruction of the bridge, which is in Borno state, has caused serious damage and confusion in the outskirts of Gamboru Ngala, which is the site of Monday’s attack by Boko Haram men, that resulted in the death of over 300 residents of the village..

Northern Nigeria Christian Association Alleges Conspiracy In Chibok Abduction

The Northern Nigeria Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday released a statement expressing reservations and alleging conspiracy in the Chibok schoolgirls abduction.

The chapter said they believe the kidnapping is a conspiracy involving the governor of the state, Kashim Shettima, the principal of the school, the chief security officer of Borno & the commissioner for Education. In the statement, they asked how 300+ girls can disappear into air without any trace and where the daughters of the principal, vice principal & CSO of the state were when the kidnapping took place, and why no single photograph of the Chibok girls has been made public by school authorities. Find their press statement after the cut...


CHIBOK: PRESS STATEMENT BY NORTHERN CAN
Abducted female students of Chibok: CAN gives 6 posers to Borno Governor
...says there's conspiracy between Shettima, school authorities

The position of Northern CAN on the abduction of female students in Chibok

Since the abduction of some female students in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, Northern CAN has decided to be silent for some reasons. We have decided that we will make statements when we have all the facts of the matter. It may interest Nigerians to know that we have fundamental questions which demand one million answers:
1. Since the abduction of these girls over two weeks ago, has Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, constituted any panel of investigation with a view to making its report public?

2. How did the 353 female students disappear from the school into the thin air?

3. Why did the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Principal, Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer, all Muslims, ignore the valid advice of WAEC on the security implication of writing exams in the school and the need to have a centre where the children’s life will be secured?

4. How did Boko Haram carry over 200 students and their food stolen by these criminals from the school? Was it carried with trailer?

5. Why is it that since this issue came up, no single photograph of the abducted children was made public by the school authorities? After all, they were preparing for exams and may have submitted their photographs.

6. Where were the daughters of the Principal, Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer when the abduction took place?

We hope that this is not a political gimmick to carry out a political conspiracy against these daughters of Nigerians, future mothers of Nigeria and citizens who are wants to be leaders of tomorrow.
So these are the questions; we have done our investigations, we are begging the international community, we are begging the Federal Government of Nigeria and the press to ask these legitimate questions from the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO of the school because Chibok is a predominantly Christian area. What we are after is the safety and future of these children, whether they are Christians or Muslims or our enemies doesn't matter. They are Nigerians, first and foremost.

Our positions are as follows:
1. The Governor and government of Borno State should and must as a matter of urgency stop playing politics with the lives of the children of other people. They should produce those children without delay because they know their whereabouts.

2. We demand an explanation from the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO of the school on what they did and what they did not do that led to the ferrying away of these innocent children who went to sit for an examination for the betterment of their tomorrow.

3. How come that the parents of these children have not been able to come out and say anything? Are they saying that these children are orphans and do not have parents? We demand an explanation because from our investigation, parents of these children are facing intimidation and threats from the government of Borno State. That is why they could not come out to speak; but they are nursing their pains in silence.

4. We also demand that the Federal Government and the international community should help us beg the Governor of Borno State to do everything within his powers to produce these children.

5. We also reject a situation where they will turn our daughters to be sex slaves of these criminals called Boko Haram members. We have it on good authority that some of these children are being raped 15 times a day. Some of these children are being compelled to be wives of these criminals. If you want to marry somebody's daughter, you must seek the consent of her parents and not to ferry under-aged children and perpetrate a lot of havoc on them.

The abduction of these girls seems a resurrection of what the Christian communities in Northern Nigeria have been suffering for centuries in the hands of the Emirs and Imams regarding forceful conversion and abduction of Christian girls. Borno State government should be reminded that the fundamental human rights of these people should be respected and protected.

The Governor should provide immediate explanation because we know that some people want to sacrifice these children on the altar of politics. There is a limit to which Christians would tolerate all these abnormalities. We suspect a conspiracy among all of these characters including the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO since non of the daughters of the teachers and Principal were abducted; there is more to it and this is the position of Northern CAN.

SIGN:
Wednesday May 7 2014
Prof. Daniel Babayi
Secretary-General
Sunday Oibe
Public Relations Officer

New York Times: Jonathan’s government corrupt, with little credibility

Three weeks after their horrifying abduction in Nigeria, 276 of the more than 300 girls who were taken from a school by armed militants are still missing, possibly sold into slavery or married off. Nigerian security forces apparently do not know where the girls are and the country’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has been shockingly slow and inept at addressing this monstrous crime.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Boko Haram, the ruthless Islamist group that claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, abducted more young girls from their homes in the same part of the country in the northeast over the weekend. The group, whose name roughly means “Western education is a sin,” has waged war against Nigeria for five years. Its goal is to destabilize and ultimately overthrow the government. The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in a video released on Monday, “I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah.”

This is not the first time Boko Haram has attacked students, killing young men and kidnapping young women. The security situation in Northeast Nigeria has steadily deteriorated. In the first three months of this year, attacks by Boko Haram and reprisals by government security forces have killed at least 1,500 people, more than half of them civilians, according to Amnesty International. Until now, there has been little response to the violence, either in Nigeria or internationally. But the kidnapping of so many young girls, ages 12 to 15, has triggered outrage and ignited a rare antigovernment protest movement in Nigeria.

On Sunday, after weeks of silence, Mr. Jonathan admitted that “this is a trying time for our country,” and he said that Nigerians were justified in their anger against the government and appealed for international help. The reaction of Mr. Jonathan’s wife, Patience, was stunningly callous; according to state news media, she told one of the protest leaders, “You are playing games. Don’t use schoolchildren and women for demonstrations again.”

Boko Haram’s claim that it follows Islamic teachings is nonsense. A pre-eminent Islamic theological institute, Al-Azhar in Egypt, denounced the abductions, saying it “completely contradicts the teachings of Islam and its tolerant principles.” Although Boko Haram is believed to number no more than a few hundred men, Nigerian security forces have been unable to defeat them.

Mr. Jonathan, who leads a corrupt government that has little credibility, initially played down the group’s threat and claimed security forces were in control. It wasn’t until Sunday, more than two weeks after the kidnappings, that he called a meeting of government officials, including the leader of the girls’ school, to discuss the incident. There is no doubt the intelligence and investigation help President Obama offered on Monday is needed.

The kidnappings occurred just as President Jonathan is about to hold the World Economic Forum on Africa, with 6,000 troops deployed for security. That show of force may keep the delegates safe, but Nigeria’s deeply troubled government cannot protect its people, attract investment and lead the country to its full potential if it cannot contain a virulent insurgency.

New York Times editorial.

Ekwueme, Gbonigi, Clark to Jonathan: Roll out total arsenal against Boko Haram

Elder statesmen from Southern Nigeria have enjoined President Goodluck Jonathan to declare total war against the insurgents, Boko Haram.

Rising from a meeting on Wednesday that lasted for over two hours in Abuja under the aegis of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, they posited that the unity of the country should not be compromised.

The Southern Assembly, which is co-chaired by former Vice President Alex Ekwueme (South East), Edwin Clark (South South) and Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (South West) insisted the security situation must be tackled by rolling out full military arsenal against the insurgents.

Speaking after the meeting, Bishop Gbonigi said the Assembly condemned the recent abduction of over 200 girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, noting that the security situation is becoming unbearable.

He said: “We urge the President to take additional measures, including the full deployment of our military arsenal to defeat the terrorists.

“The corporate existence of the nation and collective will of the people to live peacefully together is being challenged and every patriotic Nigerian, irrespective of their tribe, religion and political affiliation, should rally round President Goodluck Jonathan as he leads the fight to take back our country from agents of darkness and self seeking bigots.

“We cannot fold our arms and watch our dear country slide into anarchy.

“The painful memories and scars of the unfortunate civil war are still very much with us.”

Also, Gbonigi enjoined security agencies to intensify efforts and bring to book those who may be sponsoring the insurgents.

Ekwueme, who was represented by Dr. Dozie Ikedife, said: “We must find solution to the issue of insecurity because it must not be beyond us.”

Clark restated his earlier call for declaration of full emergency rule in the three northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

The Ijaw leader said: “The issue of Fulani herdsmen is another one as it has become a threat.

“If we must live together, we must find solution to that.

“We are not saying that the Fulani herdsmen should not earn a living but the killings are getting too much.”

Abducted girls: Governor Shettima, school authorities culpable – CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria, Northern States and FCT chapter, has implicated the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, and the school authorities of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, over the abduction of schoolgirls partaking in the examinations of the West African Examinations Council.

Apart from this, CAN in the North also claimed that the number of students abducted was 353 and not 234 as being claimed.

The Christian Association of Nigeria, Northern States and FCT chapter, has implicated the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, and the school authorities of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, over the abduction of schoolgirls partaking in the examinations of the West African Examinations Council.

Apart from this, CAN in the North also claimed that the number of students abducted was 353 and not 234 as being claimed.

CAN in a statement on Wednesday by Prof. Daniel Babayi (Secretary-General) and Sunday Oibe (Public Relations Officer) said there were pertinent questions that Shettima and the school authorities needed to answer on the abduction of the girls.

It accused Shettima of intimidating the parents and guardians of the abducted girls, saying this was why none of them had come out to speak openly on the abduction saga.

CAN also questioned the school authorities over their roles in the abduction, wondering why none of their own children was abducted.

The statement reads: “Since the abduction of some female students in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, Northern CAN has decided to be silent for some reasons. We have decided that we will make statements when we have all the facts of the matter. It may interest Nigerians to know that we have fundamental questions which demand one million answers:

“1.    Since the abduction of these girls over two weeks ago, has Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, constituted any panel of investigation with a view to making its report public?

“2.    How did the 353 female students disappear from the school into the thin air?

“3.    Why did the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Principal, Vice

Principal and Chief Security Officer, all Muslims, ignore the valid advice of WAEC on the security implication of writing exams in the school and the need to have a centre where the children’s life will be secured?

“4.    How did Boko Haram carry over 200 students and their food stolen by these criminals from the school? Was it carried with trailer?

“5.    Why is it that since this issue came up, no single photograph of the abducted children was made public by the school authorities? After all, they were preparing for exams and may have submitted their photographs.

“6.    Where were the daughters of the Principal, Vice Principal and Chief Security Officer when the abduction took place?

“We hope that this is not a political gimmick to carry out a political conspiracy against these daughters of Nigerians, future mothers of Nigeria and citizens who are wants to be leaders of tomorrow.

“So these are the questions; we have done our investigations, we are begging the international community, we are begging the Federal Government of Nigeria and the press to ask these legitimate questions from the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO of the school because Chibok is a predominantly Christian area. What we are after is the safety and future of these children, whether they are Christians or Muslims or our enemies doesn’t matter. They are Nigerians, first and foremost.

“Our positions are as follows:

“1. The Governor and government of Borno State should and must as a matter of urgency stop playing politics with the lives of the children of other people. They should produce those children without delay because they know their whereabouts.

“2. We demand an explanation from the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO of the school on what they did and what they did not do that led to the ferrying away of these innocent children who went to sit for an examination for the betterment of their tomorrow.

“3. How come that the parents of these children have not been able to come out and say anything? Are they saying that these children are orphans and do not have parents? We demand an explanation because from our investigation, parents of these children are facing intimidation and threats from the government of Borno State. That is why they could not come out to speak; but they are nursing their pains in silence.

“4. We also demand that the Federal Government and the international community should help us beg the Governor of Borno State to do everything within his powers to produce these children.

“5. We also reject a situation where they will turn our daughters to be sex slaves of these criminals called Boko Haram members. We have it on good authority that some of these children are being raped 15 times a day. Some of these children are being compelled to be wives of these criminals. If you want to marry somebody’s daughter, you must seek the consent of her parents and not to ferry under-aged children and perpetrate a lot of havoc on them.

“The abduction of these girls seems a resurrection of what the Christian communities in Northern Nigeria have been suffering for centuries in the hands of the Emirs and Imams regarding forceful conversion and abduction of Christian girls. Borno State government should be reminded that the fundamental human rights of these people should be respected and protected.

“The Governor should provide immediate explanation because we know that some people want to sacrifice these children on the altar of politics. There is a limit to which Christians would tolerate all these abnormalities. We suspect a conspiracy among all of these characters including the Governor, Commissioner for Education, Principal and CSO since non of the daughters of the teachers and Principal were abducted; there is more to it and this is the position of Northern CAN.”

Boko Haram relocates kidnapped girls to Cameroon border

Members of the dreaded sect, Boko Haram, have relocated the school girls they kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State to the border between Lake Chad and Cameroon.

The girls were abducted about a fortnight ago at the Government Secondary School in Chibok.

They over 200 girls were initially held by their captors at the Sambisa forest in Borno State.

However, a senator from Borno State, Senator Ahmed Zana, informed his colleagues on Tuesday that the girls have been moved out of Sambisa forest.

Zana also told the Senate that the girls have been forcefully married out to members of Boko Haram.

This information filtered in just as the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, urged the Federal Government not to have any sacred cow in the fight against terrorism.

Zana said it was unfortunate that the military waited until the girls were moved out of the forest to the border between Lake Chad and Cameroon.

Contributing the the debate on insurgency, Senator Maina Ma’Aji Lawan stated that with the onslaught of the military, the members of Boko Haram have relocated from Borno State to another location near Cameroon and Chad.

Lawan expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the operation in Borno State by the military.

Senator Ali Ndume alleged that security agencies have become negligent.

Ndume said there was no attack that the military was not aware of before the terrorists struck.

He said: “I appreciate the motion but there is no action.

“We spoke to officers, they told us that there is no equipment and their allowances are not paid.

“I have not seen new equipment in Borno.

“They only use outdated guns.

“The people of Chibok and I thought we have been abandoned.

“Let us back our motion with action.”

Mark, who spoke against the backdrop of Nyanya, Abuja bombing and the kidnap of school girls in Borno State, added that the military should declare full strength and might to counter insurgency in Nigeria.