Nigeria: Report Gives Details, Says Terrorist Groups Gaining Foothold in Nigeria

Daudu warned that unless the security challenges in the country were tackled Nigeria would not be able to achieve the objective of becoming one of the world 20 biggest economies by 2020.

He noted that the security sector of the country was bedevilled with many crises including the inability of security agents to stop crimes before they happened and the inability of courts to dispense with criminal cases within the shortest time possible.

He argued that unless people who committed crimes were apprehended, tried and punished in accordance with the law, many more would continue to take to crimes.

He also pointed out that the bulk of the country's criminal laws were out-dated and could not cater for the security needs of the country at the present time. He cited the Penal Code which applied in the north which he said was more than 100 years old.

[Description of Source: Lagos This Day Online in English -- Website of the independent daily; URL: http://www.thisdaylive.com/]

Nigeria: Police Arrest Taraba Governor's Aide Over Alleged Islamic Sect Link

AFP20110708598016 Ibadan Nigerian Tribune Online in English 08 Jul 11

[Report by Celestine Ihejirika: "Taraba Gov's Aide Arrested Over Alleged Connection With Boko Haram"]

The immediate past member of the Taraba State House of Assembly, representing Jalingo II constituency, who was recently appointed as Special Adviser on Special Duties to Governor Danbaba Suntai, Mr Kabiru Dodo, has been arrested by the police, over alleged connection with the Boko Haram.

The governor's aide was arrested on Thursday on the Government House premises, before he was moved to the police headquarters in the state under tight security.

A top police officer, who was at the scene of the arrest, told the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity that the aide was arrested for his alleged links with activities of the Boko Haram in the country.

According to the source, the police acted immediately, based on the infor-mation gathered from some suspects who were arrested recently, following an attack carried out on a police officer on duty at Unguwan Gadi area of Jalingo recently.

When contacted over the development, the state Commissioner of Police Mrs Chintua Amajor Onu, told newsmen that the issue was still being investigated.

The police boss said she could not make any comment over it for now, but, however, promised to brief the press after the investigation.

According to the Commisioner of Police, the police check point mounted all over the places in the state capital is the normal routine duties perform by the police adding that henceforth the police command is going to release out GSM phone numbers so that the general public may call the police when the need arises.

Mean while, as at time of filling this report, the Nigerian Tribune and other media colleagues had visited the state police command headquarters where the official vehicle of the special Adviser with Reg. No. TRGH 92 was seen parked at the premises of the State police command while other Special advisers from the government house were seen making effort to see the commissioner of police over their colleague who was arrested by the police yesterday.

[Description of Source: Ibadan Nigerian Tribune Online in English -- Website of the privately owned daily; URL: http://www.tribune.com.ng]

Suspected Islamists Kill 5 in Police Station, Bank Attack in North Nigeria

AFP20110709309005 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 2110 GMT 08 Jul 11

["Police killed, station bombed in north Nigeria: residents" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, July 8, 2011 (AFP) - Attackers armed with bombs and guns destroyed a police station and robbed a bank Friday in northern Nigeria, killing five in a region hit by violence blamed on Islamists, residents said.

Police either did not answer calls or respond to requests to confirm the information provided by residents, who said four of those killed in the town of Alkaleri were police officers and the fifth was a bank employee.

"The whole town was thrown into confusion as gunshots and loud blasts filled the air," resident Awwalu Umar said by phone. "The whole police station has been destroyed from the bomb blast."

Residents said the attacks on the police station and bank, located some 500 metres apart, were carried out by two separate groups nearly simultaneously and appeared to be coordinated.

One resident, Suleiman Hamza, said those at the police station fired shots to force their way in, killed three police officers, then took away weapons. Bombs were then used to destroy the station, he said.

The other group killed a police officer guarding the bank and a bank employee, then took an unspecified amount of money, resident Sunusi Saleh said.

Another resident said the attackers threw some of the money into the air as they were fleeing.

Such attacks in northern Nigeria have intensified in recent weeks and have been blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched a short-lived uprising in 2009 put down by a brutal military assault.

Many of the attacks have occurred in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, where hundreds of troops were recently deployed on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Authorities on Thursday completely banned motorcycles in Maiduguri, with many of the attacks having been carried out by gunmen on motorbikes.

[Description of Source: Paris AFP (World Service) in English -- world news service of the independent French news agency Agence France Presse]

Islamic Sect Reportedly Plans 'Massive Attacks' in Northern Nigeria

AFP20110709598016 Ibadan Nigerian Tribune Online in English 09 Jul 11

[Report by Taiwo Adisa, James Bwala, Bode Adewumi and Uchechukwu Olisah: "Slain Leaders Anniversary: Boko Haram Plans Massive Attacks; As More Residents Flee Maiduguri; Houses Now Sell For N200,000 Each; Tight Security Around NYSC Camps; Scarcity Of Funds Grounds Police"]

The menace of Boko Haram insurgency currently ravaging parts of the North and Abuja is far from being over following indications that the sect has concluded arrangements to orchestrate massive bomb blasts on specific targets across states of the North at the end of July.

Sources close to the administration confirmed to the Saturday Tribune that Boko Haram members have planned to mark the one year anniversary of the slain leader, Mohammed Yusuf, in a "big way."

It was gathered that members of the sect have received a number of trainees from Sudan and Somalia who are to join the massive operations planned to celebrate the one year anniversary of the sect leader.

Sources further confirmed that some of the trainees who completed a three-month training in Sudan and Somalia under the watchful eyes of a subsidiary of the Al-Qaeda, which coordinates African operations, are to be deployed for the planned attacks.

Government sources confirmed that the attacks are being targeted at a number of states including Borno, the capital of the Boko Haram operations, Katsina, Kaduna and Yobe states.

"Because of the series of operations around Abuja and the demystification of the police, operatives of the Boko Haram sect have decided to relocate to some northern states. They are said to be planning big ahead of the anniversary of the death of the leader, Yusuf.

"The constant security checks in Abuja seems to have forced them to change their focus from Abuja to other states," a source said, adding that the sect is also relying on its newly returned trainees for some operations.

The over 100 youths who were said to have been trained in Sudan and Somalia in the acts of bombing and terrorism were said to be awaiting orders from their commanders.

"The operations of this sect is getting deeper than many people know. The international dimensions are overwhelming. It is a challenge across the world and those behind it are trying to make the porous African borders their new posts after the heat has been unleashed on the Middle East states by Western powers.

"In their attempt to strengthen their operations, some 100 youths sent on terrorism training abroad have returned ahead of the July 31 anniversary of the death of Mallam Mohammed Yusuf, the Boko Haram founder," a source stated.

Sources added that the government is studying a number of steps aimed at curtailing operations of the sect and making them responsible members of the society.

Residents Flee, Houses Sold Off

For fear that the military may flex its muscles as demonstrated in Odi in Bayelsa State and Zaki Biam in Benue State, dozens of people are already fleeing Maiduguri, the Borno State capital to find peace and shelter elsewhere following continued failure in the peace process between government and Islamic militants, the Boko Haram.

Saturday Tribune observed that many people are already selling their properties, including houses at give away price owing to the crises.

For instance, a bungalow is being sold for as low as N200, 000, Saturday Tribune gathered from a resident, Hamisu Lawal.

"Even at that price nobody is willing to buy because nobody wants to continue to witness what has been happening in Maiduguri in the past few days. I am leaving the state for Yobe, it is much safer even though it is also a time bomb but for now, Yobe is better." Lawal explained.

Also speaking, Mallam Modu Aisami told Saturday Tribune that in London Ciki, some of the houses that ordinarily should be sold for N1 million is now going for even less than N200, 000.

According to him, women are selling their jewelry and other valuables received from their suitors as part of those things typical Kanuri man gives out when asking for a woman's hand in marriage.

"Earlier this year when the Boko Haram threw bomb at soldiers in London Chiki where I used to live, I knew people that sold their houses for N500, 000. Other people sold their houses for as low as N150,000, but now I learnt that hou ses are sold for even N100, 000 especially those that were destroyed as a result of bomb blasts," he said.

Another resident, Hussaini Amma, also confirmed that in Abaganram, a lot of people have abandoned their home and returned to their native town having sold their properties at give away price.

According to him, some could not even sell anything because what they had had been destroyed.

"I don't know how much a lot of people sold their properties, but I know that they were sold at give away prices because they have to leave. I know somebody who sold his farm just yesterday, it was a farm he inherited. That farm was more than 300 plots and he sold it for N1.4 million. You can imagine how much that would have cost even last year. It would have been over N10 million last year," he said.

Tight Security Around Camps

At the NYSC orientation camp, soldiers and police were seen battle- ready to ensure that no youth corps member is killed.

According to a source, about 40 soldiers and 20 policemen fully equipped were attached to the camp to ensure the safety of all corps members posted to Borno State.

"We were expecting 2,700 corps members for the Batch "B", however, we now have about 1,200 owing to the security situation," he explained.

He said "Our problem now is that most of them who are still coming did not know Borno State and it was this Okada riders that they usually depend on to carry them to the camp. With the ban on motorcycles, it would be difficult for many of them that are coming to really find their ways here because we understand that a lot of them who did not show up are in Abuja trying to get redeployment, but if it fails they have to come down."

He also said that, if government did not put in place alternative means before the end of the orientation camp, it would be difficult for youth corps members to go about in the state as a result of the ban. He, however, hopes that the situation may improve before the end of the orientation camp.

Speaking to Saturday Tribune in Maiduguri, Mallam Umar Yahaya, a businessman, said that, "In asmuch as we appreciate government concern in this situation, I personally think that government should have provided means of transportation before enforcing a ban."

But state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, said government was not unmindful of the sufferings of the people of Borno State.

According to him, "We are compelled by the situation on ground to enforce complete ban on the use of both commercial and private motorcycles, because it was what the Boko Haram use mostly to wreck havoc and in a situation like this, we all have to come together to find solutions to our problems. The ban is for our own good. We have already purchased Keke Napep and they are already being assembled and would be ready for distribution as we already have about 1,608 on ground and our target is 5,000."

He said the total registered commercial motorcycles in the state stands at 7,000 as such the introduction of Keke Napep will cater for more than the motorcycles.

He therefore urged people to be patient as their suffering will soon be over.

Boko Haram Gives Conditions

In another development, the group under the name Jama'atu ahlus sunnah lid da'awati wal jihad popularly known as Boko Haram has, in a statement issued by spokesman of the group, Abu Zaid, and exclusively obtained by a wire service, www.pointblanknews.com, said that the group would only accept the apologies of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff only if he dissociates himself from "anti-Islamic activities."

Saturday Tribune learnt that, Sheriff who apologised to the group in some national dailies has not stepped into Maiduguri since he left the city a few days after he relinquished power owing to fear of attack by the sect members.

The sect had, in a statement, urged the former government to dissociate himself from democracy and also withdraw his support or contribution to either his cronies or political associates nationw i de and also come to join the sect to fight the system he helped built even as an adviser.

The group further said that it was "only in such manner that Allah will forgive him because it was not them that he had wronged but Allah because he is committing shirk (unbelief)."

The sect members warned all Muslims to stay away from Christians, security agents, government institutions and functions or face death, maintaining that, "since the present Federal Government is not Islamic, every of its employee is considered an infidel marked for elimination."

According to Zaid, "The only dialogue in this crisis is as follows: Stop abiding by the constitution in our land (Dualan Usmaniyya), and government must be sincere and stop terrorising Muslims in Maiduguri and parts of the North. Then there should be a time limit for ceasefire to gauge government commitment in keeping to its promise, which cannot be more than 10 years."

Zaid further said that, "What is holding us back is the innocent civilian population, but as soon as people stay clear from security agents, we will launch a full-scale attack. Unarmed Muslims were picked up from their homes and from their hospital beds and summarily executed; the world saw it on AlJazeera. Yet, the same government wants to forgive us for the wrongs they meted on us. In actual sense, we are the ones that should give amnesty to the Borno State government."

According to him, "We as a group don't kill people who are innocent. What we are trying to tell people is that, in regaining the pride of the people in Islam, people have to endure in losing their properties and sometimes lives are also involved and this can fall on everyone, including us."

The statement continues, "This is a government that is not Islamic. Therefore, all its employees-Muslims and non-Muslims are infidels. This is a government which naturally fights Islam because Muslims were killed in Zagon Kataf, in Jos and Southern Kaduna but the perpetrators have never been prosecuted based on the so-called existing laws of the land. Mosques were destroyed and punishment for this is death. Therefore, we have the right to kill them all. But if there are people who profess Islam and do not take part in government or western education, their blood and wealth are sacred unless otherwise."

The statement also explained that, "Nobody is asking the Niger Delta militants where they are getting the weapons, nobody is asking Christians in Jos and Southern Kaduna the source of their funds to buy weaponry, but they are questioning where we are getting ours! It is very easy to get weaponry in this part of the world. Each day we look for money through lawful means. We task ourselves and sell our properties like houses and cars since we are now fugitive and use the proceeds to buy arms."

Sect Expresses Confidence

It added that "We are not in doubt that we are going to win this war. So far, we have an upper hand. Even if it means bringing external forces, we will fight to win. History has shown that when you are fighting in the cause of Allah, there will be a divine intervention, which we have so far seen with the ongoing war with security agents."

"Our cause is purely religious. Muslims should try as much as they can to be neutral. And we are aware that traditional rulers, religious leaders and house owners, etc are meeting in different parts of the North on how to undermine our activities and track us down. We urge them to stop; if not, we will turn to their areas and states."

Saturday Tribune recalls that this same group which have been terrorising Borno

State and creating fear in the mind of the people since the crises of the Boko Haram in 2009 has rejected the call made by the then Borno Governor elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, to dialogue and bring to an end the sporadic killings in the state.

In an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa service, the group said there was no way that they could come to term with government which they did not r ec ognise its existence.

The Boko Haram sect has reiterated its determination to establish Sharia Law in Nigeria by waging a jihad in the North, based on the traditions of the Holy Prophet Mohammed, condemning the present system of government that does not conform to Islam.

The statement was contained in a Hausa letter posted on the internet by the leader of the sect, Muhammadu Abubakar Shekau.

The letter reads in part: "We want to reiterate that we are warriors who are carrying out Jihad in Nigeria and our cause is based on the traditions of the Holy Prophet. We would never believe any system of government apart from the one agreed by Islam, because we believe that it is the only way that can liberate the Muslims.

"We do not believe in any system of government, be it traditional or orthodox. That is why we are fighting against democracy, capitalism, socialism and the rest. We would not allow the Nigerian Constitution to replace the provisions of the Holy Qur'an; we would not allow adulterated conventional education (Boko) to replace Islamic teachings.

"We would not respect the Nigerian government because it is illegal. We would continue to fight its military and the police because they are not protecting Islam. We do not believe in the Nigerian judicial system and we would fight anybody who assists the government in perpetrating illegalities."

On the serial killings of traditional and religious leaders, the police and soldiers by the feared Islamic sect members, Shekau said: "All the people that were killed, including ward heads, politicians, the police and the army have erred, because they are associating themselves with the government in its effort to arrest our Muslim brothers and sabotage Islam.

"We want to make it clear that we are fighting not just because our mosques and centres of learning were destroyed, or because our wealth has been seized, or because we were chased out of our houses. No, that is not the reason. The reason why we are fighting is because our freedom was curtailed."

Shekau further explained that: "From time immemorial, we have been advocating for freedom of worship and assembly and the need for everybody to believe in Allah. What we have been saying is that people should jettison modern democracy and embrace Islam as their religion.

"It was while we were propagating Islam that the Federal and the state governments connived with some Imams and ward heads and attacked us in many states including Borno, Bauchi, Yobe, Gombe, Kaduna and Kano."

The group maintained that: "We would never be ready to compromise and we don't need any amnesty. The only solution to what is happening is for the government to repent, jettison democracy and embrace Islam, dropped the constitution and adopt the laws in the holy Qur'an.

JTF Warns

Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force "Operation Restore Order" in Borno in a statement signed by Col. Victor Ebehaleme and made available to Saturday Tribune has said that the behaviours of some residents in Maiduguri was unacceptable as some residents willingly allow their surroundings or the frontages of their houses or purported business places for nefarious activities by people of questionable character.

"Such residents are strongly advised to desist from such acts as the JTF will henceforth take appropriate actions to protect the general public from such wrongful use. It is to be noted that persons who allow the use of their surroundings or frontages will be treated as criminals." JTF warns.

According to the statement, owners of makeshift kiosks who allow their kiosks to be used to attack members of the public or security agencies would be considered as collaborators and treated appropriately.

Meanwhile, a Second Republic Senator, Chief Joe Funso Obasaju, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sit up and address the insecurity situation in the country before the country sinks further.

Senator Obasaju told Saturday Tribune that it was unfortunate that President Jonathan is the only person who does not know that Nigeria is on fire, saying the country is burning why the president is gyrating.

He urged the president to stop all the niceties of smiling about and think seriously about the destiny of the country.

He pointed out that all the unrest, like Boko Haram, Niger Delta militancy, labour imbroglio and spate of bombings are the fallout of unemployment situation in the country, which he should hurriedly address.

Senator Obasaju advised the president to increase allocation to the state and local governments by at least 3 to 5 per cent, adding that this would go a long way in settling some problems in the country.

He further councelled the president not to in anyway allow the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to go on strike, noting that this would spell doom for the country at this particular time.

South-South Meets

Disturbed by the spectre of violence in some parts of Nigeria and other myriads of problems confronting the nation, elders and leaders of the South-South, under the auspices of the South-South Peoples Assembly (SSPA) gathered in Benin City on Friday with a view to finding solutions to the challenges.

The SSPA led by its chairman and first civilian governor of Edo state, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, expressed their support for the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, and stressed the need to tackle the insecurity, particularly the issue of Boko Haram in the interest of the unity of the nation.

Other leaders of the zone at the one day workshop with the theme, "Towards Building a New Nigeria", included the leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee; former Inspector General of the Police, Mike Okiro; Air Commodore Ndongesit Nkanga (rtd), Alabo Graham-Douglas and a host of others.

Chief Oyegun, in his address, said the workshop was informed by the need for the leaders of the zone to generate workable ideas that will guide " our interaction with the new federal administration headed by our son, President Goodluck Jonathan."