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

AFP20110814598002 Lagos The Guardian Online in English 2300 GMT 13 Aug 11

[Report by Njadvara Musa: "Boko Haram Gunmen Kill Islamic Cleric"]

Two suspected Boko Haram gunmen, yesterday, shot and killed an Islamic cleric, Liman Bana, 65, in Ngala, a border community town with Chad, 140 kilometres Northeast of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The suspected gunmen had trailed the cleric right from the Ngala Central Mosque to his residence, before firing several gunshots into his chest and head.

According to eyewitnesses, the killers fled to Gambouru, a border community town with Chad on a motorbike.

Confirming the incident, Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Kabiru, said: "I received the reports of the Boko Haram gunmen's attacks and killing from International News Agencies.

Since it is a non-working day none of our superior officers is in the office to receive reports and confirmation of the assassination of Ngala cleric that was killed in the night of Saturday in Ngala."

He said that the 65-year old Islamic cleric was killed in the presence of his wives and children.

Kabiru told The Guardian that even though there were no arrests, investigations have commenced following the information provided by some residents to the police on the identity and direction the suspects fled after killing the cleric.

[Description of Source: Lagos The Guardian Online in English -- Website of the widely read independent daily, aimed at up-market readership; URL: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/]

Nigeria: Gunmen Rob Bank, Attack Police Station With Explosives

AFP20110816587004 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 2053 GMT 15 Aug 11

["Nigerian police station attacked, bank robbed" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, Aug 15, 2011 (AFP) - Gunmen robbed a bank and used explosives to attack a police station in northern Nigeria on Monday, leaving one officer dead, a military source said, amid a wave of such attacks blamed on Islamists.

The incident, which was also said to leave two other officers wounded and the station badly damaged, occurred in the town of Gamawa in Nigeria's Bauchi state.

"We received news of attacks in Gamawa by some gunmen who robbed a bank and attacked a police station," the military officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.

"From information we have gathered, the attackers used an improvised explosive device in the attack on the police station, where a police personnel was killed and two others injured."

A local resident, Muazu Abubakar, gave a similar account of the incident. Police could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nigeria's north has been hit by scores of attacks blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram. Most of the attacks have occurred in the northeastern city of Maiduguri in Borno state, but Bauchi state has also been hit a number of times.

Earlier Monday, police said they shot dead a suspected suicide bomber who was seeking to drive an explosives-laden car into state police headquarters in Maiduguri. It would have been the first reported suicide attack in Nigeria.

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

Nigeria: Police Kill Suspected Boko Haram Member During Failed Suicide Bombing

AFP20110816587005 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 2110 GMT 15 Aug 11

["Nigerian Police Kill 'Would-Be Suicide Bomber'" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, Aug 15, 2011 (AFP) - Nigerian police said they killed a "would-be suicide bomber" seeking to drive an explosives-laden car into state police headquarters in the violence-torn city of Maiduguri on Monday.

The incident came a day before a committee appointed by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to look into violence in the northeast, where Maiduguri is located, is to submit its report to the government.

Police said the man was around 25 years old and suspected to be a member of an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which has been blamed for scores of attacks, mainly in the northeast.

The committee appointed by the president was expected to recommend whether to negotiate with the sect.

Later Monday in another part of Nigeria's north, gunmen robbed a bank then used explosives to attack a police station in the town of Gamawa, leaving one officer dead and two wounded, a military source said.

It was unclear whether the incidents were related.

"Our men succeeded in killing a would-be suicide bomber who attempted to force his way into the police headquarters while screening for police recruits was going on," said Simeon Midenda, police commissioner for Borno state, where Maiduguri is the capital.

He said bombs made up of seven gas cylinders and a number of other containers were found in the boot of the man's car. Some 1,500 recruits were on the grounds at the time for screening, he said.

"Our initial suspicion is the attacker is from the Boko Haram sect," said Midenda.

It would have marked the first known attack by a suicide bomber in Nigeria if the commissioner's statement were proved correct.

On June 16, a powerful bomb ripped through a car park at national police headquarters in Abuja, killing at least two people.

Authorities first attributed that attack to a suicide bomber before later retracting the claim, saying they could not be sure.

Bomb blasts blamed on Boko Haram have mainly resulted from improvised devices left on roadsides, near police and military patrols or at open-air pubs. Most of the attacks have occurred in Maiduguri.

There has been intense speculation over whether the sect has formed links with Islamist groups outside of Nigeria, particularly since attacks have seemed to become more sophisticated in recent months.

A video emerged earlier this month showing a British man and an Italian kidnapped in May in northern Nigeria in which they say their abductors are from Al-Qaeda, but the assertion has been impossible to verify.

Western diplomats say the sect appears to have various factions, and while there have been apparent indications of links to outside groups such as Al-Qaeda's north Africa branch, clear proof has never been established.

At the same time, many have questioned whether certain attacks blamed on the Islamists have been linked to politics in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer.

The sect launched an uprising in 2009 which was put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead and its mosque and headquarters in Maiduguri in ruins.

It seemed to re-emerge last year with a series of shootings of police officers and soldiers, as well as community and religious leaders, before moving on to bomb blasts in recent months.

Hundreds of troops have been deployed to Maiduguri to deal with the Islamists, but troops have in turn been accused of abuses, including shooting civilians and burning their homes after accusing them of collaborating with the sect.

Thousands of residents have fled the city for fear of further violence.

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

Nigeria: Army Arraigns General over Escape of Sect Members

AFP20110817686005 Port Harcourt Niger Delta Standard in English 17 Aug 11 p 9

[Unattributed report: "Army General Court-Martialled over Escape of Boko Haram Suspects"]

Brigadie-General Muraina Raji of the Nigerian Army has been court-martialed for his alleged role in the escape of two detained Boko Haram suspects in Bauchi last year.

The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 3 Division Nigerian Army in Jos, Major-General Sunday Idoko, who disclosed this in Jos yesterday, said General Muraina Raji would be tried in line with military laws, for alleged negligence in the escape of the suspects from the 33 Brigade detention in Jos.

Addressing journalists, the GOC said the constitutional role of the military required the highest standard of discipline and professionalism, adding that discipline and loyalty were two essential requirements no officer or soldier who wanted to succeed in professional soldering can afford to lack.

Idoko stated that it was the duty of a superior to observe, correct and instantly deal with negligence or any misconduct on the part of subordinates, adding that where there was a breach, it was expected that appropriate disciplinary measures should be taken by the commander to forestall future occurrence.

"It is with a heavy heart though, that I convene this special court martial, being the third court I had to convene in less than one year of my assumption of duty as the GOC of this division. However, I must state that if this division has been witnessing one court martial after the other, this is because I want to sustain high level of professionalism required confronting the mounting security challenges in our command."

He urged all parties to the court martial to discharge their duties expeditiously and with degree of commitment that would ensure early justice.

General Idoko called on the special court martial to ensure that no effort was spared to achieve the three-way traffic of the justice system, in the case of the accused, the Nigerian Army and the state.

The GOC noted that the existing court in the Division’s Headquarters lacked jurisdiction to try Raji by virtue of his rank, necessitating the inauguration of another court. He added that fairness and impartiality should be upheld in the proceedings and the dispensation of justice.

When Raji was arraigned before the court, he objected to the membership of the "Waiting Member", Brig.-Gen Agbo Robinson, who took over from him as the Commander of the Brigade.

"He took over the Brigade after me and in the circumstances of the case, it will be prejudicial for him to be on the panel. Besides, all those appointed to testify against me are from his Command," the General said.

Raji also objected to the membership of the Judge Advocate, Lt. Col Bernard Okorie, whom he said, participated in filing the case against him.

"His position will make it difficult for him to do his job as freely as he should," he said.

The court later adjourned to consult over Raji’s objection. Raji’s arraignment came barely 24 hours after the police in Maiduguri, Borno State, shot dead a suspected member of Boko Haram who had attempted to force his way into the command’s headquarters with a car laden with explosives.

The Borno State Commissioner of Police, Simeon Medinba, said investigating officers had traced the ownership of the car used by the killed bomber to Abuja where it was registered.

Meanwhile, policemen trooped into the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Tuesday morning searching vehicles, especially taxis.

The development, which led to serious traffic snarls within the city, was perhaps a reaction to Monday’s incident in Maiduguri. But the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, described the operation as a routine one.

"Our men are everywhere conducting stop and search of vehicles. It is a routine operation meant to enhance security, we are not doing it because we got any intelligence report of bomb plots. It is a normal security operation and we urge members of the public, particularly vehicle owners, to cooperate to make the FCT a safe place," he said.

[Description of Source: Port Harcourt Niger Delta Standard in English -- Rivers State owned daily]

US Military Official Links Nigerian Islamic Sect to Al-Qa'ida

AFP20110818565005 Lagos The Guardian Online in English 2300 GMT 17 Aug 11

[Report by Muyiwa Adeyemi and Lillian Chukwu: "U.S. Army Chief Links Boko Haram to al-Qaeda, Others; Catholic Bishops Oppose Dialogue With Group"]

The fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, whose continued violence has defied the nation's security apparatus, may be operating with the support of al-Qaeda's African branch and the al-Shabab terror group of Somalia.

The top United States (U.S.) Military Commander for Africa, Gen. Carter Ham, told the Associated Press (AP) yesterday after a visit to Nigeria that there were "multiple sources" that showed that Boko Haram wanted to co-ordinate its efforts with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Ham said there were also signs that the two terror groups wanted to form a "loose partnership" with al-Shabab.

Ham of the U.S. Africa Command said such a co-ordination "would be the most dangerous thing to happen not only to the Africans, but to us as well."

A suspected al-Shabab bombmaker now facing terrorism charges in New York was at one point detained by security agents in Nigeria. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, also known as AQIM, has issued statements in support of Boko Haram, and both use similar logos in communiques.

A recent video indicates that two men, a Briton and an Italian, who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria, are being held by AQIM.

Ham met this week with Nigerian military and security officials during his first visit to the country as the head of the U.S. Africa Command, known as Africom and which has its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Ham said the U.S. would be willing to share intelligence and offer training to Nigerian security forces.

Also, Catholic Bishops under Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have called on the Federal Government to be decisive in dealing with the Boko Haram sect just as they advised against granting amnesty to the religious sect members.

The clergymen also called for more dialogue on Islamic banking and criticised Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, for not allowing a thorough dialogue before approving the bank.

The bishops, who rose from their meeting yesterday in Ede, Osun State, challenged the government to arrest and bring to book the perpetrators of the violence that have claimed hundreds of lives and property of Nigerians across the country.

While sympathising with families that have lost their loved ones to the killings and bombings of innocent lives in parts of the country by the Boko Haram sect members, the bishops called on the government to strengthen the rule of law and security apparatus in the country and bring the members of Boko Haram to book rather than negotiating with them as being canvassed by some individuals.

The statement added: "The Federal Government's approach to this issue has been decisive in some ways but inadequate in others. We have seen the government seeming to speak from both sides of the mouth on whether or not to negotiate with the Boko Haram.

"The issue of amnesty has also been raised by some eminent Nigerians, the so-called 'diplomatic' approach at the expense of Nigerians' lives, peace and tranquility is unacceptable.".

The bishops in the statement signed by Most Rev. Felix Alaba Job and Most Rev. Felix Ajakaiye, blamed Sanusi for the controversy the issue of Islamic banking is generating..

The statement added: "In a democracy, Nigerians should have been allowed to discuss such an important and sensitive issue before Malam Sanusi would make a pronouncement on it which sounded much like law.

"Reactions to the proposed introduction of Islamic banking have shown how divisive such an issue, important and useful though it may be, can be when it is not carefully presented."

The Catholic clerics also asked the government to tackle the growing unemployment rate in the country, saying security of lives and property could not be assured where unemployment was not firmly dealt with.

While commending the last general elections and urging the government to build on them, the bishops appealed to the various election petition tribunals to treat all petitions before them speedily.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has pledged to train citizens on emergency response to terror attacks.

Deputy Head, Israeli High Commission, George Deek, made the pledge yesterday in Abuja at a one-day partnership forum and media briefing organised by Global Medical Horizon and Plusfactor International on enhancing emergency response and ambulance services in Nigeria, using the Israeli model.

He listed terrorists' activities as kidnapping, fire, politically- motivated violence, ethnic clashes and bomb blasts. "Terrorism is one of Nigeria's biggest and most immediate challenges. It is not a secret that Israeli expertise can significantly assist Nigeria in countering terrorism. On behalf of my country, I present our readiness to expand our partnership in Nigeria," he said.

In a paper titled: "The Israeli model of emergency response as a tool of counter-terrorism", Deek listed Israeli expertise in emergency preparedness, given frequent encounter with terrorism-related emergencies, as public education, training, drills, awareness and willingness to take part in activities.

Others, according to him, are the authority (the issue of who is in charge), police, emergency medical services, healthcare workforce and co-operation between all arms of government.

He said part of the Israeli success in achieving a high level of public readiness was due to its long-term approach that invests heavily in creating a resilient public, especially in the effective engagement and mobilisation of the public in support of counter-terrorism policies.

[Description of Source: Lagos The Guardian Online in English -- Website of the widely read independent daily, aimed at up-market readership; URL: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/]

Fears Said Growing Over Nigerian Islamists' 'Terror Links'

AFP20110819678005 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 0756 GMT 19 Aug 11

[AFP Headline -- "Fears grow over Nigerian Islamists' 'terror links'"]

KANO, Nigeria, Aug 19, 2011 (AFP) - A Nigerian Islamist sect blamed for dozens of deadly bomb blasts and shootings has shown increasing signs of links to outside groups such as Al-Qaeda's north African branch, analysts say.

While there has been no clear proof of such ties, Western diplomats and security experts point to the growing sophistication of attacks by the sect known as Boko Haram as well as claims made on websites and elsewhere.

The possibility of such links have led to fears among Western countries, with Nigeria the largest oil producer in Africa, the continent's most populous nation and a major crude supplier to the United States.

"We are very concerned about the linkages between Boko Haram and other extremist organisations in Africa and other places," US General Carter Ham, commander of US Africa Command, told local journalists during a visit to Nigeria this week.

A Nigerian military spokesman said he believed Boko Haram had links with Al-Qaeda, pointing to the types of bombs used recently.

"With the presence of Al-Qaeda in nearby African countries like Mali, Niger and Algeria, it's very easy for Boko Haram to establish links with Al-Qaeda," said Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed of a task force tracking the sect.

Some also name Somalia's Shebab rebels as having a possible connection based on statements from supposed sect members.

Other indications have come from at least one statement believed to be from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) indicating some level of contact between the two groups.

AQIM, Al-Qaeda's north Africa branch, has carried out kidnappings and attacks in nearby countries.

It is a controversial topic in Nigeria, with some pointing out that both Boko Haram and the country's security agencies may benefit by speaking of such links.

For the sect, it would give them more power, while Nigerian authorities could use such claims as an excuse for why they have been ineffective in stopping the group's near daily attacks, some analysts say.

The military task force tracking the sect has been accused of carrying out major abuses against civilians, including killing residents and burning their homes after alleging that they collaborated with the sect.

"For me, it is still a local insurgency," said Kyari Mohammed, a Nigerian history professor working on a book on Boko Haram.

He said however that the Islamists gained fresh bomb-making skills about a year ago, and even if a link does not exist, Boko Haram members surely draw inspiration from groups like Al-Qaeda.

A video obtained by AFP this month of a British man and an Italian kidnapped in northern Nigeria in May has added to the controversy.

In the video, the captives say that their abductors are from Al-Qaeda, an assertion impossible to verify.

"Some high officials in the Nigerian government strongly believe Al-Qaeda is present," a Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "They just don't have proof of it."

As for Boko Haram, the diplomat said the government appeared to have no viable plan to stop it.

It has formed a committee to look into whether to negotiate with the Islamists, but identifying whom to holds talks with could be problematic.

"There just seems like there is no real concrete plan to do anything," the diplomat said.

The sect has claimed to be fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria, whose 150 million population is roughly divided in half between Christians and Muslims.

It launched an uprising in 2009 put down by a military assault which left hundreds dead, as well as its mosque and headquarters in the northeastern city of Maiduguri in ruins.

It appeared to go dormant for more than a year after the uprising, and some analysts questioned whether they trained elsewhere as certain alleged sect members have claimed.

Last year, gunmen on motorcycles began carrying out shootings of police, soldiers and local officials, and authorities warned that the sect was making its return.

Bombings began to occur frequently in recent months, mostly with homemade devices detonated remotely.

While most violence has occurred in the country's northeast, particularly Maiduguri, attacks have occurred elsewhere.

In June, a bomb ripped through a car park at national police headquarters in the capital Abuja. Police first blamed a suicide bomber before retracting their statement, saying they could not be sure.

A website purportedly used by sect members pays tribute to a man referred to as a "martyr" and warns of violence, while calling on others to join.

Many say the sect appears to have various factions, but there is disagreement on details.

There seems to be a core group of Islamists, but possibly another faction exploited by politicians to carry out attacks and others with varying interests, analysts say.

In any case, Nigeria's deeply rooted corruption and poverty provide fertile ground for such groups to take root, analysts say.

"It's a ripe environment of youth that are unemployed and frustrated," the diplomat said. "There is money to be made in northern Nigeria if you are coordinated enough and you know the right people to get in touch with."

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

Nigeria: Presidential Committee Submits Interim Report on Islamic Sect Crisis

AFP20110819581016 Lagos This Day Online in English 19 Aug 11

[Report by Senator Iroegbu: "Boko Haram: Fact-Finding Panel Submits Interim Report"]

The Presidential Fact-finding Committee set up to discuss the best way out of the security challenges posed by the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the north-eastern part of the country has submitted an interim report, three days behind the deadline.

While submitting the report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Thursday, the committee asked for a two-week extension to allow them time to put finishing touches to their findings.