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

[Description of Source: Kaduna New Nigerian in English -- Federal government-owned, pro-government daily championing Hausa and northern Nigeria interests]

Nigeria: Boko Haram Threatens to Attack Jos

AFP20100923606007 Lagos Guardian in English 23 Sep 10 p 8

[Editorial Report: "The Boko Haram jail-break in Bauchi"]

Barely a year after the self-styled Islamic fundamentalist Boko Haram sect unleashed mayhem that engulfed Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, and Kano states leaving over 10,000 people dead and properties worth millions destroyed, the group again recently organized another heinous assault at the Bauchi Central Prison where about 700 inmates were forcefully released. Bauchi has become the hotbed of Boko Haram criminality, and yet no lessons have been learnt from this or previous incidents.

As was the case in the past, the security agencies were caught unawares even when the attack had been announced by the insurgents with specific details about their target and motives. The Police, the State Security Services, and the prison authorities were completely overwhelmed as the Boko Haram took over the Bauchi prison. More than a week later, the authorities have not been able to unravel the Boko Haram mystery. How could the police ignore Boko Haram’s threat?

The incident once again underscores the failure of state security which has heightened criminality and impunity in the country. The Boko Haram leadership, a group of fanatics who believe that "Western education is evil," reportedly wrote to the police informing them of the plan to attack the Bauchi prison. They also circulated pamphlets publicly to this effect. The group indicated the exact time of attack to be the end of Ramadan during Sahur at 4.30 am. or 5 pm. Their aim was to release their detained members who were arrested during last year’s mayhem. With such critical information, the police should have mobilized its men to nip the attack in the bud.

But, sadly enough, the preemptive warning was ignored and instead the police acted as if nothing was amiss. Curiously, the police relaxed and joined civilians in the evening Ramadan prayer observances. A conscientious and proactive security organization would have acted on the warning and tracked down the perpetrators. The attack was a clear affront on the security agencies and a slap on the face of the authorities. The state governor and the Emir of Bauchi should also have collaborated with the police as much as possible to prevent the attack.

Armed with AK 47 rifles, the hoodlums took advantage of the Ramadan sunset prayers when attention was directed to religious activities. They struck at 6.35 pm, an hour behind their pre-announced schedule, probably fully aware that all security operatives would be on recess at the time. The strategy worked perfectly. It is pertinent to ask if there is any occasion when the security agencies are allowed to literally disarm and join the rest of the citizenry in whatever social or religious observances? Otherwise, it is alarming and strange for the police to have acted in such unprofessional manner thereby exposing lives and property to danger.

Security is a sensitive undertaking. If it is known that there exists a time when the entire security outfit of the country is on recess, the enemy could capitalize on that to wreck havoc. And that was what happened in Bauchi. According to the Deputy Controller of Prisons, Bauchi, Ali Akida, the attackers broke into 29 cells housing 765 inmates out of which 732 escaped. About 127 of the inmates who fled have reportedly returned voluntarily. One mobile police officer was killed while six others were injured. Three prison wardens were also shot.

As if that wasn’t enough, the sect has issued another threat of an imminent strike in Jos, Plateau State, which has witnessed a series of unrest in recent times. Since the Boko Haram is not known to issue empty threats, the security agencies shouldn’t fold their arms and assume that the group is joking. The threat should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Boko Haram, which has been in existence since 2004 obviously has a large followership with highly placed patrons. Its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed in Maiduguri in the heat of the previous uprising, preached a strange form of Islamic doctrine that strictly forbids Western education and values. What is happening is akin to a youth revolt against the system.

Boko Haram is growing in a fertile environment of religious fanaticism and youth disenchantment which is an indictment of the country’s leadership. The Boko Haram problem is not being seriously addressed, so it remains a potential source of great danger. The newly appointed Director General of the State Security Services [SSS] and the Inspector General of Police must see this as a major challenge which deserves to be treated as a matter of urgent priority in the public interest.

[Description of Source: Lagos The Guardian in English - independent daily]

Nigeria: Boko Haram Strikes Again, Kill Two in Borno

AFP20100924606003 Lagos Daily Independent in English 13 Sep 10 p 8

[Report by Unnamed Reporter: "Boko Haram Militants Strike Again"]

Islamists suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect have struck again in Maiduguri. They reportedly killed two people, one of them a local chief, yesterday. A police source said the latest attack by the gunmen on motorbikes must have been carried out by the sect that launched an uprising last year. The killings occurred in an area of the city of Maiduguri where the sect had its headquarters before a brutal assault put down the uprising and destroyed the enclave last year, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

"Two people were killed in the Gwaidomari neighborhood, and one of them turned out to be a local chief," the officer said. From eyewitness accounts, the modus operandi of the attackers was similar to that applied in previous attacks. The fact that the assailants came on a motorbike, opened fire on their victims and sped away gives rise to some suspicion that the attackers were Boko Haram members." A series of such attacks have occurred in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north in recent months, with authorities saying they suspected the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sin" in local Hausa dialect.

Suspected sect members also used machine guns and homemade bombs to attack a prison in Bauchi this month, freeing more than 700 prisoners. Around 100 alleged Boko Haram members were among those who escaped. Last year’s uprising began with attacks on police posts, and police have been among the victims of the recent killings by motorcycle-riding gunmen in northern Nigeria. The attacks come ahead of presidential elections next year and have been an ominous sign in a country where ballots have often been tainted by violence.

[Description of Source: Lagos Daily Independent in English -- Privately owned independent daily]

Suspected Islamists Kill Senior Politician in Northern Nigeria

AFP20101007648008 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 1100 GMT 07 Oct 10

["Islamists suspected in deadly north Nigeria attacks: source" - AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, Oct 7, 2010 (AFP) - Suspected Islamists have killed a senior political figure and attacked the home of a top politician in Nigeria's north, the latest in a wave of such attacks, police and party officials said Thursday.

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect gained access to the home of a national vice chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Maiduguri and killed him, a party spokesman said.

Awana Ali Ngala was gunned down Wednesday evening, the party's national spokesman Emmanuel Eneukwu told AFP.

"He was shot in his house, in his living room," said Eneukwu, adding that party officials in Maiduguri "suspect that the people that shot him were Boko Haram."

Police confirmed the killing.

"Awana Ali Ngala was killed by unknown assailants who gained access into his living room and shot him dead," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The ANPP is the ruling party in Borno state, where Maiduguri is located, but an opposition party nationally. A high-ranking party member also confirmed the killing of Ngala, who was vice chairman representing the northeast region.

According to party officials, the gunmen arrived on motorbikes.

Motorcycle-riding gunmen have carried out a number of attacks in the region in recent months, and authorities have blamed Boko Haram, which launched an uprising last year.

Eneukwu said: "I'm thinking it was perpetrated by Boko Haram, the religious sect that is on the rampage, I wouldn't suspect political motive."

Before slaying Ngala, the gunmen had attacked the home of Ali Modu, the speaker of the Borno state House of Assembly in a suburb of Maiduguri and killed a security guard, the police officer and Eneukwu said.

"A police security guard attached to the house was shot and killed by two motorcycle-riding attackers believed to be members of Boko Haram," he said.

"They took away his rifle and fired shots in the air to scare residents of the neighbourhood before fleeing."

The officer said political motives had not been ruled out in the attacks, but Boko Haram members were "the most probable culprits."

Suspected sect members also used machine guns and homemade bombs to attack a prison in northern Nigeria last month, freeing more than 700 prisoners. Around 100 alleged Boko Haram members were among those who escaped.

Last year's uprising was crushed by a brutal military and police assault, with hundreds left dead.

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

Nigerian Talibans Kill Four in Northern State of Borno

AFP20101007646001 Abuja Leadership Online in English 07 Oct 10

[Unattributed report:"Boko Haram Strikes Again, Kill Gov Sheriff's In-law, 3 Others"]

Gun totting members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect yesterday evening in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital went wild in a killing spree leaving four dead in the wake of deadly strikes.

They first struck at the residence of Alhaji Awan Ngala, an in-law of the state governor Ali Modu Sheriff, shooting him dead, LEADERSHIP gathered. Late Ngala was married to the sister of the governor.

Soon after killing Ngala who was a one time chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in cold blood, they moved to the residence of the Speaker of Borno House of Assembly with clear intent to similarly murder him but luckily, he was not at home. That did not stop the members from shooting dead the two police guards on duty.

From there, they moved to Tashar Kano and descended on the residence of a man whose identity was yet to be established who they also murdered before setting the house ablaze.

Members of Boko Haram have had a running battle with the state since last year July, when they first struck. It led to a brutal gun battle with police and the army before they were contained. Their leader, Mohammed Yusuf was killed in controversial circumstances while in the custody of the police.

Last month they struck at a prison in Bauchi in a daring move to free their members imprisoned for over a year. They set free hundreds of inmates some of whom voluntarily returned.

[Description of Source: Abuja Leadership Online in English -- Website of the privately owned daily; URL: http://www.leadershipnigeria.com]

Nigeria: Islamic Sect Inmates Reportedly Set on Fire Parts of Bauchi Prison

AFP20101008565012 Ibadan Nigerian Tribune Online in English 08 Oct 10

[Report by Ishola Michael: "Boko Haram Members Set Bauchi Prison Ablaze"]

Barely one month after the Bauchi jail break by members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which led to the escape of 157 members of the sect awaiting trial, returnee members of the sect, on Thursday, set some parts of the prison on fire, in protest.

An inside source disclosed that the Boko Haram members set the school building within the prisons, as well as the store, on fire at about 5.30bp.m to press home their displeasure over the amnesty and release of two of their members by the state governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda.

The source, one of the wardens on duty at the time of the incident, said unlike during the jail break, the Boko Haram militants were not so violent, as they only set the structures on fire but did not try to escape from the prison.

He said no casualty was recorded at the time of filing this report, while he assured that the situation was under control.

The protesting Boko-Haram members were among those that willingly returned to the prison after they were forcefully released last month and were said to be expecting that amnesty gesture would be extended to them after renouncing their membership of the sect.

Members of the state fire service were at hand to put the fire under control, while armed security personnel comprising the military, mobile policemen and other security agents, were on duty, blocking roads that led to the prison area.

While reacting to the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs and Mobilisation, Mohammed Kundak, described the situation as most unfortunate, saying that it was a protest by some of the prisoners who had expected that the amnesty move would be extended to them.

All efforts to get the state police command to comment on the situation proved abortive, as the mobile phone of the state Commissioner of Police, Danlami Yar'Adua, was switched off, while calls put through to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mohammed Barau, was not answered.

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

Nigeria: Two Unidentified Gunmen Shoot Dead Anti Islamist Iman in of Maiduguri

AFP20101009642001 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 1253 GMT 09 Oct 10

["Suspected Islamists kill outspoken Nigerian cleric" AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, Oct 9, 2010 (AFP) - Suspected radical Islamists on Saturday shot dead an outspoken cleric in the latest of a series of killings in Nigeria blamed on a sect that staged a bloody uprising last year, police said.

Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead Bashir Kashara outside his house in the heart of Maiduguri city, a high-ranking police officer told AFP.

"We received the report of the killing of Bashir Kashara, a renowned cleric in the city by yet to be identified gunmen outside his home this morning," said the officer, asking not to be identified because he was not cleared to speak to the media.

"Investigations have commenced, but from the modus operandi of the attack, the most likely suspects is the Boko Haram," he said.

Boko Haram, self-styled Taliban, launched an insurrection in Maiduguri in northern Nigeria last year.

Kashara, a well-known wahabi cleric in Maiduguri, ran a weekly Islamic programme on Borno state-run radio in which he criticised Boko Haram's ideologies, especially one that tags Western education as a sin.

Boko Haram means "Western education is a sin" in the local Hausa dialect.

"We had gun shots and everybody panicked and looked for cover, moments later news filtered across the neighbourhood that Kashara had been killed," said resident Adamu Dahiru.

"The fact that he has been the most outspoken critic of Boko Haram among all the clerics in the city makes everybody suspect that Boko Haram were behind the killing," added Dahiru.

Last year's uprising began with attacks on police posts, and police have been among the victims of recent killings by motorcycle-riding gunmen in northern Nigeria. A top politician was killed this week by a suspected Boko Haram gang.

The attacks come ahead of presidential elections early next year and have been an ominous sign in a country where ballots have often been tainted by violence.

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

Nigeria: Suspected Islamic Sect Gunmen Kill Cleric in Borno State

AFP20101010565004 Lagos The Guardian Online in English 2300 GMT 09 Oct 10

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

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen, yesterday, attacked and killed an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Bashir Mustapha at Gwange ward.

Six armed suspects, who came on a motorcycle and in a taxi, stormed the cleric's residence at about 10am.

His personal assistant, Modu Sunoma, was shot several times in the chest at close range. The attackers also killed a council chief in Bama on Thursday, after they assassinated Awana Ali Ngala, Vice Chairman of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) at his Simari ward residence in Maiduguri metropolis.

The Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Abdu, in an interview said: "Yes, it is true that suspected Boko Haram gunmen have spread their heinous criminal acts to Bama, and killed a senior staff of Bama council after they attacked the Speaker's residence last Thursday, and shot two of our security personnel at close range, before reaching Awana Ngala's residence at 8pm."

He said: "Saturday's attacks and killings, however, took a different dimension, because one of the renowned Islamic cleric, Shiekh Mustapha, was attacked and killed."

It was learnt that the slain Shiekh had been very critical of the activities of the sect.

The sect, last month, issued an unsigned statement in the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that its targets are the governor of Borno State, Ali Sheriff, policemen and traditional and religious leaders in the state.

[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: Suspected Islamists Attack, Torch Police Station in Maiduguri

AFP20101012678020 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 1132 GMT 12 Oct 10

[AFP Headline: "Suspected Islamists attack, torch police station in Nigeria"]

KANO, Nigeria, Oct 12, 2010 (AFP) - Suspected members of an Islamist sect that launched an uprising last year have attacked and torched a police station in northern Nigeria, police said on Tuesday.

"There was an overnight attack on Gamboru police station by unknown gunmen which resulted in the burning down of the police station," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The station is Maiduguri, the city at the centre of last year's uprising.

"Two policemen have been injured in the shootout and are receiving treatment in hospital. The whereabouts of two others are still unkown."

The source added that "they used homemade grenades to burn down the police station" and that the Islamist sect, known as Boko Haram, was suspected.

National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said he had been told of the attack and that explosives had been used.

Asked whether the Islamist sect was involved, he said, "that is suspected, but we are not limiting it to them."

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

Nigeria: Police Say Suspected Islamists Kill Guard at Official's Home in North

AFP20101014309004 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 0640 GMT 14 Oct 10

["Gunmen kill officer at Nigerian official's home: police" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, Oct 14, 2010 (AFP) - Motorcycle-riding gunmen have killed a police officer guarding a state official's house in northern Nigeria, police said Thursday, with a wave of such shootings blamed on an Islamist sect.

The shooting on Wednesday night occurred in the city of Bauchi, where suspected Islamists from the Boko Haram sect attacked a prison last month and freed more than 700 inmates.

"There was an attack on the residence of the commissioner for special duties, where a police security attached to the house was killed," state police commissioner Danlami Yar'Adua said.

"The gunmen arrived on a motorbike and opened fire outside the house, killing the policeman, and sped away."

He declined to say whether Boko Haram members were suspected in the attack outside the home of Musa Muazu Badara, adding the investigation was ongoing.

A commissioner is the equivalent of a minister on the state level in Nigeria. Special duties commissioners handle a variety of tasks at the governor's discretion.

One witness who said he was at the mosque next to the house, Halilu Dauda, told AFP by phone that he heard four gunshots and saw two officers on the ground when he went outside.

A wave of such killings and other attacks in Nigeria's north in recent months have raised alarm over the sect, which launched an uprising last year crushed by a brutal assault that left hundreds dead.

Troops deployed in the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri this week after a series of attacks blamed on Boko Haram. On Monday, suspected sect members attacked and torched a police station in the city.

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

Nigeria: Army Deploys Troops to Borno State To Contain Attacks by Islamic Sect

AFP20101015598001 Abuja Daily Trust Online in English 0400 GMT 14 Oct 10

[Report by Isa Umar Gusau, Sharafa Dauda and Yahaya Ibrahim: "Army Deploys Troops, Tanks to Maiduguri; Boko Haram Planted BombsPolice"]

The Nigerian Army headquarters has ordered the deployment of troops and armoured tanks to Maiduguri to contain recent attacks by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.

Our correspondent learnt from military sources yesterday that 95 soldiers had already been deployed from the 231 Battalion and 331 Artillery Regiment, both in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.

Three armoured tanks called 'Scorpions' have been deployed to the Giwa barracks to be on stand-by for any eventualities, it was learnt. The source said the Army Headquarters ordered that the soldiers also remain in the same barracks because President Goodluck Jonathan was yet to give orders for troops to take over operations.

Meanwhile, the police said it had recovered un-detonated bombs in three different locations in Maiduguri suspected to have been planted by members of the Boko Haram sect, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 12, Mohammed Hadi Zarewa has said.

The police chief disclosed this yesterday while briefing newsmen on the security situation in Borno State. He also said there was an explosion close to the Monday Market in the metropolis without injuries.

Zarewa noted that three un-detonated bombs where discovered around the new prison, El-Kanemi area near the popular Monday market and around the Gamboru police post that was burnt by members of the sect on Monday.

The AIG said 400 mobile policemen had so far been deployed to the state to protect lives and property.

On the attacked police station, he said the place was a police outpost that was upgraded illegally to a Divisional Police Station by a former commissioner of police in the state but was reverted by the present commissioner.

Zarewa called on members of the public to cooperate with the police in information gathering, saying everyone is a stakeholder in security business.

"Information gathering is a tedious task. And since the criminals are living in the midst of the people, it is the responsibility of all to provide information and not to double-deal in the process. If they are not free with the police, they can go to the traditional leaders," he added.

He also called on parents to monitor their children in order to ascertain the kind of associations they belong to or religious teachings they are receiving. He added that people should feel free and bear the inconveniences of the stop and search operation.