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

An army patrol team came under attack in Gwange district of the northern city of Maiduguri on Sunday night, leading to a shootout that lasted for 30 minutes, Muhammad said.

He did not give any details about casualties.

"We cordoned off the whole area and made the arrests," he said.

He said screening of the suspects was underway and those not implicated in the attack would be freed.

Residents of Maiduguri have complained about the way security forces are going about hunting down members of Boko Haram.

Husseini Hala, a human rights lawyer said there had been "series of complaints of rights abuses" by troops deployed in the city.

Boko Haram staged a short-lived uprising in parts of the north in 2OO9 in a doomed bid to establish an Islamic state, but the rebellion was crushed in a brutal military crackdown.

Hundreds of people, mostly sect's members were killed during the crackdown with the group's headquarters and mosque destroyed in Maiduguri, where most of the violence has occurred.

The sect has in recent months resorted to hit-and-run attacks targeting soldiers and policemen, community leaders and politicians.

It has also been blamed for raids on police stations, churches and a prison in recent months.

[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 Traditional Leader's Kin in Borno

AFP20110601598001 Abuja Daily Trust Online in English 2300 GMT 31 May 11

[Report by Hamza Idris and Yahaya Ibrahim: "Gunmen Kill Shehu of Borno's Brother"]

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect shot and killed Alhaji Abbah Anas Ibn Umar Garbai El-kanemi, a younger brother of the Shehu of Borno Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi in Maiduguri on Monday night.

Witnesses said the gunmen attacked the prince in his house at Gangamari area, a few metres away from the Shehu's palace at around 9.30pm.

Musa, who lives close to the palace, said the gunmen stormed the area at night and on sighting the Shehu's brother in front of his house, they immediately aimed and fired several shots at him before they fled the scene.

"Many of us were close by when the gunmen trekked to the house which is within a cluster of houses. We are still wondering how they manoeuvered their way, shot him and immediately disappeared without a trace," Musa said.

A brother of the deceased who does not want his name in print said the Shehu was alerted immediately after the shooting. "The Shehu directed that the police attached to the palace should go to the scene and the together with them, we took Anas to the hospital... he was lying in a pool of his blood and doctors confirmed that he was dead," Musa said.

It was gathered that Alhaji Anas, aged about 30, was an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). Thousands of people thronged to the Shehu's palace yesterday and attended the funeral prayers. He was buried around 11am at the royal cemetery which is situated within the precincts of the palace.

The Shehu of Borno, the emir of Bama Alhaji Kyari Ibn Umar and dozens of district heads took part in the rites, as did the Borno State police Commissioner Mohammed Abubakar and Air Commodore Ibrahim Pawa, commander of the 204 Wing of the Nigeria Air Force. Many key government officials also attended the funeral.

In their condolence messages to the Shehu, the security chiefs described the death of Anas as very unfortunate and prayed to God to grant his soul eternal rest. Police spokesman ASP Lawal Abdullahi said they have launched investigations and that new strategies have been employed by security operatives in the state. "The gunmen will soon be tracked down and will face prosecution," he said.

He appealed to residents to support the security agencies with information in order to fish out the gunmen who have been terrorizing the state. Late Anas left behind a wife and children.

[Description of Source: Abuja Daily Trust Online in English -- Website of the independent pro-North daily; URL: http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php]

Gunmen Bomb Police Station In Northern Nigeria

AFP20110601637002 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 1126 GMT 01 Jun 11

[AFP headline "Gunmen bomb police station in northern Nigeria"]

KANO, Nigeria, June 1, 2011 (AFP) - Gunmen hurled a bomb and fired shots at a Nigerian police station, heightening tensions in northern Bauchi state after a deadly attack on a military barracks last week, police said on Wednesday.

One policeman was listed as missing after the attack on Tuesday night, which came only days after a string of bomb blasts ripped through a crowded beer garden at a barracks in Bauchi city, killing at least 13 people, shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated.

"There was a bomb attack on Bulkacuwa police station last night by unknown attackers who also fired gunshots," Bauchi state police commissioner Abdulkadir Indabawa told AFP.

He said the police station, situated some 180 kilometres (110 miles) north of Bauchi city, was seriously damaged.

A local resident Babandi Umar said the attackers used explosives and gunshots when they stormed the station around 8:15 pm (1915 GMT).

"One of the two policemen inside the police station as at the time of the attack is still missing," said Umar.

"The police station has been badly damaged, the walls are riddled with bullet holes."

Bauchi is one of the predominantly Muslim northern states hard hit by post-election riots that left 800 dead in April.

Police said they had no idea who the attackers were. Nobody has claimed responsibility.

An Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009 and has been blamed for dozens of killings in the northeast where it targets security forces and community leaders, has also been active in Bauchi.

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

Nigeria: Islamic Sect Threatens To Destroy University Hospital in Borno State

AFP20110604565002 New York Sahara Reporters in English 0249 GMT 04 Jun 11

[Unattributed report: "Boko Haram Threatens To Demolish University Hospital in Maiduguri"]

Nigerian islamist group- "Boko Haram" -today dropped a note at the accident and emergency unit of University Hospital in Maiduguri, North Eastern Nigeria, threatening to destroy the hospital in due course.

They claimed in the note that the hospital staff do not treat their injured members when they were taken there, allowing them to die of their injuries.

The group vowed to demolish the hospital at a time of their choosing.

Recently, the group claimed credit for the bombings across northern Nigeria on the eve of the presidential inaugural ceremony.

Also yesterday, the group burnt down a warehouse owned by Borno ministry of health where vaccines used in immunizing kids against polio, measles and meningitis were kept.

[Description of Source: New York Sahara Reporters in English -- Nigerian Diaspora human rights-oriented news website; URL: http://www.saharareporters.com]

Xinhua: Nigerian Troops Clash With Sect Group in Northeastern State

CPP20110606968063 Beijing Xinhua in English 0800 GMT 06 Jun 11

[Xinhua: "Nigerian Troops Clash With Sect Group in Northeastern State"]

[Computer selected and disseminated without OSC editorial intervention]

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Two persons were killed at the weekend in a northeastern town of Nigeria when troops deployed to quell religious extremism clashed with a popular Islamic sect Boko Haram, according to local police.

The two persons were hit by stray bullets in the clash with the members of Boko Haram.

"I think the sect members had attempted to attack the troops and the whole thing went bloody as the troops kept firing them," Christopher, a motor mechanic, told Xinhua on Sunday.

Three other persons were wounded during the attack which occurred at Biu, a remote community predominantly dominated by the Christian natives.

Biu, a colonial settlement, is about 187 km south of Maiduguri, the seat of government in the northeastern state of Nigeria.

But while the shooting at Biu between the troops and the Boko Haram lasted, some miscreants were said to have set ablaze two local assemblies of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) at Gwoza, another remote town following alleged homosexual act by two men.

Gwoza is a small community on the Nigerian-Cameroon border.

According to a resident, the alleged homosexual act was committed by two Christians near a mosque, an act which the residents insisted runs contrary Islamic injunctions and Sharia in the area.

But a police source in Gwoza, claimed only one of the partner in the purported homosexual act is a Christian, adding that the rumor had triggered off violent reaction by some miscreants.

"They went on rampage and burnt two Churches," the police source told Xinhua.

State commissioner of police Mohammed Abubakar confirmed the two incidents to Xinhua but decline to give more details on the killing of the two at Biu.

"The two died as a result of stray bullet but no arrest was made," he said. He promised to investigate the burning of the churches and alleged homosexuality at Gwoza even as he warned against linking of the burning of churches to Boko Haram.

[Description of Source: Beijing Xinhua in English -- China's official news service for English-language audiences (New China News Agency)]

Nigeria: Group Urges Violent Islamic Sect to Embrace Peace

AFP20110606686004 Port Harcourt The Neighborhood in English 06 Jun 11 p 3

[Report by Austin Ilechi: "Northern Group Urges Boko Haram to Accept Amnesty"]

The Northern Nigeria Renaissance Group [NNRG] has called on the radical Islamic sect popularly known as Boko Haram to accept the amnesty offer by the Borno State government and stop the killing of innocent people.

The newly formed group particularly frowned at the recent attack on the St. Patrick Catholic Cathedral and the Catholic Research centre in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and other attacks on religious centers.

The national coordinator of the group and its secretary general, Ibrahim Sanyi-Sanyi and Ali Liman, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kano over the weekend, said the amnesty offer to members of the outlawed Boko Haram is a welcome development as the search for peace and security in the troubled state continues.

It added that the offer should be pursued with all will, sincerity and vigor and urged the state government to initiate open and serious move to the realization of this amnesty program.

"We will like to passionately appeal to our disgruntled Northern brothers and sisters in Boko Haram, to please accept this offer of amnesty made by the government of Borno state, declare ceasefire and come to round table for dialogue," the group said.

"Our region is already devastated by poverty, illiteracy, youth unemployment, preventable diseases, and underdevelopment. We cannot afford to worsen our woes with killings, bombings and creation of general atmosphere of fear and insecurity."

The group also said Boko Haram leaders should realize that history has shown that similar violent struggles in Northern Nigeria were not winnable and that they only brought sufferings, deaths and agonizing memories to both the warring parties and their innocent brothers and sisters. It also called on other northern governors to reach out to the militants.

"The government of Bauchi and Yobe States should emulate that of Borno by offering amnesty to members of Boko Haram residing in their jurisdiction and sincerely put in place modalities to implement it. It is high time we move ahead and put behind us the dark images of sectarian violence and the gory memories it evokes," they said.

The group also solicited for the corporation of the leaders of the major religions in Nigeria - Islam and Christianity - by preaching the message of peace among their followers.

"We want appeal to religious leaders in the North to fear God Almighty and preach peace, forgiveness and peaceful coexistence among their followers. Mere public declaration that both Islam and Christianity preach peace is not sufficient: the clerics must preach the word of peace to their congregations and not hatred, resentment, suspicion and incitement," the statement urged.

The group appealed to all state governments in the North, especially those with mixed population of Muslims and Christians, to put in place mechanism that will monitor activities of freelance, uneducated and often quack preachers that go about preaching hatred amongst the adherents of their respective religions.

[Description of Source: Port Harcourt The Neighborhood in English -- Privately owned daily]

Boko Haram's Attacks on Church, Police Station Kill 5 in Northern Nigeria

AFP20110607670008 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 07 Jun 11

["Five killed in Islamists sect attacks in Nigeria" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, June 7, 2011 (AFP) - Bomb attacks by members of an Islamist sect targetting a church and a police station in Nigeria's troubled city of Maiduguri killed five people on Tuesday, police said.

"There were attacks by gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram in which five people in all were killed and three injured including two policemen," police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi.

He said the attackers "hurled an explosive device into the premises of the police station which went off but did not cause any causalties."

But gunbattles broke out between the police and the attackers "in which the police succeeded in killing three of the gunmen," he said. Two policemen were injured in the shootout.

"In the second attack another group of sect members hurled a bomb apparently targeting St Patrick's (Catholic) church, but missed the target and landed on the street outside," said Abdullahi.

It went off and killed two passers-by and injured another.

Another bomb went off near the same church last week but with no casualties.

On Monday a gunman killed a Wahabbi cleric and imam of a mosque in Biu town who was critical of Boko Haram ideology especially its rejection of Western education and its resort to violence, his neighbours said.

Ibrahim Birkuti was shot by a motorcycle-riding gunman thought to be a member of Boko Haram sect outside his house Biu, 2OO kilometres (120 miles) south of Maiduguri, which is in Borno state.

The sect which launched an uprising in 2009 and has been blamed for dozens of killings in the northeast where it targets security forces, community leaders and government institutions.

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

Nigeria: 10 Die in Multiple Bomb Explosions in Borno State

FEA20110608018677 - OSC Feature - This Day Online 08 Jun 11

[Report by Michael Olugbode: "Pandemonium as Explosions Kill 10"]

There was pandemonium in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Tuesday as multiple explosions, which rocked the city, led to the death of 10 people. The explosions, which made the people to flee the capital city, were believed to have been detonated by the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram.

While the explosions went on simultaneously, several gunshots were heard in some parts of the ancient town.

Although the Borno State Police Command, which confirmed the incidents, claimed that only five persons died in the explosions, eyewitnesses said 10 persons were killed.

In one of the explosions, THISDAY gathered that three members of the sect lost their lives when the bomb they tried to detonate at a Catholic church, St. Patrick Church, accidentally went off.

The members of the group had last week attempted to bomb the church, but only a part of it was affected by the explosion. All this happened barely 24 hours after a prominent Islamic cleric, Sheik Ibrahim Biu, was shot dead in his house in Biu town, a distance of 187km from Maiduguri, by suspected members of the same group.

Also, Gwange Police Divisional Headquarters, the Dandal Police Divisional Headquarters, as well as parts of St Patrick Church were destroyed by the explosions.

The explosions went off shortly after the state Governor Kashim Shettima visited and addressed the state House of Assembly, from where he later paid an inspection visit to the Baga Motor Park, as well as the Musa Usman State Secretariat, a stone's throw from St. Patrick Catholic Church, and the water treatment plant, all within the state capital.

THISDAY source said gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram invaded the Gwange Police Divisional headquarters and threw several bombs into the station and after the explosions; the assailants, who stood back, engaged the policemen at the police station in gun battle.

It was also gathered that the police shot and killed three of the gunmen, while two passers-by were killed by stray bullets.

A source at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital confirmed that at about 2:30pm yesterday, five corpses were brought to the hospital. He also said 14 critically injured persons were rushed to the hospital from the Gwange Divisional Police Station.

Apart from the explosions at the Gwange Police Station, another blast was reported to have gone off in a blue Honda Accord car, which was suspected to be carrying some explosive devices, right in front of the gate of St Patrick Church.

Three occupants of the car, believed to be members of Boko Haram sect, were burnt to ashes while two passers-by were also killed as a result of the explosion.

A police man on guard at the St. Patrick Church, who pleaded anonymity, said three persons, including the assailants in the car, died instantly, while others were injured.

He added that the bomb in the car went off shortly after another one was thrown from the car at the church building which resulted in damaging parts of the fence and the roofing of a building within the church premises.

Eyewitnesses said the impact of the bomb that exploded at St Patrick Church, which was situated right opposite the Musa Usman Secretariat, shook the secretariat building and shattered the windows of the offices. Workers of the church were said to have fled the premises.

Details of the explosion that occurred at the Dandal Police Divisional headquarters were sketchy as at press time, but the police station building was defaced when THISDAY visited the premises.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Lawan Abdullahi, said despite the casualties, the day had been "a day of victory for the police because we have gunned down three of the Boko Haram members".

He added that one AK 47 rifle was recovered from the attackers at the Gwange police station.

Major roads in the town, especially those leading to the scene of the incidents and the Government House have been cordoned off as th e streets were deserted.

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

Suspected Islamists Kill Prison Warden, Traditional Ruler in Northern Nigeria

AFP20110609309004 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 2200 GMT 08 Jun 11

["Gunmen kill prison warden in northern Nigeria" -- AFP headlines]

KANO, Nigeria, June 8, 2011 (AFP) - Gunmen killed a prison warden and a traditional chief in Nigeria's northern state of Bauchi where a radical Islamist sect is active, police said Wednesday.

A neighbourhood leader who also works as a prison warden, Ibrahim Ali Figidi, was gunned down outside his house by two men who fled on a motorcycle in the typical hit-and-run style of the Boko Haram sect.

"They knocked on his door and he came out to see who the visitor was. They shot him three times and fled. We still dont know who the attackers are," Bauchi police spokesman Mohammed Barau told AFP.

Attacks blamed on Boko Haram have been concentrated in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, but the sect that launched a botched uprising in 2009 has also been active in Bauchi.

Bomb blasts rocked an outdoor bar and killed more than a dozen people hours after President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in on May 29. Boko Haram, also known as the Nigerian Taliban, claimed responsibility for that attack.

A day later, gunmen hurled a bomb and fired shots at a police station in Bulkacuwa, 180 kilometres (112 miles) north of the capital, killing one policeman.

In September last year, Boko Haram attacked a prison in Bauchi and freed more than 700 inmates.

Bauchi is one of the predominantly Muslim northern states hard hit by post-election riots that left 800 dead in April.

Boko Haram has been blamed for dozens of killings in the northeast of the country, where it targets security forces and community leaders.

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

Nigeria Police Say Arrested 14 Islamists Following Deadly Bomb Attacks in North

AFP20110609683003 Paris AFP (World Service) in English 09 Jun 11

[" 14 Nigerian Islamists arrested after deadly bomb attacks" -- AFP headline]

KANO, Nigeria, June 9, 2011 (AFP) - Police in northern Nigeria said on Thursday they have arrested 14 suspected Islamists thought to be linked to bomb attacks on a church and police stations that killed 14 people this week.

The arrests were made in the troubled city of Maiduguri, where attacks blamed on an extremist sect have killed dozens in recent months.

"We have made 14 arrests of suspected members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect in connection with Tuesday's attacks," Borno state police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi said.

He said investigations would determine "the level of complicity of the suspects in the attacks and we are on the lookout for other suspects."

Several bomb explosions and gunshots rocked the city in attacks suspected to have been staged by members of the radical Islamic sect which has claimed responsibility for other attacks targeting soldiers and policemen, community and religious leaders as well as politicians.

A pentecostal pastor with the Church of Christ in Nigeria was among those killed in Tuesday's blasts while a Catholic church targeted in the attacks was badly shattered.

Boko Haram sect launched an uprising a little under two years ago, but it was brutally put down by security forces.

Speaking to reporters on the margins of an international HIV/AIDS conference in New York, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said he would back local government initiatives to open a dialogue with the Islamists.

"There is nothing wrong if you want to negotiate with militia groups that carry weapons against the state," he said adding "we did that ... and we succeeded in the Niger Delta," referring to the oil-rich south where militants once wreaked havoc in the oil sector.

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

Nigeria: Government Plans To Offer Amnesty to Islamic Sect To End Borno Crisis

AFP20110610565001 Lagos This Day Online in English 10 Jun 11

[Report by Ahamefula Ogbu: "FG Mulls Amnesty for Boko Haram Members"]

Worried by the growing insecurity in the North-east geo-political zone of the country as a result of the activities of members of the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, the Federal Government Thursday perfected a two-prong approach to restore peace in the area.