We’ve recaptured 11 towns, killed 300 insurgents – DHQ

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, has said that troops of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Air Force have killed over 300 fighters of the Boko Haram sect.

Olukolade said in a statement on Wednesday that the insurgents were killed during a combined operation of the Air Force and ground forces put in place to liberate 11 communities captured by the Boko Haram sect.

According to him, the communities liberated by the troops are Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and Kabrisungul.

He said that troops had commenced a cordon and search operation in the areas involved in the latest operation.

He stated further that some of the terrorists and their weapons were captured by the troops.

Olukolade also said that the military captured “five different types of armoured fighting vehicles, an anti-aircraft gun, about 50 cases of packed bombs and eight different types of machine guns, five rocket-propelled grenade, 49 boxes of various types and calibres of ammunition, as well as 300 motorcycles destroyed in the fighting.

He added that “a total of six Hilux vehicles including those mounted with anti-aircraft guns were also destroyed.’

The Defence spokesman said that two soldiers lost their lives while ten others were wounded in the encounter with the terrorists.

Olukolade said that various phases of highly coordinated combined operation involving the Air Force and ground forces were ongoing in the mission area within and outside the country.

Meanwhile, about 30 civilians were killed when an unidentified airplane dropped a bomb on a Nigerian border village, military sources based nearby in Niger said on Wednesday.

“We don’t know whose plane it was. We understand that the victims are residents who were gathered for a ceremony but who were mistaken for terrorists,” said a military source based in the town of Bosso in Niger.

He added, “Around 30 people perished.”

DHQ attacks on Obasanjo, rude –Ex-generals

Some retired senior military officers have lashed out at the Defence Headquarters for describing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an embarrassment to the military institution.

The Defence Headquarters in a remark on its Facebook page on Monday had accused the former President of politicising serious national security and military issues.

The military authorities were reacting   to a statement credited to the former President that the general elections were postponed to enable President Goodluck Jonathan to use the Service Chiefs for tenure extension in an electronic mail on Monday.

But a former Chief of Army Staff , Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd.),in a telephone interview with our correspondent, condemned the military authorities over the comments.

Akinrinade said Obasanjo was exercising his political rights, adding that it was absurd for a junior officer to say anything against his superiors.

The ex-general said, “Obasanjo has exercised his political rights. I think his joining politics is what is causing this nonsense. What is the business of the Defence Headquarters in politics anyway? How did they get to the point where they are reading political statement by politicians. They are now reacting to it. Obasanjo didn’t abuse the armed forces. He must have his reasons for what he said. It is a very bad idea for a junior officer to come out in the public and chastise an ex-commander-in-chief.”

Also, a former Director of Army Legal Services, Col. Akin Kejawa (retd.), described the comments against Obasanjo as being the product of “the indiscipline that the military has degenerated into.”

Kejawa, cautioned the military authorities, saying the reaction betrayed the tenets of respect and discipline that the army was noted for.

According to him, the comments made mockery of the army.

He said, “It is unethical. They should know how to respect elders. I have read the report this morning and don’t think that is good. It is very disrespectful. He was a former head of state and he should be accorded due respect, no matter what he has said.

“This is what we are calling indiscipline in the military. A commander is doing something; you cannot come out and start condemning him. In the military, we don’t do things like that. That is my own personal view and as a lawyer with experience in military law, that is not proper. Can somebody call his father a stupid person? No matter what mistake he has made, you can’t dishonour him.”

When contacted, the first Military Administrator of Osun State, Maj. Gen. Leo Ajiborisa (retd.), declined to comment on the matter because it was against military etiquette to speak about his superiors.

He said, “I don’t discuss political issue. It is insubordination for anybody to write about his senior. Military etiquette does not teach us that way, so I am not interested in pronouncing anything. I am not a politician; they can go and sort their matter.”

When contacted for his comment, retired Maj. Gen. Zamani Lekwot, said he should be given time to mourn his younger brother’s wife, who he said, just died on Tuesday morning.

Obasanjo, an embarrassment to military -DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an embarrassment to the military.

The DHQ made the comment in a statement posted on its Facebook page while reacting to a statement credited to the former President that the general elections were postponed to enable the President use the service chiefs for tenure extension in an electronic mail on Monday.
The DHQ accused the former President of politicizing serious national security and military issues.
It was said that, while Obasanjo’s intentions remained unclear, his motives for making such utterances were less than noble.
The statement stressed that Obasanjo’s claims were false.
It was also said that it was rather surprising that Obasanjo opted to ignore the assurances by the Defence authorities in a statement that the military would continue to be apolitical.
The military said while it had the desire to accord some respect to Obasanjo and his views, the statement credited to him did not reflect the standard of discipline expected from a former General of his status.
The Defence authorities said the world had moved beyond the mentality of Obasanjo insisting that the military personnel of today were better equipped in the area of training, education, exposure to have a better appreciation of democracy and its importance to national prosperity.
The statement read in part, “The Defence Headquarters has noted the remarks of a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as reported in the media stating his views on perceived state of the armed forces and the roles being allegedly played by the military in the nation’s political process in recent times.
“It is however noteworthy that most of his utterances lately indicate an attitude of playing to the gallery or indulging in politicisation of serious national security or military affairs. For instance, the comments credited to Chief Obasanjo alleging that the postponement of the General Elections was to enable President Jonathan use the Service Chiefs to plot a tenure extension, is to say the least, very surprising.
“It is surprising indeed, considering the fact that the retired General chose to ignore the clarification and emphatic assurances of non-partisanship of the military as declared in a DHQ statement on the position of the Armed Forces in the ongoing political activities. His motive as usual remains unknown but it is certainly less than noble or well intentioned. We dare say again that Chief Obasanjo’s assertions are false.
“Much as the military desires to respect the old General and his views, it has become necessary to point out that his conduct and unguarded utterances of late has fallen short of the standard of discipline expected of an individual who has had the privilege of service in the military and risen to the status of a General.
“The behavior of retired General Obasanjo has been so unbecoming and continues to constitute a serious embarrassment to the military before all who have reasonably and rightly adjudged the essence of military background in terms of the high value and standard it tends to contribute to statesmanship.
“We feel constrained to remind the old General that the world has moved beyond that parochial and self-adulating reasoning and mindset which he seems stuck to. Indeed, he needs to be told that by virtue of their better training, exposure, education, assessment and environment, the military personnel of today are already far beyond his level in their appreciation of democracy and it’s indispensability for the stable and prosperous society which Nigerians cherish.”
It was further said that the military institution bequeathed to the country had developed beyond where he left it and was more committed to the maintenance of the ethos of service of the military, valour, subordination to civil authorities and adherence to nonpartisan discharge of their responsibilities.
The DHQ stressed that the military was not inept and could not have been misused in the manner presented by the former President.
The statement added that the military had such a strong belief in democracy and its structures and institutions that it would not do anything to undermine it.
It challenged Obasanjo to indicate genuine interest in the growth and sustenance of the nation’s democracy.
The statement urged Obasanjo to improve his understanding of complex issues involving the military and to encourage the services rather than imputing ulterior motives to security efforts.

Nigerian Military retakes Monguno, other communities from Boko Haram

Nigerian troops fighting the insurgent group, Boko Haram, have reclaimed the town of Monguno and other communities in the North East after nearly two days of fighting.

Boko Haram carried out a pre-dawn attack on Monguno, which is about 137 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital over two weeks ago.

The takeover of Monguno and other communities brought Boko Haram closer to Maiduguri and the Army successfully repelled the insurgents’ attempts to get into Maiduguri.

GOSSIPERS MAGAZINE had Saturday reported how the Nigerian security forces launched a huge military campaign to retake a swath of territory in the North East seized by the terror group.

In a tweet Monday, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters said “Operations to Clear Terrorists From #MONGUNO and Other Communities Successful”.

The spokesperson of the DHQ, Chris Olukolade, in a statement also said, “troops in a military operation spearheaded by highly coordinated air assaults have completed the mission of clearing terrorists from Monguno and environs this morning”.

Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, also said a number of terrorists as well as truckloads of rice, beans and other logistics meant for resupply to the terrorists operating around Baga have been captured in the course of the operation.

“Casualty inflicted and arms recovered as well as other outcome of the operation in Munguno, Marte and other communities already secured, will be determined after the ongoing cordon and search in the environs,” he said.

He added that the air and land operation is continuing in the area of operation with aggressive advance towards other designated communities and locations meant to be cleared in the ongoing offensive against the terrorists.

The operation to recapture Monguno and 14 other territories held by Boko Haram kicked off February 14 as announced by the military a week ago – the major reason the security services gave for their demand that presidential and National Assembly elections, earlier billed for that day, be delayed.

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and the military chiefs had warned that they could not guarantee security if the elections went ahead as planned.

According to details referred to by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the military was planning sweeping onslaught against Boko Haram starting February 14, and did not want a distraction.

The military assured that the six-week extension, which will allow time for the operations, will significantly turn the tide in the war against Boko Haram, a pledge re-affirmed by President Goodluck Jonathan during a televised media chat on Wednesday.

Security sources had told GOSSIPERS MAGAZINE of a massive deployment of troops and military assets, many of them newly-acquired, in the fight to re-take Monguno.

The operation, our sources said, was being personally led by L.O Adeosun, the General Officer Commanding of the Maiduguri-based 7th Battalion and the Commander of the 5 Brigade, Munguno, a Brigadier general Udoh, Mr. Adeosun, a Major General, was recently posted to Borno after the loss of Baga and Munguno to Boko Haram.

Soldiers invade Sambisa Forest

The military has commenced an operation in   Sambisa Forest in Borno State to flush out   Boko Haram insurgents.

The forest is widely believed to   host   some of the training camps and facilities of   Boko Haram in the North-East.

It was learnt that the military high command decided to invade the vast forest in order to make the North-West safe for the general elections.

A reliable source in the Army told one of our correspondents in Abuja   that   Air Force jets started the raid on Monday. He added that surveillance activities and raids were also ongoing as of the time he spoke on Wednesday.

The source, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak on the development, said that massive ground operation would follow the aerial operations .

He said, “The military started an operation in the Sambisa Forest on Monday. For now, there are no specific cases of arrest; we don’t have that information now. The Air Force has been operating in the area since Monday. It is after that that the ground troops who are on red alert would be moved in.”

Also, a source close to an office strategic to the operations   said   that a lot of activities were going on simultaneously in the forest and other parts of the North-East believed to host Boko Haram camps.

He explained that the military was combing the   forest because of intelligence reports that some of the insurgents who were dislodged from some   communities in the North- East were moving back to the forest.

The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not be reached for   comments on the raids as   calls to his mobile did not connect.

Meanwhile, 800   children from areas affected by insurgency in Adamawa State   are currently undergoing psychotherapy in the state.

Executive Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education, Bello Furo, who made this known explained that the psychotherapy was to minimise the trauma faced by the children whose   parents were either gunned down or slaughtered by Boko Haram insurgents.

He said,   “The process will take some time because most of the parents were slaughtered before their children.

“Right now, they do not have anybody to cater for them; they   lost their parents as a result of the insurgency.”

Also in the state on Wednesday, the wife of the All Progressives Congress   presidential candidate, Aisha Buhari   donated drugs worth N135m to   Internally Displaced Persons   in Damare.

Aisha, who   said   that it was unfortunate that the IDPs were refugees in their own country, showed   sympathy and   asked them to be steadfast in their prayers for   peace to return to the country, especially the North-East.

Meanwhile,   Boko Haram   fighters attacked Chadian army positions in Gamboru, Borno State on Wednesday but were beaten back.

The Chadian troops are in Gamboru as part of a regional offensive against the islamist sect, which had   staged several cross-border attacks over the past week.

“We knew they were going to attack us. We were waiting. The battle didn’t last long. They fled,” a Chadian soldier said.

He said that eight of his colleaques were wounded while three   Boko Haram vehicles were destroyed and one seized.

The   Chadian Army later   said in a statement that   13 Boko Haram fighters and a soldier lost their lives during the attack.

Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Wednesday in Diffa, Niger Republic, a day after mortars and machine-gun shots were   heard in N’Guigmi on the country’s border with Nigeria.

The town lies near Lake Chad, around 100 kilometres east of Diffa.

Boko Haram attacks military base in Niger

Islamist militant group Boko Haram, attacked a military base in eastern Niger, expanding its reign of terror across the region, witnesses said on Friday.

It is the first time the Nigeria-based insurgents launched an assault in Niger, after infiltrating northern Cameroon for the past few months, killing dozens of people.

Boko Haram clashed with soldiers in Bosso, a town that borders Nigeria.

However, a causality figure could not be confirmed.

The attack came a day after Boko Haram killed 31 people in northern Cameroon, when it burnt three mosques in the town of Fotokol, also near the Nigerian border.

Insurgents on Wednesday killed 82 civilians in Fotokol, as well as six Cameroonians and 13 Chadian soldiers.
Boko Haram descended on Fotokol in apparent retaliation for the deaths of over 200 of their members killed this week by Chadian and Nigerian troops.

Nigerian and Chadian aircraft have been bombing Boko Haram hideouts since Monday.

No fewer than 2,000 Chadian soldiers were stationed this week along the Nigeria-Cameroon border after the AU agreed on January 31 to send 7,500 troops to fight Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has killed over 13,000 people since 2009 in northern Nigeria under the pretext of trying to establish an Islamist state.

The insurgents control about 130 villages and towns in northern Nigeria, a territory the size of Belgium, and have sparked fears of regional instability.

Nigeria, Chad, others launch joint operation against Boko Haram

A total of 3,600 foreign soldiers from Nigeria’s francophone neigbours have been deployed to work alongside the Nigerian component of the Multi National Joint Task Force to fight the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that Chad with 2, 500 soldiers contributed the largest number of troops to the new offensive against the sect.

The other countries, Niger and Cameroon are contributing 700 and 400 troops respectively to the joint campaigns against the insurgents.

It was also learnt that the MNJTF had started massive air strikes and ground offensives against the insurgents. Though it was reported that nine Chadian soldiers were killed in the battle to root out the Boko Haram fighters from Gamboru Ngala on Tuesday, the sect also lost about 200 soldiers.

Reports on Chadian state television confirmed that the soldiers killed 200 Boko Haram fighters and lost nine troops in the encounters in the two border communities north of Maiduguri.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, declined to comment on the casualties suffered by the Chadian forces in the reported offensive against the insurgents at Gamboru Ngala.

Olukolade also declined comments on the number of troops contributed by other countries in the joint operation.

However, Olukolade confirmed that a total of 2,500 Chadian soldiers were deployed for the joint operation.

He said that the 2,500 soldiers comprised those that would watch over the Chadian end of the border and those that would be involved in the missions.

He said, “I cannot speak on the casualties being claimed. However, as to the figure, 2,500 represents the total number the Chadian Forces are expected to deploy.

Chadian Troops Enter Nigeria to Battle Boko Haram

Hundreds of Chadian ground troops entered northeastern Nigeria Tuesday as part of a growing regional offensive against Boko Haram insurgents.

Witnesses said Chadian soldiers and vehicles crossed a bridge from Cameroon into the Nigerian town of Gambaru. Another Chadian force of at least 300 soldiers positioned itself near Bosso, a town on the border between Nigeria and Niger.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri told VOA's Hausa news service that Chad is operating under a bilateral protocol that allows them "to pursue terrorists into this territory."

Chad is one of four countries that have pledged to help fight Boko Haram, along with Cameroon, Niger and Benin. The Islamist insurgents control parts of Nigeria's Borno state and seized a multinational base on the shores of Lake Chad last month.

Some towns retaken

The Nigerian government said late Monday its forces have retaken a number of towns from Boko Haram, including Gambaru, Mafa, Mallam Fatori, Abadam and Marte.

But the French news agency AFP quoted a Chadian army officer as saying Boko Haram fighters remain in Gambaru and "they have posted snipers everywhere."

Northeastern Nigeria has seen several days of heavy fighting, with both the Chadian and Nigerian air forces targeting the militants.

Meanwhile, police said a bomb blast that went off just minutes after Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan left an election campaign rally was the work of a female suicide bomber.

The bomb exploded Monday near a stadium in the northeastern Nigerian city of Gombe, setting a car ablaze, killing one person and wounding 18.

Gombe state police spokesman Fwaje Atajiri said by telephone that the bomber had been a female with explosives strapped to her, a sign it was the work of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, although no one has claimed responsibility.

Nigeria is due to hold a presidential election February 14, pitting the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) Jonathan against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Boko Haram militants are stepping up their campaign of violence ahead of the election.

Attack on Maiduguri

On Sunday, a combined force of Nigerian soldiers and civilian fighters drove back the militants' assault on Borno state capital, Maiduguri. The attack was Boko Haram's second unsuccessful attempt to seize the city in a week.

In a travel warning Tuesday, the U.S. warned Americans to avoid all travel to the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe -- the three states where Boko Haram is most active. 

All three states are under a Nigerian government-imposed state of emergency.

The Islamist insurgents are blamed for millions of deaths since 2009.

Boko Haram Fighters Kill Dozens in Cameroon

Fighters from the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram killed dozens of people Thursday in northern Cameroon, an official said, as cross-border clashes continued between the insurgents and multiple governments trying to defeat them.

Issa Tchiroma Bakari, a government spokesman and minister of communications for Cameroon, said at least 800 fighters burned churches, mosques and villages as they slaughtered people who resisted joining them in fighting against Cameroonian forces.

He said the militants first clashed with Chadian forces across the border in the Nigerian town of Gambaru, then moved into Cameroon to attack Fotocol.

"After fierce fighting, the enemy was once more booted out, incurring over more than 50 deaths among its troops," Bakari told VOA.  "The response of our army led to the seizing of huge war materiel," said Bakari.

Fighters escaped from Fotocol into surrounding villages, where they were pursued by Cameroonian soldiers.

The Cameroonian forces, backed by Chad, had repelled Boko Haram militants from Fotocol on Wednesday, after the fighters killed at least 70 people in a raid.

Chad has taken the lead role in a multinational effort to help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram and retake areas seized by the militants for an envisioned Islamic state.

Fighting in northeast Nigeria has escalated as the country's February 14 presidential election draws closer.  So far, Nigeria's Independent National Election Commission has resisted calls to postpone the vote because of the insecurity.  

Plans are under way to set up a force of 7,500 soldiers to combat Boko Haram, which is blamed for thousands of deaths since launching its insurgency in 2009.  Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin have pledged to contribute troops to the force.

On Tuesday, Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri told VOA that Chad is operating under a bilateral protocol that allows it to pursue Boko Haram fighters into Nigerian territory.

Nigerian Army denies being part of interim government plan

 

The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said it was not aware of any plan for an interim government in the country.
This information is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman.
The statement said, “the attention of the Army had been drawn to unsubstantiated allegations being circulated particularly in the social media about the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army Staff’.’
Mr. Usman said that any discerning mind would notice that these false and baseless allegations were calculated attempts by unpatriotic elements to divide the Nigerian Army.
“The latest claim is that the Chief of Army Staff (COAs) is preparing to assume the leadership of this country through an interim government should the opposition party wins the 2015 general elections.
“This is dangerous, condemnable and a great disservice, given the tremendous sacrifices of the army in support of democracy in our nation.
“This is a deliberate attempt to erode public confidence and trust in the army and will not be tolerated. The masterminds of these campaigns of calumny are advised to desist from their nefarious activities forthwith.’’
On a letter purportedly written by “Concerned Officers and Soldiers of Operation Zaman Lafiya”, the Army spokesperson said, “this is a rehash of the same issues peddled by writers of a similar petition written last year using the stolen identity of a serving military officer.’’
The statement noted that another online medium (not PREMIUM TIMES) claimed that two serving Major Generals of the Army had tendered letter of resignation over alleged disagreement with the COAs during a meeting.
It said the medium neither mentioned the names of the senior officers concerned nor the time and place of the alleged meeting with the COAs.
The statement added that for the avoidance of doubt, there had been no resignation whatsoever in the army on account of disagreement with the Chief of Army Staff.
“It must be stated categorically that the army is apolitical. In the same vein, it does not tolerate any of its officers or soldiers being involved in political matters.
“In this regard, it is recalled that the COAs, while addressing the passing out parade of 71 Regular Recruits Intake at Depot Nigerian Army Zaria, recently, reiterated this.
“As you all are aware, this is an election year. I therefore urge you to read and understand the code of conduct for military personnel during elections.
“You must remain apolitical at all times and in all situations. You must also see yourselves as ambassadors of the Nigerian Army and project the image of the service positively at all times.
“To achieve this, you are expected to discharge your duties diligently, professionally and patriotically.’’
The statement said it was pertinent to restate the fact that the army remained committed and loyal to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief.
It said the army is conscious and committed to its subordination to constituted civil authorities.
It added that “politicians and their agents and agencies should please desist from attempts to drag the army into their political issues.