Nigeria: Azazi’s bold position and America’s evasive posturing

General Andrew Azazi’s speech at the just concluded South-South Economic summit was spot on. Albeit too many analysts and political masquerades have tried to deconstruct the speech into components that suit their selfish political objectives, the keynote of the NSA was clear – that political discontent engendered by the outcome of the 2011 presidential elections, created conducive nesting environment for the escalation of the Boko Haram Jihad.
The deeper meaning of his speech is the absolute response to United States’ posturing that economic alienation is the principal motor of Boko Haram. The NSA did not completely disagree with Ambassador Johnny Carson, but he delivered a didactic talk.

Nigeria: One Person Killed In Fresh Gunfight Between Boko Haram And The JTF In Kano

The Joint Task Force and islamist militants of the Boko Haram sect have been engaging is sustained gun battle since 3AM Nigerian time in the town of Sherada and Sabo Wuar-Gwandu in Kumbotso local government area in Kano State according to police sources.
Saharareporters learns that the security forces rsaided the neighborhood in search of militants suspected to have participated in las Sunday's  attacks on christian fellowships at the Bayero university in Kano .
Police said they recovered unexploded IEDs, guns and ammunitions from the militants. Some of the militants and theirs wives were arrested, A few others were injured during that raid by security forces.

Nigeria: Suspect of Kaduna suicide bomber transferred to Abuja

The suspected suicide bomber of the SOJ Plaza Kaduna has now been transferred to the force headquarters Abuja, Kaduna State police commissioner, Mohammed J. Abubakar, said in Kaduna yesterday.

Last Thursday, a suspected bomber rode in a bomb-laden Honda Academy car killing three and injuring 25 persons at the plaza.  The SOJ Plaza housed offices of ThisDay, Sun and the Moment newspapers. Speaking to Daily Trust on phone, the police commissioner said the suspected suicide bomber who sustained various degrees of injuries has been transferred to force headquarters Abuja for further investigation.

Killing Of Christians And Terrorism: Nigeria On The Verge of Disintegration, Says Nigerians Northern Christians

Christians of Northern Nigerian extraction, under the aegis of the 19 Northern State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have warned that there may be no longer a Nigeria if the killings and bombings by Boko Haram sect are allowed to continue.
The Northern Christians issued the statement after an emergency meeting in Kaduna, and they flung the blame at the feet of the federal government, as well as traditional and political leaders of the North, calling on those that are spearheading the terrorist violence to be conscious of the fact that non-terrorists could equally become terrorists by taking their destiny into their hands.

Regional force 'should help Nigeria' fight boko haram militants

Chad's leader has called for the urgent creation of a regional force to tackle Nigerian Boko Haram militants.

The Islamist group operates in northern Nigeria, but President Idriss Deby said it was posing a threat to its neighbours around Lake Chad.
"Our basin is exposed to insecurity because of the permanent threat posed by Boko Haram," he said.
Nigeria has been struggling to contain attacks by the militants who want to impose Islamic law in the country.
On Monday, a suicide attack on a police station in Taraba state, which borders Cameroon, killed at least 11 people. No-one has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Boko Haram militants have carried out many similar attacks.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Releases Video On ThisDay Bombing, Threatens To Attack VOA, Guardian, Daily Trust, SaharaReporters

The extremist group, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihadl, popularly called Boko Haram, today named more media houses and staff as targets of their attack.

In an 18minutes video, the group threatened to attack more media houses, naming Voice of America (Hausa), Radio France (Hausa), Daily Trust, Guardian Newspapers, among others. The group also gave reasons why they bombed Thisday office in Abuja and other media houses last Thursday.

“This is a message from jamaatu ahlis sunnah lil daawati wal jihad, and we wish to inform Nigerians our reasons for attacking some media houses,” the group said.

The video also shows that the radical group carried a live coverage of the bombing in Abuja showing and filmed the exact explosion of the Thisday bombing. The group created the new Youtube video under the name Alhaji Mani.

UPDATED: Two Professors, and many killed in Nigeria church attack Kano

Twenty persons were killed yesterday, including two university professors with several others injured when gunmen armed with bombs attacked St Stephen Catholic Chaplain, Bayero University, Kano. The attack occurred at Theatre Two, near Sports Complex, at the old Campus of the institution as Christian worshippers were holding Sunday services. Vanguard gathered that two professors, one identified as Prof. Ayodele of the Chemistry Department and Andrew Leo of the Library Department, were among the dead. The university’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Zaharadeen, confirmed the death of the professors.

Bomb blast in Nigeria's Bayero university in Kano

At least 15 people have been killed in a gun and bomb attack at a university in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, witnesses and police said.

Bodies were lying around Bayero University campus where Christian worshippers were holding a service.
A bomb squad and military units are searching for the gunmen.
No group has said it launched the attack, but the violent Islamist Boko Haram group is active in Kano. It has recently attacked churches.

Nigeria thursday bomb blast suspect held

At least six people have been killed in explosions at two offices of a major Nigerian newspaper, witnesses say.

Three people were killed in a blast in Abuja, with another three killed at the paper's offices in the northern city of Kaduna.
Witnesses say at least one was a suicide bombing, but officials have not confirmed this.
No-one has said it carried out the blasts although the Islamist group Boko Haram has staged similar attacks.
The blasts at the offices of ThisDay newspaper, a leading daily, happened around 11:30 GMT.
Several witnesses, including the chairman of ThisDay's editorial board, said the blast in the capital was the result of a suicide attack.
"The suicide bomber came in a jeep," Olusegun Adeniyi told reporters at the scene in Abuja.
"[Security guards] opened the gate for them. The guy drove in through the gate and rammed into the building and exploded," Mr Adeniyi said.

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The guy drove in through the gate and rammed into the building and exploded”

Olusegun Adeniyi ThisDay's editorial board chairman

However, a spokesperson for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency earlier said the Abuja blast appeared to be caused by a bomb planted inside the building.

Parts of the newspaper's office, including the printing press, have been completely destroyed.
Suspect held The Kaduna explosion happened outside a complex housing a number of newspapers, including ThisDay.
A suspect has been arrested and is thought to be a member of the Boko Haram group, news agency AFP quoted police as saying.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar in Kaduna says that another, smaller explosion occurred in the city just before 16:00 GMT.
Witnesses told our correspondent an explosive device was thrown by the passenger of a motor bike at the junction of a major highway.
Two people were taken to hospital, our correspondent says.
Footage filmed by the Nigerian paper the Daily Trust, showed a scene of confusion in Abuja as people sifted through the rubble while a number of small fires burned.
Police and paramilitary forces cordoned off both offices while emergency workers evacuated the injured and removed the bodies of those who died.
"The ceiling of our building collapsed on to our computers because of the force of the blast," an Abuja office worker in the building next door to ThisDay told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
A ThisDay employee, Samson Oliver, was dozing after a night shift when the blast occurred: "When I woke up with shock and fear, I saw everywhere was so dark, something like smoke everywhere, and I ran out and saw that it was a bomb explosion."
Boko Haram - whose name means "Western education is forbidden" - wants to establish Islamic law in Nigeria and has launched a series of deadly attacks across the country, including the capital, in the past 19 months.
Last month the group warned journalists not to misrepresent its views.
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17856362

Five Boko Haram Members Killed By ‘Own Bombs’

Five suspected Islamist militants were killed when bombs they were assembling exploded during a shootout with government troops in northern Nigeria, a military commander said Monday.
"I can confirm that five suspected members of Boko Haram were on Saturday night blown to pieces by Improvised Explosive Devices," they were assembling, Colonel Victor Ebhaleme told AFP news agency.
Ebhaleme said the bombs were being assembled for attacks planned for the flashpoint city of Maiduguri, the epicentre of an increasingly bloody insurgency that has left more than 1,000 people dead since mid-2009.
He said the joint military task force deployed to the region to stem the violence had surrounded the hideout and "engaged the suspects in a shootout".
Ebhaleme said the insurgents had thrown a bomb at the soldiers when the other bombs inside the house went off "killing the five suspects and destroying the house".

Religion, not responsible for persistent violence said Kukah

The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, the Most Rev. Mathew Kukah, says the rot in social system and poverty are responsible for persistent violence in the country.
“Some of the crises are easily blamed on religion but I believe the social system is faulty and that is the cause of our woes,’’ Kukah said in Jos on Thursday.
Kukah was reviewing a book “Peace, not war: A decade of interventions in the Plateau State crises (2001-2011),’’ written by the Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of Jos.
He said that religion only provided smooth platform for crises to worsen but certainly not the cause.
“Every crisis is a product of layers upon layers of problems that were not attended to.
Security, rule of law and punishment for offenders are all duties of government and not religions organisations. Beyond moral exaltation, the Church has neither police nor prisons.
“The chronic poverty in the country is a raw material for violence and unless it is adequately addressed, we will continue to have problems. ’’
He said that the book had identified some causes of crises which included unemployment, indigenes/settlers’ dichotomy, among others.
“The book captured it, eloquently, that the persistent injustice is the cause of persistent violence not only in Plateau but in the entire country.
Kukah further said that Kaigama had clearly demonstrated the need for friendship as antidote to the crises, noting that confrontation was not the solution.
Kaigama, in his remark, said that the multidimensional factors that generated crises had most time been neglected while religion was often cited as a short cut.
“The remedy for crises does not lie in the use of bows and arrows, bombs and guns; it lies on mature dialogue which was imperative for eliminating or mitigating violence which occurs under whatever name.
He said that help could come from genuine religious leaders who would work toward solving problems of illiteracy, corruption, immorality, disease and unemployment.
“We must also take religion seriously rather than reducing it to a mere external ritual.
“But rather than use it to contribute to national unity and development, religion is used as a divisive factor between Muslims and Christians to compete for religious superiority and national relevance. ’’
He said the Archdiocese in an attempt to foster interreligious harmony had established an Interfaith Vocational Centre in Bokkos Local Government, where both Muslims and Christians learn vocational skills.
“In our further commitment to conflict prevention and peace building, we have initiated and commenced the building of a `Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre’ in Gold and Base, Jos.’’
He said that the facility would be accessible to youths, women community/religious leaders as well as well meaning citizens who cherish and desired to promote peace.

Jonathan seeks foreign assistance to fight Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to the German government to assist Nigeria fight the Boko Haram menace by deploying German technology to track down the terror group. Jonathan, who is on a state visit to Germany, made the call during a media briefing with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany.
The president also assured investors that Nigerian government was deploying all arsenals within its disposal to guarantee the security of investors and their investments.
He said:  “As a nation, we have security challenges because most investors talk about security. At present, we have the local terrorist group code named Boko Haram. From publications on this terrorist group, it paints a very gloomy picture as if the whole country is in tatters. These terrorists operate in some states in the north east part of the country but go into other states from time to time.
“But what I can assure the global community, especially our investors from Germany, is that government is working very hard to bring it under control.”
He admitted that the Boko Haram sect took the security services by surprise as they employed tactics that were alien to the security apparatus but assured that government was on top of the situation.
He, however, added that “the area we expect our development partners especially countries like Germany to help is in terms of our security architecture, training and providing us with some modern equipment. You have to fight terrorists with technology because terrorists do not need to come with a rifle and you confront them one on one. They will surprise you, they will not come to engage you except to defend themselves occasionally.
Merkel  reacts
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in her contribution  stressed her country’s resolve to work with the Nigerian government to bring the situation of Boko Haram under control, saying that Germany was in agreement with Nigeria on the dangers posed by members of the group to Nigeria and its reputation outside the country.
She added that  the bilateral commission between Germany and Nigeria should be able to discuss the issue with the aim of coming up with greater details of the areas where Nigeria may need help.
She said: “I think what is most important is the resolve of the Nigerian government to deal with such a group and to remain on top of the situation and protect the peace loving people of Nigeria who suffer most from such attacks.”
Italian govt to tackle Boko Haram
Meanwhile, the Italian government has offered to provide security services to the Federal Government to help it tackle the menace of Boko Haram sect.
Special Envoy of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Margherita Boniver who made the offer, yesterday, while meeting with the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said Italy was willing to strengthen bilateral relations with Nigeria to help it tackle terrorism, human trafficking and poverty.
She said: “I am here to strengthen our excellent bilateral ties which have been historical for many years. We are ready to help in the areas of terrorism, human trafficking and roll back poverty to enhance international cooperation.”
She also expressed confidence with Federal Government and civil society for their efforts towards tackling terrorism, human trafficking in the country.
According to her, “in my capacity, I have had working sessions with civil society, and government officials and it is very rare that people hear positive appreciation regarding political agenda to end terrorism.”
Ekweremadu regrets death of Italian
Ekweremadu, in his response, said terrorism and human trafficking were condemnable evils that the Federal Government was battling to combat.
He asked the Italian government for assistance in the area of capacity building for security personnel, noting that government has made huge budgetary provisions to combat terrorism.
His words: “For us as a parliament, we condemn terrorism just as we condemn human trafficking and we are doing everything possible with the government to combat these two evils. Prior to 2010, terrorism was completely unknown in Nigeria in any form and we have joined hands with international communities to fight terrorism at the global level.”
“In 2012 budget we made substantial budgetary provision to provide sufficient security architecture that will help us to combat terrorism. We are trying to build capacity of our security agencies to deal with the latest security challenges.
“Like I said, we are never used to terrorism; we never believed that terrorism will come to our land, now it seems to be with us. This calls for help from those of you who are friends in the international community to assist us, to help build capacity to get over terrorism.”
He also regretted the death of an Italian national in 2012 in the hands of kidnappers, saying, “The unfortunate incident about the death of Italian citizen is something that is unfortunate; we use this opportunity to condole you and your government about the unfortunate incident.”

N-Delta youths vow to protect Jonathan’s presidency against Boko Haram

Following recent threat by Boko Haram Islamic sect to bring down the Federal Government led by President Goodluck Jonathan, youths of the Niger Delta have vowed to protect the presidency.
South-South Youth Leaders Forum and Association of Ethnic Nationalities in Niger Delta, in a statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, described the statement credited to Boko Haram as a grand design by some northern elders to destabilise the country.
The statement by Amachree Odiadom and Mike Udofia, vowed to counter any such move by Boko Haram and called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately declare the leader of the sect wanted and commence a massive man hunt for him.
The group expressed worry over the silence by the northern political leaders and elites on the said comment, stressing that it was becoming clear by the day that Boko Haram was set up by some political class in the north to forcefully take over power from President Jonathan.
Calling on northern leaders and elites to caution Boko Haram, the youths said they would not hesitate to cut supply of petroleum products to the north and occupy oil and gas fields  in the South, if they fail to call their subjects to order.
The Niger Delta youths also urged the Federal Government to discontinue any plan to negotiate with Boko Haram.

Kaduna Bomb Explosion On Easter

On Easter Sunday, an estimated 38 were killed when a massive car bomb exploded near a church in Kaduna.

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In A New Video Boko Haram Leader Threatens To "Devour" President Jonathan In 3 Months

Posted: April 12, 2012 - 15:28

In a new video posted on Youtube today, the leadership of the Jama’atu Ahl-Sunnati Lil Da’awati Wal Jihad popularly known as Boko Haram today stated that President Goodluck Jonathan cannot end its insurgency in June as publicly stated. Sheik Abubakar Imam Shekau the leader of the group also boasted that Nigerian security agencies cannot take down the sect by June 2012 as earlier promised by the president recently in South Korea.
The sect leader who appear agitated throughout the video recording was surrounded by several bodyguards. Shekau delivered the message via a Youtube video which lasted for 14 minutes and two seconds. In it Shekau also threatened to consume Jonathan's regime in 3-months.
The video message  was titled “Message To Jonathan”
In the preamble of the message, Shekau vowed that it must destroy  Christians and Christianity in Nigeria particularly those killing Muslims in Nigeria and it will also kill all Muslims aiding the arrest and harassment of its members.
The message as conveyed by its principal Sheik Abubakar Imam Shekau was mainly in Arabic and  Hausa language.
Shekau said, “You Jonathan cannot stop us like you boasted, instead we will devour you in the three months like you are boasting. If death is your worldly gain, for us, it is eternal victory to die working for Allah. Our joy is to die in Jihad for Allah against infidels like you…"
“We are also aware of some Muslims using our name to make money, we will say nothing but let them continue, and they will meet Allah in the last day.
“We are not doing physical human service, but Allah’s work and it is clear your aim is killing us. Let me tell you with Allah we will triumph over you and your men in hundreds. We are not boasting rather keeping quiet and working for Allah.
“Allah that finishes Pharaoh and others wicked rulers that you are not even up to them, will finish you and end your government. We are not afraid because we are not doing man work but Allah’s work. And we will see who will carry the day.”