Christmas: Savouring the joy under PMB

By Nkechi Odoma

Christmas is here again. It is a season that brings people from far and near together in joy and celebration. It has been so for decades in Nigeria until some evil minded persons saw the assemblage of people occasioned by the conviviality of the season to perpetrate  their wicked plots.

In doing so,  they exerted maximum damage on an innocent and unsuspecting citizenry as they turned the soothing carols of Christmas to dirges and the gathering in social circles to hospital visits as families struggled to cater for loved ones who have  fallen  victims of the acts of evil.
This was what has been happening in Nigeria since a terrorist group invaded the erstwhile peaceful landcape by seizing certain portions of the land.

Between 2009 and 2015, the fun and fanfare of Christmas was gradually replaced with fear and trepidation as the insurgents deepened their resolve to create panic land leaving billows of  smoke almost everywhere. 
Nigerians turned captives in their homeland through no fault of theirs. They became like the proverbial Babylonian captives who sang in lamentation ‘how can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? Though they weren’t in any foreign land. The height of such inhuman  recklessness  was in 2011 when on Christmas Day, a day set aside for merry making and panoply, was  turned bloody and the season of happineness to a season crimson  blossom.
No fewer than 37 persons who went to worship at the Catholic Church at a small town called Madalla near Abuja were blown to their graves with 57 others left wounded in one of the most despicable and atrocious acts in recent times.

The bombs investigations later showed,  were planted near the  1,000 capacity church and its effect was felt in the whole vicinity as windows of the houses around were shattered by the explosion. As if that was not enough to shock a bewildered citizenry, another explosion hit the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church in Jos, Plateau State,  on the same day.

The terrorists had intended worse as two other bombs were found in a  building near the church and many testified to seeing gun wielding men fleeing the vicinity shortly after an alarm was raised.
Before people could recover from the shock of the two unfortunate incidents, two major towns in Yobe State, Damaturu and Gadaka also felt the  pang of the grim reality with multiple explosions happening there. The one on Gadaka was also in a church. 

The frequency of the occurrences within the same period subsequently made people to develop a different attitude towards spending Christmas in Nigeria. Rather than see the season  as an opportunity to roll out in resplendent robes and to seek  where to catch fun as they all want to do on such occasions, people began to see Christmas as the reason to stay indoors.

Churches cancelled their night programmes and built high walls around their premises while quickly dismissing the congregation  out of fear.
But as people troop out in preparation for this year’s Christmas,  no such fears abound. Since 2015 when the current administration was inaugurated, so much effort was put in place to ensure the life of the citizenry is secured.
The first indication that it was not going to be business as usual for the terrorists was the directive by the president for the relocation of the operational headquarters of the Nigeria armed forces to the theatre of war.

Then followed the appointment of capable hands to head the armed forces.
General Tukur Yusufu   Buratai on assumption of office as chief of army staff wasted no time getting the troops ready for action.
Like Shaka, the great Zulu warrior who initiated military reforms and transformed a ragtag army to a well-organized and centralised millitary might that established the Zulu State, Buratai brought reforms that changed the orientation of the average Nigerian soldier.

Like Shaka’s transformation of the army through innovative tactics and updated weaponry, Buratai brought reforms that served to boost the morale of officers and men and the inherited complaints of lack of proper welfare became a thing of the past
The reforms and  strategy introduced gave the military upper hand as they took the insurgents by surprise in their fortress and the concentration of such onslaught saw the Boko Haram terrorists running for dear lives. Weapons were procured at speed and mobilised across the theatre of war and positive results began to pour in.

The low morale of the army gave way to high spirits as men and officers which under  the previous dispensation were quitting due to lack of confidence became charged begging to be allowed to route out the terrorists. Many of the insurgents on seeing superior fire power and war strategies began to beg for forgiveness. The heavy casualty toll on their  side  caused  a split in their ranks as the centre could no longer hold. Our military took the dreaded Sambisa forest and established a base at Camp Zero.
Gwoza a local government headquarters which was previously captured by the insurgents and designated the capital of the Caliphate was recaptured by Nigerian troops and its people liberated.

Local governments areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States that were under Boko Haran were  liberated and the insurgents were pursued to precincts on the fringes of the Nigerian border and began to prey on soft targets to be able to eat.
What was taking place in those territories quickly gave Nigerians a new lease of life.
The miniser of information, Lai Mohamed announced that the insurgents were technically defeated and degraded. He was right as  IDP camps no longer surged with women  and children but were steadily being depleted of displaced persons. 

More and more persons in such camps relocated to their recaptured communities living normal lives as before. 
This implies that the current administration has lived up to one of its  cardinal promises to secure  the lives of the citizenry. For this, Nigerians are grateful to the president and the military top brass especially the chief of army staff that caused this to happen. 
As we wish ourselves happy Christmas, let us not forget the military men who are still at vulnerable communities to ensure we have a peaceful and secured Christmas.  And let us wish ourselves  a happy Christmas again under Buhari. 

Odoma is President, Africa Arise for Change Network.

Watchlist: Go after Boko Haram, IMN over extremism, group urges US

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism has faulted the recent report by the United States, which placed Nigeria under a special watch list of countries.

A statement by US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, explained that Nigeria was placed on the list for engaging in or tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom.”

However, the Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism in Nigeria, while reacting, urged the United States of America to go after members of Boko Haram and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, that are guilty of extremism in the country.

According to the group, such assertion is insensitive and an affront to the efforts of the relevant authorities in Nigeria towards protecting the rights and privileges of the various religious groups and associations in the country.

Gabriel Onoja, the National Coordinator of the group, in a statement called on the United States to desist from making unsubstantiated statements that are highly misleading to the international community.

The statement reads in full.
As you all may be aware, CATE, as an organization over the years, has continually engaged the relevant stakeholders in Nigeria in ways to ensure that the menace of terrorism and violent extremism are curtailed and within the ambits of the law.

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism also over the years has seen to the protection of the rights and privileges of religious groups in Nigeria by continually engaging in advocacy visits, seminars and conferences that promote the unity of purpose and respect for the sanctity of religious beliefs that fosters unity and religious tolerance in Nigeria.

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism is therefore alarmed by the statement credited to the US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, wherein he stated that “Religious freedom conditions in Nigeria trended negatively in 2018. The Nigerian government at the national and state levels continued to tolerate violence and discrimination based on religion or belief, and suppressed the freedom to manifest religion or belief.”

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism views such statements as quite insensitive and an affront to the efforts of the relevant authorities in Nigeria towards protecting the rights and privileges of the various religious groups and associations in the country.

It is also a sad commentary that the United States of America has so decided to either by omission or commission feigns ignorance on the undeniable freedom of practice and association of religious groups in Nigeria.

The citation of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) is most despicable in the sense that an organization whose activities has resulted in violence in an attempt to impose its beliefs on others should not be used as an example of a worthy religious organization.

As it is common knowledge, the IMN, over the years in Nigeria through their activities, has brought sorrow and blood to innocent Nigerians in Zaria and other parts of Northern Nigeria. This much was also evident in the attempt on the life of the Chief of Army Staff in Nigeria by the IMN.

The CATE wishes to state that it would have been grossly irresponsible of the relevant authorities in Nigeria should such violent actions be allowed to thrive, which has resulted in untold hardship on innocent Nigerians going about their regular businesses.
It is expected that they should have designated the IMN as a terrorist organization due to its violent tendencies and not accuse the Nigerian government. This is rational and ought to be the case in the interest of objectivity.

This is also on the heels that Nigeria has been under the siege of terrorist groups masquerading under various religious nomenclatures to cause havoc in the polity.

A good example is the Boko Haram terrorist group that has been engaged in a violent campaign since 2009 in North-East Nigeria that has seen to the death and displacement of over 2 million Nigerians.

In the same report, it indeed confirmed that “Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-West Africa continued to perpetrate attacks against civilians and the military throughout the years.”

At this point, the Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism wishes to state that the culprits are the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, and the Boko Haram Terrorist groups are indeed responsible for religious intolerance and extremism in Nigeria.

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism wishes to highlight that the efforts of the relevant authorities in Nigeria towards addressing the menace of religious intolerance and extremism are quite commendable.

This much has been evident in the continuous engagement of relevant stakeholders by the Nigerian government. Consequently, the placement of Nigeria on the Watch List as one of the seven countries with religious intolerance and extremism is highly misleading and not credible.

The United States of Nigeria must do well to call a spade and spade and desist from making unsubstantiated statements that are highly misleading to the international community.

TY Danjuma’s Appalling, Effeminate Musings

By Philip Agbese  

Military officers are men and women whose hearts are supposedly walled with hardness akin to rocks. They are usually thick and impenetrable! Like King Pharaoh, soldiers are brave, courageous and superbly, very daring specie of professionals, who flinch at nothing. This truism is even more of the badge of retired Army Generals.   Theophilus Danjuma flaunts the identity and shadows of a professional soldier.   But recently, Danjuma’s soundbites makes it extremely difficult for anyone to really address him a retired senior Army Officer and also as someone who once served as Nigeria’s minister of defence. His recent posture brings into doubt if he truly merited the rank of a General in the Nigerian Army prior to his retirement because he unswervingly displays feminine belligerency. It is more consoling to believe Danjuma never earned the prestigious rank of an Army General. But as a yeoman in the corridors of power, his masters in the military bestowed and decorated him with the rank may be as a “compensation” for being a loyal subordinate. Probably, it could be a reward for Gen. Danjuma’s sadistic, cruel and unethical murder of the former Head of State, Gen. Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi.  Outside of active service from the Army, Danjuma parrots on national issues in a manner of a child dreading a scary prey. The feeble willpower inside him severely restricts the strength to bark and bite, like the Army Generals known to Nigerians and the world.    Danjuma is howling these days like a swine under perpetual heat. He is goaded, may be by some spirits to speak the so called truth, he claims is hidden under his cloak , about the dark side of Nigeria, but also dreads his voice simultaneously. He is often emboldened and mistakes his suspiciously stupendous illicit wealth for the innate courage of an Army officer. So most times, he mouths off sheepishly and cowardly, betraying the courage of military men, at the moment of decision, like the Biblical Peter, who denied Jesus Christ three times before the cock crow.      Perhaps, pricked by an inner conscience that he cannot hold his head up proudly as a retired Army General, Danjuma  is desperately seeking for new identities in the last few years. He flaunts himself differently as religious activist and bigot, tribal warlord, a financier of evangelism and spy on his country.   A few days ago, Gen. Danjuma spoke at the University of Ibadan during the launch of a book, “70 Years of Progressive Journalism: The Story of the Nigerian Tribune and the Presentation of Tribune’s Platinum Awards.” But he made curious and laughable statements by asserting; “If I tell you what I know that is happening in Nigeria today, you will no longer sleep.” Danjuma proceeded to discourteously hurl tacit invectives at the entire Yoruba race by saying; “In Yorubaland, everybody seems to have lost their voice, scared.” But assuming anybody presumed Danjuma’s utterances had any modicum of conviction, you would be disappointed, as this retired Army General revealed his effeminate self within the same breath; “So, Chief Ayo Adebanjo’s warning and advice is very timely. If you want details, I will give it to you privately.” By any nuanced consideration, Danjuma’s outbursts have no semblance of neither dignity nor courage akin to an Army General.  He accuses others of being scared, of speaking the “truth” he hoards, but dares others to speak it in public?  He prefers to blather it into the ear of those who wish to listen or at best, morph into a gossip before revealing the wrongs he wants the whole world to know about Nigeria? Danjuma wants to be heard, but doesn’t wish to be quoted? What sort of elder statesman who perceives many “wrongs” with his country, but prefers to play the ostrich?  Even at the ceremony, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a “bloody civilian” was more audacious than Gen. Danjuma. The Afenifere leader has been vociferous and boldly even at that event; “that Yorubaland was in danger…We’ve been submerged…only few governors in the southwest are responsible for us. They’ve shut down. They cannot face the head of state because of their own shortcomings….” But disappointingly, Gen. Danjuma sounded like the likes of former Imo Governor and Sen. Rochas Okoroacha. Having trapped himself in demonic political calculations to plant a stooge and in-law as successor, coupled with the tension generated by his senatorial victory, which his enemies suppressed, in consuming rage, exclaimed that if the APC pushed him to the wall, he would tell Nigerians what is in Aso Rock.  Some Nigerians are used to such tattling when their dubious intents or interests in the country are bruised. Danjuma is posturing like Sen. Okoroacha.   The former minister of defence cannot claim disenchantment with Nigeria or even feign knowledge of the “evil” allegedly “crumbling” the country. But at the sometime, maintain a very cold conspiratorial and destructive silence over the apparent ethnic cleansing agenda of his Jukun kinsmen  against the Tiv natives of  his home state of Taraba Danjuma has been variously accused by various groups , such as the Tiv Youth Organization Worldwide and some Middle Belt  NGOs as the unseen hand in the sponsorship and sustained massacres of Tiv people in Taraba. He is also alleged to have been responsible for the renaming of Tiv ancestral villages with Jukun identities. What evil surpasses this one? If  Danjuma is not afraid, he is challenged to quote one public statement aired in condemnation of the killings in Taraba since it started  mid- 2019? Danjuma claims to love Nigeria more than its founding fathers. Yet, this is a Nigerian billionaire businessman, who paired with the United Kingdom-based gas company, Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) to pursue a dubious gas flaring contract with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Every sane person would know Danjuma  should be conversant with the conventional and business laws of Nigeria to detect a company or foreign business partners  with such suspicions links. But because of his questionable interest in shortchanging Nigeria, Danjuma even  offered P & ID assistance  of $40 million take-off fund through his company, Tita-Kuru Petrochemicals Ltd,  which executed it,  laced in underground politics ,  manipulations, conscious flouting of  laws  and  steeped in destructive operational intrigues against his own country.   When the fake P & ID contract later fetched Nigeria a whooping judgement debt of  $6.6 billion, after closed legal proceedings in a United Kingdom-based  Court, Danjuma’s exposition that the Irishman, Michael “Mick” Quinn only served as a consultant in preparing  the contract,  using Danjuma’s funds and office space  only indicates how these latter-day “patriotic” Nigerians are unconcerned about Nigeria. If the project was his original idea as he cared to explain and it latter dawned on him that “my consultant was going to steal my project,” there was no patriotic action from him to expose them. He never demonstrated patriotism to Nigeria by exposing how an incompetent P & ID company had strayed into Nigeria to dupe the country because they exhibited to him the character of dupes.    According to Danjuma’s explanation, P & ID later promised a share of P&ID in return for his initial investment, which he refused to accept it. But to any discerning mind, Danjuma’s later explanation blows hot against reason, farcical and smacks of his knowledge of a dubious deal ab intio. The EFCC’s later preliminary investigations revealed that the gas flaring contract was neither approved by the FEC nor captured by national budget. So, on what basis did Gen. Danjuma’s company, Tita-Kuru Petrochemicals Ltd contract the Irishman as a consultant?  This is the extent of Nigerian patriotism the likes of Danjuma regale in flaunting in public domain.     However, despite the heightened false sermons, raising needless tensions around the country against President Buhari’s administration by fake religious cum patriotic activists like Gen. Danjuma and co-travelers, the truth cannot be obviated.  At the peak of partisan campaigns’ in 2019, Gen. Danjuma specifically alleged President Buhari is sponsoring, a Fulani Jihadists agenda in Nigeria. He never gave details of this plot. While Nigerians should think Danjuma hates “religious recolonization” of Nigeria, by the Fulani ethnic group; but he gleefully endorses ethnic cleansing of Tiv people by his Jukun kinsmen under his nose? What manner of patriotism from a supposed elder statesman?   What the likes of Danjuma and his lonely voyagers on the path of destruction of Nigeria don’t know is that many Nigerians still believe, President Buhari is an ideal leader. Nigerians know Buhari is bad business for those ex-generals who enriched themselves through Nigeria’s oil wealth.   Undoubtedly, the phobia of President Buhari gives them nightmarish dreams. And the verbal missiles from the likes of Danjuma who dread even their shadows is merely self-consolatory and diversionary. Agbese is an author, publisher and human rights activist..

US Watchlist: Centre writes Trump to reverse religious right violations tag on Nigeria

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has requested that President Donald Trump counters the religious right violation tag placed on Nigeria by the United States authorities.

The Centre made this known in an open letter addressed to the American President titled “Religious Intolerance and Extremism: The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Boko Haram, should be held responsible”.

The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had on Friday placed Nigeria on a Special Watch List for tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom.”

CESJET joined the Federal Government to rubbish the claim, especially as there is no tangible evidence that suggests that Nigeria is intolerant of religious organizations, and promoting violent extremism.

The Centre’s Executive Secretary, Comrade Ikpa Isaac, explained that the US’ assertion doesn’t hold water considering the country’s Constitution guarantees the freedom of association and the right to change/switch religions without any form of sanction or punishment.

Comrade Ikpa revealed that Nigeria embraces and encourages peaceful coexistence amongst all religions and wonders how the US drew its conclusion.

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity, and Transparency, therefore, demanded an immediate withdrawal of the statement/classification for lacking in objectivity and merit.

The Centre further requested that an unreserved open apology be tendered to the Nigerian government and her citizens within a 72hour period in the interest of peace and tranquility.

Read full letter below:

The President,
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Av New York
Washington, D.C., 20500.

Dear Mr. President,

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) is one of the prominent civil society organizations in Nigeria dedicated to the entrenchment of the freedom of expression, association of all Nigerians regardless of their social status, religious and ethnic affiliations.

CESJET, as an organization, has also been at the vanguard of ensuring that government at all levels in Nigeria is accountable to the citizens by respecting the Letter and the Spirit of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mr. President, we are constrained to write you this Open Letter in protest of the purported listing of Nigeria on the watch list of one of the countries promoting religious intolerance and extremism.

We wish to inform you that we are in shock as to how such conclusions were arrived at in the first instance without any tangible evidence that suggests that the Nigerian authorities are intolerant of religious organizations, and promoting violent extremism.

Mr. President, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, guarantees the freedom of association by all, as well as the right to change/switch religions without any form of sanction or punishment. This much has been the order of the day as evident in the way and manner citizens of Nigeria freely practice religions of their choices.

This is on the heels that Christianity and Islam have the most significant number of followers in Nigeria. Traditional religion has massive followers in Nigeria but not as organized as Muslims and Christians, and in most cases, they identify themselves with one of the two religions.

Mr. President CESJET, as an organization, has, over the years, raised the alarm of how some terrorist organizations are hiding under the umbrella of religion to perpetrate violence in the country.

Mr. President, it must also be stated that in Nigeria, these groups have continually used the umbrella of religion to unleash mayhem in the country. Such organizations are the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (Boko Haram). They have maimed and killed security operatives with impunity; they have also killed and abducted women and children and used the same for suicide and other demeaning endeavors against their wish.

The Boko Haram terrorist group has, in many documented instances, kidnapped pastors and held them in captivity for several years. They have kidnapped schoolgirls and forced some of them to convert to Islam as against their wishes.

The IMN have also carried on with impunity, running a parallel government in Nigeria by refusing to subject itself to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They have engaged in acts inimical to the interest of others that do not share in their ideology.

Mr. President, it must be stated that it is on record that in Nigeria, there are various institutions in place that ensures that the rights of citizens to practice and partake in religious activities of their choices and without any form of interference or disturbance. And CESJET can authoritatively confirm that there has been a continuous interface between government and civil society organizations in this regard.

Mr. President, we are therefore constrained to state that the listing of Nigeria was done in poor taste and not a reflection of the realities on the ground. So much so that we are tempted to believe that members of the opposition in Nigeria might have infiltrated key officials of the American government under your watch to issue such a false report/classification.

Mr. President, it must also be noted that Nigeria is amongst the countries in the world that embraces and encourages peaceful coexistence amongst all religions, including conservative, traditional believers.

It is also on record that Nigeria has played host to prominent religious preachers all around the world for seminars, crusades, and other religious functions. And it is on record that there has never been a time where these religious preachers were denied the right to mingle with their religious faithful’s.

Mr. President, we are consequently questioning the methodology used in arriving at the watch list because it is indeed not correct, and the direct opposite of what is the case in Nigeria. We as a result of this express reservations.

Mr. President, you may wish to acknowledge the fact that the consequences of the report/classification would have adverse effects on the image of Nigeria before the international community and with the possibility of discouraging investors.

This is also cognizant of the fact that if such half-truth is allowed to thrive; there is likelihood for fake news merchants to embolden their trade and mislead members of the unsuspecting general public.

Mr. President, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity, and Transparency is as a result of this demanding an immediate withdrawal of the statement/classification credited to the U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, for lacking in objectivity and merit.

We are also demanding that an unreserved open apology be tendered to the Nigerian government and her citizens within a 72hour period in the interest of peace and tranquility.

Mr. President, we are consoled that you would use your good office to ensure that in the future, due diligence is adhered to on issues of sensitivity, at the risk of insulting the sensibilities of a people and a country.

The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, as well as the Boko Haram terrorist group, is indeed responsible for religious violations in Nigeria, and this fact must be stated for all and sundry.

While we anticipate a favorable response, please accept the assurances of our best regards.

2019 Election: N90bn diverted from FIRS, Frank says not N40bn

A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has distanced himself from the report of PRNigeria claiming that only N40 billion were stolen from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to prosecute 2019 election by the ruling party.

The outspoken activist said his earlier position that about N90 billion were diverted to prosecute the 2019 general election for the government of the day has not changed.

Frank demanded an apology from the authority of the FIRS for saying that he was been used to fabricate lies against the revenue generating agency, adding that he is a man of integrity.

He, however stated that the agency and the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have explanations to make to the world regarding the missing money.

Frank in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, challenged the authority of FIRS to live up to its earlier threat of going to court as soon as possible.

Comrade Frank also accused the FIRS of brain behind the N40 billion claim in the media to divert attention from the original N90 billion claim to make his revelation appears incredible.

The Bayelsa born activist also lambasted the ruling party for describing the stolen money report as hogwash.

Frank said if the APC actually has the interest of the country at heart few elements who were not in the know of how its leadership mismanaged the taxpayers hard earned money ought to have been worried by the revelations.

“I don’t know where the report of N40 billion is coming from and I don’t actually have connection with the PRNigeria who released the report but it is incumbent on me to state categorically that my position on the stolen N90 billion has not changed.

“I have waited patiently for either of the parties involved in the swindling of Nigeria taxpayers’ money to sue me but up till now the shameless elements are still hiding under one finger.

“They threatened but could not live up to their own expectations. A media organisation were force to retract the report thinking it will ends there but so many courageous media houses and the social media ensured that the truth could not be hidden. I salute the courageous ones, even as history will never forget them in a hurry,” Frank said.

Reacting to the APC statement describing the report as hogwash, Comrade Frank said the judgement day for the ruling party is just by the conner.

“It is a shame for the leadership of the APC to speak on this matter now having kept quiet since the revelation was made. Understandably the party is the beneficiary, it must do everything possible to divert public attention,” he said.

He called on Nigerians, especially the rights groups and courageous individuals to defend Nigeria’s democracy by urgently rescue it from the handlers of the current government for the sake of innocent Nigerians.

SHAC asks the world to sanction France over death of aide workers, others

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has reacted to the recent killing of UN aid workers by members of the Boko Haram sect in Borno State.

The ISWAP faction of Boko Haram on Friday shared a gory video recording that detailed the execution of four out of the five abductees that remained in their captivity.

The four slain aid workers who were abducted on July 18 were staff of the Action Against Hunger (AAH).

The murder of the four aid workers has brought the number of the abducted humanitarian workers slain by Boko Haram to five this year.

Reacting to the sad development, SHAC said it is high time It is time for the world to sanctioned France, other terrorists’ promoters for crimes against humanity.

Addressing newsmen on Monday, Ibrahim Abubakar, Executive Director of the group called on the international community world to speak with one voice against those promoting terror in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

The group also called on the Nigerian Military to scale up efforts to trace and free the fifth aid worker, Grace Taku, a female, whom the terrorists have reportedly consigned to a live of slavery.

His statement reads in full.

Gentlemen of the press, the world has again been made aware, through media reports, of Boko Haram killing of four staffers of Action Against Hunger (AAH), whom they have held captive since July 19, 2019 after they were abducted from their vehicles in the course of carrying out humanitarian work in the northeast of Nigeria.

The killing of the aid workers is condemnable, utterly uncalled for and deserving of the stiffest retribution possible from the Nigerian state and all nations on earth that truly call themselves Nigeria’s friend. Barbarism of this magnitude call for the shedding of diplomatic pretexts as it should be met with the kind of response that will remind the terrorists that humanity is not to be toyed with on the scale on which they have done.

We condemn this act of cowardice as a dastardly evil against humanity that should not have happened if the international interests propping up Boko Haram had taken the sensible step of discontinuing criminal support to the bloodthirsty monsters that they have created to torment innocent civilians.

It is of note that while Boko Haram and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) iteration were taken successive heavy losses from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the reported escalation of French subversive activities in the region, including clandestine delivery of logistics to the terrorists, has given the terrorists the boldness to kill captives that they had held before France decided to strengthen their hands.

The blood of the four aid workers is therefore as much on the hands of Boko Haram/ISWAP as it is on the hands of the French government and that country’s nationals, who continue to aim for the comfortable life at the expense of human loss in the Lake Chad Basin. The world must rise up in unison against these terrorists and hold their French paymasters to account.

Time is running out for the world to speak with one voice against those promoting terror in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. If a bold statement is not made by the world at this time, then the whole of humanity would be put at risk because the twisted minds of these killers and their global sponsors have been perverted to a point where reason fail them. They must therefore be told in the clearest terms yet that enough is enough. The killing of the aid workers should be treated as a red line that has been crossed for which there must be repercussions.

As for NGOs and organizations that give covert support to Boko Haram, the murder of these aid workers is a wake-up call for them to retrace their steps because a group of terrorists that kill their colleagues do not deserve any form of support irrespective how morbidly such NGOs may detest the military.

In the meantime, we urge the Nigerian Military to scale up efforts to trace and free the fifth aid worker, Grace Taku, a female, whom the terrorists have reportedly consigned to a live of slavery. She remains the one ray of hope that the authorities will always go after those that threaten the wellbeing of citizens.

This briefing will not be completed without SHAC expressing its reservation about the manner in which news of the murder of these aid workers became public knowledge. The report emanated from the Twitter account of renowned Boko Haram propagandist, Ahmad Salkida, on whose hands the blood of the dead also flow. It can be argued that Boko Haram killed these people knowing that Salkida will do the dirty job of helping them publicize their heinous crime. We therefore hold Salkida equally responsible for this development as well.

Until the likes of Salkida are held to account for their role in the killings of innocent citizens of Nigeria, the rest of the world must accept that we have failed Nigeria and her citizens.

General Buratai and the return of military innovations

By David Onmeje

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”- Steve Jobs– Famous American businessman and management theorist.

From time immemorial, the military institution of the Army has been ensconced in the norms of self-reliance, self-dependence and self-preservation in all corollaries. A typical Army formation anywhere in the world, exists as an embodiment of a small nation, something akin to a fiefdom in existentialism.

Any Army formation has everything it requires to exist and function professionally in its own isolated world, but actually an elaborate one in the real sense. The Army has its own professionals of all specializations; schools and hospitals. It romances the pleasures and intricacies of science and technology, through the invention and manufacture of its own warfare weapons.

The Nigerian Army was also conceptualized along such thoughts and operational frameworks. But years of leadership decadence in Nigeria and the concomitant pervasive degeneration in the country, sadly obviated these cherished values. The Nigerian Army became a ghost of itself, very noticeable in the importation of all its arms and ammunitions. Special Army schools of military engineering or technology, with mandate to propel warfare technologies were ruined and abandoned.

However, the preachments of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which de-emphasized a self-reliant economy, and attached premium on home-grown technology polity and the utilization of local content for goods and services. It offered a rewarding inspiration and window to the dynamic incumbent leadership of the Nigerian Army to harvest bountiful opportunities.

Nigeria has found itself in the age of bile, virulent and ravaging Boko Haram insurgency. And the current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and chief armour bearer of counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai , who faced the extraordinary task of disfiguring the rage of terrorism on Nigeria had to adopt home-grown solutions to meet soldiers’ equipment and kitting requirements for combating insurgency.

It was the famed French warlord and politician, Napoleon Bonaparte, who extrapolated that “To extraordinary circumstance, we must apply extraordinary remedies.” So, in spite of the scary and consuming insecurity condition of Nigeria, Gen. Buratai sighted a solution only in reviving the Army’s revered culture of self-sustenance in meeting its needs for professional and operational convenience.

Gratifyingly, Gen. Buratai has raised a template of confounding innovations and restored the dissipated technological endowments of the Nigerian Army within four years. He never rendered himself to excuses, in exposition of failure to curb the threats posed by monstrous Boko Haram insurgents because ab initio, he resolutely resolved to fight and defeat the terrorists hands down. In his famed speech on assumption if office, he termed this resolve as the ‘promise.’

Again, Napoleon Bonaparte once counselled that “When you have resolved to fight a battle, collect your whole force. Dispense with nothing. A single battalion sometimes decides the day.” Like the Israeli experience in the ancient era of European persecution, Gen. Buratai devised ways of arming, equipping and kitting Nigerian soldiers, exploiting the sophistry of local technologies to make battles in the trenches a seamless exercise for Nigerian troops.

At the 2019 Chief of Army Staff Conference in Kaduna, Nigerians misgivings swept off their feet, President Muhammadu Buhari inclusive as Gen. Buratai’s exemplary leadership necessitated the exhibition of innovative and cutting-edge technological breakthroughs by the Nigerian Army. Gen. Buratai blazed the trail with home-grown solutions manifest in the exhibition of certified technological innovations. And the exhibitions included light weapons, Armoured Personnel Carriers and kitting, which three decades ago were fantasies to leadership of the Army.

The 2019 COAS confab climaxed with President Buhari, personally in attendance and commissioned the first batch of Nigerian Army’s locally manufactured Mines Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) nicknamed “Ezugwu” vehicles. MRAP was manufactured by military engineers at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, Command Engineering Deport (DICON/CED), Kakuri, Kaduna state. Its potency and relevance in sustaining Army’s clearance operations on Boko Haram in Nigeria’s Northeast and similar operations around the country is adjudged as superb.

An impressed President Buhari remarked commendably; “I salute the gallant efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces in routing terrorists and combating insurgency in the on-going operations in the North East. This administration will continue to support the military to achieve its goals in addition to prioritizing their welfare and that of their families. “

Visibly euphoric, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin endearingly eulogized the leadership ingenuity of Gen. Buratai, as he crooned; “The decision of Nigerian army to explore the full potential within its ranks to come up with reputable innovations would be a boost to ongoing counter insurgency operations’ It is in this regard that I wish to recognize and also commend the sterling efforts of the Nigerian army under the dynamic leadership of the COAS Lt Gen TY Buratai.”

He further enthused; “I equally make bold to state that the Nigerian Army’s giant strides have opened up a new vista of opportunities for the country to become a global competitor in the manufacture of military hardware. Therefore, the proper harnessing of these efforts would help to facilitate the commercial production and sales of defence equipment and ultimately become a source of foreign exchange earnings for the nation. I am therefore proud to identify with the R & D efforts of the NA as I encourage its leadership to remain focused on this laudable objective.”

Even the critically insatiable Nigeria’s Minister of Defence Major General Bashir Magashi doffed his cap for President Buhari and the Nigerian Army; Magashi bowed in accolades to soldiers, “l salute the President for his continuous support to the Nigerian Army. The Federal Government would continue to support the military ahead of the final onslaught on Boko Haram in 2020. the Nigerian Army has had a hectic year with a lot of operations conducted to secure the territorial integrity of Nigeria.’’

It was indeed, Gen. Buratai’s glorious day of special honour. And the torrents of eulogies poured out endlessly, applauding his focused and result-oriented leadership of the Nigerian Army. Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai thundered;

“I commend the Nigerian Army for their roles in sustaining peace and security in Kaduna State. They have restored peace and stability in Southern Kaduna; decimated the capacity of cattle rustlers and kidnappers operating in the state and its environs. The role played by the Army in confronting the menace of the outlawed ‘El-Zakzaky movement’, which had oppressed the people of Zaria for the last 30 years, as well as various corporate social responsibilities including medical outreaches and infrastructure interventions in Kaduna State is also appreciated.”

But the path to the transformation success narratives of the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Gen. Buratai have not been an easy chore. The Army boss has braved the odds because President Buhari bolstered him with words of inspiration and consistent support. Therefore, it was a uniquely rare platform for the Army Chief to extol the leadership disposition of his Commander-In-Chief, President Buhari thus;

“The current transformation of the Nigerian Army to its current status of a professional, highly-motivated, innovative and people-centric institution commenced in 2015 when the President was sworn in for his first term in office.”

Nevertheless, aside the breathtaking reality of MRAP, Gen. Buratai has registered similar successes in other sections on meeting operational requirements of the Army In November 2019, during Exercise Vulcan Glow VI of the Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery (NACA) at Kachia, Kaduna state, Nigerians were also acquainted with the giant strides in research and development by the corps.

Chinese war wizard, Sun Tzu once persuaded Army leaders to understand that “Those who are victorious, plan effectively and change decisively.” So, Gen. Buratai constantly keeps his binoculars on the future, with eyes fixated on what weapons the insurgency battle might demand the next day and leaves nothing to chance.

Therefore, NACA has also been goaded and empowered into breakthroughs in the re-modification of 105 MMObligation, 14Horwitzer and the 105 MM m56 drones and development of fire control computer applicationsequipment amongothers. These are great military fighting assets, assisting immensely in combating Boko Haram terrorism and allied insurgencies by Nigerian troops. Like in other instances, NACA Army engineers also sourced and utilized local materials for these technological innovations’, a rarity in the NA for decades.

And part of Gen. Buratai’s innovative legacies in his leadership includes deploying the use of technology to launch digitized uniforms for the Army. The security features of the uniforms includes transmitting signals to the nearest military base, anywhere the user is in distress or danger because it is inbuilt with sensors. This is enhancing the safety of troops in the frontlines battling terrorism in the rugged and complex terrains of Northeastern Nigeria.

The establishment of the Human Rights Desk in Army Headquarters’ (AHQs) to resolve unpredicted incidents of human rights violations of Nigerians in the course of special assignments by soldiers; and also, the Army’s novel response to the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) invokes fond memories of Gen. Buratai’s leadership. Under Gen. Buratai, countless host communities across Nigeria are beneficiaries of the Army’s CSR projects in virtually all sectors of social/infrastructural amenities.

Collin Powell reasoned that “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Gen. Buratai is optimistic of a final victory against Boko Haram. But ultimately, he believes like Albert Einstein that, “May the conscience and the common sense of the peoples be awakened, so that we may reach a new stage in the life of nations, where people will look back on war as an incomprehensible aberration of their forefathers!,” which is the underlying philosophy of his “stick and carrot,” principle, in itself, an innovative approach to counter-insurgency.

Onmeje wrote this piece from the United Kingdom.

Is France the true face of Boko Haram?

By Anthony Kolawole

I have followed the war against terrorism in Nigeria with keen attention and conclude that indeed, there is a grand conspiracy against Nigeria. I say this for various reasons, chiefly amongst them is how the Boko Haram group now ISWAP have continued to wage a war despite the fact that they have been under heavy bombardment from the Nigerian troops.

I know some won’t agree with my position on the decimation of the Boko Haram/ISWAP group for reasons best known to them. However, my reason is based on facts available for all discerning minds to verify.

As a start, it must be stated that since 2009 when the Boko Haram sect took up violence against the Nigerian state, there has never been a time like now that the Nigeria troops engaged the renegades and confined them to the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin region.

From the year 2016 to the present day, the Boko Haram group suffered heavy bombardments from the Nigeria troops that saw to the capture of its operational headquarters in Sambisa Forest as well as the takeover of the 16 local government areas it once held sway.

I believe that we celebrated too early in the day, thinking that what were left in the war against terrorism in Nigeria were clearance operations of the remnants of the Boko Haram fighters. We were wrong. We didn’t realize the international dimension in the Boko Haram war; we thought we were dealing with a group of locals blinded by an ideology that wasn’t in tune with reality.

Then came the rush by international NGOs to North East Nigeria under various nomenclatures purportedly rendering humanitarian services, but in truth engaged in espionage activities. Upon realization of this fact, the military authorities in Nigeria raised the alarm, and as usual, some segment of the populace joined forces with some hogwash human rights organizations to criticize the military authorities. It didn’t stop there.

The military authorities also raised the alarm on how some foreign interests are selling arms and ammunitions to the Boko Haram group, and there was also an unjustifiable outcry stating that the military authorities were making excuses to violate human rights. But today, with the emerging facts that Boko Haram fighters are receiving arms and ammunition, including battle tanks with which they launch attacks, from France through the francophone routes, our eyes have become clear.

This is the stark reality confronting us as it stands. Questions are begging for answers now. Questions such as the way and manner the Boko Haram group gets its supplies. And why is it that there is a great deal of terrorist activity at the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin despite the presence of a strong detachment of French troops stationed in Chad. And they are supposedly fighting terrorism in the region.

There has also been a round of intellectual debate on the French connection in bolstering the activities of Boko Haram. And all the arguments point in the direction of France. Initially, I had reservations on the postulations, but not anymore from what I was able to gather from credible intellectual and military sources.

In my curiosity, I placed all the postulations on the table, and the pieces of evidence were overwhelming, so much so that I cringed. And admitted that indeed France has something up its sleeves in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. This is a shame and an outright affront to the independence of Nigeria by France. This is the case of the man behind the mask.

In all of these, a question keeps popping up in my head. And the question is how did we allow such a heist to thrive? I won’t blame the military authorities because the alarm had indeed been raised earlier, but we chose to ignore it and instead play to the gallery. And now that the reality has dawned on us, we are dazed.

We are dazed because we failed to see the masquerade in France and the Francophone countries surrounding us. We didn’t ask questions when Boko Haram fighters were attacking military formations with gun trucks and carrying out surveillances with sophisticated drones. We didn’t ask how they acquired the dexterity with which they operated military tanks. We didn’t also ask why they have made the Lake Chad Basin Region their safe heaven.

It is indeed ironic that France, for whatever reason, has so been sponsoring the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group so it could continue to wreak havoc in Nigeria and continue to benefit from the heist. At this point, I would say that the role of France in promoting the activities of the Boko Haram group is indeed despicable and worthy of condemnation by all stakeholders in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

I believe that now that many revelations have come to the open, Nigeria must take urgent steps towards addressing this anomaly. The international community must also rise to this occasion and ensure that France is called to question. The danger of the whole scenario is that should France succeed in this plot of spreading terrorism across the African continent; the consequences might be severe for these countries to deal with.

And with regards to Nigeria, the government must begin the process of galvanizing the cooperation of other African countries to ensure that this illicit trade is nipped in the bud. The military authorities must also channel resources and efforts towards wiping the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorist from the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin Region through the cooperation of the Multinational Joint Task Force. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Time is of the essence. And for France, the game plan has come to the open, and it is an indication that an end is indeed around the corner for its nefarious activities on the African continent.

A word is indeed enough for the wise.

Kolawole PhD is a University teacher and wrote this article from Keffi.

Igbo group alleges IPOB, France behind video targeted at rubbishing Nigerian Armed Forces

The Igbos in Nigeria Movement (INM) has fingered an alliance between the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and France to be behind a video aimed at tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

The group believe this was part of the pact between the proscribed sect and the European nation after the former joined list of terrorist groups allegedly receiving financial backing from President Emmanuel Macron.

The INM made this known at a press conference in Enugu on Friday to address what it described as “insurrectionists agenda by IPOB”.

In a statement signed by President, Mazi Ifeanyi Igwe, the group alleged that the alliance, among others, is aimed at partitioning Nigeria into enclaves of micro-states that will be governed by corporations from western countries.

The group said: IPOB, being a desperate and independence-demented sect don’t mind helping France achieve its mission – so long an independent state is carved out for them.

IPOB’s desperation, according to the group, reached a new level, as it has begun sabotaging the military in pursuit of Boko Haram interest.

A clear instance, the INM reckoned, is a Boko Haram video that was in reality produced by the IPOB’s propaganda wing.

According to the south-eastern body, the video was targeted at diverting attention from the atrocities being committed by IPOB members in the southeast.

The Igbos in Nigeria Movement, therefore, condemned the recent activities of IPOB in the strongest terms possible and urged all peace-loving Igbo to do likewise.

Read full address below:

Protocols,

We have watched with dismay and utmost concern the worsening terrorist tendency of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in recent weeks, particularly given the danger this pose to the stability and security of Nigeria.

In the past, we had taken the full extent of IPOB’s radicalization and militarization for granted, but we are now better informed about our error. IPOB is a full-blown terrorist organization that is driven by a desire to precipitate lawlessness that is aimed at destroying Nigeria as we know it.

Our concern stemmed from latest intelligence in the security circuits that IPOB has joined the list of terrorist organizations that are receiving financial backing from foreign countries to implement an agenda aimed at partitioning Nigeria into enclaves of micro-states that will be governed by corporations from western countries.

Among the sponsors that IPOB recently signed up to is France, which has declared itself a mortal enemy of Nigeria, one that is looking to expand its subversive activities beyond the supply of weapons and logistics to Boko Haram terrorists to begin arming groups in southern Nigeria, where economic assets of the country would be targeted. Only a group of misguided insurrectionists like IPOB will sign up as agents of destabilization to foreign interests eager for the disintegration of Nigeria.

We have discovered that the directive for IPOB members to attack visiting Nigerian dignitaries in Europe is a cover for discouraging senior government officials from visiting that continent because of their fear of what could be found out by these officials in the course of such visits. It is a ploy devised to ensure that Nigerian officials do not get to interact with the international community in European countries since this will expose the newly forged link between IPOB and France.

Worryingly, IPOB is beginning to implement its own side of the deal to sabotage Nigeria for France through the activities it is beginning to carry out in pursuit of Boko Haram interest. A clear instance of this is a purported Boko Haram video that was in reality produced by the IPOB’s propaganda wing. We have learnt that the video was targeted at diverting attention from the atrocities being committed by IPOB members in the south east where its lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, recently ordered the killing of two senior police officers and also incited attacks that injured many others.

Knowing that the law is not on their side and that they are no match to the Nigerian state to which the majority of Igbos willingly belong and thrive in, IPOB terrorists have resorted to weaponizing information and infecting the communication space with fake news. The video they doctored for Boko Haram has now been weaponized into something they are using to demand for the resignation of military heads. This development clearly indicate that IPOB’s international sponsors are desperate to get rid of the current military leadership in the hope that they can edge Nigeria into appointing pro-IPOB and pro-terrorist military leaders. This is a strategy they are eager to put to the test because these foreign interests had in past pushed for the enlistment of persons they are now hopeful will step up into leadership.

Another layer of this misguided stance is IPOB’s call on Igbos not to enlist into the Nigerian Armed Forces while calling on those already in the service to resign. This is a strategy that is targeted at depleting the number of troops available to counter IPOB’s insurgency. We are aware that IPOB was advised to this strategy by France.

The call is not only unpatriotic but also a demonic agenda for IPOB to weaken Nigeria in accordance to the dictates of the Republic of France. We are condemning this call because it is one that will undermine the interest of Igbo in future because if Igbo sons and daughters do not enlist now or leave the military enmasse, the risk to us that there will come a time in the future when we will not have senior officers and that will be a travesty.

IPOB may see benefit to crippling the military because it wants to cause mayhem and unleash terror on innocent citizens, the long-term damage is what is of concern. It may look profitable today to create the impression that our security agencies have failed but the damage from such will be all encompassing.

Igbos in Nigeria Movement therefore condemn the recent activities of IPOB in the strongest terms possible and urge all peace-loving Igbo to condemn their provocation to violence. We urge IPOB members to renounce their penchant for violence.

Author of book on Buhari gets over 1million pre-order 2 weeks before launch

The author of the soon to be launched book on President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Philip Agbese has received an order for over1 million copies of the book, more than two weeks to the date for the official launch. 

The book entitled, “Integrity Vs Power Play: Understanding the Buhari Phenomenon” is set for launch at the International Conference Centre , on the 30th of December, 2019.

Agbese, who is the Chief Executive Officer of TheNigerian, a news portal established in the United Kingdom, had in a widely circulated press statement announced the date and venue for the launch of the book and few hours after the news went public, inquiries about the book dominated the social media space with many asking for copies.

Public curiosity in the book has been aroused by the recent debate occasioned by a Nigerian newspaper editorial on whether President Buhari has earned his place as a democratic leader.

The author made it known in the statement that both the background and  current leadership style of the Nigerian President agree with the main point in the book that the President Buhari has earned respect as a transformational leader and an outstanding democrat.

The pungency of the view canvassed as well as the authority with which the book is written serves to whet the appetite  of the reading public that various institutions and individuals have placed orders for the book ahead of the set date for launch.

A statement  from the book launch committee called on the general public who are eager to demonstrate their love and support for President Muhammad Buhari to be patient as copies would be made available on the day of the launch and in leading book stores across the country.

The committee said there’s no doubt that the twisted  narrative about the President which some are trying to impose on the populace would be challenged with the launch of the book stating that Nigerians and the international community would soon get to know the truth about the true qualities of the Nigerian President.