Soldiers arrested for aiding Boko Haram

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, on Wednesday said some soldiers and officers of the Nigerian Army had been arrested for conspiring with insurgents in the ongoing face-off between the military and militants.

The COAS however did not give the number of soldiers that were arrested.Ihejirika said that the affected troops were caught while posting comments he described as "negative" and conversing with terror suspects on the Internet.

He stated, "There are some soldiers that have been found to be posting negative comments on the Internet and some  conversing with insurgents."I want to state that any officer or soldier caught linked one way or the other will be disciplined severely, there are no two ways about it.

Well said,  chief!

Boko Haram Insurgency: Military Says Clampdown To Go On As 3 Soldiers Are Killed

The military operation in the North East has left 17 people dead on the fifth day of a push to crush the Boko Haram insurgency in the area, with a death toll of 14 insurgents and three soldiers, while seven others sustained injuries.

The spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, said the operation is continuing, with patrols sent out to secure towns and villages.Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, has conveyed President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive which urged members of the Boko Haram sect to surrender their arms and embrace the amnesty option.

The Presidency stated that the amnesty option is still open as the Presidential committee set-up to work out modalities of for it are still on the option of dialogue for a peaceful resolution.

In their biggest offence since the insurgency began in 2009, the Nigerian forces are trying to chase the well-armed militants out of territory they control in the remote semi-deserts around Lake Chad, along the borders with Cameroun, Chad and Niger.

They are also going after them in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, Borno State, where the sect has cells.

Nigeria says it has retaken five Boko Haram strongholds

Nigeria’s military said Monday it had re-established control in five remote areas of the northeast where Islamist insurgents had seized territory, as it pressed on with a sweeping offensive against Boko Haram militants.

Several thousand troops were last week deployed across three states in the volatile region, and fighter jets have pounded Boko Haram camps as the military tries to rid the country of “terrorist activities.

”The military has “secured the environs of New Marte, Hausari, Krenoa, Wulgo and Chikun Ngulalo after destroying all the terrorists’ camps,” a defence ministry statement said.

All of the areas recaptured in northern Borno state near the Cameroon border were considered Boko Haram strongholds.

President Goodluck Jonathan sent his troops in after declaring a state of emergency in Borno and two neighbouring states of Yobe and Adamawa.

Nigeria: Troops Crack Down On Terrorists’ Attempt To Infiltrate Maiduguri

The Special Forces deployed to rid the nation of any act of terrorism that has been rocking the northern region of the country has apprehended 65 persons confirmed to be terrorists, attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri while fleeing from various camps now under attack by the Special Forces deployed after President Goodluck Jonathan declared State of Emergency on three northern States that were fast becoming the sect’s stronghold.

A total of 11 vehicles, 4 tricycles and 24 handsets were also seized in the process and the suspects are in custody of Joint Task Force and are currently being interrogated, according to the press release by the Director of Defence Information; Brigadier General Chris Olukolade.

In what is looking like a sure victory against terrorism, the troops claim that camps of these terrorists have been found deserted in several locations and they immediately take possession of the facilities.

The Director of Defence Information; Brigadier General Chris Olukolade has however advised Nigerians to report to the JTF, any group of persons roaming around the local communities with large quantities of containers in search of fuel as some of the fleeing insurgents from various camps have been noted to be in search of fuel from neighbouring communities..

In another development, troops have engaged and dislodged elements of insurgents groups who carried out attacks on citizens in localities such as Gamboru ward and at the end of the encounter, a total of 10 suspected terrorists were confirmed dead while weapons such as Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers, assorted ammunition and rifle magazines were recovered.

Nigeria deploys ‘massive’ troops to northeast

Nigeria’s military on Wednesday announced the deployment of “massive” forces to its northeastern border regions after the president declared a state of emergency in the areas where Islamist insurgents have seized territory.

President Goodluck Jonathan issued the emergency decree in a broadcast late Tuesday, acknowledging for the first time that Boko Haram Islamists had “taken over” parts of Borno state, the insurgents’ stronghold.

“Nigerian Armed Forces…have commenced operations to rid the nation’s border territories of terrorist bases,” the military statement said.

“The operations which will involve massive deployment of men and resources is aimed at asserting the nation’s territorial integrity,” it added.

The emergency measures applied to Borno and two neighbouring states, Yobe and Adamawa.

Boko Haram, which says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north, had used Borno’s capital of Maiduguri as a home base, but its fighters have relocated to remote border regions following a crackdown in the city.

The borders with Chad and Niger are porous and analysts say that criminal groups, including weapons dealers, have for years migrated freely between countries.

Nigeria has warned that Boko Haram has increasingly sought ties with like-minded foreign groups, including Al-Qaeda’s north African wing and has gained access in recent months to more powerful weapons, some of which have been brought in through unchecked borders.

Gunmen Kill Five, Rob Bank in Northern Nigeria

Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a police station and a bank in northern Nigeria, killing three policemen and two civilians, authorities said on Monday, in a region struggling to control an Islamist insurgency. 

The gunmen struck the town of Ringim late on Thursday night, said Abdul Jinjiri, police spokesman for Jigawa state, where the town is located. "After attacking a police station and killing three of our men, they then moved to nearby Unity Bank and killed two civilians there," Jinjiri said. "They were not able to steal any money from the bank."

 The Ringim attack came a day before 25 people were killed in a separate clash between Nigerian security forces and suspected Islamists who robbed a bank and attacked a police station in northeastern Yobe state. Authorities believe Islamist are increasingly targeting banks to fund their operations, as support from local politicians dries up and Sahara-based groups are in disarray after a French military intervention kicked them out of Mali. 

Jinjiri declined to say if the Islamist group Boko Haram, which operates across the north, was suspected of being behind Thursday's clashes. The Boko Haram sect and offshoots such as the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, as well as associated criminal networks, pose the main threat to stability in Africa's top energy producer.

 Violence in the country's north has shown no signs of letting up. Clashes between Islamists and a multinational force from Nigeria, Niger and Chad killed dozens of people ten days ago. A senator who visited the site said 228 people were killed, but the military puts the figure at 37.

228 People Killed And Over 4000 Houses Burnt In Baga – Senator Lawan

A Borno state Senator, Maina Lawan, on Saturday revealed that the actual death toll in the clash between soldiers and Boko Haram is 228, while over 4,000 houses were also burnt down.

Baga is the birth place of Senator Lawan who represents Baga and other towns in Borno north in the Nigerian senate.The villagers had told the state governor and journalists, two days after the incident, that they buried 185 people after the clash, a figure disputed by the Nigerian army.Mr. Lawan, a former governor of Borno state, expressed fears of an epidemic if the federal government does not immediately deploy more rescue and humanitarian aid workers to assist the displaced people.

According to Senator Lawan, at one of the three graveyards called Makabartar Waya, 130 graves of victims were counted.In another graveyard called Makabartar Arewa, 60 graves were counted, then in Budumari graveyard another 30 graves of victims were counted, while inside the town, the aid agencies said they buried eight corpses which could not be evacuated to the graveyards.

There have been conflicting death tolls from the April 19 operation carried out by joint forces from Nigeria, Chad and Niger against Boko Haram insurgents in the remote town of Baga.The Red Cross is investigating a report by locals that 187 people died, including many civilians, but defense spokesman Chris Olukolade said only 37 were killed.

Nigeria, the land of comedy. I bet we would never know the truth

Viewpoint: Stemming the Boko Haram menace

| credits: neearo

Edward Judge and John Langdon tell us that appeasement is a “policy of giving in to a potential aggressor in order to maintain the peace.” This policy arose “not out of cowardice but from a sincere desire to avoid another Great War by addressing German concern over the severity of the Treaty of Versailles.”  The Versailles Treaty was signed on June 28, 1919 at the Palace of Versailles, France, ending the war between German and the Allied Forces after World War 1.

In the intervening years, appeasement has come to connote an appalling and cowardly policy of acquiescing to unmerited demands from state and or non-state actors.The idea here is that giving in to such demands emboldens the aggressor, and weakens the conciliator. It further implies that appeasement in the name of peace may, under certain context, worsen an already fragile situation. Thus, appeasement is generally frowned upon.

Today, opinion seems to indicate that the general public is against appeasement, against granting Boko Haram amnesty (as it has yet to abandon its killing and destructive ways). For me, this litmus test is neither here nor there. I had earlier stated that presidential pardon is within the purview of the President: it is within the range of the President’s authority to grant pardon. However, should the amnesty deal fall apart, President Goodluck Jonathan will bear the brunt; he will pay a heavy price. There is no doubt about that.

Nonetheless, he will not be alone in incurring the cost of an amnesty-gone-wrong. Traditional and religious rulers in the northern part of the country will also suffer — and so too would the formal and informal power structure and regime that have been in place pre and post-1914. What do I mean? Simple: The ascendancy and supremacy of Boko Haram will redefine power equations in the north (because) if a latter-day group like Boko Haram becomes omnipotent and omnipresent, where would that leave the traditional power sources?

Where does that leave the Gbong Gwon, the Lamido, the Etsu Nupe, the Mai-Bedde, the Sarki, the Modibo, the Shehu, and the Ata? What would happen to traditional relationships if Boko Haram becomes the leading force in the north; and where would that leave the Amir Argungu, the Sarkin Zazzau, the Mai, the Tor Tiv, and the Aku Uka? And, where would that leave the various Emirs that preside over northern emirates?  If the group is left alone, what would happen to the preeminence of the Sultan?

It is projected that by the end of May, some 3,000 innocent citizens would have been killed by Boko Haram and its affiliates. It is a mistake to think that the indiscriminate killings and destruction that have been going on for the better part of 18-months are Jonathan’s problem and his alone. Oh no! The sooner the north helps to bring these atrocities and carnage to a halt, the better it would be for everyone. The bigger and deadlier  the group gets, as it has the potential to, it will defy even those who control finances and provide training and logistics. It will become so big, so thirty and so hungry that it will consume those who created it.

After all, when monsters get very big, no amount of blood is ever enough to satisfy or pacify them. Never! Is the group afraid of killing or harming anyone? Was the brutal killing of Gen. Muhammed Shuwa not attributed to the group? What group was blamed for the attempted assassination on the Shehu of the Borno Emirate, as well as the Emir of Fika in Yobe State? And consider also the recent attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero — considered by many as the second most important institution in northern Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto. This is a group with no scruple and with no respect for anybody and for formal/informal institutions.

And so, the questions become, Who will be its next target? What religious and or traditional building is it going to bomb, next? What power structure is it looking to destroy or undermine? Should the aforelisted happen, then what? In essence, what do all these portend? Well, it looks simple to me: if the north does not help a helpless Jonathan, then, the coming Tsunami by Boko Haram and its affiliates may not spare anyone. If the political and economic elites in the north genuinely refuse to help Jonathan clip the wings of this group, they too will suffer. Jonathan may be the President, he cannot do it all and alone. He can’t!

Aside from its affront to and challenge of traditional and religious institutions, Boko Haram is also a threat to the intellectual and artistic community in northern Nigeria. If it has its way, modernity, westernisation and globalisation will be a thing of the past. Schools and intellectual pursuits will be curtailed – when none of these is curtailed in Iran, Iraq and in the United Arab Emirates. When you visit places such as Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Indonesia, you see great evidence of many of the things Boko Haram is against and killing people for.

Perhaps, Boko Haram members do not know that until it was destroyed by the Mongol Empire in 1258, Baghdad — a great Arab and Islamic city — was the centre of cultural and intellectual activity in the High Middle Ages. They also may not know that Saudi Arabia was once a “waste land,” but is today the centre of Arab and Islamic universe. That is progress. That is change. That is modernity. But for the Boko Haram sect, modernity, change and progress are sinful and injurious and for which it has been killing. This has to stop. The intellectual and artistic class must team up with the religious and traditional institutions to put a stop to the calamity that has gained ground in the north, and which has the potential to set the nation on fire.

The time has come for all – for all Nigerians – to know and to accept the fact that Boko Haram is not just a Jonathan-problem, but a problem for all Nigerians in the east, west, south and north.

There will be no place to hide! If traditional and religious leaders look the other way as President Jonathan gasps for breath, sooner or later, they too will collapse under the weight of Boko Haram. And if the intellectual and artistic class acts indifferently to the pain and anguish of this President, then, they too shall be asphyxiated by the tentacles of Boko Haram.

BY SABELLA ABIDDE (SABIDDE@YAHOO.COM)

- 

Nigeria: Dozens’ killed in Nigeria gun battles between Military and Militants

Dozens of people have been killed in fierce clashes between Nigeria’s military and suspected  Insurgents, with a massive blaze that followed the fighting leaving nearly half the town destroyed, government and rescue sources told AFP on Monday.

Gun battles broke out in the remote northeastern town of Baga on Friday after troops surrounded a mosque allegedly housing Islamist insurgents.The town on Lake Chad lies in Borno state, the home base of Boko Haram Islamists who are blamed for carrying out scores of attacks across northern and central Nigeria since 2009.

The fighting “killed dozens of people”, said a state government official who refused to be named.Various officials contacted by AFP have been reluctant to discuss the scale of the violence, saying only the military was authorised to provide casualty figures.A rescue official with contacts in Baga told AFP that “many residents are still unaccounted…It is assumed that they fled into the bush”.

“From information reaching us from Baga, 40 percent of the town has been gutted by fire,” added the official who asked not to be named.Borno state military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa told AFP that media reports that some 180 people could have died in the clashes were “extensively inflated”.“There could have been some casualties, but it is unthinkable to say that 185 people died,” Musa said.“On my honour as an officer, nothing like that happened,” he added.Musa, as well as the defence and army spokesmen have refused to provide details of the fighting.

Red Cross spokesman Nwakpa O. Nwakpa told AFP that a significant attack occurred, but said, “we really don’t know yet how many people died”.

Mobile phone network coverage in some parts of Borno was crippled last year after Boko Haram burned down a series of telecommunication masts.Baga is more than 150 kilometres (95 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri, a precarious drive on poor roads in a region hit by waves of violence.

Boko Haram has used Maiduguri as a base for its insurgency, but scores of militants have reportedly fled to more remote corners of the state following a crackdown by security forces in the city.

‘Boko Haram, MEND Is A Blessing’ – Security Expert

Mr. Dare Ogunlana, a security expert has said that the various insurgencies in northern Nigeria and Niger Delta have awakened the government to see the error of their ways; describing the Boko Haram and MEND groups as a ‘blessing.’

Mr. Ogunlana

Speaking on Sunrise,a programme on Channels TV. he said that President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to handle the situation of the Boko Haram insurgents differently because the country is now in the democratic dispensation.

However, he also blamed politicians who “wanted to seize power” for the making illegal weapons available to thugs; a problem for which Nigerians are now paying the price.

He described terrorism as a generational struggle stating that it will continue to exist as long as there is injustice, corruption and bad governance.

“I made a statement recently that even Boko Haram, MEND is a blessing. If not for the fact that we have Boko Haram and MEND, our government will not know that what they are doing (the stealing and everything underdevelopment), they will not know” they have to do it right. Mr. Ogunlana said.

He also said that “because of Boko Haram, you can see a lot of almajiri schools… a lot of things are going on” in the North.

He added that “because of MEND and Boko Haram, we have been able to identify that we don’t even have Police.”

French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon freed

Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya has announced the release of a French family of seven kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Cameroon in February. He said they are now secured in the hands of officials.

Biya made the announcement in a statement read on national radio which said the hostages — a father, mother, four children aged 5 to 12, and an uncle — had been “handed over last night to Cameroonian authorities”.

The family of Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, his wife, four children and his brother were abducted 19 February by militants said to be Boko Haram members, on their return from a park in Northern Cameroon. They were immediately, according to reports taken across the border to Nigeria

“I have been arrested 25 days ago, with my wife, my four kids, the latest of one being four years old, and my brother who came from Europe, by an armed commando of Jamaatu Ahlisunnah Lidda’awatiwal Jihad,” he says in English after his French statement.

Jamaatu Ahlisunnah Lidda’awatiwal Jihad is what Boko Haram has said it wants to be called.

Jonathan Sets up Committee On Granting Amnesty To Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to “constructively engage key members of Boko Haram and define a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity in the country.

”Announcing the setting up of the committee, a statement by Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity stated that the committee’s terms of reference will include:

-Developing a framework for the granting of amnesty

-Setting up of a framework through which disarmament could take place within a 60-day time frame-Development of a comprehensive victims’ support programme

-Development of mechanisms to address the underlying causes of insurgencies that will help to prevent future occurrences.

We are living in a failed state and it is evidently so. How do you grant amnesty to the dead that were victims of BokoHaram? #justsaying

Northern Christian Elders Oppose Amnesty For Boko Haram

The Northern Christian Elders’ forum has joined groups opposed to the granting of amnesty to Boko Haram.

Speaking in Abuja at the annual national conference of the forum, the Chairman of the forum, Matthew Owojaiye said, if the federal government must grant amnesty to members of the sect, such gesture must be extended to all persons awaiting trial and those who have been convicted for various offences.

The call is coming shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to “constructively engage key members of Boko Haram and define a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity in the country.

At a previous meeting, the group had questioned the rationale behind plans by the Federal Government to grant amnesty to Boko Haram members, describing the move as “hypocritical and unpatriotic”.They had accused northern elites of intimidating President Jonathan to grant the sect amnesty.

I absolutely agree with them. Very good argument.

Nigeria:MEND threatens to attack Islamic Institutions and others

The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta,MEND has threatened to launch reprisal attacks against Islamic institutions from Friday 31 May 2013.

The group in an e-mail message said it has decided to embark on these attacks to save Christianity in Nigeria from annihilation by Boko Haram.

In the statement signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, the group said “bombings of mosques, hajj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate, will form the core mission of this crusade code named “Operation Barbarossa”.

The group further vowed that “ The campaign will not in any way interfere with the ongoing “Hurricane Exodus” – which on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at about 01:00 Hrs, swept through the Ewellesuo community, Nembe, Bayelsa State, leaving the destruction of well 62, belonging to Shell Petroleum in its wake”.

The group said that it may may only consider a ceasefire of “Operation Barbarossa” if the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Catholic Church and if the MEND leader, Henry Okah, who is serving 21 years jail term described by the group as one of the few leaders in the Niger Delta region it respects for his integrity, intervene.

This was my fear all along. I hope something is done to avert the chaos that is brewing.

Islamic Leaders Condemn Buhari’s Support For Amnesty

Muhammad Buhari

Islamic leaders have faulted calls by presidential candidate of the congress for progressive change, major general Muhammadu Buhari backing the federal government’s amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect.

The leaders at the 2^nd northern region Jalsa Tarbiyah in Abuja, expressed surprise that the presidential candidate who understands the tenets of Islam would even think about supporting a diabolical group bent on destroying lives.

Delivering a keynote address, Dr Mashud Fashola however emphasized that terrorism would continue unless the federal government stops recklessly spending the nation’s resources and impoverishing the people.

Laughable: We’ve Committed No Wrong To Deserve Amnesty – Boko Haram

The leader of extremist group, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau has claimed in a statement that his group had “not committed any wrong to deserve amnesty.”

“Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should grant you pardon,” he said, listing what he described as the state’s “atrocities” against Muslims.

The Hausa language audio recording was distributed by email in a manner consistent with previous Boko Haram messages, and the voice was similar to that of previous Shekau statements.

Boko Haram members

Babangida Declines To Comment On Amnesty For Boko Haram

Before the rejection of the offer of amnesty, by the Islamism sect, former military Head of State and General Ibrahim Babangida told journalists in Minna that pardon for the group, as proposed by the federal government is part of measures at ensuring that peace returns to the northern region.General Babangida, however declined further comments on the proposal, but, promised to talk more on it, when the President inaugurates the committee.

Mr. Babangida, who hosted journalists at his residence in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday, said setting up such a committee “is part of measures at ensuring that peace stability was returned to the Northern region.”According to him ‘’I do not know the terms of reference of the committee, therefore I cannot speak about the plan until the terms of reference are released.’’“Every Nigerian has a role to play in tackling the security challenges facing us as a nation,” because “the government could not possibly tackle such problem alone.”“If we all come together, the elite, the media, the ordinary people and the government by taking a common stand just as the people of Azare in Bauchi did to tackle their security challenges,” he said.

As much as he declined to speak on the Boko Haram issue, General Babangida urged the nation to trace the root of the problem.“The problem did not start in one day … it was gradual thing before it came to this level … owing to our negligence by the government, the elite and the people; but I cannot blame anyone.”“Some 20 years ago, we did not have this problem, what was the state of things then, what have we forgotten …that we have not done that led to the present challenges, this we have look at.”“It is something that everyone has a hand in solving …to ensure peace stability in the country, therefore we should not leave this to government alone,” Babangida said.

The former Head of State also asked all Nigerians to join hands with the President and governments at all levels to tackle the problem of insecurity in the country.

I want to reserve my comments too on both Babangida and the committee

Amnesty: General Buhari supports amnesty for Boko Haram

Former military Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr Muhammadu Buhari has given a tacit endorsement to the proposed amnesty for the members of fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

The retired General made his stance known during a chat with journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, where he stated that Nigerians should embrace all efforts that could bring about peace, for socio economic development of the country.

The Federal Government recently set up a presidential committee to consider granting amnesty to members of the violent group that has been staging insurgent attacks against the government in the northern part of the country.“What ever will bring peace to our country, we should do it” he stated.

General Buhari has now joined a number of northern leaders who have called on the President to extend amnesty to the fundamentalist sect members.The Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Mohammad Saad Abubakar, recently led the call for amnesty for Boko Haram members as part of the measures to halt the insurgency by the group.

About 3,000 lives are estimated to have been claimed in the insurgency which involves suicide bombings on churches, motor parks, markets, public gathering, police station and government’s installations.

Amnesty not solution to Boko Haram insurgency

There is a lot of tension and fear in the minds of the innocent citizens who are living in the northern part of the country simply because of insurgence of the Boko Haram sect.

For several months, Boko Haram members have wasted many people’s lives.To seek out the lasting solution to the senseless killing, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad, Sultan of Sokoto gave a piece of advice to President Goodluck Jonathan to grant them an amnesty. The President replied by calling the members of the sect ghosts and few Nigerians also kicked against it.

Are they ghosts? How long will it take the Federal Government to stop the killing? Anyone who lost either his friend or relation during the attack of Boko Haram will not support granting them an amnesty.For me, I do really know that Allah is still there who will judge everybody according to their intention. Some politicians have hijacked Boko Haram to threaten the peace and kill another person’s children for their selfish interest. Allah will judge them accordingly.Every loss of life is a tragedy.

It is now apparent that our security agencies, can no longer capture Boko Haram leaders and their sponsors. It is a pity on the side of our security agencies.Mr. President has voted billions of naira on security in the 2013 budget. Nigeria is still facing security challenges. I am sad over the incessant killings of both Christians and Muslims.  Amnesty is not the best solution but instead creation of more jobs and ensuring equitable distribution of national resources.  

 Those responsible for this brutal waste of lives should be ‘begged’ to embrace peace in the interest of national unity. Nigeria is our nation. We should stop resorting to wanton destruction of lives and property to settle grievances. If this amnesty is given to them now, how will Boko Haram members wake up the dead victims?I was stunned and devastated when the sad news reached that my friend whose name was Timothy was among the victims who lost their lives in a luxurious Kano bomb attack. Emir of Kano was also attacked few months ago.

We(Timothy and I) became friends in 2006 at NYSC orientation camp in Edo State while serving this nation. My friend had a dream to rule his state, Plateau, in the nearest future. The young brilliant man has been killed now. The parents of my friend are now in sorrow. What a terrible experience!He had served this nation and wished Nigeria well. His nation has failed totally in its responsibility to protect his life.

Haba! I am weak.This is not an accidental killing. It is just been getting worse. Nobody knows the next victim(s).

Jimoh   Mumin, Akobo, Ibadan.

Season of fatality: Another Nigeria bus crash kills 20

A speeding and overloaded bus crashed into a truck parked by a road in northern Nigeria on Monday, killing 20 passengers.

The bus had set off from Nigeria’s second city of Kano and was headed to Potiskum, the commercial capital of Yobe state.Potiskum has been attacked repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists, and the insurgency has forced state officials to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in several areas.The bus was reportedly speeding towards the city in order to beat the curfew when it crashed at roughly 5:00 pm (1600 GMT).

The Islamists have killed hundreds of people across northern Nigeria since 2009.Parts of several states targeted by the insurgents have been placed under curfew. There were not traffic officialsvthatvcould have helped because of the insurgents.

Nigeria’s roads are among the most dangerous in the world.Badly maintained vehicles, poor roads and widespread reckless driving conspire to kill thousands in motor accidents across Africa’s most populous country each year.