A fierce battle is ongoing between Boko Haram insurgents and Nigerian troops who have been intensifying efforts to reclaim territories captured by the insurgents in northern Adamawa.Reports indicate that about 100 insurgents have been killed in the latest offensive as Nigerian troops forced the terrorists out of Michika town which had been under their bloody grip for close to a month.
The Nigerian troops are reportedly advancing towards Gulak in consolidation of the successes they have recorded but the insurgents were reported to have regrouped and launched an offensive against them, leading to the fierce battle between the two sides.
A source in Michika said Nigerian troops had entered the town following a phenomenal success they recorded against the insurgents who suffered severe casualties, forcing the surviving ones beat a retreat.
“The Nigerian troops have gained entry into Michika and are now fully in control of the town, having dealt a severe blow to the insurgents, as they lost about 100 members; some escaped with injuries sustained from gun shots,” the source said.
Another source from the area said Nigerian troops were facing a stiff resistance from the insurgents as they advanced towards Gulak, leading to prolonged battle as Boko Haram had deployed many insurgents and ammunition to confront the troops.
“There is heavy fighting between the insurgents and Nigerian troops as the insurgents are doing everything to frustrate the efforts of the Nigerian troops, and many people who are trapped in the towns are now sneaking out following intensified fighting,” the source said.
Jonathan Heads To Niger In Search Of Solution
President Goodluck Jonathan will today leave Abuja for Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, on a one-day official visit to participate in an extraordinary summit of heads of states and governments of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, Jonathan and other participating heads of states and governments are expected to review ongoing collaboration against terrorism and agree on further joint actions to curb terrorism and insurgency within and across their national boundaries.
Abati recalled that the president and the heads of states and governments of the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin Republic had resolved at a meeting in Paris in May this year to intensify joint efforts to curtail terrorism and violent extremism.
“At the Paris Summit hosted by President Francois Hollande of France in the aftermath of the dastardly abduction of the Chibok College girls, President Jonathan and neighbouring heads of states and governments also agreed to establish joint anti-terrorism patrols and a system of sharing intelligence to support operations against terrorists and other cross-border criminals,” he noted.
Abati noted that Benin Republic, which participated in the Paris Summit but is not a member of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, had been invited to the Niamey talks.
“President Jonathan who will be accompanied to Niamey by the minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Aminu Wali, the minister of State for Defence Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshall Alex Barde and other senior government officials will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the one-day summit,” he added.
The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon with the mandate of sustainably and equitably managing shared water resources of the Lake Chad Basin and promoting regional integration, peace and security across the Basin.
NAF Acquires More Aircraft To Fight Terrorism – CAS
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has purchased some new and refurbished aircraft to sustain the tempo against the terrorists in the North East with a view to restoring permanent peace and stability in the area.
The good news was disclosed by the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Adesola Amosu in Abuja at the reception in his honour for the National Award of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Goodluck Jonathan in commemoration of the 54th Independence Anniversary.
Speaking at the reception held at the NAF Conference Centre and Suite, Kado, Abuja, the CAS disclosed that some new and reactivated platforms would soon arrive the country to join the aircraft in the NAF inventory, just as he maintained that there was the need to effect some changes in the current NAF Mission Statement to encompass the acquisition of the new platforms.
He expressed NAF’s determination to bring to conclusion the insurgency in the northeast region as soon as possible.
Air Marshal Amosu further reiterated the determination of NAF leadership to ensure that the Service was better positioned for greater performance and set a new focus toward national security.
He used the occasion to thank President Jonathan for finding him worthy to bag the prestigious national award of CFR. He dedicated the award to the officers and men of the NAF who were fighting the insurgency in the northeast, noting that “their gallant efforts and sacrifices deserve greater honour.”
Boko Haram Has Seized 185 churches – Catholic Church
The director of Catholic Social Communication of Maiduguri Diocese, Rev. Gideon Obasogie, has said that two months after the capture of 11 towns in Borno and Adamawa states by Boko Haram, 185 churches in the diocese have been torched and 190, 545 people displaced, with surviving residents unable to return to their houses and places of worship.
Obasogie made this disclose yesterday in a statement entitled “State of Captured Towns” and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to the statement, the “ransacking and torching” of churches in the captured towns and villages have already displaced many priests and lay faithful who are taking refuge in either Yola or Maiduguri metropolis in the last few weeks.
He described the capturing of towns along with the torching of about 185 places of worship as “sad, heart aching and potentially dangerous to the territorial integrity and common good of Nigeria.”
According to the church, “It is over 30 days now that our church communities in Gulak, Shuwa, Michika, Bazza, etc, were sacked by the callous attacks of the Boko Haram terrorists while Gwoza and Magadali had been under the tyrannical and despotic control of the terrorists and this is almost the 60th day.
“Our priests are displaced, while citizens who were supposed to celebrate their independence as a free nation were rather counting their losses and regrets as they had been reduced to the status of internally displaced persons (IDPs).”
Dozens Of Soldiers Feared Killed As Boko Haram Aims To Capture Hometown Of CDS
Reports from the border town of Mubi in Adamawa State indicate that dozens of soldiers are feared killed as insurgents ambushed the troops in the latest attack.
A fierce battle has reportedly ensued between the insurgents and Nigerian troops for the control of Vimtim, the hometown of the present chief of defence staff (CDS) Alex Badeh.
It was reported that in their bid to capture the hometown of the CDS, the insurgents deployed many helicopters against Nigerian troops, giving them an edge in the fight.
Mubi, which is close to Vimtim, was thrown into confusion as residents panicked on sighting fleeing soldiers and began to scamper in different directions, with many moving out of the town.
The development came less than 48 hours after Nigerian troops vanquished the insurgents from Michika where they killed about 100 of the insurgents with the remainders retreating into the nearby bushes.
About 300 insurgents were said to have regrouped following the initial setback they encountered and launched an offensive against the Nigerian troops which led to a sustained battle that lasted for hours.
Eye witnesses in Mubi said the dead and the injured among the soldiers have been taken to Mubi Specialist Hospital.
A fleeing resident of Mubi said he and others were forced to escape the area as a result of the massive casualties recorded by the Nigerian troops.
“I carried six fleeing soldiers who are running from the warfront in my car. They first asked me to assist them with my dress which they used as a camouflage before we left,” the source said.
11,100 Dead From Boko Haram Attacks – Report
The Nigeria Social Violence Dataset, now publicly available, reports that since July 2009 when the Boko Haram conflict escalated, at least 11,100 people have died on both sides of the insurgency.
The levels of casualties, internal displacement, social disruption and government failure are fomenting a widespread crisis, spilling over the borders of neighbouring states such as Niger, Cameroon and Chad, the report says.
According to the new dataset compiled at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Boko Haram-related violence is the most lethal conflict that Nigeria has confronted in decades and that deaths attributable to Boko Haram has been increasing over time, but this increase has been particularly sharp in the past year.
The report said that since 1998, at least 29,600 Nigerians have been killed in more than 2,300 incidents, reflecting a wide range of ethnic, religious, political and economic tensions across large portions of the country.
“The conflict is rapidly intensifying. We estimate that 7,000 people died in incidents related to the insurgency between July 2013 and June 2014, compared with fewer than 1,900 in the preceding year. These deaths account for more than a quarter of all the recorded deaths in the past 15 years.
“Since January, more than 5,000 people have died, making the past eight months almost as deadly as the preceding five years,” it said.
Boko Haram attacks Borno villages, slaughters 7 top traders, others
Members of the Boko Haram sect hacve attacked Ngamdu village of Borno State, beheading at least seven prominent businessmen, security sources said.
The gunmen had, on the same day, also attacked Mobbar village where they also killed a number of village heads there.
The assailants, who invaded the village, which is about 100km away from Maiduguri and 35km away from the neighbouring Yobe State capital, Damaturu, were very specific in their mission as they targeted only top businessmen.
Security operatives in Ngamdu village said the terrorists crept upon the villagers at about 4am to carry out the killings.
Ngamdu is also a border town of Borno near a village in Yobe State called Kukareta, where a recently established military formation is located.
“They did not attack everyone in Ngamdu; they just selected some top business merchants there and slaughtered them in the early hours of today (Monday)”, said Abba Gava, a chieftain of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Borno State.
“We have also heard that they were attacking Mobbar village today also, but we have no knowledge of the casualty figures yet, even though those attacked and managed to escape said it was a massive attack.”
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