Boko Haram Steps up Attacks, Hollande Seeks New Summit

Boko Haram Steps up Attacks, Hollande Seeks New Summit

 

President Francois Hollande

As Boko Haram steps up its guerilla warfare in the North-east, French President Francois Hollande has offered to organise a new summit of nations fighting the terror group.

According to Reuters, Hollande spoke at the weekend after talks in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroun, with President Paul Biya. Cameroun is part of a regional group of nations including Nigeria, Niger and Chad that began a campaign against Boko Haram this year.

“Nigeria and Cameroun need to have the best relations… to work together. This corresponds well with the spirit we had at our last summit in Paris to take important decisions about Boko Haram, whose threat is getting stronger,” Hollande said.

“I am ready to gather anew, as soon as the presidents give me a date, this conference so that we can better act together,” Hollande said. The Paris summit was in May 2014.

Earlier this year, Boko Haram occupied large parts of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States and was increasingly mounting attacks on neighbouring states, prompting the regional leaders into action to reverse the gains made by the six-year insurgency.

Operations carried out by regional forces have pushed the militants from most of their positions and President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to crush what remains of the group.

But the militants have hit back and suspected insurgents attacked the outskirts of Maiduguri in Borno State, Jos in Plateau State, as well as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Yobe at the weekend, escalating attacks after a week in which almost 200 people were killed.

Confirming the attack on the church, the police in Potiskum, Yobe said a male suicide bomber detonated a bomb, leading to the death of six persons.

Mr. Toyin Gbadegesin, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state command, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu that those killed included the suicide bomber.

The spokesman said: “A male suicide bomber detonated a bomb at Redeemed Church at Jigawa area of Potiskum, killing five on the spot.

“A female member of the church who sustained injuries also died while receiving treatment in the hospital.”
He said the injured were receiving treatment at various health facilities in the area.

On getting the alert on the blast, the police had rushed to the church where they encountered wailing women and stunned men wandering aimlessly.

A source said the bomber ran into the church during service and headed for the altar.
“Before he could be stopped, he has detonated the bomb strapped on him, which led to the death of six people, the suicide bomber, the pastor of the church, Dotun Okerinola and four others," he said.

Potiskum last suffered a twin suicide bombings on June 15, in which 10 people were killed and several others injured.
Reacting to the bombing, Buhari yesterday said he received with sadness, news of the dastardly bomb attack at a church on the outskirts of Potiskum.

Buhari said he deeply regretted the unfortunate loss of lives in the attack and commiserated with all those who lost loved ones in the incident, which also caused needless injury to others and damage to the church.

In a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president wholly condemned the resumption of attacks by terrorists on places of worship, describing them as “highly revered places of prayer and communion with God for most Nigerians”.

“Nigerians are a very religious people and President Buhari believes that the terrorists who wantonly attack our places of worship have willfully declared war on all that we value, and must therefore be confronted with all our might and collective resolve.

“The president reaffirms his administration’s total commitment to doing everything possible to eradicate Boko Haram, terrorism and mindless extremism from Nigeria in the shortest possible time.

“President Buhari assures all Nigerians that terrorism will ultimately be defeated and full security restored in all parts of the country for people to safely practice their respective faiths with liberty wherever they may reside in the nation.

“The constitution gives all Nigerians that right and the present administration will deploy all required force and resources to protect citizens’ right to freedom of worship,” the statement said.

Similarly, Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday condemned in strong terms the bomb attack on innocent worshippers at the Potiskum church.

“My heart is with individuals and families who were directly or indirectly affected by this ungodly, sadistic and evil act," Saraki said in a statement from his media office in Abuja.

Saraki added: “Sending Nigerians to untimely graves can never be the solution to any religious, political or economic grievances.
“Besides, the federal government has demonstrated enough political will to engage any group in dialogue aimed at bringing these vicious and sad attacks to a final stop.

“The recent position of the federal government that it would not oppose negotiations with the insurgents ‘if the Boko Haram terrorist group opt for it’ ought to be seen as an olive branch extended to the sect by the present administration. And I urge them to take advantage of that opportunity to drop their weapons.”

He also called on Nigerians not to give in to fear or be discouraged as a result of these renewed attacks, adding that the Senate and the National Assembly under his leadership will maximally support “President Muhammadu Buhari in his determination to retool and motivate the Armed Forces to decisively prosecute the war against terrorism”.

He commended the military for their timely response and urged them to do all in their power to prevent this type of dastardly attacks in future.

Saraki further urged all Nigerians, especially the Muslim faithful,  to use the holy month of Ramadan to seek God’s intervention on ways and means to end all forms of insecurity in the country.

In addition, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara condemned the attack on worshippers in a church, describing it as barbaric, inhuman and wicked.

He added that while the motive of the terror sect is to instill fear in Nigerians with the relentless attacks, the country would not succumb to terrorism.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Adamu Hassan, the Speaker urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the Nigerian state and in the ability of its security apparatus to end the activities of Boko Haram.

Expressing worry over the renewed attacks and frequency in recent weeks, Dogara urged the security agencies to remain relentless in the battle against the sect, assuring them that their sacrifices would not go unrewarded by the country.

He also pledged that the House of Representatives would provide all necessary support and cooperation to Buhari in the bid to equip the military with necessary military hardware and logistics to overcome terrorism and all forms of internal aggression.

“While the war is being fought, it is also time to begin to implement programmes and policies that will rebuild, rehabilitate and reconstruct the North-east,” Dogara said, adding that a motion calling on the federal government to convene an international donor conference to rebuild the region would soon be drafted and considered by the House after its recess.

He also commended Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo for his recent visit to Borno and Adamawa States to meet with the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

But even as the suicide bombing in Potiskum was sinking in, reports surfaced on the death of 43 other persons in separate attacks in Borno and Zamfara States at the weekend.

Twin explosions also rocked Jos, the Plateau State capital last night, but the casualties could not be confirmed at press times.
The first explosion reportedly occurred at Bauchi Road, close to the main campus of the University of Jos while the second bomb blast went off at Yantaya in Nasarawa Gwon area.

NAN reported that the Tafsir (an Islamic sermon session) was ongoing around the scene of the second explosion.
In Borno, however, 13 persons were killed on Saturday when the Boko Haram insurgents returned to Mussa, the chairman of the youth vigilante group in the village, Stephen Apagu, told newsman on the phone yesterday.

He said the insurgents returned to Mussa (A&B), remote villages in Askira/Uba Local Government, killings 10 civilians while the militants lost three of its members during the attack.

He also revealed that all 32 churches in Mussa district and over 300 houses were razed during the onslaught on the community.
Apagu said during the attack, the vigilante group was able to recover two rifles from the terrorists.

“They (insurgents) killed 10 persons and three Boko Haram members were equally slaughtered but all 32 churches in Mussa district were burnt as well as over 300 homes completely wiped out,” he revealed.

“Our people have been camped in Gombio village but there is no food and water. And even that place is not safe,” he added, and called on the authorities to come to their aid urgently.

Also, one of the residents who fled from the town, Peter Musa, said: “We know their leader, we had reported him to military before he suddenly disappeared; he is from this place (Mussa district).

“He is one Jerido Jerafu who led his members to invade our communities."
Prior to the weekend’s attack, the insurgents had recently killed at least 29 civilians in Mussa village and burnt some homes in the area.
In the Zamfara incident, no fewer than 30 persons were reportedly killed following fresh attacks by gunmen in Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area, NAN reported.

Alhaji Muhammad Gusami, Chairman of the council, told NAN yesterday that the attacks took place in Kokeya and Chigama villages in the area.

Gusami, who did not specify when the attacks took place, said the gunmen invaded Kokeya village with motorcycles and killed two persons, set some houses ablaze and carted away animals, mostly cows.
He said the “unfortunate incident” was reported to the Divisional Police Officer of Birnin-Magaji as well as soldiers on surveillance in the zone.

According to him, while this was going on, the attackers returned the next day and invaded the neighbouring village of Chigama.
“The gunmen killed more than 30 persons whose bodies were still being recovered from the bush,” he said.

The chairman said the corpses had been taken to Birnin-magaji General Hospital.
He said the Chigama attack took place shortly after three police trucks left the area when they noticed that peace had returned to the area.

He added that the bandits also set several houses on fire during their second attack on Chigama village.
Malam Ibrahim Sani, an eyewitness, also told NAN that the gunmen who invaded Kokeya came after residents had finished their prayers.
“The attackers shot sporadically in the air which prompted the people of Chigama to intervene.

“That may have provoked the gunmen to come back so as to punish them for trying to prevent the attack the previous day.
“While three persons were killed from Kokeya and Chigama on the first day in Kokeya, more than 50 were killed on the second day in Chigama while several houses were burnt,” Sani claimed.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sanusi Amiru, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) who confirmed the attack, said the police and army were moved to the area and normalcy had been restored.
Meanwhile, as the battle against the insurgents rages, sources in the military have claimed that over 600 terrorists must have been killed in the last one month while other insurgents were finding life extremely difficult.

Quoting a top security official yesterday, PR Nigeria, a media advisory for government security agencies, said in a statement that while the terrorists have fallen back on guerrilla tactics by using vulnerable girls and young men for suicide attacks on soft targets, “we ensure that their fighters do not escape as they continue to meet their waterloo in the hand of the troops”.

“In their desperation to create fear among the citizens, the terrorists are now deliberately targeting remote villages where their former members who had renounced the sect membership were taking refuge,” the official informed PR Nigeria.

On the guerrilla tactics employed by the terrorists, the security source said: “The major challenges we face is that of suicide bombers who might be operating with insiders in the communities. There is no way we can identify potential terrorists or suicide bombers from their faces or movements. Some of them look as innocent as new born babies.”
The officer urged residents to muster the courage to expose suspects, strange objects or movements to the relevant authorities so that prompt action could be taken.

The source added that since the emergence of the new administration led by Buhari, no single territory in Nigeria has been occupied or proclaimed by the terrorists as their “Caliphate”, stating that their leaders were either being killed, captured or are on the run.
Another senior military source also informed PR Nigeria that both the Nigerian Army and Air Force personnel were not relenting in the battle to rid the region of terrorism and had dealt ruthlessly with the enemies by killing them and destroying their vehicles, especially in recent operations.

It was however noted that relentless campaign against the Nigerian military by Amnesty International (AI) was deemed a serious distraction and was serving to dampen troops’ morale.

“Nonetheless, very senior officers and military psychologists have revved up their efforts in assuring combatants that AI reports were meant exactly to achieve that same negative objective of dampening their morale, informing them that they must never allow the enemies of Nigeria to win,” a source disclosed.