We are not sure Boko Haram sent video .
The Federal Government has doubted the veracity of the purported video message of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, aired on the Nigerian Television Authority.
In the message, the sect that had claimed responsibility for several bombings in the north and the Federal Capital Territory said it was ready for dialogue with the government.
It also named five negotiators Sheik Abubakar Gemuno, Shettima Mongunu, Bukar Ibrahim, Junadu Idris and Barrister Aisha Al Wakil to argue its cause.
Reacting to the Boko Haram message on NTA, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, told journalists at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja that government was not certain the sect sent it.
Maku said, If some names were mentioned by some media houses it doesn’t mean that it could be true.
The minister, however, said government was prepared to entertain “every formal channel of communication with Boko Haram that could lead to dialogue.”
“The government is clear, we are ready for dialogue, already the President had said so,” Maku said.
Maku restated the Federal Government’s readiness to discuss with Boko Haram, but insisted that the government must know the identities of those who it would be negotiating with in the planned talks.
He said, “Whatever grievances that they (Boko Haram) have, the mere fact that they have grievances and they have taken to violence presupposes that we should listen to them, in spite of the fact that as a government we must defend innocent citizens some of whom have lost their lives in the course of these terror attacks.
“In spite of this the President (Goodluck Jonathan) made an open declaration that as a leader and the father of the nation he was prepared to talk to the combatants who have visited violence on innocent people and on their country.
“But the President said, ‘look, for us to engage in dialogue we must know who we are dialoguing (sic) with because members of this terror group operate underground and because they operate underground talking to them is a more difficult process.’”
Justifying government’s decision to negotiate with Boko Haram, despite its unrelenting bombing activities in the North, Maku said the government was uncomfortable with deploying military force against its citizens.
The minister said, “It is the understanding of the Federal Government that those involved in the terror attacks are our children. Yes, foreigners are involved but they do so in partnership or in collaboration with some Nigerians and because they are our citizens, we have continued to call on them to lay down their arms.
“Whatever grievances they have can be better resolved by bringing those grievances in an orderly way to the government at all levels. Some of those grievances are not even with the Federal Government while some are, but the President has turned in the olive branch.
“It is not a happy thing for Nigeria to deploy its military forces against some of its citizens, therefore it is not something we are doing out of choice.”
On Boko Haram’s reported plan to attack Sokoto, Maku stressed that the terror sect activities were killing the economy of the North.
He said, “The attack on Kano is so significant because Kano has always been the commercial centre of western Sudan for the past 500 years, even before the evolution of Nigeria.
“Kano is the economy of the North and the economy of Niger Republic; and it is the economy of Chad; it is the economy of northern Cameroun.
“So when you destabilise the peace in Kano, you threaten the foundation of economic and social well-being of all northerners.
“If you go and attack Sokoto for example, Sokoto is the spiritual headquarters of all Muslims in the country.
“The Sultan of Sokoto is officially recognised as the leader of Muslims in Nigeria. He is the prime leader and authority of Islam, so if for example you threaten to attack Sokoto, what is the benefit?”
According to the minister, the purported threat by the sect to attack Sokoto is an indication that its terror campaign is not motivated by religion.
He explained, “That is why we continue to say that we do not see much of religion in what is happening, because if Sokoto is virtually an Islamic centre and the headquarters of the caliphate that spreads Islam to most parts of Nigeria and even the South-West, if you go and attack Sokoto in what way does it affect the course of Islam if it is Islam they are fighting for?”
“What has happened is violence and this is what we want all those involved in it to understand and all stakeholders in the North and Nigeria to understand, that if any part of this country is in need of peace today, it is the Northern Nigeria.
“From all the statistics we (North) are still behind in infrastructure, in literacy level, in industrialisation, so we need peace and this peace will only be made possible when all stakeholders are involved.”
EU, Nigeria sign pact to tackle terrorism
The European Union (EU) and the Federal Government yesterday agreed to engage experts to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.
The sect has claimed responsibility for bomb blasts and shootings in which about 1,000 people have been killed.
The union and the Federal Government yesterday in Abuja signed a joint communique at the end of the two-day Third Nigeria-EU Ministerial meeting organised by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru and Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Villy Soevndal, on behalf of the EU.
The experts, they agreed, would be saddled with the responsibility of identifying the action plan to tackle the security challenges in the North.
To also ensure peace in the Niger Delta, they agreed that the Federal Government should fully implement its amnesty programme for the region.
Ashiru said: “The parties shared the same analysis on peace, security and development challenges in the North, and in particular the threat of the extremist group known as Boko Haram.
“They agreed to engage experts to identify a possible action plan and to enhance their cooperation in counter-terrorism, while strengthening their efforts in addressing the causes of the security challenges in the North.
“The parties agreed that the core values, which Nigeria and the EU share, are keys to overcoming terrorism. These values include an open society, adherence to the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights.
“The EU expressed its strong support for efforts to address the causes of the current security threat, including socio-economic, governance and security issues. Both parties agreed on the paramount importance of upholding the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.
“The parties agreed to maintain their dialogue and cooperation with a view to consolidating peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
“They underlined the need to continue efforts to fully implement the amnesty programme initiated by the Nigerian authorities.”
According to the minister, both parties agreed on the need to increase efforts to tackle the poverty and environmental degradation the region currently faces, with regard to the corporate social responsibility of the operating companies.
He said the two sides shared concerns about maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and applauded the setting up of a Gulf of Guinea Commission and the ECOWAS draft integrated maritime security strategy.
The meeting, Ashiru added, also dwelt on trade, investment, energy, mining, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), democracy, good governance, human rights, migration and other international matters.
Boko Haram: Nigerians Flee To Cameroon
Nigerians have fled in droves to neighbouring Cameroon to escape violence claimed by the Islamist Boko Haram group and revenge attacks by Christians, reports AFP.
“Everybody is insecure in Nigeria. The fear is all-pervading,” said a Nigerian Christian priest, speaking on condition of anonymity, in Fotokol, a Cameroonian border town where dozens have taken shelter in the last few weeks.
It is located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the bastion of the shadowy Boko Haram sect which has been blamed for a slew of terror attacks that have sowed panic in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.
Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria’s north, but its demands have varied.
“Many Nigerians like myself have fled their villages in the south. We feel secure in Cameroon,” the priest said in Fotokol.
“That is why I am sheltered here,” he added.
He has rented a house which is about 10 minutes by motorcycle to the nearest town in Nigeria, Gamboru Ngala, where he heads the local Catholic church.
It is difficult to gauge the exact number of Nigerians who have fled to Cameroon as they cross the border illegally, but there are easily dozens sheltered here since the attacks and tit-for-tat ripostes by Christians.
Mahamat Tujani, a Muslim trader from Maiduguri, fled to Kousseri near Fotokol.
“I abandoned my business and my family to seek refuge at the home of my cousin,” a Cameroonian, he said. “I escaped out of fear.”
He hoped to return home soon, he said, “but if the killings continue, I will bring over my family members here.”
Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of bomb attacks in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north. It claimed responsibility for January 20 coordinated bombings and shootings in Nigeria’s second-largest city of Kano that left at least 185 people dead — Boko Haram’s deadliest attack yet.
The August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in the capital Abuja which killed at least 25 people was also attributed to the group.
“When you scent danger, you must escape,” the priest said.
“Even in the Gospel, the Lord says the moment you sense danger, you must escape. If you don’t it’s suicide,” he said.
The priest said two Christians from the mainly Christian Igbo ethnic group were killed in Mubi in Adamawa state about three weeks ago.
“When the other Igbos went to reclaim their bodies theBoko Haram struck and killed 29 others,” he said.
Sectarian violence has been rising since elections in July last year.
He urged both Christians and Muslims to “return to God.”
The priest said Muslims were also targeted by Boko Haram. Between January 28 and 30, three people — including a Muslim — were killed in Gamboru Ngala, Nigerian and Cameroonian police and medical sources said.
The priest was following an Africa Cup of Nations match on television at a bar, along with six other compatriots. In another room, eight other Nigerians sat, drinking.
In the message, the sect that had claimed responsibility for several bombings in the north and the Federal Capital Territory said it was ready for dialogue with the government.
It also named five negotiators Sheik Abubakar Gemuno, Shettima Mongunu, Bukar Ibrahim, Junadu Idris and Barrister Aisha Al Wakil to argue its cause.
Reacting to the Boko Haram message on NTA, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, told journalists at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja that government was not certain the sect sent it.
Maku said, If some names were mentioned by some media houses it doesn’t mean that it could be true.
The minister, however, said government was prepared to entertain “every formal channel of communication with Boko Haram that could lead to dialogue.”
“The government is clear, we are ready for dialogue, already the President had said so,” Maku said.
Maku restated the Federal Government’s readiness to discuss with Boko Haram, but insisted that the government must know the identities of those who it would be negotiating with in the planned talks.
He said, “Whatever grievances that they (Boko Haram) have, the mere fact that they have grievances and they have taken to violence presupposes that we should listen to them, in spite of the fact that as a government we must defend innocent citizens some of whom have lost their lives in the course of these terror attacks.
“In spite of this the President (Goodluck Jonathan) made an open declaration that as a leader and the father of the nation he was prepared to talk to the combatants who have visited violence on innocent people and on their country.
“But the President said, ‘look, for us to engage in dialogue we must know who we are dialoguing (sic) with because members of this terror group operate underground and because they operate underground talking to them is a more difficult process.’”
Justifying government’s decision to negotiate with Boko Haram, despite its unrelenting bombing activities in the North, Maku said the government was uncomfortable with deploying military force against its citizens.
The minister said, “It is the understanding of the Federal Government that those involved in the terror attacks are our children. Yes, foreigners are involved but they do so in partnership or in collaboration with some Nigerians and because they are our citizens, we have continued to call on them to lay down their arms.
“Whatever grievances they have can be better resolved by bringing those grievances in an orderly way to the government at all levels. Some of those grievances are not even with the Federal Government while some are, but the President has turned in the olive branch.
“It is not a happy thing for Nigeria to deploy its military forces against some of its citizens, therefore it is not something we are doing out of choice.”
On Boko Haram’s reported plan to attack Sokoto, Maku stressed that the terror sect activities were killing the economy of the North.
He said, “The attack on Kano is so significant because Kano has always been the commercial centre of western Sudan for the past 500 years, even before the evolution of Nigeria.
“Kano is the economy of the North and the economy of Niger Republic; and it is the economy of Chad; it is the economy of northern Cameroun.
“So when you destabilise the peace in Kano, you threaten the foundation of economic and social well-being of all northerners.
“If you go and attack Sokoto for example, Sokoto is the spiritual headquarters of all Muslims in the country.
“The Sultan of Sokoto is officially recognised as the leader of Muslims in Nigeria. He is the prime leader and authority of Islam, so if for example you threaten to attack Sokoto, what is the benefit?”
According to the minister, the purported threat by the sect to attack Sokoto is an indication that its terror campaign is not motivated by religion.
He explained, “That is why we continue to say that we do not see much of religion in what is happening, because if Sokoto is virtually an Islamic centre and the headquarters of the caliphate that spreads Islam to most parts of Nigeria and even the South-West, if you go and attack Sokoto in what way does it affect the course of Islam if it is Islam they are fighting for?”
“What has happened is violence and this is what we want all those involved in it to understand and all stakeholders in the North and Nigeria to understand, that if any part of this country is in need of peace today, it is the Northern Nigeria.
“From all the statistics we (North) are still behind in infrastructure, in literacy level, in industrialisation, so we need peace and this peace will only be made possible when all stakeholders are involved.”
EU, Nigeria sign pact to tackle terrorism
The European Union (EU) and the Federal Government yesterday agreed to engage experts to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.
The sect has claimed responsibility for bomb blasts and shootings in which about 1,000 people have been killed.
The union and the Federal Government yesterday in Abuja signed a joint communique at the end of the two-day Third Nigeria-EU Ministerial meeting organised by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru and Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Villy Soevndal, on behalf of the EU.
The experts, they agreed, would be saddled with the responsibility of identifying the action plan to tackle the security challenges in the North.
To also ensure peace in the Niger Delta, they agreed that the Federal Government should fully implement its amnesty programme for the region.
Ashiru said: “The parties shared the same analysis on peace, security and development challenges in the North, and in particular the threat of the extremist group known as Boko Haram.
“They agreed to engage experts to identify a possible action plan and to enhance their cooperation in counter-terrorism, while strengthening their efforts in addressing the causes of the security challenges in the North.
“The parties agreed that the core values, which Nigeria and the EU share, are keys to overcoming terrorism. These values include an open society, adherence to the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights.
“The EU expressed its strong support for efforts to address the causes of the current security threat, including socio-economic, governance and security issues. Both parties agreed on the paramount importance of upholding the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.
“The parties agreed to maintain their dialogue and cooperation with a view to consolidating peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.
“They underlined the need to continue efforts to fully implement the amnesty programme initiated by the Nigerian authorities.”
According to the minister, both parties agreed on the need to increase efforts to tackle the poverty and environmental degradation the region currently faces, with regard to the corporate social responsibility of the operating companies.
He said the two sides shared concerns about maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and applauded the setting up of a Gulf of Guinea Commission and the ECOWAS draft integrated maritime security strategy.
The meeting, Ashiru added, also dwelt on trade, investment, energy, mining, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), democracy, good governance, human rights, migration and other international matters.
Boko Haram: Nigerians Flee To Cameroon
Nigerians have fled in droves to neighbouring Cameroon to escape violence claimed by the Islamist Boko Haram group and revenge attacks by Christians, reports AFP.
“Everybody is insecure in Nigeria. The fear is all-pervading,” said a Nigerian Christian priest, speaking on condition of anonymity, in Fotokol, a Cameroonian border town where dozens have taken shelter in the last few weeks.
It is located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the bastion of the shadowy Boko Haram sect which has been blamed for a slew of terror attacks that have sowed panic in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.
Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria’s north, but its demands have varied.
“Many Nigerians like myself have fled their villages in the south. We feel secure in Cameroon,” the priest said in Fotokol.
“That is why I am sheltered here,” he added.
He has rented a house which is about 10 minutes by motorcycle to the nearest town in Nigeria, Gamboru Ngala, where he heads the local Catholic church.
It is difficult to gauge the exact number of Nigerians who have fled to Cameroon as they cross the border illegally, but there are easily dozens sheltered here since the attacks and tit-for-tat ripostes by Christians.
Mahamat Tujani, a Muslim trader from Maiduguri, fled to Kousseri near Fotokol.
“I abandoned my business and my family to seek refuge at the home of my cousin,” a Cameroonian, he said. “I escaped out of fear.”
He hoped to return home soon, he said, “but if the killings continue, I will bring over my family members here.”
Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of bomb attacks in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north. It claimed responsibility for January 20 coordinated bombings and shootings in Nigeria’s second-largest city of Kano that left at least 185 people dead — Boko Haram’s deadliest attack yet.
The August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in the capital Abuja which killed at least 25 people was also attributed to the group.
“When you scent danger, you must escape,” the priest said.
“Even in the Gospel, the Lord says the moment you sense danger, you must escape. If you don’t it’s suicide,” he said.
The priest said two Christians from the mainly Christian Igbo ethnic group were killed in Mubi in Adamawa state about three weeks ago.
“When the other Igbos went to reclaim their bodies theBoko Haram struck and killed 29 others,” he said.
Sectarian violence has been rising since elections in July last year.
He urged both Christians and Muslims to “return to God.”
The priest said Muslims were also targeted by Boko Haram. Between January 28 and 30, three people — including a Muslim — were killed in Gamboru Ngala, Nigerian and Cameroonian police and medical sources said.
The priest was following an Africa Cup of Nations match on television at a bar, along with six other compatriots. In another room, eight other Nigerians sat, drinking.
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