several boko haram stories

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has deported 57 illegal Nigeriens in Lagos following the arrest of some suspected members of Boko Haram and the discovery of bombs and two AK-47 rifles at Ijora in Lagos. The said 57 illegal immigrants from Niger Republic were among the 92 suspects arrested by the police in Lagos over the weekend in a routine raid following the security scare. They were subsequently deported by immigration agency in Lagos. NIS comptroller, Lagos State Command, Mr.  Rasheed Odupeyin, disclosed this in Lagos yesterday during a public parade of the suspects shortly before they were repatriated. He remarked that no weapon was found on any of the suspects but that they were repatriated for living in Nigeria illegally. According to Odupeyin, the illegal aliens, comprising 57 Nigeriens and 18 Malians, were living Nigeria without the required documentation. He said: “Some suspected illegal immigrants were brought to the service by the police and the Lagos State Government. They were about 92 people, made up of Nigeriens, Malians and few others. Some have left this morning to the border post, while the others are waiting for a commercial bus that would be used to convey the rest out of the country. We are being careful so as not to break human right laws.” He also confirmed that the suspects were arrested in a joint operation between the state police command and the Lagos State Task Force, but he could not say whether the suspects had links with any terrorist groups. Odupeyin further revealed that after the 92 arrested suspects were thoroughly screened, 17 were found to be Nigerians, saying that they would be returned to the police for further investigation. He said: “We normally look out for documents that permit a foreigner to remain in Nigeria. We discovered that most of them were not registered and that is why we call them irregular immigrants. If they had gained access into the country and regularised their stay, we would not have any problem with them. “Normally, what they should have done is to obtain ECOWAS certificate or their passports; then we register them at the border and get their addresses so that in the case that anything happens, we know where to pick them up.” The immigration chief also announced that the 18 Malians among the suspects may not be repatriated immediately because of the ongoing war in Mali.  He, however, said no Chadian was found among them. According to him, “NIS will contact the United Nations Refugees Commission’s office in Lagos for necessary action about the status of the Malians. We are waiting for its advice on what to do with the Malians.” He advised Nigerians not to shield illegal immigrants in their localities, as do so would endanger their lives and the lives of other people around them. One of the Nigerian suspects, Ibrahim Mohammed, claimed that most of them were from Takai in Kano State, and insisted that they had no links with any terrorist group, but were in Lagos to earn a living. Another of the suspects, a Malian, who simply identified himself as Amadu, told reporters that he came to Lagos from Mali through the border town of Kamba, in Kebbi State, and added that he had no criminal records. He said though he was living in Nigeria illegally, he had been able to secure a job as a water vendor in Surulere area of Lagos metropolis. Bulali Sangali, another suspect from Segu in Mali, said he came into Nigeria through Cotonu, Republic of Benin. According to him, “They did not stop me on my way. They asked me for my passport which I gave them. I sell ice cream in Nigeria. I came into this country with my passport but when police caught me I had no passport with me. I have explained to them that my passport is at home but they refused. I came to Nigeria in 2009, and in 2012 I left to see my family and returned early this year.”   Boko Haram Building: Planned demolition may pit Lagos against  Bayelsa Meanwhile, the proposed plan by the Lagos State government to demolish the building in Ijora area where bombs and two AK-47 assault rifles were recovered last Thursday may pit the Lagos State government against its Bayelsa State counterpart, which owns the building already marked for destruction. The monarch of Ijora community, Oba Fatai Ojora, told Arewa leaders in Lagos who had visited his palace that the Lagos State government was making efforts to pull down the said building where the perpetrators of the heinous crimes stayed. Condemning the suspected Boko Haram members whom he described as ungrateful and enemies of the state, Oba Ojora warned members of the sect to stay away from Ijora and other parts of Lagos or be ready for the grave consequences their actions would attract. He stated that efforts had begun to ensure that the building was taken over and demolished by the state government, even as he noted that the community only escaped attack by sheer providence. He said, “God saved Nigeria. It was prayer that saved us,” the monarch stated and insisted that “the foreigners were staying in the midst of the Hausa community.” The Seriki Hausa and the chairman of Arewa Council of Chiefs in Lagos State, Alhaji Sanni Kabir, described the incident as very unfortunate and urged the Seriki Hausa in all the Hausa communities to remain vigilant. He said that Hausa leaders in the state had held an emergency meeting to dissociate themselves from the dastardly act, and called on the federal and state governments to intensify efforts in the provision of security for Nigerians. He further urged Hausa leaders to report any strange activities in their midst to the monarch, who in turn would notify the security agencies. Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ngozi Braide, yesterday said that the police had fully taken over the security of the building in question until it is finally demolished by the state government as being proposed.   Boko Haram is fighting its last battle - DHQ In a related development, the military has dismissed the anxiety over the recent escalation in the terrorist attacks carried out in the northern parts of the country and its threat in the south west, claiming that the Boko Haram sect is facing imminent defeat and fighting its last battle. The new director, Defence Information, Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade, made this assertion in his maiden meeting with the Defence Correspondents in Abuja yesterday, where he also denied the purported retirement of the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral S Ola Ibrahim. He said: “What we are witnessing of late from the Boko Haram, I personally see it as a kind of desperation. There is a saying that ‘the battle is hottest when it is about to an end’. This shows this is the last fight by the Boko Haram. From the way they have been working and the expectation from the headquarters, the fight against terrorism is coming to an end. Whatever that is happening, the end to terrorism has come in Nigeria.” He also spoke on the military operations within and outside the country, like ‘Operation Flush Out’  illegal foreigners from Chad and Niger, and disclosed that all are recording great successes.  “The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), under the auspices of the DHQ, is currently involved in some external and internal operations in response to contemporary global and internal security challenges. The internal security operations include Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Operation Restore Order, Operation Pulo Shield and the Multinational Joint Task Force.” On the purported retirement of the Chief of Defence Staff, Olukolade dismissed the story with a wave of hand and urged the media to avoid sensational news stories that could cause disaffection in the military. According to him, “The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, has not under any circumstances sought or asked for permission of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to voluntarily retire from active service as reported by those national dailies and online reporters.  These media outfits, some of which are quoting an online news site or other anonymous sources, did not bother to check for facts before embarking on this dangerous sensational report, which is capable of inciting insecurity in the country. “This is most unfortunate especially as it went on to paint a scenario that portrays power struggle within the service, apparently with a view to undermining the cohesiveness of the leadership of the armed forces.  Admiral Ibrahim remains committed to serving the nation to the best of his ability in his capacity as the Chief of Defence Staff of the most vibrant Armed Forces of sub-Sahara Africa. For the avoidance of any doubts, it is hereby clarified that the CDS has not tendered any such notice; neither is he ill as claimed in the spurious reports.” He disclosed that “for most of last week, the CDS was in the United Kingdom and this week in Cote D’ivoire all in a bid to enhance the output of the Nigerian Military in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities, and firming up military cooperation with his counterparts in other countries.”   Afenifere calls for investigation into Lagos arms discovery Also, a pan Yoruba social cultural group, Afenifere, has called for a full scale investigation into Lagos arms discovery at Ijora area of Lagos. The group,  in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Yinka Odumakin, said the allegation by the Ojora of Ijora, Oba Fatai Oyeyinka Aromire, that the house where nine suspected terrorists ,including a Chadian, were arrested in Ijora-Badia in Lagos, belongs to Bayelsa State Government cannot be swept under the carpet. According to Afenifere , “The claim by the Ojora raises a red flag that cannot be ignored given the psychological warfare that has been waged against Yorubaland of possible terror attack for about a year now.” Afenifere said what has largely been perceived as threat was assuming a near reality with the discovery of this terrorists’ hideout. They wondered why the Bayelsa State government had not acceded to the request by the community to either demolish the house or give it out to people who would make good use of it.   Boko Haram: Falana threatens to sue FG over inaction, issues 20-day ultimatum A human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has threatened to drag the federal government before a Federal High Court over its perceived refusal to implement the recommendations of Ambassador Usman Galtimari committee on the wave of insurgencies by Boko Haram sect. Falana made this comment in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday. The Lagos lawyer noted that the Galtimari-led Presidential Committee on the Security Challenges in the North-East Zone of Nigeria set up by government had made far-reaching recommendations to end the insurgency in its report submitted in September 2011, he expressed regret that after the federal government had adopted the report and issued a White Paper in May 2012, the recommendations had not been implemented “to the detriment of law and order in the society.” He then said: “If the deteriorating security situation in the country is not halted by April 15, 2013, I shall not hesitate to embark on legal proceedings at the Federal High Court with a view to compelling the federal government to implement the directives contained in the White Paper.” The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had earlier reviewed the report of the Abba Moro Committee, which was set up to review the Galtimari Committee report after submission. Minister of Interior Moro, who spoke to reporters alongside Minister of Information Labaran Maku at the end of the FEC meeting then, had said the government accepted most of the recommendations contained in the Galtimari report. He added that the solutions suggested, which are reportedly favourable to the dialogue option, would be applied to other trouble spots. For his part, Maku had said then, “In the immediate, I think it is only proper to let you know that government accepted most of the recommendations of the committee that are intended essentially to bring about peace and address some of the issues raised by the members of the sect that have been perpetrating violence in parts of Nigeria.” Leadership