PHOTOS: Mrs. Aisha Buhari distributes relief items to IDPs in NGANZAI and MONGUNO areas

Less than two weeks after the reopening of roads leading to Northern Borno state, Mrs. Aisha Buhari represented by Senator Abubakar Kyari and other members of the Wife of The Presidents Committee on Distribution of Relief Items, distributed relief items to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who returned to their communities in NGANZAI and MONGUNO Local Government areas of the state.

400 households of displaced women in each of the two council areas benefited from the distribution exercise earlier this week.

TROOPS CLEAR BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS IN NGOSHE AND GAVA - ARMY

Today, Tuesday 28th June 2016, troops of 121 Task Force Battalion, 26 Task Force Brigade, accompanied by a large number of Civilian JTF from Gwoza, embarked on a very aggressive patrol that dislodged remnants Boko Haram terrorists hibernating at Ngoshe and Gava villages, located close to Gwoza on the mountainous terrain.

The essence of the robust patrol which was supported by the Nigeria Air Force and Cameroonian Defence Forces who provided air cover and real time Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance, was to clear the remnants of the terrorists hiding in the mountainous area and rescue all persons held hostages by the Boko Haram terrorists.

While advancing towards their objective in Ngoshe, the patrol team encountered Boko Haram terrorists. They have to clear the delay positions staged by the terrorists through the support of the Nigeria Air Force fighter jets.

PRESS RELEASE: GOC PRAISE TROOPS BRAVERY AND COMMITMENT, SAYS MILITARY IS THE STRENGTH OF ANY NATION

Troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army have been urged to remain focused, disciplined and committed to duties while routing out insurgents in the North East. The Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu stated this while on 3 days operational tour of formations and units within 7 Division Area of Responsibility (AOR).

General Ezugwu while addressing troops of 121 Task Force Battalion Pulka, commended them for the successes recorded by the unit in crushing the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) in their locations. He further assured troops that logistics needed for the sustenance of the ongoing operation will be provided. He added that the military is the strength of any nation and urged them to remain dedicated to duty while assuring them that, their efforts will never be in vain.

War Against Insurgency: UPDATE ON OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE - GWOZA RETURNED HOME IN 26 VEHICLES

As you are aware, Nigerian troops in the north eastern part of the country under the auspices of Operation LAFIYA DOLE have been working round the clock to clear the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in their hideouts. Said the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman in his latest statement released to the public today. Consequently, various formations and units have embarked on clearance operations that ranged from outright offensive operations, to raids, cordon and search operations and patrols.

He added: You may recall that a soldier was wounded during an offensive operation by 21 Brigade yesterday, we regret to inform you that he died this morning. May his soul rest in peace, Amen.

The 22 Brigade on its part, has conducted clearance operations in which it cleared 4 towns and villages of Boko Haram terrorists. In the process, they killed 3 Boko Haram terrorists, while 9 of them that hid in a fox holes and dug outs were found out and captured. The troops also recovered weapons and rescued 400 persons held hostages by the terrorists. This is in addition to the recovery and handing over of 300 cows rustled by the terrorists.

THE SMELL OF TRIVIA - Garba Shehu

A good number of the reactions to President Muhammadu Buhari’s announcement that Nigeria has joined the Islamic Coalition Against Terrorism, show quite clearly that many Nigerians do not fully understand the president’s motives for this decision. With the rise of the Boko Haram Terrorist group of the past few years, Nigeria faces a threat such as no other in its entire history and existence. Desperate times require desperate, unusual, measures.

The girls in Gwoza who were raped by militants do not care where the help comes from as far as they will eventually be able to move about freely without fear of being kidnapped and used as sex slaves. The mothers in Bama whose sons were slaughtered before their eyes do not worry whether Boko Haram is defeated by a Christian or Muslim coalition. The hundreds of thousands in IDP camps are concerned simply about when they can safely return to their homes and resume their normal lives. For these ones most hard hit by the Boko Haram terrorists, whether the help they so desperately need comes from the United States of America or from Saudi Arabia does not matter.

Thousands of Nigerian flee to Cameroon after Boko Haram attack

A Boko Haram attack on a border town in northeast Nigeria forced thousands of people to flee on Monday, in a fresh assault indicating the militants' growing ability to strike at will.

The attack on Gamboru Ngala comes after the town was almost entirely destroyed in May in a devastating assault that also left more than 300 people killed and prompted outrage at the lack of military response.

Many local residents sought refuge across the border in the north Cameroon town of Fotokol, where troop reinforcements were being sent, a security service source told AFP.

Boko Haram, which has been blamed for more than 10 000 deaths in a five-year-old uprising, has in recent weeks sought to take over a number of towns in Borno state, shifting from hit-and-run tactics to an apparent holding strategy.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared in a video obtained by AFP on Sunday that the town of Gwoza, southwest of Gamboru Ngala, was now under an Islamic caliphate.

The Seized Town, Gwoza , Now Part of Islamic Caliphate Says Boko Haram Leader

Boko Haram's leader said Gwoza which was seized by the insurgents earlier this month has been placed under an Islamic caliphate, in a video obtained by AFP on Sunday.

A town in the north east of Nigeria is under an 'Islamic caliphate', according to Boko Haram's leader which the Nigerian military denies.

"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in (the town of) Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic caliphate," Abubakar Shekau said in the 52-minute video.

The military however rejected the claim, saying in a statement the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact".

In a July video, Shekau voiced support for the leader of the Islamic State and the Levant (Isil) militants Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in late June declared himself "the caliph" and "leader of Muslims everywhere".

But there was no indication from Shekau in the latest video that he was associating himself with Baghdadi, whose Sunni Muslim fighters have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria.

As such, it was not clear if Shekau was declaring himself to be a part of Baghdadi's call or if he was referring to a separate Nigerian caliphate.

Nigeria Military to protect Ploice Facilities Across the Country as Boko Haram attack Gwoza Police Training Academy

Following an attack on one of the country’s foremost police training institutions, the Police Academy, Gwoza, Borno State by Boko Haram on Wednesday, the Nigeria Police has reached out to the military to protect its facilities in the North.

The military would deploy soldiers to guard police barracks, primary and secondary schools, as well as its training colleges. Besides the college at Gwoza, other NPF training institutions in the country include the police colleges in Jos, Plateau State; Ikeja, Lagos State; Kaduna, Kaduna State; Maiduguri, Borno State; Oji-River and Police Detective College, Enugu; as well as the Police College of Information Technology, Abeokuta.

Others are the Police Mobile Training School, Ila-Orangun, Osun State; Mounted/Dog Training Schools, Jos, Plateau State; Traffic Training School, Ikeja; the Police School of Music, Ikeja; Police Schools of Communication, Ikeja, Lagos and Kaduna; the Police School of Anti-Terrorism, Nonwa-Tai, Rivers State; the Police Training School, Sokoto; Police Training School, Bauchi; Police Training School, Minna, Niger State; and Police Training School, Jos.

‪#‎BringBackOurGirls‬: 62 Days in Bondage, the Chibok Girls and the Future of Nigeria - by: Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim

On 13th June, the Abuja Family of the #BringBackOurGirls movement reflected upon 60 days of the Chibok Girls in bondage and 45 days of its own continuous sittings and marches by the movement. The day had started with an agent provocateur announcing on Channels TV that the leader of the Movement, Oby Ezekwesili has received a bribe to provide leadership for the patriotic demands by the movement that Government should rescue the girls. Indeed over the past six weeks, Oby has been inundated by attacks, insults and lies all aimed to tarnish her image and reputation. Apparently, an army of character assassinators has been recruited and deployed in the mass media and social media with the specific assignment to impugn the character of Oby Ezekwesili. It is a sad commentary on the nation that people who are looting the treasury are rewarded with chieftaincy titles and national honours while those working hard to promote transparency and accountability are maligned and blackmailed. My only happiness is that Oby has remained steadfast and focused on the campaign and resisted with success the attempts to derail the great work she is doing.

Dr. Salma Kolo, Borno State Commissioner for Health briefed the rally on what the State Government had been doing. A Technical working Group had been established to provide psychosocial support for the girls who escaped from bondage and their families. The work is being done in close collaboration with the Chibok community and the United Nations Population Fund she explained. The whole community is traumatised and so far seven parents of the abducted girls have died of stress related to the trauma they suffered. The State Government and stakeholders are mapping all families involved not only in Chibok’s 11 wards but also in other Local Government Areas such as Gwoza and Dambua. So far, 40 of the escapee girls have been reached and are undergoing counselling. Many commentators were unhappy that 60 days after, not all the girls had been reached and called on the Borno State Government to do more and treat the matter with the urgency it deserved. In her response, she accepted the necessity to do more and act with greater speed but she lamented the fact that the problem is vast. She pointed out that on a daily basis, girls are still being abducted from Fulani and Shuwa pastoralist’s families deep in the rural hinterland.

Soldiers arrest 13-yr-old girl for spying for Boko Haram

The Nigerian Army Unit in Gwoza, Borno State, have arrested a 13-year-old girl for spying on the military formation for the members of Boko Haram.

NAN reports that a security source confirmed that the soldiers who picked up the girl were said to be stunned when they found an AK 47 assault rifle in her residence. It was further gathered that the girl led the soldiers to three other girls who were also said to have been recruited by Boko Haram to spy on military formations.

However, the source did not say whether the soldiers found any lead in the residents of the other girls said to be undergoing interrogation.

How Boko Haram Kill an Emir and 19 others in Borno State

(AP) - Officials say suspected Islamic militants (Boko Haram) killed 20 people including a traditional ruler in northeast Nigeria in four attacks across the country in three days.

Monday's massive explosion killed 175 people in Abuja, the capital, and on Tuesday gunmen kidnapped about 100 female students in the northeast.

Politician Hyeldi Bwala says gunmen marched into the palace of the emir of Gwoza on Tuesday evening and gunned him down along with his security guard.

Just last week the emir had appealed to the government to "save our souls," saying his people were being attacked daily.

Two officials say gunmen on Wednesday morning attacked a village in Gwoza district and killed 18 people.

The attacks strengthen doubts about the ability of Nigeria's military to contain the 5-year-old Islamic uprising.

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Scores Killed in Borno as Boko Haram Launch Fresh Assorts

The Suspected Islamist Jihadists otherwise known as Boko Haram, today, launched fresh attacks on troubled Borno villages and on highways killing more than 30 people including residents, motorists and commuters.

The Boko Haram' latest attacks started on Thursday evening and lasted on till Friday morning, they invaded three towns ; Dikwa (in the central), Gwoza and Kalabalge council area and on Maiduguri-Biu road.

Eight Teachers were killed by the sects in the attack on Government Secondary school in Dikwa located along Gulumba road. 

Borno State: How Boko Haram kills 74 in church attacks, 300 houses set ablaze

Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday evening attacked another village in Borno State, killing a soldier and 51 other persons. About 16 others, including policemen and traders, were injured while 300 houses were set ablaze by the insurgents in Kawuri, Konduga Local Government Area of the state.

Another set of the Boko Haram fighters, armed with guns and explosives, had earlier on Sunday killed 22 people at a church service in Waga Chakawa, Adamawa State.

The Kawuri village attackers were said to have planted several explosives in the community after attacking the nearby weekly market as traders were busy getting ready to close their stalls.

An eyewitness said those who sustained varying degrees of burns were rushed to the Konduga General Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Bulama Kuliri, a resident of the village, told journalists that the attack lasted for more than four hours.

He said, “I believe more than 50 people were killed in the attack because the whole village was razed by the Boko Haram people. There were loud explosions from different directions and dead bodies littered many parts of the village.”

Another eyewitness, Ari Kolomi, told the Associated Press that “no house in the village was left standing.”
“The gunmen were more than 50 and they were using explosives and heavy-sounding guns,” he added.

A soldier said two more improvised explosive devices exploded early on Monday morning, narrowly missing security personnel who were busy collecting corpses.

One of the police officers that evacuated the wounded victims, also confirmed that at least 52 people were killed and 16 injured.

The state Police Commissioner, Lawan Tanko, confirmed the attack but said he was awaiting details on casualties.

A protocol officer in the Government House told journalists that Governor Kashim Shettima was advised to cancel his “planned visit” to the community because “the military were still conducting an operation in the area.”

Shettima later met behind closed doors with military and police officers in the state over the incident.
In Waga Chakawa, witnesses told Reuters that insurgents set off bombs and fired into the congregation in the Catholic Church in a village in Adamawa State.

They said the insurgents also burnt houses and took residents hostage during the four-hour siege.
The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Rev. Father Raymond Danbouye, said those killed were buried at a funeral on Monday.


In the last one week, over 100 persons have been killed in attacks by members of the terror group. These attacks, according to the United Nations, led to 6,000 persons fleeing to neighbouring countries like Cameroon and Niger Republic.

On January 14 for instance, a car bomb exploded in Maiduguri, killing about 70 people.

Communities like Kwaljiri, Kaya, Ngawo Fate, Limanti, Njaba, Yahuri, Mude, Wala and Alau in the Damboa, Konduga and Gwoza Local Government Areas have all been sacked by the terrorists.