ARMY RECOVERS SHEKAU’S QUR’AN, FLAG IN SAMBISA – OFFICIAL

Maiduguri—The Nigerian Army yesterday said it had recovered Abubakar Shekau’s Qur’an and flag in Camp Zero, the Boko Haram’s Headquarters in Sambisa forest.

The Army also said it arrested about 1,240 suspected Boko Haram terrorists during a mop-up operation by troops inside the Sambisa forest.

This is even as Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, who represented Imo North senatorial district between 1999 and 2003, described the fall of Sambisa forest to fighting Nigerian troops in the North East as a fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s electoral promise.

Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this while giving newsmen update on “Operation Rescue Final” in Maiduguri.

“We believe that the Holy Book and the flag were abandoned by Abubakar Shekau while he escaped.
Shakau’s flag and Quaran recovered by Nigerian soldiers (NAN)

“The Book will be taken to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Burutai, for onward presentation to Mr President.

“We have also made a lot of arrests. Our troops in Damboa arrested about 15 Boko Haram members. We also arrested one Musa from Potiskum on Christmas day which was Dec.25.

“On Dec. 26 our troops also intercepted two Boko Haram suspects in Maiduguri.

“We, therefore, warn residents of the state to be wary of people coming to hide in and around their houses.

“We are also warning residents to report any suspected Boko Haram members hiding in their houses to relevant security agencie. Any failure to do that would tantamount to supporting and sympathising with the sect’s activities,” Irabor said.

The Army said it arrested about 1,240 suspected Boko Haram terrorists during a mop-up operation by troops inside the Sambisa forest.

Maj.-Gen. Irabor, who also disclosed this, said 413 of the suspects were adults; 323, female adults; 251, male children; and 253 female children.

He said the suspects were apprehended during a mop-up operation against the sect members in the forest.

“We are interrogating them to know whether they are Boko Haram members, because there is no way somebody that is not their member would live inside Sambisa forest.

“We are still on the trail of the terrorists and I want to assure you that all escape routes have been blocked. Within this period, also, about 30 fleeing suspected Boko Haram members have surrendered to the Niger Multinational Troops on the shores of the lake Chad and we learnt that they were taken to Difa in the Niger Republic.

“The suspects include; 24 male and six females.

“We would like to use this opportunity to encourage the terrorists to give up the fight because the window is still open,” the commander said.

Meanwhile, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume has described the fall of Sambisa Forest to the hands of fighting Nigerian troops in the North East as a fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s electoral promise.

He expressed optimism that the country’s ailing economy would bounce back fully in no distant time, following the defeat of Boko Haram and subsequent take over of Sambisa forest by the military.

Araraume, now a chieftain of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, described the liberation of Sambisa forest as a landmark achievement for Buhari’s administration, insisting that the development would propel economic recovery in the short run.

The former lawmaker said in a statement yesterday: ‘“President Muhammadu Buhari has accomplished a major electoral promise to defeat Boko Haram and enforce national security.”

Araraume, who is also commissioner at the National Communications Commission, said: “The take over of Sambisa forest is a symbolism of a new dawn in the security sector, which will now prepare ground for economic recovery. Enhanced security will create enabling ground for flourishing of economic activities.

“Booming economic activities will result in new jobs and controlled inflation. Pain of recession will be gradually eased off and Nigerians will bountifully reap dividends of democracy.

“I call on Nigerians to support the Federal Government as it now focuses on economic recovery after it has crippled and wiped out that devastating insurgency. A Buhari who delivers on security promise will also deliver on economic recovery.”

He said with the fall of the forest, investments, both local and foreign, would be attracted by a more secured investment environment, adding that the 2017 budget, tagged Budget of Recovery, would now have peaceful environment for implementation.

“We must commend the officers, men and women of the armed forces for their gallantry . The Commander-in-Chief, President Buhari, deserves accolades on this historical occasion, “ he said.

Source: Army recovers Shekau’s Qur’an, flag in Sambisa – Official – Vanguard News

FRENCH INTERESTS ARE SPONSORING BOKO HARAM TO PREVENT NIGERIA EXPLOITING OIL FROM THE CHAD!

French National Reportedly Captured By Nigerian Troops In Boko Haram Camp

The mysterious white man captured by Nigerian soldiers during last week’s storming of Boko Haram’s headquarters in the Sambisa Forest is a Frenchman and he specializes in repairing and unlocking armored personnel vehicles and other fighting equipment, Daily Trust learnt from authoritative military sources yesterday. The white man’s identity is being concealed by the Federal Government and military authorities for diplomatic reasons, the sources also said.

Defense Headquarters has been silent on the development since the news broke last Friday, shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari announced that   Boko Haram’s last stronghold in the Sambisa forest, Borno State had been overrun by troops. Soldiers who took part in the operation told our correspondent yesterday that a white man was actually arrested in the Sambisa forest and that he has been providing “credible information” to military authorities. A source said, “He was arrested along the Bama axis of the Sambisa forest and agreed to give vital information provided he would be spared. I learnt that he is from France but authorities do not want to make his real identity known for diplomatic reasons…They  don’t want to jeopardize the success recorded.” Although some sources only said the captured white man is “from Western Europe,” Daily Trust learnt that he is actually a Frenchman. All Nigeria’s neighbours in the North East, namely Cameroon, Niger Republic and Chad are French speaking.

The French embassy in Nigeria did not respond to email and text message sent to it for comment yesterday.
How top officers led Sambisa offensive
The one month long military offensive that led to the capture of Sambisa Forest last Thursday was led by “the best hands” in the Nigerian Army and Air Force, sources close to the operation told Daily Trust yesterday. Before the renewed offensive to reclaim the dreaded forest where Boko Haram fighters held sway since 2013, officers between the ranks of Lieutenants, Captains and Majors normally led operations, sources said. This time around, more senior officers led the operation on all fronts during the final onslaught. It was gathered that the officers, besides various trainings they obtained at home, have been trained abroad and had participated in serious military operations.

The 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi) vast Sambisa Forest had been the nightmare of the Nigerian security forces, including their foreign allies, who provided various security reports over the years. It was gathered that some of the fighting troops were mobilized with light rocket propelled grenades [RPGs], weapons they did not use previously.  The light RPGs, according to one of our sources, could be carried on by soldiers on their shoulders for long distances because of their light weight and were used against far flung targets.

“With the exception of one major of the Nigerian Army, all the commanding officers that led the 4,200 troops into the Sambisa Forest are of the rank of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel,” a soldier who participated in the operation said. He said “the Bama axis was led by a Colonel who viciously decimated many Boko Haram fighters. Together with his troops, he captured Alafa 1, 11 and 111 in the Sambisa Forest and freed over 1,000 people. He also captured nearly 500 suspects, mostly men who are being interrogated for having links with the Boko Haram.”

According to him, “some of the suspects are claiming that they were forcefully conscripted into the violent group while others have admitted that they belong to the group.” Another source said the Konduga/Aulari axis of the Sambisa Forest was captured by a daring army Major. “This Major is one of the heroes in the Nigerian Army. He was very close to the late Lieutenant Colonel Abu Ali of blessed memory. He knows the Sambisa Forest very well and was therefore directed to approach the forest through the infamous Gate One,”the source said. He added, “The Ngurosoye axis of the Sambisa Forest was led by a Lieutenant Colonel who is also a fearless and versatile officer. His 151 Battalion is known as Blocking Force. His troops recovered many AK47 rifles of fleeing Boko Haram insurgents and they also freed many women and children.”

The real operation
Sources said during the planning to re-take Sambisa Forest, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Tukur Buratai frequented Maiduguri almost on daily basis. “Sometimes he passed the night there (in Maiduguri) and sometimes he went back to Abuja. He personally commanded the general operation,” an officer who craved for anonymity said. He said radar with monitors was mounted at the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army and everything, including troop movement; logistics, ground operation and aerial reconnaissance both day and night were closely monitored with precision.

He said, “The close monitoring from Maiduguri helped a great deal in reducing mistakes. This gave the troops the confidence to relentlessly march on during operations. The fact that the mine detectors deployed to the Sambisa forest also demobilized all the bombs planted by the insurgents gave our troops added impetus. The mine detectors normally detonated most of the IEDs with ease and also cleared the terrain for armoured vehicles to move freely.”

The source that added some Boko Haram commanders and foot soldiers who were arrested long ago and “de-radicalized” were also imbedded in the operation. “The repentant insurgents, some members of the civilian JTF and local vigilantes know the Sambisa Forest very well, far better than the maps we used in the operation and therefore, they assisted greatly in helping us to locate hideouts. Also, sophisticated fighter jets and drones that have capacity to monitor things as far as away as 600 meters were deployed to the Sambisa forest and worked day and night,” he said.

The fall of ‘Camp Zero’
A military officer told our correspondent that this was not the first time attempt made to capture “Camp Zero” in Sambisa Forest where the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau used as his hide out on different occasions. “This is the second time Camp Zero is taken. The first was during the JTF (Joint Task Force) in June 2013 before it (JTF) was disbanded and the area was lost completely,” the officer said.
He said despite the success recorded, there is worry among the military high command because some of the things expected to be recovered at the building were not found. “It is likely they (Boko Haram) are somewhere because they moved away with their equipment and prized possessions, including the Chibok girls in possession of Shekau group,” he said.

He said there were other dreaded cells that have been deserted by the Boko Haram terrorists, such as the ones in Kareto and Gudumbali at the height of offensive last year and another one in Kukawa which was reclaimed this year. It was learnt that while some of the Chibok girls and other captives are with the Shekau camp, many of them are with the Mamman Nur faction, led by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, son of the group’s late Mohammed Yusuf. They are suspected to be held in cells in northern Borno State.

“Camp Zero has for a long time been an objective for our troops but it is not the end of Sambisa in the true sense of the crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have been trained in the art of war, so it is likely they moved away for tactical reasons,” he said. The source said the COAS, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole as well as the GOCs of the army’s 3, 7 and 8 Divisions and other key Army Headquarters officers held a marathon meeting on December 24 and continued meeting yesterday on the operations in the North East. “They had a break on the 25th because of Christmas and they went to open the roads from Maiduguri to Damasak and to Baga. Their main concern in the meeting is the disappearance of Boko Haram leaders with their equipment and lack of trace of the Chibok girls,” the officer said. Sources said beside the equipment found there, Boko Haram fighters had raided many workshops and la  boratories in schools around the Sambisa Forest in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and had fabricated fighting equipment and chemicals with the facilities they carted away.

There is controversy as to how Camp Zero actually looked like. While some soldiers that participated in the operation said it has two underground buildings and tunnels as well as hardware and equipment for the training of the disbanded National Guards, some officers told our correspondent that the place was actually inherited from the Sambisa Game Reserve.

“The National Guard were to train there but were never there. A team went to inspect the place in the 80s but the movement and training did not hold. The solid structure there belonged to the forest management authority,” he said.

Source: French National Reportedly Captured By Nigerian Troops In Boko Haram Camp Is A Military Mechanic Specializing In APCs | Sahara Reporters

WHAT IF ONE ITALIAN IN NIGERIA IS ALSO MURDERED AS REVENGE FOR THIS RACIST KILLING?

Italy migrants: Nigerian killed in Fermo race attack

A man has been arrested by Italian police investigating the killing of a Nigerian immigrant which the government has condemned as a racist attack.

Police say a row broke out at Fermo, a town on Italy’s east coast, when racist abuse was hurled at the partner of Emmanuel Chidi Namdi, 36.

The violence escalated when a traffic pole was pulled from the ground. The victim later died in hospital.

A local man described as a well-known “ultra” football fan is being held.

Amedeo Mancini, 35, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of racially aggravated manslaughter. His lawyer said he “did not mean to kill” and that he had punched the Nigerian in self defence.

Emmanuel Chidi fled Nigeria with his partner Chinyery, 24, after their families came under attack from jihadist group Boko Haram.

Their families were killed in an attack on a Nigerian church in 2015, Italian media reported.The prime minister tweeted that the government was against racism and hatred

As the couple made their way across the Mediterranean, their baby died.

They finally arrived in Fermo last November and were taken in by a local Christian charity. They had a wedding ceremony in January, conducted by local priest Father Vinicio Albanesi, which was unofficial because they had lost their documents, Rai TV reported.

What happened on Tuesday evening is unclear. However, it is thought that the attacker subjected Chinyere to racist chanting and then grabbed her.

At that point the traffic pole was pulled out of the ground as Emmanuel Chidi and his attacker came to blows. He was taken to hospital in a coma but never recovered.

Local churches which have worked with migrants have recently been targeted by small bombs, according to Father Vinicio Albanesi.Reform Minister Maria Elena Boschi said Emmanuel’s wife Chinyery had “the embrace of all Italy. We must remain human”

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was among many across Italy who took to social media to express disgust at the killing, using the hashtag Emmanuel.

“The government today is in Fermo with Don Vinicio and the local institutions in memory of Emmanuel. Against hate, racism and violence,” he wrote.

Visiting the town, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told reporters on Thursday that the seed of racism had to be stopped before it could bear fruit. “The heart of Italy isn’t represented by those who carried out this murder.”

He also announced that Emmanuel Chidi’s partner Chinyere had been granted refugee status.

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