The killings occured, despite the state of emergency, imposed on the state. Yobe and Adamawa states are also under state of emergency.

Some gunmen, who are believed to be members of the sect, stormed Innovative Secondary School, a private outfit in Customs area of Maiduguri, the state capital, killing four teachers and two students.

Another set of suspected terrorists laid ambush to a garden farm on the Maiduguri- Mafa- Dikwa road and killed two farmers. One of the dead was the owner of the Mango and Guava gardens.

It was gathered that as the gunmen entered the school premises at about noon, they met a female teacher who had gone to invigilate the ongoing NECO exams. She reportedly pleaded with them to spare her life which they did but not after taking her bag and the question papers. They then ordered her to leave the school premises.

The gunmen subsequently approached the teachers, who were sitting under a tree and opened fire, killing them on the spot.

It was also gathered that, another set of terrorists ambushed a village on Maiduguri-Mafa-Dikwa road where they killed two farmers and a gardener.

A source said: “The spate of killings of innocent people is becoming a source of concern to people; it is unfortunate that pupils, teachers and poor farmers have now become targets of terrorists.”

A top security source, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said: “Some of the terrorists who fled from their camps in Sambisa have regrouped, launching attacks in Maiduguri and other areas, particularly the recent attack on schools in Yobe and Borno. I am sure that the security agencies are aware and we will take decisive measures to ensure that there is no hiding place for the terrorists in the state.”

It was difficult to reach the spokesman of the Joint Task Force Spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa and police spokesman Gideon Jubrin – apparently due to the cutting off of telecommunication facilities.

The military yesterday extended its ban on telecom facilities use to Thuraya satellite phones as a step to stop the Islamist militants from communicating.

Authorities had earlier cut the mobile network in states under the emergency rule to disrupt Boko Haram’s operations.

Lt.-Col. Musa said the ban was imposed after evidence emerged that Boko Haram used satellite phones to co-ordinate attacks on civilians, including in two school attacks in the past week.

Suspected Islamist militants fired on a school in Maiduguri on Tuesday, killing nine students. The attack followed one in Damaturu, Yobe State, which is also under emergency rule, that killed seven pupils and two teachers.

“Effective from 19th June 2013, the JTF imposes a ban on the use and sales of Thuraya phones and accesories,” Musa said in a statement handed out to journalists.

“Anyone seen with Thuraya phones, recharge cards and accessories will be arrested,” the military spokesman said.

The move will make it even more difficult for journalists to report from the conflict zone, something press freedom groups say Nigeria’s military has been trying to do anyway.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said eight of the suspected terrorists who perpetrated the Borno mayhem had been apprehended on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

In a statement, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information, said the Special Forces have stepped up the mop-up, cordon and search operations “to ensure that the vestiges of terrorism are effectively decimated.

“The DHQ has noted a number of attacks and killing of innocent citizens ostensibly carried out by terrorists in Yobe and Borno in the last couple of days.

“Although this isolated incidents were undertaken by relocating terrorists, the whole trend and development remains unfortunate and condemnable.

“Nevertheless, the public is hereby reassured that these incidents are by no means indicative of a relapse in the counter-insurgency operation aimed at curbing terrorists’ activities in the country.”
-Nation

President Goodluck Jonathan has told the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki Moon that due to the success so far recorded by troops deployed to the North Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the state of Emergency may not last for six months as prescribed by the constitution.

In a meeting with the Secretary General on the sideline of the Africa Union conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr Jonathan said the military operation in the troubled states was going very well and the military have strictly adhered to the rules of engagement.

He explained that the successes recorded by the military is exemplified by the lack of collateral civilian casualties, noting that the operation has helped in creating a better relationship between the civilian population and members of the armed forces.

The president told the Secretary General that government would do everything possible to ensure that the civilian population is not put through hardship, adding that the rules of engagement given to the military deployed in the area is strictly adhered to by the military.

He said governments’s decision to release women and children members of the Boko Haram was in the spirit of the rules of engagement of the operation.

Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary General of the United Nations sympathized with the government and people of Nigeria over the activities of Boko Haram, saying that Terrorism is a global phenomenon that must be confronted by the international community.

He reiterated his call on the Nigerian military engaged in operations in the affected states where state of emergency has been declared to be prudent and cautious in protecting the civilian population in the areas of operation.

-Vanguard

The fleeing villagers were said to have headed to the neighbouring Niger Republic.

“Most of the residents of border villages of Borno have fled to Niger. About 2,000 people from Abadan, Malam Fatori and other villages are now refugees in Difa, Niger Republic,” a top security officer told one of our correspondents on Sunday.

The source said that the Joint Military Task Force was on the trail of members of the Boko Haram sect, who were dislodged from the Sambisa Game Reserve and other camps on Thursday in Borno State.

It was learnt that residents of Maiduguri and other communities far from the border, who did not want to be caught in the cross-fire had also fled to some neighbouring states, including Kano and Bauchi.

The Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not confirm whether the Nigerian villagers had fled to Niger Republic.

“I will have to find out,” he said.

As the time of sending this report, he had yet to comment on the development.

Also, Nigerian Immigration Public Relations Officer, Ekpedeme King, promised to find out if any Nigerian villagers fled to Niger Republic.

However, he did not respond to subsequent calls and a text message sent to his phone.

Olukolade, in a statement on Sunday, said, “A total of 20 terrorists were apprehended as they fled. Altogether, three soldiers died, while seven are wounded and are being treated in military medical facility, one soldier is missing.”

According to Olukolade, patrols are also ongoing to secure towns and villages from infiltration by the terrorists.

He added that the curfews imposed on identified flashpoints were being enforced.

The military spokesman said that dislodged terrorists had been in disarray with a large number of them heading for various borders.

He said, “Their bases are being deserted but they are making efforts to evacuate most of the large stock of logistics, including scores of vehicles in their holdings.

“In the course of special forces and operations, a number of encounters have ensued since yesterday (Saturday).”

The military had on Saturday said 10 Boko Haram members were killed, while 65 others were arrested during encounters with the terrorists on Friday.

On Sunday, Olukolade said, “The required reinforcement and logistics have been delivered to forces in fronts where they have been engaging a large number of heavily armed terrorists since yesterday.

“Defence Headquarters is quite satisfied with the high standard of compliance with operational order and strict observance of the rules of engagement so far.

“The forces have been directed to maintain the robustness of the patrols and enforcement of curfews where emplaced and ensure that civilians are kept out of harms as much as possible.”

A 24-hour curfew had on Saturday been imposed in parts of the city of Maiduguri.

In Adamawa State, the curfew imposed in parts of the state has been biting harder on residents, especially those living in the capital city, Yola, and the border towns of Mubi and Maiha.

A resident of Jimeta-Yola, Ms. Rifkatu Iliya, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the telephone, said, “The curfew is still on and we are learning to live with it, those of us who go to work leave earlier than usual so that we are not caught up.

“For those who are trading, it is more difficult because their trading hours have been reduced to between three to five hours a day.

“I will be lying if I say we are not living in fear, we have heard of the atrocities of Boko Haram in some parts of the state and we have seen an increase in the number of security forces.”

But a security source in Yola, who asked not to be named because she was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue, said the military crackdown, had been concentrated in Borno.

The source said, “The military operations are targeted largely at terrorist training camps and strongholds in Borno.

“However, we in Adamawa are also on the alert because we are aware that the insurgents who are under intense pressure in Borno may want to seek a safe haven here.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday declared state of
emergency in three north east states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno
following increasing waves of killing and attacks by suspected Boko
Haram sect.

The three states share borders locally and have international
borders with African countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Borno is the home base of the Boko Haram sect.

“The road linking Adamawa and Borno has been blocked. People
are not allow to move into the neighboring tatetes on the road
especially early in the morning and by afternoon,” Adamu Baba, a
cab drive said.

A Xinhua reporter in the restive state said the cordon measure was
to ensure the militant sect do not escape to the neighboring states
as the bombardment of their camp is going on.

Meanwhile, the advancing troops of Nigeria’s special task force have
destroyed some insurgent’ camps in the forests of northern and
central Borno.

Chris Olukolade, spokesperson for the defense headquarters said in
Abuja on Friday that heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft and
anti-tank guns, were destroyed in the process.

He said the special operations, which preceded troops movement,
resulted in the destruction of much of the insurgent’s weapons.
Logistics, he added, such as vehicles, containers, fuel dumps and
power generators were also destroyed.

According to him, the casualties inflicted on the insurgents in the
course of the assault will be verified during a mop up.

The defense headquarters in Abuja is quite satisfied with the
progress of the operation and the fighting spirit of troops, he added.
The spokesperson urged the task force to sustain the tempo.

Also, border posts have all been manned by security agents to
prevent the escape or infiltration of the insurgents.

The Nigerian leader also directed the Chief of Defense Staff, Ola
Ibrahim, to deploy more troops to the three states of Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe.

-Xinhua

The names of the recaptured councils could not be confirmed out of the lot in possession of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram. The areas where the insurgents were said to have been in total control before the military operation launched on Thursday were Marte, Magumeri, Mobbar, Gubio, Guzamala, Abadamin, Kukawa, Kaga, Nganzai and Monguno.

Also, the troops reportedly invaded and took over a training camp of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, known as Sambisa on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in the early hours of Thursday.

Borno as well as Adamawa and Yobe states fell under emergency rule by presidential proclamation on Tuesday.

President Goodluck Jonathan said all efforts to bring the violence in the area under control had failed hence the need to use force to force insurgents out of the states, especially Borno where the President said insurgents had taken control of the northern part.

A soldier who spoke to one of our correspondents from Maiduguri, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We have succeeded in taking over Sambisa Games Reserve, which the sect had been using as its camp. Scores of people found in the camp were arrested.

“We will interrogate them and those who are not members of the sect will be set free. The operation is being carried out in such a way that there is no harassment. The innocent should not be afraid.”

The source however declined to comment on the number of casualties already recorded and the number of persons arrested.

The PUNCH learnt that troops on Thursday shut down almost half of the state as they attacked suspected Boko Haram enclaves.

A man who spoke to one of our correspondents on the telephone from Maiduguri narrated that the military operation in the city had disrupted normal life.

He said the number of roadblocks had increased and that “farmers are no longer going to the farm, only a few traders are venturing out to the market.

“Shop owners who sell provisions are finding it difficult to replenish their stock.”

The source further explained that even residents of Maiduguri, considered safe were living in fear.

This, he explained, was because they feared that the insurgents could sneak into town. The Boko Haram insurgency began in Maiduguri in 2009 and Borno State is seen as the operational base of the sect that has killed at least 2,500 persons in attacks on military and police facilities, drinking joints, worship houses and markets.

Director of Defence Information, Brig.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents that more troops had been deployed in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

He declined to comment on the number of troops that were billed to participate in the major military operations planned to flush out the insurgents from the area.

Olukolade said that it was not strategic to disclose the number of soldiers or security personnel that would be used for the operation.

“All I can say is that more soldiers have been deployed today; that I can confirm to you. On the issue of the numbers that are being quoted, they are not from the DHQ. We are not quoting any number.

“The operation is continuing satisfactorily. Details will be made available to the public at the appropriate time.”

Another source in the besieged area said, “We now have more soldiers and weapons than I have ever seen in my life. Although some of them are moving towards the north, some are remaining here in Maiduguri.

“I have no idea what is going on in places like Bama, Marte, Magumeri, and Monguno where the Boko Haram people have taken control of some towns and villages. But movement in-and-out of these areas has been restricted.”

The Nigerian Army on Thursday announced an indefinite dusk-to-dawn curfew in Adamawa State.

Public Relations Officer of 23rd Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Yola, Lt. Ja’afaru Nuhu, in a statement on Thursday said the curfew would be between 6 pm and 6 am until further notice.

He said, “Sequel to the Presidential declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan, a 6pm to 6am curfew has been imposed on Adamawa State.

“All law-abiding citizens are advised to abide by the curfew,” the statement said.

There are reports that business and other activities are going on as usual in Yola in spite of the heavy deployment of soldiers and policemen in strategic places.

The BBC reports on Thursday indicated that mobile phone networks were not functioning in many parts of North-East states, though the reporter said it was not clear if the situation was related to the current military offensive.

The insurgents had previously attacked mobile phone masts in the area in an effort to disrupt communications.

The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Inuwa Bwala, and the Director of Press, Mallam Isa Gusau, could not be reached as of the time of this report.

-Vanguard

Human rights organisation, Youth and Conflict Resolution Initiatives, YCRI, Sunday, berated the north and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, for kicking against the call for imposition of emergency rule in some volatile states in the northern part of the country.

Media reports quoting the spokespersons of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr. Anthony Sani; the Northern Elders’ Forum, Dr. Paul Unongo; the National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed and the National Publicity Secretary of ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said they would resist attempts by the federal government to apply more force in the bid to quell the insurgency in the region.

According to them, the federal government could not justify a state of emergency in the North, since such a measure wasn’t introduced in the South-South states at the peak of the violence unleashed on the region by Niger Delta militants and urged President Jonathan to step down if the imposition of emergency rule was the only viable option left for him.

However, YCRI in a statement signed by its Director of International Relations, Mr Efemena Agadama said, it was disappointed that some individuals would kick against any move to tackle the security challenges in the country because of their selfish interests, stressing that genuine call for emergency rule in Borno and other states must not be politicized or wrongly calculated as a ploy against the north.

“Any group from the north that tends to play politics with the continuous massacre of security operatives and civilians by the insurgents may be benefiting from the insurgency and we say no to such flagrant monumental disregard of the lives of innocent Nigerians.

“Boko Haram has murdered more security officers than any group in the history of Nigeria and the group has continuously been involved in jail breaks and wide spread destruction. No country anywhere in the world that is not at war will accept such criminal activities. It’s unconstitutional for any rebel or terrorist group to control any part of the country.”

The statement warned the federal government not be diverted by the conflicts in Nasarawa state thereby not declaring a state of emergency in Borno state where it now seemed that Boko Haram has taken control of several local governments.

“The federal government comprising the executive, the legislature and the judiciary should uphold all laws of the federation and stop the ongoing lawless acts by various militias that disregard the sanctity of human lives. None of the arms of government should act as opposition if the sanctity of lives and the unity of the country must be preserved”, the statement maintained.

-Punch

MAIDUGURI—No fewer than 185 persons, including women and children, have been killed and more than 2000 houses destroyed in an intense fighting between the military and suspected members of Boko Haram sect in Baga, a fishing community in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Soldiers were said to have bombarded the remote town of Baga near the Nigerian border with Chad for hours last Friday evening exchanging rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-gun fire with insurgents in the neighbourhoods filled with civilians.
The fighting saw insurgents fire rocket-propelled grenades as soldiers sprayed machine-gun fire into the neighbourhoods.

The fighting in Baga began Friday and lasted for hours, sending people fleeing into the arid scrublands surrounding the community on Lake Chad. By Sunday, when government officials finally felt safe enough to see the destruction, homes, businesses and vehicles were burnt throughout the area.

A local government official, Mallam Lawan Kole told Governor Kashim Shettima who inspected the affected area that at least 185 bodies had been found and buried on Sunday afternoon.

The Commander of the Multinational Forces, Brigadier General Austin Edokpaye, who was also on the visit did not dispute the casualty figures.

Edokpaye said: “We received an intelligence report that some suspected Boko Haram members usually pray and hide arms at a particular mosque in the town and after soldiers had surrounded the mosque, the extremists used heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the soldiers. They reportedly used civilians as human shields during the fight. We lost an officer during the attack on our men.

“When we reinforced and returned to the scene, the terrorists came out with heavy firepower including RPGs which usually has a conflagration effect.” Edokpaye said.

General Austin Edokpaye, however, revealed that the conflagration that consumed the town and the resultant deaths should be blamed on the Boko Haram terrorists who opened fire on soldiers and were using civilians as human shield. He also denied allegations by the residents that the shootout was unprovoked.

A resident of Baga town whose name was given as Mallam Bana told the visiting Governor Shettima that the incident started at about 8pm on Friday night.

“The soldiers were mindless that night in their approach; they killed (our people) and burnt our houses, chased everyone into the bush including women and children. So far, we have buried 185 corpses, some were burnt beyond recognition; others are hospitalised with various degrees of burns,” Mallam Bana said.

According to a grocer, Bashir Isa, “everyone has been in the bush since Friday night. We started returning to town because the governor came to town today. To get food to eat in the town now is a problem because even the markets are burnt. We are still picking corpses of women and children in the bush and creeks.”
By Sunday afternoon, the burnt bodies of cattle and goats still filled the streets while bullet holes marred burnt buildings.

Jonathan orders probe

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a full scale probe into the incident at Baga in Borno State and assured Nigerians and the global community that Nigeria ‘’places the highest possible value on the lives of all citizens of the country and that his administration will continue to do everything possible to avoid the killing or injuring of innocent bystanders in security operations against terrorists and insurgents.”

A statement by Dr. Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said in part: “Rules of engagement for the military and security agencies are already in place for this purpose and the investigation ordered by President Jonathan into the incident in Baga is to amongst other things, determine whether or not these rules were fully complied with.

The President has also ordered the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and Federal health agencies to liaise with the Borno State Government and take urgent steps to provide immediate relief and medical support for all who suffered losses and injury in the fighting at Baga.”

Our ordeal: French ex-hostages released by Boko Haram

Meanwhile, members of the French family held hostage for two months by the Boko Haram sect, spoke about their ordeal on French national television over the weekend. They said the four children helped them get through the tough times.

Despite their kidnapping, the family said it would be happy to return to Cameroon.
“It’s a superb country,” said Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, head of the family. “We were there for two years. We have friends there and Cameroonian brothers.”

The French family kidnapped in Cameroon by suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants were released last Thursday, without a ransom paid, French president François Hollande said. The group had released videos of the family, threatening to kill them if authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon did not release Muslim militants held there.

However, Albane Moulin-Fournier, in a prime-time interview Saturday night, said that there had been some “very hard moments, physically,” during their captivity.

Albane was held in a different location from her husband, Tanguy, who said they were put in extreme heat with little access to water. Tanguy’s brother Cyril said a routine of daily activities for the children helped the family keep their sanity.

“There were activities. We folded up the sheets in the morning. We went to prepare breakfast,” said Cyril. “It was important to keep up a daily routine.”

-Vanguard

A policeman was killed by unknown gunmen at the wedding of his two daughters in Damboa town in Damboa local government area of Borno State, local sources said yesterday, saying the incident happened on Friday.

Residents told our correspondent that the deceased policeman was shot dead in front of his house while conducting the wedding Fatiha of his daughters shortly after the Friday congregation prayer(Jumat). It was gathered that the policeman ran from the town for months following death threat sent to him by unknown persons only to return to the town last week in order to marry out his daughters.

”He came back last week to marry out his two daughters but was shot dead on Friday after Jumat while the wedding was going on”, a resident who did not want to be named said.Our reporter learnt that the deceased officer was from Michika local government area of Adamawa State but resident in Damboa. In another development, a telecommunications network mast has been burnt down in Ajigin village, an outskirts of Damboa local government area.

Locals said that the Airtel’s mast, was just repaired Thursday,was burnt for the second time. No official statement on the two incidents and efforts to get the Borno police spokesman,DSP Gideon Jibrin, weres not successful as at the time of filing this report.

Via Vanguard

Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram have again attacked the hilly Gwoza town, southeast of Borno, broke into a prison in a bloody operation, which led to the death of at least one person while unspecified numbers of inmates were freed.

Sources said the gunmen numbering over 10 stormed the Gwoza satellite prison between 7 and 8pm on Thursday with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a development which caused confusion and anxiety among prisons officials and warders as everybody scampered for safety.

However in the ensuing confusion, the gunmen were said to have broken into the prison and freed all the inmates. The Thursday attack on Gwoza prison came barely 10 days after similar attack was carried out by unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram on the Gwoza Divisional Police Headquarters, leaving no fewer than eight persons including police men dead.

Residents said the prison building located near the palace of Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Shehu Idrissa Timta, was destroyed by the explosion while little resistance came from the prison security men.

“The attack lasted one hour and nobody can say precisely how the attackers came but people said they were many and may be more than 10. We were just hearing blast and gunshots and I think the prison warders couldn’t resist them. Everybody in town was afraid and we had to hurry home.

The Borno State Command of the Nigeria Prison Service could not be reached for confirmation as at press time even as there was no official statement from either the police or the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the incident. Gwoza, a border town with Republic of Cameroon, is 135 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and hotbed of the insurgency, which has claimed over 2000 lives since the first uprising in 2009.

Via Sun

Witnesses said the explosions happened within minutes of each
other, suggesting the kind of coordinated strike that used to be the
hallmark of Islamist sect Boko Haram, before a military campaign
weakened them. They remain the main security headache to
Africa’s top energy producer.

President Jonathan spent the night in Maiduguri, the epicenter of
the insurgency, which seeks to carve an Islamist state out of
religiously mixed Nigeria. It was his first trip to the troubled
northeast since becoming president.

During it, he poured cold water on the idea of an amnesty for
Islamist fighters and urged the region’s tribal elders to do more to
help fight the insurgents.

The blasts in the Jajeri ward of the city occurred about five hours
after he left in the afternoon, witnesses said.

“I heard seven explosions successively. They were huge, but I have
no way of knowing whether the explosions hurt anybody,” Jajeri
resident Usman Abubakar told Reuters by telephone.

There was no word on casualties and a security forces spokesman
for the northeast was not immediately available for comment.
/Reuters