Boko Haram: Military Hands Over Liberated 130 km Road

The military has handed over liberated communities in the Northeast of Nigeria, including the 130 kilometers Damaturu /Biu road which it says are now safe for commercial activities and civilian use.

The General Officer Commanding, GOC of 3 Division of Nigeria Army, Brig-Gen. Mohammed Aliyu said that the
liberated communities have been handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC and other security agencies for their routine duties, ahead of the return of displaced persons currently living in IDP camps.

The hand over exercise was a prelude to the stakeholder’s meeting convened by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj-Gen Umaru Hassan in Maiduguri on Thursday.

At the meeting which was attended by the Police, Nigerian Security And Civil Defense Corps,NSCDC, Department of State Services, DSS, Nigerian Immigration Service , Nigerian Customs Service, Civilian Joint Task Force, Civilian-JTF, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Nigerian Prisons Service, and the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, the Theater Commander said that the military was now ready to bring operations to an end, having made significant gains in counter insurgency operations in the last six years.

On the strategic Damaturu/Biu road, the theater commander had this to say :

“This road is one of the strategic entry points to Yobe and Borno states from other parts of the North-East states and the country as a whole, which was under the control of Boko Haram terrorists; but the military reclaimed it last year to open this strategic road linking so many communities.

“Opening up commercial activities along this road is significant to our current military operations in the North-east geopolitical zone of the country, considering the strategic nature of the road and its economic significance to the people of Yobe and Borno States."

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Catholic Church Transfers Fr Mbaka To New Parish

Emotions flowed freely on Saturday as thousands of Catholic faithful converged at the Christ the King Church, Enugu to watch fiery priest Rev Fr. Ejike Mbaka move to his new parish at Emene, a satellite town of Enugu.

Thousands of followers of the Adoration Ministries watched in tears as trucks, cars and buses lined up to evacuate the belongings of their beloved priest and ministry out of the premises of the Christ the King Church at Enugu GRA.

Mbaka who spoke briefly to the wailing crowd recounted how he had built up the Christ the King Parish from 1997 when he was posted there.

He said that he had accepted his transfer as the will of God even though those behind it intended to use it to suffer him.

“I know I am going there to suffer within now and few months. I am going to suffer because I have no place to put my head. I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the ministry’s assets. I know I am going to suffer and fortunately it is going to happen in the month of lent. Although, I have accepted it as the will of God, it is a mega suffering. All these while, we have been keeping the vineyard and building the Christ the King Parish. All the money I got from my cassettes and crusades were spent on the church, the school and parsonage.

“I am giving God the glory and I welcome the church’s choice and action with absolute acceptance and obedience.
So, there is no negation to what God has approved and what the church suggested. Nobody should see me as a recalcitrant priest. I am not. I have taken an oath of obedience and I stand on it,” he said.

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Army Warns Against "Mad" People Suicide Bombers

The army has issued an alert to the general public that Boko Haram has now resorted to dressing their suicide bombers like lunatics in order to gain easy access to unsuspecting public areas.

Acting director of defence information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, issued the warning on Saturday in the aftermath of Friday’s twin bomb blasts at Gombi market, Adamawa state, in which about 15 persons lost their lives.

He said that investigation revealed that the two male suicide bombers who carried out the Gombi grains market attacks were dressed like mad women.

“The Defence Headquarters therefore urges our fellow good citizens across the country to be wary of mad persons approaching markets, public places or crowded areas so as to nip this ugly trend in the bud. Nigerians are also enjoined to be security-conscious at all times and should endeavour to report any suspicious person or object to security agencies for prompt action,” he said.

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The story of the 19 year old Kano girl without limbs (Photos)

The year 2016 seems to have become the beginning of a new dawn in the life of Miss Rahma Haruna, born without limbs to the family of Haruna Mohammed of Lahadin Makole community in Dawakin Kudu local government area of Kano State 19 years ago.

For most of her life, Rahma has been carried around the streets of Kano by her brother in a plastic basin to beg for alms for the poor family's sustenance.

Both Rahma and her brother have no education.

Then came the early days of January 2016 and a veteran journalist and former BBC correspondent, Ibrahim M Jirgi blessed the physically challenged Rahma with a wheelchair.

This was quickly followed up by a certain Linda who sent a donation of ten thousand naira after reading Rahma's story.

A few days down the line, Mavin Records artist Di'Ja also came calling with gifts.

Now, fast forward a couple of weeks later and Kano State government also comes calling with gifts of their own.

The Commissioner of Women Affairs, Barr. Zubaida Damakka said that the government of Kano State was moved by Rahma's condition and had therefore decided to donate items for the family to start a business and fend for themselves.

Her words:
“Government would continue to look after her welfare to ensure that she lives as comfortable as possible and to make sure that she does not beg because of her physical challenge."

Items donated by the Kano State government for the family to start a new life include 10 cartons of noodles, 2 bags of detergent, 10 cartons of biscuits, 2 bags of semovita, 2 bags of rice, a sack of soya beans, 2 jerrycans of cooking oil 25 liters each and a cash gift of twenty thousand naira.

See Rahma's turning point in pictures.

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Search for Chibok girls intensifies as Airforce raids Sambisa forest.

The search for the abducted Chibok girls has assumed a renewed intensity with the Nigerian Air Force more strike sorties on Boko Haram targets.

The Deputy Theatre Commander (Air), Operation Lafiya Dole, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, disclosed this to newsmen at the military's media centre in Maiduguri, Borno State.

His words:
“In continuation of the counter insurgency, the Air Component in the last one month conducted 286 operational sorties against terrorists’ targets from December 25 to date in the Sambisa Forest covering an area of 157,000 km2 which is equivalent to the total land mass of South Korea, Portugal and Togo.

“A total of 536 hours 21 minutes were flown by various platforms engaged in the operations, translating into 316,637.5 litres of aviation fuel which amounts to N60.3 million, excluding the cost of maintenance and armament expended.”

He said that some highlights of the operations included those of December 25, 2015 and January 17, 2016 in which some Boko Haram command centers and high value targets were neutralized.

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Abuja bombing suspect goes on hunger strike.

The prime suspect in the 2010 Independence Day bombings in Abuja, Mr Charles Okah has embarked on a hunger strike to protest his maltreatment by officials of Kuje Prison.

Mr Okah who has been in detention since his arrest in 2010 is threatening to slam a N5b suit for damages against the Federal Government.

In a petition to the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Dambazau, dated January 21, Okah's counsel, Mr Timi Okponipere alleged that his client has been subjected to persistent harassment and intimidation by the officer in charge of Kuje Prison, Mr Musa Tanko.

“At the time of writing this letter, our client is as emaciated as a bean pole on account of the hunger strike he has embarked upon, to draw global attention to his plight.

“Figuratively speaking, our client is virtually a dead man. If our client dies in prison custody, the entire world, particularly the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta where our client hails from, shall rise in unison against President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, even as we concede the fact that, our client’s ordeal began during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, a fellow Ijaw,” the petition said.

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No human heads for Tor Tiv's burial - Atom Kpera

Brigadier General Atom Kpera, Chairman of the Central Planning Committee for the burial of the late paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Orchivirigh Alfred Akawe Torkula has assured that no human head will be used in the burial.

Kpera said at a press conference to kick off activities for the late Tor Tiv's burial on Friday that Tiv culture does not prescribe the use of human heads for the burial of its kings.

“The Tiv tradition does not involve burying monarchs with anybody. Nobody should entertain any fear at all as the Tor Tiv will not be buried with the head of anybody. All the Tor Tivs are buried in one place and that is why we have told you that the burial would be conducted by a Catholic priest,” he said.

He added that the burial program began with each of the various Tiv clans taking their turn to observe a wake keep.

They include Jemgbagh, Jechira, Kwande, Sankera and Minda.

Tivs in the diaspora and friends of the Tiv nation will also have their turn to observe the wake keep.

The Tor Tiv who died at an Abuja hospital on 23 November 2015 will be buried on February 4, after a valedictory session of the Traditional Council.

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