Nigeria's militant Islamists have "completely surrounded" Maiduguri, the main city in north-eastern Borno state, traditional elders have warned.

The military needed to "fortify" the city, which had a population of more than two million, to prevent an assault "from all directions", they said.

The Boko Haram militants had "annexed" areas that were about 50km (30 miles) from Maiduguri, they said.

Boko Haram declared a caliphate in areas it controls last month.

The government has not yet commented on the statement issued by the Borno Elders Forum (BEF).

'Annihilation'
It represents influential people in the state, including former government ministers and civil servants.
"We are convinced that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not shown sufficient political will to fight Boko Haram and rescue us from the clutches of the insurgents which may ultimately lead to the total annihilation of the inhabitants of Borno," BEF said.

"The insurgents have rendered impassable almost all the roads leading to Maiduguri," it added.

BEF said the military needed to "urgently fortify" the city.

"The insurgents have surrounded Maiduguri and are nursing the ambition of attacking the city from all directions," BEF said.

"There is credible local intelligence information to that effect. We must be pro-active. Maiduguri is heavily pregnant with people who have trooped into it hoping for safety," the elders added.

Boko Haram's five-year insurgency is seen as the biggest threat to Nigeria's territorial integrity since the 1967-70 civil war, analysts say.

The group has changed tactics in recent months, holding on to towns in the north-east, where most people are Muslims, rather than carrying out hit-and-run attacks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29155529

BBC should focus more on protecting England from ISIS returnees!
Borno elders created BH so why are they crying for help now, they should just tame the lion they created, I beleive NA is doing its best by sacrifising people from other regions of Nigeria who did not know about the creation of BH and the Borno elders should be grateful for that and stop harming and supporting BH while they cry to high heaven for protection!

BEF..hmmm..no be NEF again?..that one consign them

They told GEJ to withdraw soldiers about 3yrs ago.

Why are they complaining


Nigeria going going going going ...................,.

Complete it yourself

A despotic leader is a dangerous leader.

An ineffective leader is a more dangerous leader.

But a clueless leader is the most dangerous of them all.

We are witnessing the first steps of the complete unravelling of the Nigerian state and all our senators and reps are interested in is sharing money. What a shame.

Pennywise: A despotic leader is a dangerous leader.

An ineffective leader is a more dangerous leader.

But a clueless leader is the most dangerous of them all.

We are witnessing the first steps of the complete unravelling of the Nigerian state and all our senators and reps are interested in is sharing money. What a shame.

Wrong

Give them what they want

BBC na yeye idiots. dem dey craze. who yarn dem say maid dey unda siege? na so so lie lie dem go dey blow.

wazoboy: BBC should focus more on protecting England from ISIS returnees!
Borno elders created BH so why are they crying for help now, they should just tame the lion they created, I beleive NA is doing its best by sacrifising people from other regions of Nigeria who did not know about the creation of BH and the Borno elders should be grateful for that and stop harming and supporting BH while they cry to high heaven for protection!

The person that created Boko Haram, Ali Modu Sheriff is now a friend to the president

acenazt: BBC na yeye idiots. dem dey craze. who yarn dem say maid dey unda siege? na so so lie lie dem go dey blow.

Maiduguri is under siege

Jakpon: Maiduguri is under siege

Are you reporting from the bokoharam camp? Maiduguri is not under siege.

Publicity stunt by BEF.Dey ave bin criticisin soldiers efforts since boko haram waz born.BEF also stands for Boko Elders forum.dey didnt go to nta or ait but boko broadcastin cooperation

I don't give a damn. . .

Jakpon: Maiduguri is under siege

Please, who is Jakpon?

Hi,
I just saw the news on the bbc website.
I found it curious that shekau and his 'left hand man' are both wearing rainboots. Is this a 'fashion statement', or could it give an indication of the (possibly swampy) area they might usually pass? Bear in mind that those things are quite uncomfortable and non-porous, so prolonged use will likely cause damage to feet and lower legs.

Regarding the article, isn't it high time the governor relinquishes his position and full marshal law is imposed on Borno? Meanwhile, how is it that the citizens haven't pursued the entire legislature, councillors and other executives of the state from office with sticks and kobokos? What on earth is wrong with the people in Borno?
Thanks

we dont even know who is winning the war between NA and bokoharam..at one end we will hear news that NA recaptured lost territories and at the other end we will hear news that bokoharam has surrounded maiduguri..i think we should put our religious and political differences apart and unite to fight bokoharam

.

trust BBC, always reeling out false news

Pennywise: A despotic leader is a dangerous leader.

An ineffective leader is a more dangerous leader.

But a clueless leader is the most dangerous of them all.

We are witnessing the first steps of the complete unravelling of the Nigerian state and all our senators and reps are interested in is sharing money. What a shame.

Its really a shame. I sometimes wonder if we had been immunised with a vaccine that had side-effects of dullness and heartlessness.
Take for example the Adamawa elections , all what PDP and APC are concerned about it winning the place. In sane societies, one party would have threatened to boycott the elections on security grounds till the FG shows real commitment to fighting BH there.
Here on nairaland, u often read where pple say its northerners killing themselves with BH and therefore, its not their problem. Myopia is a disease!
I think that the average Nigerian is very insensitive. We witnessed this during in the chibok kidnap saga. Some dare to say it was stage-managed and so no girls where were taken. It beats me how inhuman some pple can be for bigotry sake.
If Nigeria disintegrates , there would still be marginalisation of minorities, high level corruption , ethnic crisis and wide spread poverty in the various regions as only the elites would control state resources.

ratiken:

Are you reporting from the bokoharam camp? Maiduguri is not under siege.

I really really want to believe you, however, I have just watched the same report on France24, Al Jazeera, EnCA, etc, etc, and the question i ask you is HOW DO YOU KNOW I hope you have better sources than all these media reports.

AT THE MOMENT ITS NOT LOOKING GOOD IF THIS IS TRUE. I HOPE ITS NOT

So scary!
May God help us.

Where the professional spinners - atlwireles,tokunboh & tit - to spin this one?

From a military POV, if it is true that Maiduguri is surrounded, then, it doesn't get much worse than that. BIIIIIIIIIIIIG trouble!!! A fighting force should never allow itself be enveloped unless it's a deceptive tactic. Never allow the enemy to flank you. If they do, only God can help you.

When will all these end, ehn?

VirginFinder: So scary!
May God help us.

Where the professional spinners - atlwireles,tokunboh & tit - to spin this one?

BBC is at it again spitting rubbish. A little assignment for you, look at the map of borno state and pay attention to the towns surrounding maiduguri, and please tell me which of these towns boko haram occupies at the moment. Boko has been chased from Bama, Damboa, Konduga etc.

So tell me, how could they have surrounded maiduguri when they have been chased away from most of its surrounding towns?. As we speak, Boko haram is running out of ammo and they are really desperate to replenish their stock. I just don't see how they can attack maiduguri, they just don't have the firepower to do so. If they decide to do so, they would have succeeded in digging their graves. You can quote me

BBC is becoming so unreliable these days.

BBC is an extended ally of boko haram.

ITbomb: BBC is becoming so unreliable these days.

It did not start today. can you imagine that bbc airs an interview of yar adua that time that we were contemplating his death and we were all eager to see him on tv. And t trust Nigerians we quickly found out it was staged. that voice was definitely not yar adua's because by then he was already dead. In other words they interviewed a DEAD man and Nigerians criticized bbc so much that they had to apologize. So I am not surprised.

tokunboh: Boko has been chased from Bama, Damboa, Konduga etc.

Big fat lie ! Boko haram is still in control of all these areas in Borno

The NA is only engaging Boko Haram in Mubi, Madagali, Michika, Gulak all within the Adamawa state axis whilst the fronts in Borno state have been abandoned after the Air raid on Bama.

The NA is foolishly falling for Boko Haram's trick. Boko's ploy is to deflect attention from Borno state in a diversionary tactic by assaulting Michika-Madagali-Gulak in adamawa state which they did/are doing 'succesfully'

Boko's goal is to attack Maiduguri and as things stands now, Maiduguri is surrounded and under the threat of an imminent attack

tokunboh:

BBC is at it again spitting rubbish. A little assignment for you, look at the map of borno state and pay attention to the towns surrounding maiduguri, and please tell me which of these towns boko haram occupies at the moment. Boko has been chased from Bama, Damboa, Konduga etc.

So tell me, how could they have surrounded maiduguri when they have been chased away from most of its surrounding towns?. As we speak, Boko haram is running out of ammo and they are really desperate to replenish their stock. I just don't see how they can attack maiduguri, they just don't have the firepower to do so. If they decide to do so, they would have succeeded in digging their graves. You can quote me

It seems you know more than Chris Olukolade,the military spokesman. Tell me, why has he been silent these days? Don't tell me his silence means boko haram is winning the war.
I guess he has no more lies to dish out to the public.

wazoboy: BBC should focus more on protecting England from ISIS returnees!
Borno elders created BH so why are they crying for help now, they should just tame the lion they created, I beleive NA is doing its best by sacrifising people from other regions of Nigeria who did not know about the creation of BH and the Borno elders should be grateful for that and stop harming and supporting BH while they cry to high heaven for protection!

Such a silly post.

There are hundreds of thousands of 'Borno Elders'. the vast majority of them have nothing to do with Boko Haram. I hate this pathetic and lazy attempts to blame the victim that some of you half-wits love to do. I think it masks some really terrible religious and ethnic bias that some of you are not even ashamed to broadcast to the world.

We hear the same thing all the time about how youths are the ones helping Boko Haram. Even the most optimistic count of Boko Haram fighter strength does not put them at up to 10,000 fighters. Yet there are more than 30 million Northern youths. That's 0.03%. And yet you people will turn around to blame Northerners.

The Northern elders are your fellow Nigerians. It is their daughters that will be raped and kidnapped, their sons that will be killed. Their homes that will be destroyed. Why should they not complain? Why should they not fear? You think the populace being ruled by ISIS aren't being cowed by fear? You think the vast majority of people of Mogadishu have love for the Al-Shabaab thugs that rape their daughters and kill their people?

I'm always stunned by the casual indifference you cretins have towards your fellow countrymen. It only seems to count that they are Nigerians when they play for the Super Eagles. I consider people like you little more than traitors to this nation. Scum like you deserve no respect.

I cannot remember ever damning the entire people of Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta state for the activities of MEND. I cannot remember any attempt to blame everyone in Lagos for the activities of armed robbers in the region that live in the states. You bigoted traitors can f**k right off.

Pennywise: A despotic leader is a dangerous leader.

An ineffective leader is a more dangerous leader.

But a clueless leader is the most dangerous of them all.

We are witnessing the first steps of the complete unravelling of the Nigerian state and all our senators and reps are interested in is sharing money. What a shame.

you don come again with this ur big shirt wey d last time u change na d day u wear ur bare chest..

berem: It seems you know more than Chris Olukolade,the military spokesman. Tell me, why has he been silent these days? Don't tell me his silence means boko haram is winning the war.
I guess he has no more lies to dish out to the public.

What do you take the Nigerian military for? A political party that puts it's affairs in the newspapers on a daily basis? Visit credible defence blogs in and out of Nigeria for credible news - I'm not talking of rogue blogs and compromised news sites

tokunboh:

What do you take the Nigerian military for? A political party that puts it's affairs in the newspapers on a daily basis? Visit credible defence blogs in and out of Nigeria for credible news - I'm not talking of rogue blogs and compromised news sites

ok I hear you sir!