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By Ben Agande, Joseph Erunke & Ndahi Marama
ABUJA— Governor James Ngilari of Adamawa State, yesterday, cried out to
President Goodluck Jonathan to save his state from being overrun by Boko
Haram insurgents who have already taken over five local governments and are
advancing to other towns.
Governor Ngilari took his case to the Presidential Villa, Abuja on a day Boko
Haram renamed another town it captured as part of its Islamic caliphate. It
also commenced full enforcement of Sharia law in its areas of control.
President Goodluck Jonathan has, however, assured that in spite of the present
security challenges, Nigeria will remain unbroken even as he promised free and
fair general elections next year.
Ngilari, who spoke with State Hose correspondents after a closed-door meeting
with President Jonathan in Abuja yesterday, disclosed that five local
governments in Adamawa State have been taken over by Boko Haram
insurgents and pleaded with the military authorities to deploy more troops to
the state.
Ngilari said that failure to boost military presence in the state may mean that
the terrorist group will completely overrun it, noting that the security situation in
the state remained fluid and required a more urgent intervention by the Federal
Government.
According to him: “The security situation in Adamawa is very dicey right now
and we are only trying to do our best to manage the situation. We are praying
that it will improve, but it is really something to worry about”.
Speaking on the number of towns being occupied by the terrorists, the governor
said: “I can talk of my entire senatorial district, Mubi senatorial district. Five
local governments have been overrun; Gombi was taken and I just got a report
now that perhaps they are on the outskirts of Shanli.
“There is a semblance of movement in that area. Really, we need a lot of
intervention. We need to move more troops to secure the state. Really, it is a
big challenge.”
The governor played down the seizure of the home town of the Chief of Defence
Staff, saying that the issue of insurgency was much more than taking one
person’s home town.
He stated: “We shouldn’t reduce this issue of the insurgency to simply the
taking over of the house of the defence chief. There are a whole lot of things
that make the challenge of insecurity. What about the problem of
unemployment? You know it is a whole long story. We don’t just reduce it to
the taking over of the house of the defence chief. I think it is more than that.
Absolutely it is a challenge. We look up to God, God is there, there is nothing
impossible for Him.
“We will do our best, but it is not something that we should leave in the hands
of government. Everybody has a role to play in terms of giving out information
timely, in terms of convincing people who are involved. They live with us, they
are not from planet Mars, they are part and parcel of the society.”
Despite the dismal picture painted by the governor, he expressed optimism that
the insurgency would soon be a thing of the past. “I believe that Nigeria will
really overcome, but I don’t know the time frame. Anything that affects any part
of Nigeria affects the rest. We must all see how we can tame this monster,” he
added.
Boko Haram renames Gwoza
Meanwhile, Boko Haram has renamed Gwoza, in Borno which it captured in July
as Darul Hikma, or “House of Wisdom” according to the residents who fled the
area. The terrorists last week renamed Mubi, the second largest town in
Adamawa as Madinatul Islam, which means City of Islam in Arabic.
Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a video released in August declared
that he had made Gwoza part of a caliphate.
“They have given new names to Gwoza and Mubi, which they say are now part
of their Islamic state,” said Ahmad Maishanu, who fled Mubi with his mother on
Wednesday to Yola.
Tijjani Kalifa, who left Mubi on Monday and has contacts in Gwoza, also
reported that Boko Haram was forcing people in both towns to use the new
names.
Both witnesses said all the churches in Mubi had been burnt down and that
Islamists were patrolling the streets regularly, with no sign of resistance from
the security services.
Enforces Sharia Law
The residents also said the insurgents have started implementing Sharia law in
the towns they captured. Maishanu said in Mubi that Boko Haram members
chopped off the hands of 10 men accused of theft last Friday and burnt down
churches. In a video released on October 2, Boko Haram showed the stoning to
death of a man accused of adultery, a man having his right hand cut off for
theft and a young man and woman given 100 lashes each for sex outside
marriage.
Also, the civilian vigilante group was said to have beheaded some Boko Haram
terrorists. A member of the group, Umar Hassan, said they and troops
ambushed Boko Haram fighters last Friday as they prepared a raid on Sabon
Gari village in the south of the state. “We killed 41 of them and decapitated
them and brought the heads to Biu, which we displayed to people to demystify
Boko Haram,” he said.
Two Biu residents said the vigilantes put the heads on wooden spikes and
drove around the town, telling people the Islamists did not have magical
powers. “It was like hunters displaying their game after a hunting expedition,”
said, one Silas Buba.
Nigeria will remain unbroken—Jonathan
In spite of the security challenges, President Jonathan said, yesterday, that
Nigeria would come out stronger than before, insisting that contrary to fears of
possible disintegration being expressed by some people, it would remain
unbroken.
He equally reiterated his commitment to the sustenance of free and fair
election, assuring that the 2015 general election would be conducted according
to international best practices just as he charged Nigerians to ensure the
principle of “one man, one vote”.
Dr. Jonathan, spoke in Abuja, through his Chief of Staff, Brig-General Jones
Arogbofa, rtd, at the launch of a book titled: “Diverse But Not Broken-Wake-up
calls for Nigeria”, written by Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Canada and one-
time Head, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Jos, Professor Iyorwuese
Hagher.
The President called on Nigerians to use their voters’ cards to fight for their
lives, children and future but said such must be done in a very decent and
peaceful manner.
He said: “This is Nigeria and Nigeria belongs to us. We don’t have to run
anywhere, but stay here and use our voters cards to fight for our lives, our
children and our future in a very decent and peaceful way. The title of the book
reflects a lot and speaks volume. It adds colour to the rainbow that we have in
Nigeria. We are a diverse people but we are never a broken people. We are all
together even in diversity; this has proven itself repeatedly and is proving itself
even now.”
Insurgents invade Borno village, kill two, burn churches
Meanwhile, no fewer than two persons were feared dead while another person
sustained gunshot wounds when a group of terrorists suspected to be Boko
Haram sect on Wednesday invaded Whitambaya village of Hawul Local
Government Area of Borno state.
The gunmen also burnt down two churches including the Church of Brethren in
Nigeria, popularly known as E.Y.N church.
It would be recalled that the Caretaker Chairman of Hawul, Dr. Andrew Usman
Malgwi complained of lack of military presence in his Council where a Pastor of
Living Faith Church, Pastor Eluid Gwamna Mshelizza and 19 other residents of
Shaffa town were slaughtered with over six churches burnt in the last one
month.

If this terrorists (Boko Haram) over-run Adamawa, a part of Nigeria, then what is the future of Nigeria itself.

#We want CHANGE in NIGERIA!

This is more serious dan we tink down here in d south... Nigeria is fighting Full war in d north! I believe it is time we officially ask for foreign help, Nigeria military needs urgent help to fight d insurgents!