₦airaland Forum

By Abraham Yomi

Senator Ali Ndume is a lucky man. But that luck has become torture for him so he is desperate to undo it in the hope that he can point to whatever sufferings follows as proof that karma has dealt him punishment for the bad things he has done against the land, against the rest of us. He is hooked on seeking redemption through penance for being among the leading financial backers and strategic supporters of Boko Haram terrorist group, more like the major godfather that allowed it grow from an irritant band of extremists into the bloodthirsty machine that requires the army to destroy.

The court of law might have acquitted Ndume of sponsoring Boko Haram but the real court, the court presided over by conscience has not allowed him rest. He knows that minus the technicalities that sometimes allow hardened criminals to evade justice, the arrest of the spokesman of the terrorist sect, Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, also known Al-Zawahiri, in his house is a crime that is intolerable. It is understandable if this has sent him into a manic-depressive spin.
That acquittal has damaged Ndume on two levels.

First is that he suffers the pain of not being able to satisfactorily pay for his sins, which makes him feel haunted by the sheer number of people that his associates have killed. It is this profound guilt that seems to take charge in the moments he tend to display a nationalistic zeal about crushing or defeating Boko Haram.

But on the dark side, escaping justice has made an unrepentant monster out of a man that has benefited so much from terrorism that not even a troubled conscience can make him kick the addiction of getting highs from the killings he paid for. His being re-elected as the Senator representing Borno South District has worsened his identity crisis as he now goes around with the notion that it matters not that his political empire is built out of human skeletons and watered by blood. He will have no incentives to halt his murderous pastime.


Unfortunately, irrespective of what remorse he feels in his human moment, the inordinate ambition in him has become set in using Boko Haram to haunt the rest of us. He has graduated from merely housing the spokesperson of the terrorist group to becoming its defacto mouthpiece. Why be seen with senior propaganda commanders of Boko Haram when he can himself run the propaganda while exploiting parliamentary immunity that ensures no one remembers to charge him to court as was the case when he was found out harbouring a terrorist.


That explains Ndume’s new tactics of hiding behind oversight visits and poor budgetary funding to continue the work he has being doing for Boko Haram terrorists, helping them to project the Nigerian military, indeed the entire Nigerian state in bad light. To get this job done, he quoted figures of military fatalities that strongly confirm that he got his own tallies from Boko Haram commanders, who definitely inflated figures to create the impression that they gave the Nigerian military as much bloodied nose as they have been given the present administration first came into office.

Ndume, who is handicapped enough to not know how to improve the lives of the people he claims to represents, was able to find graves and mass graves in a cemetery, making it sound as if cemeteries are meant to perform other functions other than holding human remains. Perhaps, his confusion arose from not seeing as many graves there as his boys had promised him he would find.


The Senator will never learn to the extent that the rest of us, particularly his constituents, have neglected to teach him the lessons he deserves to learn. His demotion from House Leader and rejection when he attempted to become the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were befitting outcomes that had already set him on the path of rehabilitation from his obsessive pursuit of power.

But some people later fell for his blackmail and made him the chairman of Senate Committee on Army; if the intention of those that did this was to ‘give the cat custody of the fish’ then it is not working. This cat does not possess the requisite capacity for remorse to know not to eat the fish in its custody. Giving Ndume oversight of the Army in Senate has not done much to dampen his murderous pursuits. If anything, he now sees an easier way to achieve ascendancy for Boko Haram in a way that is far more effective than when he was holding secret telephone conversations with the group’s commanders or when he was providing them accommodation.


On top of that, the position has now given him the platform to play the hand we have given him against the country. He is now baiting the country, taunting the rest of us with a supposed prowess of Boko Haram against an Army we assigned with keeping us safe. It is a situation we should all be worried about for the very reason that this same man that is openly supporting Boko Haram gets to decide what funding the Army gets as it continues its war against terrorists. To the extent that he has not given up his ways, affiliation and sympathies for the group then the military will not get the legislative support it requires to function effectively.


Logic dictates that the Senate leadership should drop Ndume from the current role that gave him oversight of the Army. But even if the Senate gets around to doing this, Ndume will remain a threat to national security so long as he remains in the Senate. A country that has a pressing need to defeat terrorism cannot afford to have even one pro-terrorist lawmaker in its parliament, even when it is one facing the emotional crisis of confronting his past and ongoing romance with terrorists.


Yomi is a security expert based in Lagos.

*Boko Haram: Group asks Senate to strip Ndume of Army Committee Chair over attempt to sow terror in the heart of citizens*

Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) has called on the Senate leadership to strip Senator Ali Ndume of his role as Chairman Committee on Army over his recent flawed remarks aimed to plant terror in the heart of Nigerians.

The group said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that it is a “dangerous situation where a known terrorist supporter is now posturing as an expert in security matters”.

In a statement signed by National Coordinator, Comrade Gabriel Onoja, CATE revealed that the Borno South lawmaker is exploiting this sensitive position to the advantage of Boko Haram terrorists.

Mr Ndume, once linked to the radical Islamic sect, had claimed that 847 soldiers were killed by the group – a statement that has since backfired.

In order to avoid such gaffes in the future, CATE advised the Senate leadership to stop playing politics with the lives of innocent Nigerians as well as jeopardizing the amiable effort of the gallant troops on the frontline and replace Ndume.

Mr Onoja added that the lawmaker should be assigned any other committee in which he can't directly manipulate or offer tactical support to terrorists.

Read full statement below:

The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) has followed with interest the claims by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, as they pertain to the ongoing war against terrorism in the north-east of the country.

For us, it is a tragedy that Senator Ndume unfortunately seems to have locus to speak on the matter being the Senator representing Borno South senatorial district and even more worryingly is political horse trading that landed him oversight over an institution as sensitive and crucial to national security as the Nigerian Army. The combination of these factors have created a dangerous situation where a known terrorist supporter is now posturing as an expert in security matters.

Sadly for Nigeria and dangerously for the people of Borno state and the entire north-east, Senator Ndume appears to be exploiting this sensitive position to the advantage of Boko Haram terrorists. He has deployed his position of influence to sow terror in the hearts of the people by making claims that could only be intended to make Boko Haram terrorists appear like the superior side in the battle between the forces of good and evil.

It is on record that Ndume is yet to open up on his involvement in the kidnap of Chibok girls and Dapchi girls so that Nigerians can appreciate the full extent of his involvement. We have credible information that this Senator continue sponsor Boko Haram terrorist group and supports their activities.

This is why Senator Ndume could cook up his own statistics that claimed that 847 soldiers have died fighting Boko Haram. He even stooped to the low ebb of regurgitating the claims by pro-Boko Haram foreign NGOs and media circuits that had claimed that they saw unmarked graves and mass graves holding the remains of the military casualties that he had dreamt up.

Beyond speaking to advance the interests of Boko Haram terrorists, the other intents of the senator became apparent upon a deeper analysis of his recent showmanship. His claim that one percent military budget showed lack of seriousness to fight insurgency made him appeared as someone that has the interest of the people’s security at heart but the reverse is the case. Rather than seeing the plight of a people suffering the repercussions of his sponsorship of terrorism, what the senator sees is a business opportunity. Rather than genuinely canvassing for the army to be appropriately equipped, he is keen on lining his own pocket.

Senator Ndume’ interest in asking for improved funding for the Army is driven by an interest to get his cut of the money that would be so allocated for fighting terrorism, which he plans to achieve by leveraging his position as Senate Committee Chairman on Army. He is so desperate to do this that he did not mind lying about the military casualty from the operations against Boko Haram. He is so beclouded by greed that he gave no thought to how his utterances are helping the terrorists to sow fear in the land.

This did not however come as a surprise to us in CATE considering that he is currently on trial for sponsoring terrorism. We now know that not even this trial has done enough to discourage him from continuing to be the grand merchant of death by doing those very things that strengthen Boko Haram terrorists. This latest confirmation that he continues to work for these terrorists is unacceptable and we believe that it is something that the entire country must unite and rise up against.

For this we hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership of the Senate responsible for. It is the party that made the mistake of given him a position as sensitive as the Chairman Senate Committee on Army in a bid to pacify him for losing out on becoming the Senate President, a position he lost because the responsible ones among his peers know that no sane country makes a terrorist supporter its third most powerful citizen.

CATE is therefore demanding that the Senate leadership without delay removes Senator Ali Ndume as Chairman of the Committee on Army based on the reality that he is exploiting the position to the detriment of the nation. The Senate is welcome to assign him any other such committee that he cannot manipulate to offer tactical support to terrorists.

Even if the Senate leadership, out of political expediency, decides to leave Senator Ndume in this sensitive post, it is our expectation that he will find it in him to seek the honour that is not found among terrorist supporters by voluntarily recusing himself from leading the Senate Committee on Army and requesting an assignment that does not conflict with his extracurricular dalliance with terrorists and child kidnappers.

By Richard Murphy

I expect Nigerians to persistently and courageously interrogate their leaders who hold any mandate in public trust. This is a cliché resounded so many times to the point of boredom. But most of us ignore or prefer to overlook it for very selfish reasons.

May I not sound like a simpleton. But some of these politicians are the architects of our problems and they seek elevation to promote very personal interests, which are detrimental to us and public good. And It is not a healthy development either for the confined development of places where these leaders are anointed to lead or for the general good or progress of Nigeria.

Holding leaders accountable and answerable to us is a lawful duty, which is also flavored by religious sacredness. And sustaining the tempo of subjecting these leaders accountable for their past and present actions must not be preached before all of us understand its potency.

A nation with a complacent citizenry easily sounds its death knell irremediably! But the generality of Nigerians appears to be contented with the inglorious path of overlooking our leaders and whatever they do even in our collective degeneration.

How many of us have ever heard of Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume? He is a national parliamentarian who makes laws that govern all of us. Ali Ndume is qualified by every touchstone of assessment to be described as the doyen of lawmaking in Nigeria and a distinguished legislator. Since 2003, Ali Ndume has been on the corridors of the National Assembly (NASS) from the green to the red chambers now. He is from Borno and currently represents Borno South senatorial district in NASS.

But I doubt if he has added value to his constituents or home state of Borno or Nigeria. Though from a region which smokes with acerbic terrorism, his actions are overtly coloured with embroideries of a leader neither enthusiastic about peace nor the security of his people, even though occupying a vintage position of leadership. His utterances about counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast are “very discouraging,” if one borrows the phrase of popular comedian Gondons.

Sen. Ali Ndume appears like someone whose only preoccupation is how to work behind the mask and scenes to ensure Nigeria is eternally tethered to the strings of Boko Haram terrorism. Ndume and his minions seems to have covenanted with the devil in ensuring distressed populations and the people devastated by years of insurgency never find consolation on account of the overriding materialistic and political gains a prolonged insurgency war berths on their doorstep!

Most annoyingly, Sen. Ali Ndume and his league of evildoers think Nigerians are unaware of their political manipulation of the Boko Haram insurgency. And in furthering this sinister plot covertly, Ali Ndume, especially carelessly undermines the military's wakeful nights, scorching sun, unbearable downpours and sacrifices to anchor peace and security for his kith and kin. And politicians of his ilk are too many in the Northeast. There is every need for security agents to beam a search light on them before we are led to the Golgotha to the cheers and jeers of their apostates.

Despite President Buhari's endless struggles and commitment to end Boko Haram terrorism, they still find demonic methods to puncture it. It doesn’t matter to them if the entire Northeast region is engulfed in the flames of Boko Haram insurgency, insofar as political milestones and wealth accumulation interests are secured, the Machiavellian style.

Nigerians sitting on the fence; I mean the onlookers, engaging in idle talks about the inability of President Muhammdu Buhari to completely blight the fire of terrorism within timeframes, without probing the roles of politicians in the region or cautioning them are unpardonably worse enemies of this country. An African proverb says, a man whose house is on fire should not stand aloof while neighbours converge to help him put out the fire.

But in Borno state, the reverse is the case. While President Buhari and the Nigerian military are doing everything humanly possible to completely exterminate the fire of terrorism, Ndume and his soul mates, suspiciously retire into dark shadows to enliven the fire for repulsively selfish gains.

Most politicians in the Northeast, despite publicly feigning joy over decimated and defeated Boko Haram insurgents, but still giggle in exclusive places, eternal sadness that our troops led by the COAS and punch man of the counter-terrorism operations, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai has not allowed it to smoulder anymore. More and more villages and communities in the Northeast are experiencing peace. There is mass exodus of IDPs from camps back to previously ruined and deserted villages.

It goes to say, as forlorn villages swell with populations of returnees, IDPs camps in the Northeast have depleted considerably. So, the politicians are no longer ennobled to pressurize the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for emergency contracts on relief materials supply. It’s a punch below the belt, but stunningly expresses the odiousness of some politicians in Nigeria. While anguished people suffer all forms of deprivations, they regale in profiteering over their unfortunate fate.

Again, the years of insurgency in the Northeast have opened up the vaults of states anf local governments for plundering by politicians, who nicely help themselves to public commonwealth and retire account books as monies spent on security. It’s difficult to probe security expenditures and it is their fervent prayers that Boko Haram terrorism should never end. They prefer the Northeast to be overran by insurgents and should become a ghost region, while they smile to the banks every day to service their already fat personal bank accounts.

Furthermore, it is quite a “crazy” idea that President Buhari should put his foot on ground to ensure Boko Haram becomes history in Nigeria. To these reprehensible political sons and daughters of Jezebel, a festering Boko Haram, freely visiting awful and horrendous atrocities on Nigerians, spurring national and international outrages against the government of the day would cause Presidential invitation of some prominent politicians to anchor talks with the fanatical, religious dissidents and killers. Sponsorship of negotiations with leaders of insurgents by the government swallows sumptuous sums of taxpayers’ money from security votes.

And the monetary gains are amazing. Politicians have built mansions, business empires and acquired shares in national and global companies from the proceeds of this evil acts of negotiations with terrorists. So, the beneficiaries of such scams are finding it difficult to reconcile with the reality that insurgency is no longer viral to require government’s recruitment of their services to personally enrich themselves. Sen. Ali Ndume is a living testimony because under the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, he served on the committee that anchored talks with Boko Haram.

Though, the talks with Boko Haram were fruitless, but the members benefitted from the largesse of federal sponsorship of negotiations with terrorists. I challenge Ali Ndume to publicly state how much each member of the committee received in estacodes and allowances on this lawful “national duty.” We shall be shocked, if the figures are published.

Nonetheless, there has been a trend of perpetuation of elected leaders in the age and region of Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. I can’t just imagine that Sen. Ali Ndume has been the best brain in Borno South axis and so since 2003, he has been in NASS. He moved from House of Reps to the Senate and has remained glued to date.

The reason is that the people he represents are already distraught, distressed and dehumanized by insurgency. Naturally such constituents are more obsessed with every day survival and how to get back to their forsaken homesteads, than the psychological and mental stability /co-ordination to pry into the quality or otherwise of those elected to represent them. Therefore, year in; year out, once the politicians pick reelection tickets on a political party’s platform, victory is assured seamlessly. Why would should politicians work for Boko Harm insurgency to end?

Closely related to it too is the subsisting atmosphere of insecurity in the region, which does not give room for a robust electioneering campaigns itinerary of potential leaders vying for elections. For the years Boko Haram raged in the Northeast, constituencies most hit by the scourge, have aspiring leaders campaigning at IDPs camps only. They take a few items to IDPs camps and reel out deceptive messages, which the traumatized people have neither the energy or mental comprehension to discern.

And on election day, agents of same politicians, some of whom would purchase IDPs Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) and invade the camps with little cash as baits to sway their votes. It moderates campaign expenses. Why would such politicians want Boko Haram terrorism terminated as President Buhari and leader of the counter-insurgency operations, Gen. Buratai struggles every day?

So, Sen. Ali Ndume and his irksome lot are allegedly principal beneficiaries of this skewed system. And much against reason, they are inherently afraid of peace in Borno State and plots subversion of anti-terrorism operations every day to keep the insurgency war ferociously and menacingly raging. They commune with Angels in the day time, kicking against terrorism, but wickedly relapse into the darkest chambers of Lucifer to promote it at nights. These are questions the governed should fearlessly and consistently be asking their leaders.

Murphy is a security expert and contributed this piece from Calabar.

Ali Ndume And His Crocodile Tears On Boko Haram

By Hassan Biu



When the expired 8th Session of the Senate under the leadership of the dictatorial, draconian and repressive former Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki slammed a six-months suspension on Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume, in March 2017, the action invoked empathy and condemnations from some of us.

We faulted the frivolous reasons the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges adduced for the suspension of Ali Ndume. But strongly, the 181 sitting legislative days he was barred from plenary were prolonged, ill-timed and absurd; much as it constituted unfair depravity of his constituents from parliamentary representation.

Ndume has been in the National Assembly since 2003 when he was first elected into the House of Representatives to represent Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency, where he served until 2011. He morphed into the Senate in 2011 as Senator representing Borno South Senatorial district and currently serving his third term in the upper chamber of the National Assembly (NASS).

By Ndume’s service records, it’s clear he was already a leader when Mohammed Yusuf the founder of Boko Haram formed the sect; its years of incubation and eventual explosion into a national insecurity problem, years later. Unarguably, Borno South Senatorial district remains one of the most ravaged and devastated part of the state by Boko Haram. Until now, Gwoza was once Boko Haram Caliphate headquarters.

And in spite of Sen. Ndume’s prime and privileged position as a parliamentarian whose jurisdictional enclave was directly affected by the heat of Boko Haram, his voice was rather muffled nor his actions ever felt as his contributions to ending insurgency. But most of us felt, he may have been hamstrung. Alas, his appointment by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan into a committee to anchor talks with Boko Haram was a golden opportunity to deepen dubious contacts with Boko Haram.

Then came the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari which channeled all energy and resources in quelling Boko Haram terrorism, with the glaring positive impacts under the leader of the counter-insurgency operations, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai. I reasoned that Nigerians needed an insider like Ndume who would explain the imperative and nuances of the intermittent monetary demands on fighting Boko Haram as presented before the Senate for approvals and also, intimate the lawmakers about the plight of the people of Borno South worse hit by the menace of terrorism. So, to me, his suspension was against national interest.

But unknown to me and most Nigerians, Sen. Ali Ndume is a celebrated disappointment and a study in beastly values. In fact, his actions and inactions on the festering Boko Haram saga under the Jonathan Presidency betrayed him as a promoter and enabler of insurgency for political gains. It seems he has not dumped this habit.

Perhaps, it’s clear now that the Nigerian State Security Service's which accused Sen. Ali Ndume as having links with Boko Haram as confessed by an arrested and interrogated Boko Haram suspect and spokesman, Mallam Ali Konduga. Sen. Ali Ndume was merely lucky to escape the hook hence the exposure came at a time he was appointed into the Committee to negotiate with Boko Haram. I am convinced, he used it as a veil to escape justice.

His subsequent actions and utterances drapes with very serious suspicions that Ali Ndume might still be conducting clandestine “business” with Boko Haram terrorists to the detriment of his people and Nigeria. His excessive, senseless and near imbecilic mouthing and the quick resort to inciting sentiments on the anti-insurgency operations in the Northeast, which is incontestably at its lowest ebb have pricked me strongly that Sen. Ndume could be the reason remnants of insurgents still terrorize the people.

It is understandable that Ndume currently chairs the Senate Committee on Army. But I could neither reconcile nor discern the rationale propelling Ndume’s recent outbursts on the floor of the Senate that 840 Nigerian soldiers murdered by Boko Haram terrorists in the course of battle from 2013 till date are committed to mother earth in a military cemetery located in Maiduguri, Borno State; while a dozen others are buried in other military cemeteries scattered all over the Northeast region.

What immediately assailed my mind is what was Ali Ndume’s motivation for such disclosure, I asked myself rhetorically? What is the wisdom or logic in the revelation or would it in any way give verve to finally routing out Boko Haram terrorism from Nigeria? When soldiers die in battle, is the military cemetery not the right place for their burial with full military and national honors? Are they supposed to be buried in their respective villages by Ndume’s reckoning?

I immediately deciphered Ndume’s emphasis on this angle as a crafty and clever way of stoking sentiments and condemnations against the Federal Government of Nigeria and a subtle indictment of the military leadership. The unvoiced satanic intentions of Ali Ndume and his cahoots for embarking on this doomed voyage reverberated very loudly.

And any Nigerian who has monitored Ndume’s inactions on Boko Haram these years would have reasons to accede to my postulations. We all know Boko Haram derives its strength from the large pool of idle youths it freely recruits into its fold and consecrate to perpetrate atrocious acts and heinous crimes against humanity. Strangulating poverty, unemployment and idleness nourish and have sustained resurgence of Boko Haram terrorism in the Northeast.

I was excited when the incumbent Borno state Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum accurately dissected these problems are rendering a veritable platform for the resurgence of Boko Haram each time, the military suppresses it. Boko Haram bounces back because there is a sea of unemployed youths to be exploited and lured into the sect. Zulum’s focus now is how to arrest the mass poverty and underdevelopment of the state which has made it susceptible for the breeding of insurgents.

Leaders think positively and Gov. Zulum’s posture is positive thought. A leader has no business in stoking sentiments over very serious national security issues as Ali Ndume and conspirators are pleasured to do. And I find it strange; extremely strange that aside the political advantage Ali Ndume enjoys from exploiting the plight of his depressed people by cornering undeserved reelection victories into the parliament at every political dispensation, it is inexplicable.

What have the people done that the likes of Ndume cannot allow the ghost of terrorism to be permanently chained? Does Ali Ndume know the psychological impact on troops in the frontlines, when he churns out such unconfirmed and obviously inflated figures of military casualties in the anti-insurgency operations? It is a tacit instigation of revolt within the ranks of troops fighting for the peace and security of Nigerians. This is unpatriotic and uncharitable.

From 2003 to date, Ali Ndume has been in the NASS. What empowerment schemes has he launched for unemployed youths in his senatorial district with the billions of constituency allowances that have accrued to him in the span of over 16 years? Is there any concrete development he can pinpoint as a legacy for his representative sojourn? Why is Sen. Ali Ndume apparently uninterested in pairing up with Gov. Zulum to explore the problems that trigger terrorism and solve them?

Therefore, when a leader like Ali Ndume turns a blind eye to the rightful path and actions, but prefers to drum such inanities with insane embellishments, it beats me hollow. I challenge Ali Ndume to publicly swear with the Holy Quran that he doesn't know those behind Boko Haram or he has no affinity of any kind with insurgents.

I also challenge Ndume to tell Nigerians and the world what politicians like him derive from Boko Haram; why the war has not ended and why they don’t want it ended? I have noticed over time that Ali Ndume particularly is fond of making unguarded utterances on the state of the war against insurgency because he hates to see peace in Borno State, like a sadist cursed by the devil, who delights in bloodshed.

Initially, I doubted those who insinuated that Ndume’s sudden stupendous wealth hatched from politicking has allegedly thrown him into the ring of known drug addicts. With his ungodly actions and utterances on the Boko Haram counter-insurgency, I am tempted to believe every whiff of what is aligned to him.

Let me advise Ali Ndume and his clan of reprobates that they should never think of applying the same mindset to the issue of national security. Nigerians are aware that some politicians in Borno use their diplomatic immunity against the eagle eye of our security agencies to supply Boko Haram with food and hard drugs, because they have perceived an endless insurgency as personal protection and means of illicit wealth acquisition.

If Ndume doubts my assertions, let him be bold enough and shame us by telling the world that he doesn't know anything about these posers or he is not an accomplice in the obstinacy of the military’s zeal and determination to completely rout out Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast geopolitical zone. It’s better than shedding the crocodile tears in pretentious empathy for slain soldiers in the war.

Biu sent this piece from Maiduguri.

*Ali Ndume's tactics on Boko Haram aimed at diverting attention from his contributions to insurgency – NDF*

The National Democratic Front (NDF) believes Senator Ali Ndume's latest strategy on Boko Haram is aimed at diverting the world's attention from his dishonourable contribution to Boko Haram insurgency.

The group made this known at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja in reaction to the Borno South lawmaker's assertion about the Nigerian Armed Forces.

In a statement signed by Secretary General, Dr Bolaji Abdulkadir, the NDF reckoned it was time to address Senator Ndume's inglorious role in the Boko Haram conundrum.

According to the group, Mr Ndume, who was once heavily linked to the Islamic sect, genuinely knows about its activities and may be enjoying some benefits.

The Senator's recent claims that 847 soldiers were lost in the insurgency, the group stated, only confirms his ties with the group.

While the Nigerian Army has asked the former Senate Leader to substantiate his claim, the NDF asked Nigerians not to take him in a solemn manner, especially knowing his history of substance abuse.

The National Democratic Front, therefore, advised Senator Ndume to stop using Boko Haram as a political tool to impoverish his people.

The group further cautioned the lawmaker to desist from spreading falsehood in a bid to cover up for all the atrocities he has perpetrated in Borno.

Read full press statement below:

The National Democratic Front is constrained to convene this Press Conference in light of the shameful and dishonorable statement credited to Senator Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District of Borno State, wherein he mischievously stated that over 847 soldiers had been killed by Boko Haram and buried in Borno cemetery.

The National Democratic Front wishes to state that the statement credited to Senator Ali Ndume is not only mischievous, it is indeed a testament to the fact that he genuinely knows more about the activities of Boko Haram and probably benefiting from it.

The National Democratic Front wishes to inform members of the general public that Senator Ali Ndume is not one whose perceived contribution to the national discourse should be taken seriously, not even with the fact that he is a Boko Haram sponsor despite the kangaroo judgment he secured from the courts when he was arraigned for terrorism related offences some time ago.

Senator Ali Ndume has a long history of substance abuse and we are constrained to believe that his recent utterances might be as a result of the same substance overdose and as such his views on national issues should be viewed with a pinch of salt.

The National Democratic Front views his utterances as insensitive, and an affront to the sensibilities of those whose families and relatives have been affected in one way or the other by the Boko Haram crisis.

It is also an affront on the constituted authorities, especially the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who have toiled day and night in the past ten years to bring the nefarious activities of the Boko Haram terrorist to an end.

Senator Ali Ndume by his action of bandying false figures on the casualties suffered by our Armed Forces indicates that he is in bed with the Boko Haram terrorist group, else how can one explains how an individual that is not and has never been to the theatre of operations know the exact number of casualties.

The National Democratic Front also frowns at the assertion by Senator Ali Ndume that North-East Nigeria is a no-go zone. This assertion is at best uncharitable and an indication that there might be a sinister motive which in our opinion, might be aimed at diverting the attention of stakeholders on how some politicians, including him, have exploited the people on whose mandate they rose to prominence.

The National Democratic Front is also appalled that a supposed Senator from Borno state is not aware that scores of Civil Society Organisations have been visiting North-East Nigeria on assessment tours and issued reports on how the politicians have been exploiting the people and festering the crisis so they can continue to smile to the bank.

It is also instructive to state that Southern Borno, where Senator Ali Ndume represents in the National Assembly, is the worst hit in terms of how politicians have manipulated and deprived the people while enriching themselves by diverting resources meant for the provision of basic amenities to private pockets.

The National Democratic Front wishes to advise Senator Ali Ndume to stop using Boko Haram as a political tool to impoverish his people whose only crime was voting him into power. This is on the heels that since his foray at the National Assembly, there is no evidence of any constituency project initiated and executed by Senator Ali Ndume in Southern Borno Senatorial District of Borno State. The likes of Senator Ali Ndume have succeeded in causing untold hardship to his people, and that accounts for why he is hardly seen in Borno State because of his nefarious activities.

The National Democratic Front wishes to charge the various security agencies to watch the likes of Senator Ali Ndume carefully because he has a history that is laced with suspicion, especially with the propagation of the activities of the Boko Haram group.

This is so because we strongly believe that Senator Ali Ndume is yet to tell the country his role in the kidnap of the Chibok girls. The activities of Senator Ali Ndume must be scrutinised by the security agencies with a view to solving the Boko Haram conundrum.

The National Democratic Front consequently wishes to advise the unsuspecting members of the general public to disregard henceforth anything coming from Senator Ali Ndume until he tells us what he knows about the Boko Haram group and how he has been secretly funding its nefarious activities all in the name of politics.

The National Democratic Front, in the same vein, wishes to advise Senator Ali Ndume to desist from spreading fake news in a bid to cover up for all the atrocities he has perpetrated against the people of Borno State.

He should, as a matter of urgency, seek forgiveness from his people and henceforth desist from commenting on national issues because he lacks the moral authority to do so.

By Peter Bitrus



Loud wailings of a distressed populations, devastated by years of Boko Haram insurgency pierced the serenity of Aso Rock, the seat of Nigeria’s Presidency. Nigerians displaced by the fire of insurgents beseeched Heavens in piteous supplications. The Armies stood in defenselessness, untrained, unarmed and dodgy in battling the menacing and consuming outrage of Boko Haram terrorists.

A dumbfounded Presidency was horrified by the sheer magnitude of insurgents’ mass killings, abductions, arsons and the servile treatment of Nigerians held in captivity, after horrendous mayhems on vulnerable communities. Neither the Presidency nor the military of the time had workable solutions to the irksome and ravaging insurgency.

Almost all Nigerians resigned to fate, as Boko Haramists exercised unchallenged might on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria. It was one of the most embarrassing problems inherited by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. It begged for a quick fix and the Buhari Presidency understood it clearly much in unspoken feelings than the lamentations of Nigerians ever conveyed.

So, President Buhari instantaneously rejigged the Military leadership and infused it with fresh, vibrant and tested warmongers. The President gave the new crop of Security Chiefs the single mandate of terminating the years of the evil and obnoxious reign of Boko Haram insurgency on Nigerians.

Among the Security Chiefs anointed to prosecute this war was a relatively unknown, but a no -nonsense combatant soldier, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai who was decorated as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). President Buhari also doubled his responsibility by appointing him the ombudsman of the counter-terrorism operations in the country.

To every discerning mind, Gen. Buratai had a herculean task on his hands. It was also clear, the Army boss was incapacitated by the army he met, which ought to have been the weapons of prosecuting a successful war against Boko Haram terrorism. The imperative of reforming and repositioning the army, at the same time, bringing succor to Nigerians trapped by insurgency, most especially in the Northeastern region had to be undertaken simultaneously.

Nevertheless, what those who knew the inside-out of the military career of Gen. Buratai was his incontestable competence and the zeal for excellence. He had performed flawlessly and splendidly in all previous military assignments and it triggered the optimism that even on Boko Haram, Gen. Buratai will replicate his habituated traits of excelling on any national assignment.

Gen. Buratai was disconcerted at the degeneration in the Nigerian Army, the strength of all arms of the military in any country in the world. The Nigerian Army which echoed resounding shadows on peacekeeping missions whether under the auspices of United Nations (UN) or African Union (AU) conveniently became a distastefully an effeminate force in the country, crawling and barking feebly in battles.

Nigerian Army was ridiculed, derided and dismissed as inconsequential. Gen. Buratai was pained within. And immediately, he defined a vision and a mission for his leadership of the Nigerian Army, crafted to retool the Army professionally to operate on the best crest of ethical excellence and performance.

Therefore, conspicuously desirous to make the difference, Gen. Buratai made the foremost policy statement as far back as 2015, articulating clearly that his vision is fixated on grooming a responsible and responsive Nigerian Army that would answer professionally to its Constitutional core mandate of protecting and preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria in the discharge of its roles.

And in the last four years, it is evidently clear that Gen. Buratai and his team of underlings have walked the talk. To assert that Gen. Buratai has completely overhauled the Nigerian Army is an understatement. The Army Chief has meticulously implemented his vision on the Nigerian Army. Even doubting Thomases have conceded to him the splendor of Nigerian Army as one of the best Armies and a force to behold in the world now.

The Chinese military General, strategist, philosopher and inspirator in the Art of War, Sun Tzu once said; “The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”

Therefore, apparently inspired by the wisdom of Sun Tzu, Gen. Buratai sauntered on the anti-insurgency theatre with pride and gusto to make the difference and keep his promise of ending Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria. And he is fighting the war on all fronts and untainted determination.

Today, it is attestable that Nigerian troops are no longer a fighting force that disappointingly bow before terrorists on the battlefield. Gen. Buratai has applied the Sun Tzu’s tactic which echoes that; “Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.” And Nigerian troops have achieved immensely in the counter-insurgency operations by the overt attestations of the natives of the Northeast for over four years now.

The Nigerian Army under Gen. Buratai has now regained its lost spirit as one of the best in global peace keeping operations around the globe. It is reaffirming its status as an Army which once thunderously won peace keeping medals in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, and other places under the banner of the UN. Gen. Buratai has returned the Army back to the glorious days when the likes of the then ebullient Major General Muhammadu Buhari and the Gen. Tunde Idiagbons held sway as Generals.

Interestingly too and aside perfecting the Nigerian Army in field combats, Gen. Buratai has also infused amazing innovations and reforms in the administration of the Nigerian Army. The high spirits of soldiers on the frontlines and the series of irrevocable victories against Boko Haram despite the thwarting efforts of sabs is propelled by Buratai’s transparency and accountability which he has tenaciously implemented.



Pleasantly in pursuit of transparency under Gen. Buratai, the Nigerian Army is pegged among the very first establishments to enforce Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Bank Verification Number (BVN); the Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as directed by the FGN to all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs).

The Army Chief has also established the Directorate of Procurement in line with Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act 2007, which is designed to ensure a robust procurement process, transparency and to sustain operational efficiency in equipment purchase for troops in the battlefield. These were non-existent structures within the Nigerian Army prior to Gen. Buratai’s emergence on its leadership plane.

Other innovations include his novel exercise of the Army’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in multiple sectors. Nigerians domiciled in Nigerian Army’s host communities now enjoy constructed roads, water supply, electricity, and free mobile medicare nationwide. Gen. Buratai recently upped the ante outstandingly, as the Army donated of tractors to farmers in Gudumbali in Borno state.

This was after the Army successively cleared the area of Boko Haram terrorists. Gen. Buratai was personally on ground to support the returnees to reoccupy abandoned farms. The Army Chief stretched it further by holding townhall meetings with the locals to intimate them on how to assist the military sustain the peace and security in their communities. These are rare manifestations which are only felt under a cerebral leader like Gen. Buratai.

And mindful of a global world, interconnected by ICT, Gen. Buratai reorganized and modernized the Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR), once headed by a communications expert, Brigadier General SK Usman (rtd), which instituted the culture of timely dissemination of information on Army operations.

It flung its doors open to media inquisitors 24/hours every day, a tradition still sustained by his successor excellently. Thus, the secrecy which hitherto shrouded Army operations and its concomitant speculations by the public, especially on Boko Haram and fueled cyberspace terrorism vanished silently.

And the functionality of the DAPR is not limited to media friends of the country alone, but even to hostile foreign journalists, who have deliberately refused to understand the age and time under which the Army is operating. Just a dial gets one hooked to Army’s publicists.



The reforms Gen Buratai has brought to bear on education and training in the Army are supersonic. He is able to establish the first Nigerian Army University, Biu (NAUB), the Nigerian Army Aviation School and the resuscitation of hordes of moribund Army training schools. Nigerian Army officers, soldiers and civilians are benefiting directly from his leadership which has placed training of soldiers as topmost priority with motivations and under conducive atmospheres.

It is generally applauded by even ardent critics of Gen. Buratai that his open door policy, friendly mien and unquenchable humility are unbeatable. It is therefore unsurprising that the Nigerian Army is soaring on all facets under his watch, as he can hardly be faulted on any issue, least of all, described by anybody as a visionless leader. Nigerians are now witnesses to their dream Army General, as exemplified by Gen. Buratai. He promised to make the difference from the outset on assumption of duty and has lived his words.

In effect, Gen. Buratai is a perfect embodiment of Sun Tzu’s description of a military leader, epitomizing, “The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”


Bitrus is a forensic psychologist based in Bauchi.

Following a thorough tour of liberated communities in the North-East, the Coalition for Human Rights and Rights Monitoring Group has praised the Nigerian Army for restoring peace to the region.

The group, consisting of 10 civil society organisations revealed in a press conference on Monday that it undertook a 10-day assessment to gather first-hand information on the state of affairs in the region.

In a statement signed by President Gabriel Agidi, the Coalition reckoned that the country has made tremendous progress in the fight against terrorism.

As part of it its numerous observations, the civil rights group hailed the introduction of the Super Camp Strategy, describing it as “a massive success”.

The group further acknowledged that the gallant troops are in high spirits at various locations, welcomed by cheering locals.

The group, however, noted that a lot still needs to be done urgently to ensure that life returns to these liberated areas.

Read full statement below:

As you all may be aware, a total of 10 civil society organisations undertook a 10-day assessment tour of liberated communities in North-East Nigeria under the auspices of the Coalition for Human Rights and Rights Monitoring Group to gather first-hand information on the state of affairs in the region as well as to understand the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian troops in the theatre of operations.

I must quickly add that the assessment tour was at the behest of the Coalition for Human Rights and Rights Monitoring Group, which became imperative in the light of the avalanche of information making headlines as regards the takeover of some Nigerian territories by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 10-day assessment tour can be best described as eventful and as well as an eye-opener on critical issues ongoing in North-East Nigeria in the sense that we were confronted with facts that either by commission or omission have not been reported in the various news platforms in the country.

For example, it was such a heart-breaking realization that there is a high population of people still living in IDP camps scattered all over North-East Nigeria due to lack of shelter, and these camps are also lacking in food and essential drugs.

There was also a near-complete breakdown of basic infrastructures in these communities, and it somewhat made access such a herculean task for our team. Nonetheless, we were able to navigate our way through the steep terrain in furtherance of our objective.

I must also add that a lot still has to be done urgently to ensure that life returns to these liberated communities in the shortest of times as if this is not done, there is a tendency for the locals to constitute themselves into a security threat just out of frustration.

This, in our considered opinion could account for how and why some of the International NGOs in operation in these communities could easily lure the locals with monetary incentives to state what it’s not on camera and video just in return for a plate of porridge.

We were also confronted with the realization that one of the strategies deployed by the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group is to pose as IDPs and infiltrate these camps to gather information and also recruit fighters with a promise of a better life outside the camps.

As difficult and sad as this might sound, there is a high tendency that some of the International NGOs in operation in North-East Nigeria, also serve as recruitment agents for the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group. This is one area we strongly feel the relevant authorities must act fast if its desirous of bringing to an end the Boko Haram/ISWAP crisis in North-East Nigeria.

It was also observed that the Nigerian troops in battle remained committed and focused on bringing to an end the war in the region, we gathered this much upon interaction with military commanders, lieutenants, and soldiers. As a fact, they all exhibited an infectious loyalty to the country.

This in our considered opinion buttresses the point that in a matter of time, the Boko Haram/ISWAP menace would be a thing of the past, but only if this momentum is maintained vis-à-vis increased and improved welfare packages for those in the battlefield.

We believe that this aspect is very crucial, given the fact that the relevant authorities would not want a situation where soldiers are offered monetary incentives in return for strategic information on military operations.

Nonetheless, we encountered troops in high spirits at various locations as we transverse the nook and crannies of liberated communities in North-East, Nigeria. To our amazement, we were welcomed with songs and comical military displays. There was no sign of fatigue. The atmosphere was joyous, and the morale high. Whatever it is that the military authorities are doing to keep the confidence of the troops high must be continued and improved upon.

We must not also shy away from stating that fact there were also some challenges as evident on periodic ambushes, which according to information gathered, is a result of locals and some unscrupulous NGOs selling out sensitive information to Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist.

This is despite the existence of the Super Camp Strategy as introduced recently, which in our opinion, is a massive success as it has to a large extent, restricted and limited the Boko Haram/ISWAP offensive. We commend this initiative and encourage the military authorities to do all within its powers to strengthen and consolidate on the continued implementation of the Super Camp Strategy.

At this juncture, we must add that the Coalition for Human Rights and Rights Monitoring Group, in the course of our tour indeed scheduled a meeting with top commanders that the theatre command in our bid to proffer suggestions on ways the military authorities could address the frosty relations it has with some international NGOs. However, this was not possible due to the sensitivity of their operations, as well as a busy schedule at the time of our visit.

We are, therefore, duty-bound to impress it that the efforts of the Nigerian military in operation in North-East Nigeria is nothing but tremendous. They have stayed awake day and night to ensure that Nigeria is free from the clutches of a ragtag group of individuals whose motive for embracing violence is not only senseless but also despicable.

With what we saw on the ground as regards the efforts of the military, we are more than convinced that North-East Nigeria would in no distant time experience peace and sustainable development.

On behalf of the members of the 10 Civil Society Organisations under the umbrella of Coalition for Human Rights and Rights Monitoring Group that participated in the tour of the liberated communities, we extend our sincere apologies to the Nigerian troops over the despicable activities of some international NGOs and, as well as some local NGOs in operation in the North East.

On this note, we say it’s not Uhuru yet as there is still much work to be done by the relevant authorities towards bringing to an end the menace posed by Boko Haram/ISWAP in Nigeria.

Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

*Revealed: Troops uncover France-based NGO linked to Boko Haram, kill terrorists with ID card*

A France-based non-governmental organisation, Première Urgence Internationale, working alongside Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists has been uncovered by Nigerian troops.

With headquarters in Asnieres-sur-Seine on the suburbs of Paris, Première prides itself as an “international NGO which helps civilians who are marginalised or excluded as a result of natural disasters, war and economic collapse.”

The self-acclaimed humanitarian group first gained access to Nigeria in 2016, setting up activities in various complementary domains in order to respond to the vulnerable populations’ needs in the north-east.

However, a recent revelation by the gallant troops has suggested otherwise as the group has only succeeded in fuelling insurgency in the region.

Like many other foreign NGOs, instead of providing aid to the returning inhabitants following massive clearout by the resilient troops on the frontline, Première acted as a rehab centre for the utterly wounded and defeated fighters.

A Boko Haram terrorist, with an identification card belonging to Première, was on Sunday night killed by the troops in Gubio, Borno State.

Adam Idris Kubo, as displayed on his ID, works with the French NGO as a Pharmacist.

This has somewhat vindicated the Nigerian Army's decision to shut down two foreign groups – Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps and justified the call by some local civil society organisations to ban these international NGOs.

The remnants of Boko Haram terrorists and other forms of insurgency will be crushed in less than no time if the Nigerian Army is provided the necessary gadgets according to Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole.

The military chief disclosed that lack of Army Aviation was responsible for its inability to defeat the insurgents.

He made the revelation while receiving the National Assembly joint committee on Army in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, yesterday.


Adeniyi said Boko Haram has never been a “formidable force” as they are perceived to be.


He said: “The only thing that needs to be given to the army now is Nigeria Army Aviation with it's own helicopters.


“There is a way you solve a problem that will change the game. The army needs combat helicopters to end the Boko Haram war. If we have it, it will not be deployed like air force assets, air force jets which are for bigger strategic goals.


“These helicopters will sleep with us in the trenches, they will be with us in the frontline. These helicopters and the rifles are dispatched together.


“I know this has been on the table for years. When this is done, Nigeria can forget about Boko Haram.


“Let me say Boko Haram is not a formidable force, Boko Haram is not strong; Boko Haram cannot sustain 15 minutes of intensive firing. I personally exchange with Boko Haram in Marte, in Delta, in Gubio as deputy theatre commander and as theatre commander.


“Please go and tell Abuja that Boko Haram is not a formidable force that the military cannot defeat.”

The Nigerian Army has pointed out its major hindrance in defeating Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, boasting that it can defeat the insurgents in 15 minutes if they are provided the necessary logistics.


Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole disclosed that lack of Army Aviation was responsible for its inability to defeat the insurgents.


He made the disclosure while receiving the National Assembly joint committee on Army in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, yesterday.


Adeniyi said Boko Haram has never been a “formidable force” as they are perceived to be.


He said: “The only thing that needs to be given to the army now is Nigeria Army Aviation.


“There is a way you solve a problem that will change the game. The army needs combat helicopters to end the Boko Haram war. If we have it, it will not be deployed like air force assets, air force jets which are for bigger strategic goals.


“These helicopters will sleep with us in the trenches, they will be with us in the frontline. These helicopters and the rifles are dispatched together.


“I know this has been on the table for years. When this is done, Nigeria can forget about Boko Haram.


“Let me say Boko Haram is not a formidable force, Boko Haram is not strong; Boko Haram cannot sustain 15 minutes of intensive firing. I personally exchange with Boko Haram in Marte, in Delta, in Gubio as deputy theatre commander and as theatre commander.


“Please go and tell Abuja that Boko Haram is not a formidable force that the military cannot defeat.”

By Paul Smith

“I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles, and death. Let him who loves his country with his heart, and not merely with his lips, follow me.” – Giuseppe Garibaldi



The urge to serve one’s fatherland is innate and springs from an inner motivation to give all of what a leader embodies in life without reservation as expressed in the wit of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and henchman of the counter-insurgency operations, Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai is a stunning depiction of a quintessential, selfless, patriotic, committed and talented leader.

Over the years, Gen. Buratai has proven that he was not goaded into military career, but he voluntarily opted for it to faithfully serve his nation at any cost. So, while leading the battle against insurgencies and insurrections’ in Nigeria, Nigerians were astounded with his consistency, honesty, dedication to all assignments and his zeal to succeed against all odds.

In future when Nigeria’s history on Boko Haram terrorism is retold, Gen. Buratai will be fondly remembered as an Army General who made the difference in the fight against terrorism. He will be remembered as the messiah and nemesis of Boko Haram insurgents. Gen. Buratai will feature as the liberator of trapped communities or villages in the Northeast and rescuer of the oppressed victims of insurgency in the region and Nigeria.

When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Gen. Buratai to spearhead the national assignment of ending Boko Haram insurgency in the country, it was a mandate many thought was not executable on account of the many hurdles on his path. Many also thought with the tough and raging Boko Haram insurgency war on Nigeria laced in asymmetrical warfare, the Army Chief and his troops would make no impact, just like his predecessors.

But Gen. Buratai has proved his skeptics wrong. Widely reputed as a warmonger and expert combatant of the finest breed, Gen. Buratai assumed it a personal challenge, if Boko Haram terrorism thrives in Nigeria under his reign as leader of anti-insurgency operations in the country.

The Army Chief started with personal rebranding of conduct, outlook and approach to the counter-insurgency operations. He sipped extensively from the wisdom of America’s most coveted war expert and diplomat, General Colin Powell who said that; “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.”

Therefore, Gen. Buratai was no longer an Abuja leader of the counter-insurgency operations, confined to the coziness and cushioned chairs of his office at the Army Headquarters’ (AHQs) Abuja. He did not only relocate the Command Theatre to Maiduguri, the hub of terrorism, but also remained in the region, crisscrossing from community to community and personally led troops in assaults on terrorists in many instances. Sometimes, Gen. Buratai would dust his COAS garbs and play the role of field instructor to Special Strike Teams.

In simplest terms, Gen. Buratai led by example and therefore, subordinate Commanders and troops who were hesitant to battle insurgents on the frontlines under the malicious conviction that their superiors “sat in Abuja and sent them out to be slaughtered” by Boko Haram replicated Buratai’s example after sighting their boss in the trenches.

A renowned German, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel once punched that a good military leader must; “Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself and let your troops see that you don’t in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.”

In effect, Gen. Buratai’s presence and conduct on the battlefield in the midst of troops gingered enthusiasm, loyalty, endurance, patriotism and boosted their morale. Famed as a war strategist and tactician, he was handy to give orders in difficult scenarios’ in the course of battle.

Thus, in no time, the asymmetrical war strategy adopted by terrorists, which was their greatest strength and weapon in terrorizing Nigerians was dismantled. The development saw the gradual weakening of the prowess of insurgents and a drastic drop in frequency of siege on communities.



And similarly, insurgent’s atrocious acts of abductions, horrendous killings and arsons waned and gradually eclipsed. Gen. Buratai effectively proved to insurgents that he is a better General in asymmetrical warfare.

Much more, Gen. Buratai’s strength of character is disarming, his integrity enviable. Being the ombudsman of counter-terrorism in Nigeria, he is susceptible to inducements from the Iranian based ISWAP terrorists kingpins who are desperate to conquer Nigeria. But Gen. Buratai is a major stumbling block to this devilish ambition and it explains why their agents back home hide under feigned patriotism to campaign for Buratai’s removal from office.

ISWAP is appalled that Gen. Buratai has been able to decimate and defeat Boko Haram, recapture all the 18 LGAs in the Northeast under Boko Haram hegemony; neutralized insurgents from their Caliphate headquarters in Gwoza and freed nearly 20,000 Nigerian hostages. The adversaries of Nigeria are sad that Gen. Buratai has also conveniently confined insurgents operations to remote areas in Borno and the Lake Chad Basin. ISWAP can offer gold to any leader of counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria to soft-pedal in order to allow them ingress into the country to torment the people.

But they have met a regrettable bulwark in Gen. Buratai who is committed to fulfilling his pledge of complexly routing out Boko Haram and delivering back to Nigerians, a country extricated from the fangs of terrorism for national peace and security. Therefore, even in strength of character and public conduct, Gen. Buratai remains a towering and irrepressible General.

And those amazed at the streaks of victories Gen. Buratai has recorded against Boko Haram may need to have a peep into his administrative and organizational ingenuity which he brought to bear on the Nigerian Army. He inherited an obviously defective army which shirked in battles before enemies of Nigeria.

But he proved his mettle as an administrative General, as he zealously stepped out to reposition the Nigerian Army. He effortlessly achieved his target of grooming a responsible and responsive army, adequately armed in training, professionalism and discipline in the performance of their constitutionally assigned roles as defenders of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.

Focused on this objective, Gen. Buratai launched rare reforms and instituted innovations which have repositioned the Army. It is now rated as the best fighting force in Africa, thus, reclaiming its lost glory on the continent.

Even in policy and planning, Gen. Buratai has demonstrated that he is a versatile Army General. He has ensured that the personnel of the Nigerian Army maintain an apolitical posture and neutrality in all their interactions with the civil populace. The Army Chief has strengthened the cord between Military and civil relations in manner hitherto unknown in the history of the Nigerian Army.

In all Army formations, the cordiality and civility in interfacing with Nigerians is exhibited by soldiers; while he does not hesitate to punish erring personnel who violate the ethical creeds. He rewards excellence of soldiers, but punishes indolence and recalcitrance. The Civil/ Military relationship is further cemented with generous and soothing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects to Army’s host communities in a range of sectors.

Interestingly, in the last four years. Gen. Buratai has ordered a dozen operations on Internal Security (IS). And each operation is carefully planned and code-named, as well as targeted to achieve a particular purpose in constant appraisal of his assignment on the insecurity threats assailing the nation. Nigerians have seen Army operations like “Operation Harbin Kunama” I, II & III, “Operation Python Dance” I & II, “Operation Crocodile Smile,” “Operation Lafia Dole,” “Operation Gaman Aiki,” “Operation Whirl Stroke,” and “Operation Deep Punch” among others.

And Gen. Buratai has never failed to fully consummate the motive of each of the field operations. Pleasantly too, troops have in all instances strictly adhered to professional best practices and Rules of Engagement (ROE) as violations attracts stiff punitive measures on the violator in accordance with military tradition.

The ongoing “Clearance Operations” and its retooling with the “Super Camp Strategy in the Northeast region are the multiple ways Gen. Buratai has demonstrated to Nigerians and the world his ingenuity on counter-terrorism. He is indeed, an exceptional Army General.



The dexterity of the Army boss as an all-round General is also manifest in his concern and handling of issues of human rights violations and abuses. Deployment of soldiers for Internal Security (IS) as circumstances have demanded in Nigeria, with the presence of soldiers in virtually all the 36 states of the federation, including Abuja is quite a delicate assignment. There is a high possibility of bruises between soldiers and civilians.

However, Gen. Buratai has positioned the Army to maximally respect the human rights of Nigerians when on IS national assignments throughout the country. And as a foresighted Army General, he envisaged occasional breaches and moved proactively to protect Nigerians by establishing the first Human Rights Desk at the AHQs, and also domiciled it in all Army Divisions to tackle issues relating to alleged violations of the human rights of Nigerians by soldiers.



Gen. Buratai is indeed, one General among many Generals. The COAS is truly what this anonymous military analyst said; “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the end, leaders are much like eagles… they don’t flock, you find them one at a time.”


Smith is a freelance journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya.

By David Onmeje


When recently, I heard a member of the Nigerian Senate asking what the Service Chiefs have done these years on ending Boko Haram,  I knew immediately that there is another set of people that have been ignored in our hall of fame. It became clear to me, our politicians will stop at nothing to glorify themselves over nothing,  but excitedly spite others. 


The Senator who asked the rhetorical question amazed me infinitely. If today, and under President Muhammadu Buhari, any Nigerian can claim even in satiric excitement or in mocking ambience not to understand or feel the impact of the Service Chiefs on insurgencies, it only exposes our hypocritical selves.


And when I hear such obscenities from politicians, it baffles me on why these same persons have found themselves in leadership positions. A friend of mine, once told me   that when our politicains tell you to stand, make sure you sit down immediately. They are hostile to truth, but worship falsehood with reverence.  This is the extent Nigerians perceive the dishonesty in our politicians.


Therefore, spreading mischief and malicious interpretations of our problems by these politicians would not obliterate the reality. We all know, truth is constant and sacrosanct. Only lies mutate in character severally within a day.


The same Senator, I have no reason to doubt his dementia has forgotten that in the Three Arms Zone in Abuja where he attends parliamentary sessions, insurgents bombs exploded at Eagle Square when former President Goodluck Jonathan was the chief landlord of Aso Rock.


And even the Louis Edet House, which houses the Nigerian Police Headquarters also felt the heat of Boko Haram bombs. The bomb explosions at Nyanya bus station; Barnex Shopping Mall, the UN Building and hordes of other places within the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) undeniably expressed our national tragedy.


That a serving Senator today does not know that no bomb has exploded anywhere in Abuja under the Buhari Presidency and deridingly questions what the Service Chiefs have done would not plunge me into a nightmare. He is merely voicing out his foolery, in a demeaning fashion.


If we are held back by sentiment not to commend the Service Chiefs for taming insurgencies and insurrections in Nigeria,  we should rather be mute. But polluting the air with such malicious condemnations of the sacrifices they are making to give us peace and security is the height of idiocy. 


I feel the current Service Chiefs, especially the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS) and helmsman of the anti-insurgency operations in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai deserve national recognition with national honours. The Brazilian Government was not foolish to have conferred the highest military honour on Gen. Buratai for his contributions in decimating / defeating Boko Haram terrorism and therefore, scaling up world peace!



 I know some Nigerians as people who are never proud of hard working, selfless and patriotic leaders like Gen. Buratai and the others are just victims of a disfigured national pysche.


So, for the records, and to those who are likely to be misled by the dishonest views of my Senator- friend, I wish to reply briefly by replaying the impact of Service Chiefs appointed in 2015 which he deliberately feigns ignorance.


I want to be specific and would x-ray just the war against terrorism. Before the Buhari Presidency,  18 local governments in the Northeast were under the full control of Boko Haram. The terror gang also had partial control of seven others. Terrorists deposed traditional and religious leaders, foisted their Jihadi flags and governed conquered territories on the dictates of Boko Haram's weird doctrines, with headquarters in Gwoza.


But Gen. Buratai ingeniously and courageously led Nigerian troops to reclaim all seized territories of the Nigerian state within one year! Nigerians only knew of Boko Haram's abduction of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls. However, over 20, 000 Nigerians were held hostage in Boko Haram's secret camps in the Northeast. The Army Chief led the assault which has freed over 17, 000 Boko Haram hostages in the last four years.


Today, we are not under the phobia of a dreaded Sambisa forest. We are pleasantly talking about a demystified and dismantled Sambisa forest, an enclave now sprawling with games and hunting . I am still thinking of who some debased politicians in the country think has accomplished these feats, if not the Service Chiefs, with Gen. Buratai as the Chief Armour Bearer.


Nigerians are no longer under the nightmare of the spell of Boko Haram, constantly visiting atrocities and horrendous attacks,  so recklessly on any part of the country as obtainable in the past. Of course, I won't say, Boko Haram insurgency has completely ended, but it has been severely degraded and decapitated, to the extent that now insurgents only strike at obscure locations.  But our gallant soldiers are still on their trail in Clearance Operations. We cannot be this blind to reality! 


We can only appreciate Gen. Buratai if we know that he has been able to stop the massive recruitment of our sons and daughters into Boko Haram as footsoldiers.  It's a difficult task, but he has done it. It means Gen. Buratai has confronted insurgency on all fronts- battlefield, cyberspace,  pyschological and ideological warfares.


I am not wise, but I know when someone attempts to fool me. If at this point, some Nigerians still doubt what the incumbent Service Chiefs have done in combating terrorism, they could even query the day of their birth. Had other Service Chiefs did half of what current batch are doing now in finally routing out Boko Haram terrorism, Nigeria would have been a free nation by today.


I feel these Service Chiefs deserve national honors. It's the only way we can convince an inquisitive world about appreciating their service and sacrifices to our fatherland in quelling terrorism.


Onmeje wrote this piece from Bromley, London..

By Esther Okpabi

The security architecture in Nigeria is such that it revolves around the operations of the Nigerian Army. I say this for the simple fact that since 2015, and with the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army has indeed risen to the occasion in times too numerous to mention with innovations and operations that have always restored peace around the country.

I am one of those in the school of thought that posits that, but for the present commitment of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as well as the Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria would have disintegrated in line with the doomsday predictions of 2015. But the sheer commitment of these individuals altered the equation, and Nigeria is united today.

I must add that in the annals of the country, there hasn't been a time that the Nigerian Army has been stretched thin like this period, with operations running simultaneously across the country, including the Boko Haram/ISWAP conflict in North-East Nigeria. The truth is that one wonders how the Nigerian Army has been able to combine all of these operations of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria without fail.

It is, therefore, my considered opinion that one of the early gifts that President Muhammadu gave Nigerians was the choice of Service Chiefs who were mandated to hit the ground running in ensuring that the various security challenges facing the country are addressed. This is also on the heels that Nigeria was on the brinks and with a military that had been overwhelmed by the myriad of challenges confronting it, which was occasioned by the selfish and lackadaisical attitude of the then political and military authorities towards the unity of Nigeria.

That period was indeed free for all endeavours that saw the misappropriation of funds meant for critical military operations as well as the welfare of the fighting troops in North-East Nigeria. So the consequent result was an upsurge in the activities of Boko Haram terrorists till they took control of over 16 local government areas in North-East Nigeria.

We must agree that since the coming of the present administration and the operational strategies deployed by the various services of the Armed Forces, the security architecture in Nigeria indeed experienced a considerable facelift. Worthy of mention is the exploits of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who has been described in various quarters as the war legend of our time due to the way and manner he has led the fighting troops in confronting the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist and other militant groups in Nigeria.

It is indeed not an understatement to state that but for the efforts of the Nigerian Army, militant groups such as the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) would have caused maximum damage to the sovereignty of Nigeria. But again, the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was able to nip in the bud their nefarious activities.

The exploits of the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai has never been in short supply. This also explains the encomium that has been showered on him from home and abroad for exemplary leadership in the operations of the Nigerian Army in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. For example, the Nigerian Army was honoured with the Certificate of Professionalism by the International Human Rights Commission Geneva, Switzerland, jointly with the Committee of Foreign Observers, for its efforts at protecting Human Rights during the just concluded 2019 general elections in Nigeria.

Again, sometime in 2017, the Chief of Army Staff was given the Presidential Award for Excellence for his determined war against the Boko Haram insurgents by the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Reading a citation at the award ceremony, the NIM stated that "In less than two years of Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai becoming the Army Chief of Staff, the tide has changed to much safer northeast and thereby restoring confidence in the Nigerian Army as a reliable agent for National Security."

"Many of the captured and deserted cities and towns were recovered and normalcy gradually restored. This rare feat could not have been possible without the intervention of Lt. Gen. Buratai, who, upon the assumption of duty, swiftly demonstrated his leadership skills and military prowess coupled with patriotic zeal, to tackle headlong, the nefarious activities of the insurgents, which threatened our national cohesion."

You must agree with me that the above citation aptly describes the level of life the Chief of Army Staff has been able to inject in the operations of the Nigerian Army since he assumed leadership. Would you consequently have been surprised by the fact that also, the Chief of Army Staff, was conferred with the highest military award in Brazil?

The Brazilian military order of merit award, which is the highest military honour in the country, is awarded to military officers, who had distinguished themselves in various military endeavours. According to citation at the occasion, the award was in recognition of Buratia’s exemplary and world's recognized leadership qualities and the Nigerian Army's effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency. And this is no fluke.

The Nigerian Army has indeed risen to the occasion in the fight against terrorism. As such, it behoves on all well-meaning Nigerians to give it that support in its quest towards defeating the last evil standing, which is the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group.

I can go on non-stop on the exemplary leadership of the Nigerian Army in protecting the sovereignty of Nigeria. And in all of these, one thing stands out; the rare display of an unflinching commitment by the Chief of Army Staff towards protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria has been the magic wand. And if the truth must be told, if this has been the case before the advent of the present administration, the Boko Haram crisis would have been long over.

Be that as it may, the leadership of the Nigerian Army has been able to reclaim the lost glory of the Nigerian Army and indeed sent many merchants of death hovering over Nigeria out of business. Those whose stock in trade is to cause ethnic and religious division in the country have also been sent out of business with the renewed commitment of the Nigerian Army in protecting the sovereignty of Nigeria.

This is indeed commendable, and it consequently behoves on those holding sensitive positions of authority in Nigeria to take a cue from the exemplary leadership as exhibited by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. Nigeria shall be indeed great again.


Okpabi wrote from the New Nile University, Abuja.

By Daniel Ochonu

The situation in North-East Nigeria calls for concern from all well-meaning Nigerians. This is given the wanton of destruction that has occasioned the war against Boko Haram terrorism since 2009. In some quarters it has been speculated that there is more to the activities of Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria than meets the eye.

The reasons might not be far-fetched. Some people are behind their nefarious activities, and there is also another grouping that benefits from the crisis to smile to the bank. These are called the political haram members, and those behind the Borno Conundrum.

That the Boko Haram crisis continues to fester is suspicious because all that is required to be done by the relevant authorities have been done. The morale of the military has been boosted. The operational capacity of the fighting troops has been upgraded, and yet we are still somewhat battling with remnants of the terrorist group, mainly operating from the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin Region.

It must be noted that the Boko Haram terrorists are not spirts and invincible. They live within us and gather as much information that they can get. They also have sympathizers almost everywhere that gives them financial, moral, and logistics support. These sympathizers are in government offices and religious organizations. They are holding top government positions of authorities, and they are also in the organized private sector with access to vast amounts of monies at their disposal. Interestingly, as sad as this might sound, the media is also culpable.

They give nocturnal support to the Boko Haram fighters. And during the day, they hold press conferences to condemn their activities. So much so that they organize conferences speaking against the activities of Boko Haram. This is the unfortunate situation we have found ourselves as a country in the fight against terrorism.

The case of Borno state provides that clear example of how the political haram members have aided the Boko Haram terrorist in their pursuit of evil against Nigeria. This is indeed a shame on how and why such is happening in the annals of our country. Most times, I wonder how we descended to the unenviable height. I also wonder how some people can sell their conscience so easily for a plate of porridge-like they are going to live forever.

I stand to be corrected; what they have failed to remember is the fact that our decisions in life somehow come around to haunt us. For them to think that they would get away with the evil been perpetuated is a mistake because the blood of the innocent would serve justice in the appropriate time.

Some reading this piece might be wondering what it is I am driving at. The answer is simple. There are some underlying factors responsible for the Boko Haram terrorist activities, and those behind it knows that should the war come to an end, it means the butter on their bread would cease, and as such, everything must be done to ensure that all efforts of the Nigerian government fail.
In my opinion, this is made possible as a result of the quantum of monies at their disposal, which was ill-gotten. I think this is where the relevant authorities in Nigeria failed to address all the while; instead, they concentrated on Boko Haram members and not realizing that the bigger problem is the activities of the political haram members.

I recall some time ago in the life of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2012 precisely, the former president stated that Boko Haram members had infiltrated his government. And as usual, he was abused and mocked. Little did we know that he was referring to the political haram members in high places.

The former president stated that he believed Boko Haram had sympathizers in government, national assembly, and even security agencies. Did we believe him? Now fast forward to 2019 and with a government in place that has demonstrated a strong political will by giving tremendous support to the Armed Forces in all areas necessary, and yet we are still confronted with the same debacle.

This is the stark reality on the ground as it stands, and my heart goes out to all that have in one way or the other fallen victims to these political haram members. In the words of former President Goodluck Jonathan, "some continue to dip their hands and eat with you, and you won't even know the person who will point a gun at you or plant a bomb behind your house,"

I can't but agree with former President Goodluck Jonathan, hence this piece. This is one reality we must come to terms with especially in Borno state. The Borno conundrum aptly fits into the political haram narrative. It is indeed a sad tale that a state once known as the home of peace is now a shadow of itself. And to think that these individuals have no qualms with what they are doing makes it all ironic. But guess what? In the fullness of time they shall be exposed in their numbers.

Ochonu wrote this piece from Bauchi.

*PHOTOS: Victorious Army troops tour Sambisa, other recaptured communities*

In continuation of its onslaught on Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, the Nigerian Army has embarked on a victory tour around recaptured communities.

The gallant troops were pictured enjoying a smooth sail from Sambisa to Damboa and Alagarno all in Borno State.

In one of the photos which has gone viral on social, the troops showed ingenuity, displaying tactical engineering to improvise a fording raft.

The Army were seen moving deep into the swamps of the Borno/Yobe forests to smoke out the remnants of the criminal BHT/ISWAP elements

This comes after the troops of Sector 3 supported by the Air Task Force (ATF) successfully repelled an attack on Gubio in Gubio LGA of Borno State.

The gallant troops neutralized two of the criminal insurgents and recovered one Gun Truck, 2 AK 47 Rifles, one Anti Air Craft Gun.

No fewer than 50 civilians held hostage by the criminals were rescued during the encounter.

The troops continue to dominate the area with fighting/clearing patrols, ambush, raids as well as cordon and search operations.

Boko Haram: UNICEF, Mercy Corps, other international NGOs indicted for embezzling $20 billion earmarked for IDPs



International NGOs Monitoring Bureau, an organization that track the activities of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), has indicted UNICEF, Mercy Corps and other international NGOs for embezzling donor funds earmarked for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.


The Bureau made this shocking revelations after undertaking a risk assessment of the participation of NGOs in humanitarian and relief efforts in the north east of Nigeria, which has been ravaged by the violent activities of Boko Haram, and lately they Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), activities.

The group said during its assessment, it noticed some NGOs unethical fraternization and alignment with the terrorists in Nigeria, on whose behalf they apparently issued several statements or at the very least they issued statements that echo the position taken by the terrorists on critical national issues that have no direct bearing on relief work.

Mary Johnson, a Human Rights Lawyer who presented the report in London on Wednesday, warned the indicted NGOs to desist from acts that run contrary to the mandates of the funds.

The report below.

These NGOs are of interest because they operate on the same timeline as ongoing military action against the terrorists in the region. The realities on ground as a result has the NGOs threading the lines that cut across government troops, different factions of terrorists, local populations and other obscure players in the crisis.

Additional impetus for assessing the activities of these organizations arose from cases of conflicting stance on incidents that border on rights abuses, collusion with terrorists, facilitation of acts of terrorism amongst others.

The Bureau consequently content analyzed media reports covering a period of 24 months, statements issued by the NGOs in response to accusations and ones made to level accusations against he authorities, interviews granted by authorized spokespersons of the affected organizations amongst others.

The outcome of this exercise revealed that many of the NGOs are involved in the acts the government forces accused them of. A key piece of evidence in this regard is their unethical fraternization and alignment with the terrorists in Nigeria, on whose behalf they apparently issued several statements or at the very least they issued statements that echo the position taken by the terrorists on critical national issues that have no direct bearing on relief work.

This development has been linked to the financial inducement from the offshore, notably from entities that are opposed to Nigeria's nationhood.

STUDY AREA
The risk assessment covered the motely 150 organizations operating in Nigeria’s northeast region where Boko Haram terrorists have been operating. The activities of the terrorists made it necessary for Nigeria to conduct military operations targeted at quashing the insurgency.

The Bureau identified: Amnesty International, Mercy Corps, Human Rights Watch, Action Against Hunger, UNICEF, and their local partners as organizations of interest given their run-ins with the military authorities and the allegations levelled against them.


Amnesty International, Mercy Corps, Human Rights Watch, Action Against Hunger, and UNICEF have received an estimated $20 billion in the period under review. The funds by all indications exceeded what the organizations expend on actual humanitarian work, which raises the question of what the funds are meant for.

Using the $20 billion fund, the identified NGOs were found to have engaged in actions that run contrary to their advertised objectives in the region as well as contravening terms upon which they were accredited to operate in the region.

UNICEF was found to have passed on classified military information to terrorists in a manner jeopardized anti-terrorism operations and imperiled troops that were sent to fight terrorists.
Action Against Hunger was found to have supplied food, medications and logistics to Boko Haram members in addition to helping terrorists register in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Mercy Corps was found to have supplied food, medications and logistics to Boko Haram members in addition to helping terrorists register in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Human Rights Watch engaged in production of pro-Boko Haram propaganda through the publication of reports that aimed to project government forces as being engaged in rights abuses.

Amnesty International ran and still runs intense pro-Boko Haram, pro-ISWAP propaganda against the military authorities and the government of the country.

The activities of these groups have at various times provoked responses from the military that involved suspension of operational accreditation, shutting down of offending operations and censure.
Other NGOs, mostly indigenous organizations, have responded to the activities of these above mentioned groups by holding protests to demand their expulsion from Nigeria.

The Bureau recommends that:
Home nations of the affected NGOs and supra-national organizations with implied oversight should all Amnesty International, Mercy Corps, Human Rights Watch, Action Against Hunger, and UNICEF to order and impress on them the need to respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.

Amnesty International, Mercy Corps, Human Rights Watch, Action Against Hunger and UNICEF should respect any cease and desist order, suspension or withdrawal of accreditation, enforced closure imposed by the military authorities in Nigeria without resorting to blackmail.

Financial Action Task Force should partner with Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies to further investigate the allegations of terrorism financing levelled against the various organizations with a view to unravelling the source countries for the funds that have been used for terrorism financing.

Legitimate donors to the identified groups should review their funding to ensure that they are not indirectly financing terrorism through support for the indicted organizations.
The authorities in Nigeria should review the criteria for accreditation of international NGOs working in the north east region of the country to include full disclosure of funding sources and disbursement, which would be made to anti-graft agencies with the capacity for tracking financial flow.


International NGOs Monitoring Bureau shall be conducting further assessments to verify the extent to which best practices have been embraced by the affected organizations and to identify if other organizations continue to operate above board or have fallen foul of applicable benchmarks.

*NIFROP lauds Army on spiritual warfare seminar to defeat Boko Haram, extreme religious ideologies*

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisation for Peace (NIFROP) has hailed the Nigerian Army for organising a spiritual warfare seminar to combat Boko Haram's devilish ideologies.

Unknown to Nigerians, this practice isn’t new as some reputable nations’ military resorted to aggressive forms of prayers on the battlefield.

This concept was utilized by the North Americans in the form of evangelical warfare prayer since the 1980s.

In a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, Secretary General of the group, Rev (Dr) Elijah Akuh said the Army deserves commendation for towing this honourable path, knowing that Boko Haram's ideology is based on strict adherence to Wahhabism - an extreme form of Sunni Islam.

According to the clergyman, the essence of the conference was to properly educate troops and arm them against such ideologies that have been used in the past to infiltrate and break the ranks of any fighting force.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace, therefore, called on other security agencies to emulate the Army in conducting routine spiritual warfare.

The group added that this should serve as a challenge to spiritual and religious leaders on the need to support the Army in prayers and supplications in the fight against terrorism.

Read full statement below.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace in Nigeria (NIFROP) a conglomeration of faith-based organisations in Nigeria having extensively evaluated the operational strategies of the Nigerian Army in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist in Nigeria wishes to by this medium state in unequivocal terms that indeed the Nigerian Army has risen to the occasion in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

This is hinged on the fact that the Boko Haram terrorist group over the years had indeed practiced a radical stance that has seen to the propagation of their ideology in the pursuit of their nefarious activities.

The beliefs of Boko Haram which tend to be centred on strict adherence to Wahhabism, which is an extremely strict form of Sunni Islam that sees many other forms of Islam as idolatrous is indeed worrisome and must be condemned by all well-meaning religious groups in Nigeria.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace wishes to state that it aligns with the various approaches embraced by the leadership of the Nigerian Army in confronting the Boko Haram terrorist group since 2009 when the group took up a violent campaign against the constituted authorities in Nigeria.

The recently concluded Nigerian Army Spiritual Warfare Seminar with the theme, countering insurgency and violent extremism in Nigeria through spiritual warfare could not have come at a better time in the light of the fact that the Boko Haram terrorist group has indeed utilized a religious ideology that if not tamed would ultimately give them the impetus to continue to perpetuate evil in North-East Nigeria.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace understands that in the battle of spiritual warfare, we need to begin with acknowledging that we are in a war and that such battles make up smaller components of the bigger picture.

These invisible or unseen forces, are real. There are forces, both angelic and demonic, that are actively working around us. There is evil that we fight in our spiritual warfare, and the Boko Haram warfare is not an exemption.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace states that the essence of the conference was to properly educate troops and arm them against such ideologies that have been used in the past to infiltrate and break the ranks of any fighting force in the world.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace also states that everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected in the spiritual world and as such the recent strategy introduced by the Nigerian Army is not out of place and a display of foresight by the leadership of the Nigerian Army in its quest to ultimately win the war against Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria.

This is on the heels that militarization and aggressive forms of prayer is not a new concept as it has been utilized by the North Americans in the evangelical warfare prayer developed since the 1980s. They have elaborated a complex theology and prayer practice with a highly militarized discourse and set of rituals for doing spiritual battle and conducting prayer strikes on the battlefield.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace encourage other security agencies to deliberately carry out corporate social responsibilities initiatives in areas that will help Nigeria to defeat extreme religious ideologies like what Boko Haram and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria have done the country all in the name of religion.

Our troops must be charged to know and understand that no terrorist group fights for any religious group in the country, but instead their evil agenda. So this much the recently concluded Nigerian Army Warfare Seminar aims to bring to the limelight.

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organisations for Peace commends the leadership of the Nigerian Army for this laudable initiative and consequently gives its approval for more of such conferences to be organized.

This conference as organized by the Nigerian Army should serve as a challenge to spiritual and religious leaders on the need to support the Nigerian Army in prayers and supplications in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Army has indeed done well with this noble initiative contrary to what some section of the media wants the unsuspecting members of the public to believe.

*Group recommends Service Chiefs, Nigerian troops for national honours over efforts on the war against insurgency*

In recognition of their unwavering sacrifices in flushing away Boko Haram terrorists, the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has recommended special national honours for the Nigerian military, especially the Service Chiefs.

The group made this recommendation as part of its message to mark Nigeria's 59th Independence on Tuesday in Abuja.

In a statement signed by Executive Secretary, Comrade Ibrahim Abubakar, the group hailed the Service Chiefs for turning the tide since taking over the helms of affairs in 2015.

The SHAC reckoned that the serenity and relative peace being enjoyed on another Independence Day may have been different if not for the bravery, sacrifices and efforts of the Nigerian troops and its leadership.

According to the Centre, no territory is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists, made possible by the dedication and commitment of the Armed Forces.

Therefore, Save Humanity Advocacy Centre believes mere compliments are not enough – hence a national honour should be reserved for the military top shots as well as the gallant troops in the frontline.

Read full remark below.

Nigeria had witnessed unprecedented security challenges since 2009 when the Boko Haram group took up arms against the Nigerian state with a violent campaign that initially targeted security agencies and security installations in North-East Nigeria.

The Nigerian Authorities treated the menace with kid gloves until it turned into a monster that has haunted us in the past ten years with so much aggression. Lives have been lost, properties destroyed, legacies destroyed, and in some instances, generations of families erased.

Yes, as stark as the details are, it is the harsh reality that befell us as a people and as a country that we must live with for generations to come — the years of the locust that almost brought Nigeria to its knees.

The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria is one episode that would make a best-seller anytime because of the quantum of destructions and setbacks that it has brought. It somewhat reminds us of the civil war era that some of us have refused to let go because of the emotional and psychological impact it had on our collective psyche as a people.

If the truth must be told, the Boko Haram insurgency has had psychological, economic as well as physical impact on the people of North-East Nigeria. The activity of Boko Haram insurgency also had various implications on women and girls.

For instance, the year 2013 marked the time Boko Haram began to use women and children as pawns in their nefarious activities by abducting them. The terrorist group on May 15, 2014, stormed Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state and kidnapped without resistance over 200 college girls. In a related account, the terror group on May 2013 carried out a mass assault on a police barrack in Bama, Borno state in which they captured 12 Christian women and children. Most of these women and girls abducted by Boko Haram experienced sexual violence, including rape, torture, and also murder.

Also, children’s exposure to armed hostilities affected their mental health. Wives whose husbands voluntarily or forcefully joined the ranks of Boko Haram were not only left disheartened but also abandoned to fend for themselves with their children and were also vulnerable to isolation and “traitor” label by community members.

Boko-Haram terrorist activities indeed crippled the economy of North-East Nigeria to a large extent. Its horrendous activities made the area so vulnerable to criminals and political thugs to dehumanize the political environment, thus making the area almost ungovernable.

We must admit that like many terrorist groups, Boko Haram evolved from operating based around opportunity and availability to that of a drive based around politics and circumstance.

Boko Haram activities in the North East has led to the mass displacement of persons especially in Borno State as the state accounts for the highest number of internally displaced persons since Boko Haram took up a more violent approach to their agitation.

Successive governments made efforts towards arresting the situation with little success recorded and the Nigerian Military has been up and doing in ensuring that the territorial integrity of Nigeria is preserved with various strategies towards curbing the activities of Boko Haram.

We all know that the Nigerian Military has made enormous sacrifices towards containing the activities of Boko Haram terrorists since 2009. They have toiled day and night for peace to reign supreme in Nigeria. They have also been victims of the nefarious activities of Boko Haram terrorists.

We must admit that their sacrifices have been worth the while in the sense that they have lived up to expectations and deserves our commendation because they have stayed true to the ideals of the unity of Nigeria.

That our democracy and independence has been preserved is a function of the efforts of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as such we must admit that they deserve every form of commendation there is in the country. They have displayed an unalloyed commitment to the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria, and they have stayed true to these values despite the difficulties they have experienced in the course of the discharge of their duties.

We must admit that but for the sacrifices and the efforts of our soldiers committed to the fight against terrorism in Nigeria, we would have been talking about a different situation. Special praises must go to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing that sterling leadership that the Armed Forces indeed requires.

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre on this auspicious occasion of the 59th Independence Anniversary of the country states that the Nigeria of our dreams is still possible with the commitment exhibited by the political authorities in the country.

The Service Chiefs so appointed since 2015 have also risen to the occasion in ways too numerous to mention. They have led by example, and they have also displayed that true Nigerian spirit that has translated into the various successes recorded in the fight against terrorism in the country.

This much we admit and this much we appreciate, and as such it behoves on the relevant authorities in the country to carry on initiatives that would see to the psychological upliftment of the morale of our soldiers that have been fighting day and night towards preserving the territorial integrity of the country.

This is cognizant of the fact that today as we all celebrate the 59th-anniversary celebrations of Nigeria; it is on record that no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. Let us make no mistakes about this fact which has been made possible by the dedication and commitment of our Armed Forces.

The question on the lips of everyone is how can we repay these individuals that have dedicated and rededicated themselves to service to fatherland? How can we show our appreciation?

We must all agree that words are indeed not sufficient to express our gratitude because in the past ten years, the foundation of Nigeria was threatened and our Armed Forces have been up and doing especially since 2015, the year that saw to the beginning of a new phase in the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

It is, therefore, the considered opinion of the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre that as a token of our appreciation to the ever-loyal and dedicated troops battling terrorism in North-East Nigeria, all the soldiers that have been involved in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria be given a step promotion.

We believe that such gestures, though not commensurate with their day and night sacrifices, it would be nonetheless worth the while.

We must not also forget the Service Chiefs, who have continuously provided that leadership that translated to the various successes recorded in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. That no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist is indeed a testament of the commitment of the Service Chiefs to protecting our nascent democracy and ultimately the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

They have indeed done well. So they deserve our commendation on this auspicious occasion of our independence day celebrations. The Save Humanity Advicacy Centre also advocates that the various Service Chiefs are awarded National Honours in appreciation of their invaluable contributions to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria and the enormous work done so far in northeast Nigeria.

Again, words might not be sufficient to appreciate the Service Chiefs because Nigerians and as well as the international community are appreciative of their efforts thus far and that we are once again celebrating our independence anniversary is a testament.

We can’t but thank the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for providing that political will needed to confront the Boko Haram terrorists. Nigerians are indeed grateful to the Commander-in-Chief for leading the war against terrorism in Nigeria and ensuring that no Nigerian terrorist is under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist in line with the promise he made upon assumption of office in 2015.

It has been indeed an eventful journey in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. And that our Armed Forces are in full control of North-East Nigeria is and would remain a welcome development that all well-meaning Nigerians should be proud of.

Thank you all, and God bless Nigeria!

*Boko Haram: Buratai never sought spiritual backing, civil rights lawyer rubbishes reports*

A civil rights lawyer, Emmanuel Osuagwu Ugochukwu, has dismissed reports by some section of the media which claimed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt Gen Tukur Buratai called for prayers to end insurgency.

The Punch Newspaper had painted a scenario, falsely quoting the COAS as saying “terrorism and terrorist groups could not be eliminated alone by the military unless religious bodies and organisations in the country come to the forefront of the spiritual battle”.

This trailed a spiritual warfare seminar at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre on Monday, with the theme, ‘Countering insurgency and violent extremism in Nigeria through spiritual warfare.’

However, in a press statement titled “critics of Army Chief goofed over suggestion to fight insurgency spiritually”, Mr Ugochukwu rubbished such report with the sole intent of propagating “mischief”.

According to the legal practitioner, the COAS never in anyway suggested using spiritualism to fight insurgency rather called on religious leaders to support the Nigerian Army in eradicating ideologies fuelling insurgency in the country.

Mr Ugochukwu, therefore, urged Nigerians to ignore such misleading reports, especially at a time the Nigerian troops are coasting to victory.

Read full press statement below

My attention has been dawn to a sensational headline in THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER publication of October 1 2019 titled “Knocks as Buratai seeks prayers to defeat Boko Haram”.

According to the PUNCH NEWSPAPER , “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said terrorism and terrorist groups could not be eliminated alone by the military unless religious bodies and organisations in the country come to the ‘forefront of the spiritual battle.’

According to the PUNCH, Buratai stated these on Monday in Abuja at a spiritual warfare seminar at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, with the theme, ‘Countering insurgency and violent extremism in Nigeria through spiritual warfare.’

Now, if not for mischief, how does the headline justify the goal of the seminar organized by the Nigerian Army yesterday? How does the entire speech of the Army Chief amount to seeking prayers to fight a physical war as portrayed by the PUNCH?

The speech by the Army Chief, though represented by the CHIEF OF ARMY ADMINISTRATION Major Gen S.M YUSUF, never in anyway suggested using spiritualism to fight insurgency in the war front. Rather The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, called on religious leaders to support the Nigerian Army in eradicating ideologies fuelling insurgency in the country.

What the Army Chief stated clearly was that aside eliminating the insurgents in the battlefield their ideologies must also be killed spiritually. Ideology is not a physical realm, it is a thought process and you do not kill ideas or ideology by physical war.

In essence the PUNCH PUBLICATION of OCTOBER 1 2019 was an attempt to portray the Army Chief as suggesting the use of spiritualism in the actual battle field and thus try to tarnish his image.

Nigerians are urged to ignore the unpatriotic and sensational headline of PUNCH NEWSPAPER as no where in the entire speech did the Army Chief suggest that spiritual method will now be used to fight in the battle field. Such publications are thus misleading.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/06/buratai-quoted-wrongly-over-indictment-of-soldiers-fighting-boko-haram-lawyer/amp/

*Human rights coalition expresses satisfaction in military's control of Nigerian territories*

.... to embark on tour of liberated communities

The Coalition for Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group (CHRHRG) has expressed optimum satisfaction with the military's sovereignty of Nigeria's territorial integrity.

The Coalition made this known at a press conference on Monday in Abuja ahead of a tour of liberated communities in the North-East.

In a statement signed by Executive Director, Gabriel Agibi, the group hailed the military for its doggedness and reliance in flushing out remnants of Boko Haram terrorists amidst conspiracy from different quarters.

In a bid to carefully examine the military's groundbreaking feat, the CHRHRG is set to embark on a systematic assessment tour of North-East, particularly strategic locations in Northern Borno Senatorial District.

Among others, the Coalition has promised tointerface with community leaders, NGOs and other critical stakeholders in the region with a view to getting objective responses on the efforts of the Federal Government.

According to the Coalition, the tour would also afford them the opportunity to take a cursory look at the operational strategies of the military and how it has conducted its operations in the theatre of war to state.

In the end, the Coalition hopes to eliminate every measure of doubts and falsehood being levelled against the brave and gallant Nigerian troops.

Read full address below:

I welcome you all to this press conference that is put together by the Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group in Nigeria to intimate Nigerians on the resolve by the various groups under the Coalition to undertake a systematic assessment tour of North-East Nigeria, particularly strategic locations in Northern Borno Senatorial District, to assess the efforts of the Nigerian government in the fight against terrorism.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group is a coalition of credible associations dedicated to the entrenchment of human rights practices in Nigeria. This much has been highlighted in previous years where an alliance of this nature was inaugurated to look into the operations of the Nigerian Military in southeast Nigeria to ascertain its level of human rights compliance.

In this regards, we wish to state that amongst a host of other tasks that have been carefully identified and outlined for the tour of North East Nigeria, the Coalition would interface with community leaders, NGOs and other critical stakeholders in the region with a view to getting objective responses on the efforts of the Nigerian Government with regards to the ongoing war against terrorism.

We wish to state that this line of action became necessary in the light of the various news making the rounds on the occupation of Nigerian territories by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in North-East Nigeria.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups would use the opportunity of the tour to carry out a systematic tour of affected communities, including those on the fringes of the Lake Chad basin region such as Baga, Gubio, Magumeri, Marte, Mobbar and Guzamala.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups would also deploy the services of local language interpreters in areas with identified communication barriers, in an attempt to gather as much information as possible that would aid in the subsequent publication of an Independent Terrorism Index that would give an objective assessment of the efforts of the Nigerian Government in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria.

The tour would also afford the Coalition the opportunity to take a cursory look at the operational strategies of the Nigerian Military and how it has conducted its operations in the theatre of war to state if indeed there has been any form of human rights violations and what measures were put in place to ensure human rights compliance in the prosecution of the war in North East Nigeria.

The Coalition would interface with community leaders in communities that have witnessed terrorist attacks over the years, as well as NGOs that have been in operations in such communities to understand the dynamics involved the war against terrorism in North-East Nigeria.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group is undertaking this tour of North-East Nigeria, aside from other stated objectives, to put issues in proper perspectives as regards whether any part of Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Groups in the course of the tour in areas earmarked in Northern Borno would rely on first-hand information by engaging the various stakeholders in these areas such as the traditional and religious rulers, local government officials, humanitarian workers, locals as well as other concerned parties that are privy to the issues bedevilling the region.

We consequently wish to state that the pieces of evidence gathered from the tour would be documented in the Independent Terrorism Index objectively and analytically for easy comprehension by the relevant stakeholders.

The Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group sees this task as necessary with a view to debunking insinuations that some parts of the Nigerian territory are under the control of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

It must also be noted that this tour is at the instance of the leadership of the Coalition of Human Rights and Human Rights Monitoring Group and as such the outcome of it would be as objective as possible, that would indeed stand the test to time.

Centre showers encomium on NEMA DG, Maihaja over high transparency in procurement issues

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, CESJET, has showered encomiums on the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, for strengthening of procurement practice and processes in the interest of improving the wellbeing of Nigeria.

The centre gave NEMA pat on the back for its strict compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in compliance with the directive of the Federal Government.

CESJET gave the commendations through its Executive Secretary, Isaac Ikpa, at a press conference on Monday in Abuja.

The centre urged the agency not to be distracted by some elements who are hell bent of rubbishing its efforts.

Full text of his speech below.

Gentlemen of the press, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) is invited you to this press briefing in order to draw attention to the things that some government agencies are getting right for the benefit of the government and people of Nigeria by those that can be appropriately termed as people desirous of seeing the emergence of a new Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In specific terms, our focus is on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), where the Director General, Engineer Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja has made members of the public to realize that there is hope for the country. In this sense, we are not talking in terms of hope by way of coming out of traumatic disasters or crises with the guarantee of receiving relief materials for rebuilding livelihood but we are referring to assurance that Nigeria still has men of integrity, who can run government agencies to meet global benchmarks.

CESJET is holding this accountability press briefing to intimate Nigerians with the outcome of its appraisal of the extent of transparency and best practices that have taken hold at NEMA under Engineer Mustapha Maihaja as Director General. Because we are resolved to have brevity in the course of this interaction we can simply executively summarize our finding by saying the NEMA DG has ensured transparency and accountability are at the highest level the agency under his supervision.

We have worked with several partner NGOs in tracking the procurement processes and safeguards that have been implemented in NEMA. The processes are benchmarked against extant procurement legislation of the country and the provisions set out by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). We have in addition taken steps to routinely and discreetly track the companies that participate in the bid processes, which in addition to our understanding that the nation’s anti-graft institutions routinely watch-list those that are directly and indirectly involved in procurement matters in government agencies and offices.

Let us point out that this tracking is something that CESJET and its partners have consistently and dedicatedly done now for the past five consecutive years. From our monitoring along the stated benchmarks, we confidently report that there has been no time that the anti-corruption agencies have been able to find anything untoward in NEMA’s procurement under the stewardship of Engineer Maihaja – any incident recorded by these agencies pre-dated his coming on board and represent the contrast between the accountability he has come to entrench versus the situation he inherited upon resumption of office.

Only contractors with all registration certificates and those that meet the standard benchmark are accredited and allowed to progress in qualifying to get contracts.

We have also found that NEMA’s procurement process deliberately weed out companies that have not shown track record of transparency in the conduct of its business. It is not surprising to see companies being dropped from executing projects for the agencies because it submitted misleading or unverifiable information.

We have been made to realize that this is to ensure that frauds are prevented before they occur. We have confirmed that this is yielding positive results in blocking leakages.

Another thing of interest we found in NEMA is the strict compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in compliance with the directive of the Federal Government. While NEMA is not a revenue generating agency, its use of TSA reveals a culture of making refunds for unexpended cash releases and full declaration of donor funds, donations and support.

This is a practice that should find replication in other agencies.
Gentlemen of the press, permit us to point out that in the course of the five years we have been tracking NEMA, we have watched the inventory process evolved into something better than it was at inception.

Ordinarily, inventory on the scale kept by NEMA should be a nightmarish assignment but Engineer Maihaja's team has brought such finesse to the process that we now see efficiency on a scale that did not exist before. This has translated into a faster response time and less discomfort for those that are in need of emergency intervention.

NEMA has also implemented measures that ensure unscrupulous elements do not abuse materials meant for the needy. It has eliminated the practice where impostors collect materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The biometric registration of affected persons that made this possible can best be described as an externalization of the transparent practices that are now the hallmark of NEMA. It is another of Maihaja’s unfolding legacy that must be sustained.

In our view, what NEMA has achieved under Maihaja is to positively weaponize transparency as a tool for fighting corruption. We strongly recommend the approach to the Federal Government since it saves the country from the torturous process of chasing treasury looters or the ardours task of recovering funds when they have been stolen.
We therefore commend the current leadership of NEMA for diligently doing their work and going the additional mile of showing the country how to entrench transparency.

CESJET however charges the management of NEMA to address any identified drawbacks since these could be used as justifications by those that are interested in bringing back corruption.

For instance, the painstaking inventory is being blamed by some critics as the reason for occasional delay in getting succour to affected persons when this is in reality not the case. They had used such lies to claim that food items expire in storage. It is therefore pertinent that the organization is able to further refine the process to complete eradicate the ability of detractors to make such spurious claims.

We further charge agency to take the necessary steps to institutionalize these remarkable changes so that NEMA remains a shinny example of what Nigeria should be.

*Boko Haram: Buhari Centre accuses Reps member, Jaha of profiting from terror activities*

The Buhari Legacy Centre (BLC) has accused the lawmaker representing Damboa/Gwoza/Chibok Federal Constituency, Ahmadu Jaha, of massively profiting from terror activities in the North-East.

The pro-Buhari Centre made this known in a press conference on Monday in Abuja to address what it described as the “representation of Boko Haram in the Federal House of Representatives”.

Mr Jaha had alleged that the radical Islamic sect are currently occupying eight out of the 10 local government areas in Borno State.

The lawmaker even lamented on the floor of the House of Reps that the war against Boko Haram has not been transparent.

In a statement signed by Godwin Apeh, Director of Communications, the Centre accused Jaha of hiding under parliamentary immunity to sing the praises of the terrorist organization.

The group added that the lawmaker is sabotaging government's efforts, painting an utterly helpless situation for his personal gains.

According to the Legacy Centre, Jaha and his collaborator use their salaries, allowances and constituency project allocations to finance Boko Haram.

While urging the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to probe some constituency projects, the group said measures should be put in place to fish out other pro-Boko Haram lawmakers in the National Assembly and prevent them from legalizing Boko Haram.

Read full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press, Nigeria recently witnessed the bizarre when the member representing Boko Haram in the House of Representatives, Ahmadu Jaha, threw away decorum and all sense of appropriateness to sing the praises of the terrorist organization in the hallowed chambers of the house. Jaha apparently hid under parliamentary immunity to test how the country will react to the knowledge that terrorists are now openly represented in the National Assembly.

We had always known that persons in positions of influence and authority are closet Boko Haram members. It is also common knowledge that such persons are in the habit of sabotaging government forces in support of terrorists and that they always ramp up such activities whenever the Nigerian Military is gaining upper hand over the insurgents.

However, Nigerians did not bargain for the travesty that involves a supposedly elected federal lawmaker defecting to become the de facto representative for Boko Haram in the federal parliament of all places. It was equally not conceived that he will attempt to jeopardize the good work that the military is doing by deploying industrial scale lies and manipulating scanty facts to spin a web of deception.

To paraphrase Jaha’s delusion as delivered in his poorly constructed English, “Substantial geographical area occupying Borno state and other insurgency affected areas is still under the occupation of Boko Haram whether we like it or not. In a local government that has 13 electoral wards like mine, Gworza, only three wards are not under the occupation of Boko Haram.

“Out of the ten local governments in northern Borno it is only two local governments and that is still their headquarters that is not under the occupation of Boko Haram...the truth of the matter is that the soldier there is being paid N500 per day that is totalling N15000 in a month...We are funding them we have to know exactly what they do with the fund.”

It is most unfortunate that this Boko Haram lawmaker decided to resort to tales by moonlight to launch himself as a pro-insurgent representatives. By lying that the terrorists control even a square inch of Borno state, or any other part of Nigeria, what the lawmaker is attempting to achieve is to dubiously legalize some portion of Nigeria to terrorists. The strategy is to trick the House of Representatives into documenting this aberration in its votes of proceedings, which will subsequently make it into government gazette that he and his terrorists will then use to seek and demand for government recognition of their holding onto territory that they would ask to be allowed to keep.

False Boko Haram narratives are aimed at bringing about fraudulent gains for some north east politicians that are in line to benefit from from continuous crisis in their homeland. Jaha, from the information at our disposal, is a pilot scheme for testing the waters ahead of when other pro-Boko Haram representatives and Senators will declare support for the terrorists. There is even a plot to use the state parliament to declare Borno state independence as a caliphate, a plot that has been continually stalled by the strings of successful operations against the terrorists by the military.

Even though much has not been done to expose in details the financing of Boko Haram, we have cause to suspect that the likes of Jaha and his collaborators that are still in the closet are using their salaries, allowances and constituency project allocations to finance Boko Haram. In addition to abdicating their roles and responsibilities, they further engage in siphoning public funds in the name of non-existing constituency projects, some of which they use for arming youths in the name of Boko Haram. These are some of the ploys they adopt to prevent checks and balances that would have kept them under control from going haywire and destroy the country.

We have grave concerns that these Boko Haram lawmakers have unfettered access to military and intelligence briefings that they become privy to because of their privileged positions. From the committees that receive briefings on the war on terrorism to the committees that review military related budgets, these compromised lawmakers are well positioned to glean information that they passed to Boko Haram to have kept the insurgents being able to adapt to match the changes in strategy by the military. For instance, by demanding details of how military money is being spent, Jaha is able to pass information to Boko Haram about how to counter military operations launched against them.

In view of the forgoing, it has become pertinent that immediate steps are taken to address the political arm of Boko Haram. These steps should be targeted at: one, identifying other pro-Boko Haram lawmakers in the National Assembly and prevent them from legalizing Boko Haram in national documents and to also prevent them from allocating any portion of Nigeria to terrorists. Two, the finances of politicians in the northeast should be kept under watch for potential terrorism financing so that the terrorist group can be starved of funds. Three, is to track the relationship between politicians like Jaha and those in his circuit in order to unveil the identities of those that are behind the persistence of terrorism in the region.

Additionally, we call on the ICPC to investigate constituency projects executed by these lawmakers from the north east in the last eight years. The objective of this is to verify that the money meant for such projects were not channelled into buying weapons for terrorists, arranging logistics for them and providing training for the insurgents.

Because the web of complicity is extensive in the region, the searchlight must also beam on the third tier of government, whose allocations have not been used for anything meaningful and could have been diverted from source to support terrorists. We therefore demand accountability from local government council chairmen in Borno state, particularly the ones listed by Jaha – there has been suggestions that some Boko Haram attacks are flag operations that are carried out to help these chairmen conceal their failure to execute projects. They always lie that the projects they executed were destroyed by terrorists when in reality they had not done anything on ground before such sponsored attacks.

It is sad that the lives of Nigerians are being lost to these questionable politicians as they struggle cover their tracks by inviting Boko Haram to stage attack to cover their tracks for executing sham or non-existent projects. This is a situation that must not be allowed to continue in the interest of humanity.

Above all, Nigerians must unite and rise against Boko Haram having representation in parliament as being done by Ahmadu Jaha. It is a dangerous development that could one day lead to the terrorists gaining enough members to block key legislation or to even tamper with the nation’s anti-terror legislation as they ae currently crafted. The intelligence agencies are strategic in preventing this from befalling the country by helping to identify Jaha’s accomplices before they strike deep in the heart of the country’s political structure.

Pending when they will be fished out and made to answer for their crimes, we urge those that are exploiting legitimate offices to undermine the country to resign these posts and be brave enough to openly join the ranks of Boko Haram so that the laws of the land can take their course against them. We expect Jaha to be brave enough to identify with the side he has chosen in this regard. He must stop pretending to be a member of the House of Representatives and openly identify with the Boko Haram to which he belongs.

By Idoko Ainoko

Interesting times have refused to go in Nigeria so much that I wondered how and why some individuals that rose to prominence through the goodwill of the people have now constituted themselves as a nuisance to the same people that voted them into office. I must state that those that are elected as representatives of the people are most culpable in this regard.

The case of Hon. Ahmadu Usman Jaha, a member representing Chibok, Damboa and Gwoza federal constituency in the House of Representatives is indeed a pathetic one and a vivid example of how politicians play to the gallery and at the detriment of the people.

I say this after stumbling on a video during plenary where he stated that some wards in his federal constituency are still under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. I was a bit confused and wondered the areas he was indeed referring to given the fact that I am also conversant with the happenings in Chibok, Dambao and Gwoza federal constituency.

As the first line of action, I quickly made frantic calls to contacts in Borno state to verify the information that Hon Ahmadu Usman Jaha has just availed the country. But surprisingly my contacts in those areas wondered what I was trying to confirm because there was no such scenario in place. I was not satisfied.

I also reached out to more and more people, and in one instance I had to mobilize a friend who was resident in Maiduguri to visit these areas to get the first-hand information for me, and guess what? He returned with the same response as those I earlier contacted and this time around told me not to dissipate energy on issues that concern Hon. Ahmadu Usman Jaha, as he is a known hypocrite and one of those that have benefitted from the system and also one of those that does not want an end to the insurgency so that he can continue to smile to the bank.

It was then that it dawned on me that I was indeed confronted with a mediocre individual that had thrived on exploiting the people for his selfish gains right from when he was a member of the State House of Assembly. To put in succinct terms, Hon Ahmadu Usman Jaha is such a cantankerous individual that is far from intelligence and one that is given to political and emotional blackmail when he wants his bread to be buttered.

I recall in 2014 when he failed to clinch the APC ticket for the House of Representatives elections, he went to town badmouthing his political mentor, Senator Ali Ndume and threatening to work against the APC during the elections. An account stated that the disrespect so piqued senator Ali Ndume that he gave him some slaps for his despicable behaviour and utterances that did not contain an iota of truth. That is the Ahmadu Usman Jaha for you.

So in a way, I wasn't surprised when he went to town spreading half-truths about the occupation of some wards in his constituency by Boko Haram terrorists. I only suspected he was up to something in his usual cantankerous manner of raising false alarms, especially when his interest is not met. I can bet that if we dig further, we would realize that there is more to why Hon. Ahmadu Usman Jaha indeed raised this false alarm.
As stated earlier, as one conversant with how politicians have been exploiting the insurgency situation in North-East Nigeria, I know for a fact that the likes of Ahmadu Usman Jaha would do anything and everything possible to throw clogs in the wheels of progress as far as the insurgency in Borno state is concerned. For them, the status quo must remain.

So in a way, some of us were not surprised when some months back, he gathered over 5,000 youths in Gwoza constituency and handed them shoe shining kits which came fully equipped with polish and brushes as a way of empowering the people.

Wait for this? The situation is so pathetic that in Government Secondary School Ngoshe, in Chibok constituency, students learn under terrible conditions. When it is raining, the classrooms are flooded. When the sun shines, students take cover. Yes, this is the situation of things in the constituency of the self-acclaimed and self-righteous member of the federal house of representatives.

The questions that require honest answers are: How many people in Jaha's constituency have received scholarships in his name? How many schools in his constituency has Jaha renovated? How many books has Jaha bought for school kids? How many have learned trades like tailoring, mechanics, carpentry, or other better paying artisanal jobs? Your guess is as good as mine.

This is more worrisome when it is realized that the same Hon Ahmadu Usman Jaha is a former commissioner of Higher Education in Borno State until his recent political sojourn in the Federal House of Representatives to represent a people that he is part and parcel of their present predicament.

I am afraid that the likes of Hon Ahmadu Usman Jaha are nothing but misfits and merchants of fortunes. They can go any length to protect their evil interest. They don't care whose ox is gored. They speak from both sides of the mouth. Also, they feast on the commonwealth of the people with recklessness.

I am not sure Hon Ahmadu Usman Jaha is such that should be taken seriously on the floor of the House of Representatives and by the generality of Nigerians given his antecedents. Mind you they have been in this business of spreading half-truths, and it has worked for them in Borno state. But whether it would work at the federal level remains to be seen given the level of political awareness and enlightenment at the centre.

This first shot by Hon Ahamdu Usman Jaha, in my opinion, is more like testing the waters to see if it would be business as usual. However, I dare say this is the wrong environment for him and his travellers. The politics of Borno should remain in Borno.

Ainoko is a public affairs commentator and wrote this piece from Kaduna.

By Adamu Itodo

Since 2009 when Boko Haram terrorist took up a violent campaign against the state, not many of us thought it would drag till this very time. Not many of us also believed that those politicians that initially seemed to be advancing the case of the people would be the ones taking advantage of the crisis to the detriment of the people of North-East Nigeria.

The situation in Borno state is indeed a sad tale of how politicians have entirely hijacked the system and turned it into a money-making machine. I stand to be corrected, the very day the Boko Haram crisis comes to an end, the politicians in Borno State would relocate from Nigeria because of the way and manner they have exploited the system to their advantage.

While this position has been stated in numerous forums about the activities of Borno politicians and how they have been engaging in acts that would ensure that the crisis in the state does not come to an end, it must be expressly stated that with the position of things, there ought to be some level of connivance or conspiracy between Borno politicians and the Boko Haram group.

It is evident that with the return of peace to Borno state, lots of questions would pop up as regards the usage of funds meant for the people of the state by those who occupied political offices. To put it modestly, since 2009, I doubt if the monies intended for local government areas in Borno state could be accounted for. I also doubt if whatever it is that is on the ground in these local government areas would indeed reflect the quantum of monies that have been released in the past 11 years of the Boko Haram Insurgency in the state.

This, in my opinion, might be responsible for why in some quarters it has been stated that the war against terrorism in Borno state might not come to an end soon because of how the politicians are busy smiling to the bank while the people are cramped in IDP camps all over the state.

This in a way could also explain the hue and cries that usually greets the introduction of new operational strategies by the Nigerian Military in the sense that the end of Boko Haram might be around the corner, and this isn’t always the wish of those politicians that are neck-deep in the embezzlement of the collective wealth of the people.

The question of who is indeed afraid of peace in Borno state can be best answered by the political class that is hell-bent on seeing to the fact that the crisis continues unabated so that they can continue to enrich themselves to the detriment of sustainable growth and development in Borno State.

This is indeed a sad tale and one of the factors why there seems to be some level of resistance to the operations of the Nigerian Military in the state. For one, whenever these merchants of death notice that the Military is gaining grounds in the war against terrorism, they devise means and strategies to thwart such efforts, not minding whose ox is gored.

This is the state of affairs in Borno state today as it stands, and it is such a pity that these individuals would be so mean to the extent of feasting on the blood of innocent people all in the quest for pecuniary gains. They hide under various nomenclatures to siphon monies meant for infrastructural development. They even go as far as embezzling monies earmarked for the resettlement of IDPs back to their host communities. If this is not wickedness, I don’t know what else to call it.

In some quarters, it is also speculated that some Borno politicians have been covertly sponsoring the activities of the Boko Haram sect so that there would be continued instability in the state, which provides that conducive environment for them to continue with their nefarious activities.

This is indeed a serious business endeavour that has cost the state billions of naira. A very good business that yields dividends for as long as bombs continue to detonate and gunshots are heard from near and far. In exact terms, the local government funds are worst hit by the activities of those I have labelled as the Borno merchants of death.

They don’t care about the number of lives that have been lost in this crisis that has engulfed the state. They don’t care about the number of years it would take in rebuilding the state from the present ruins which they are by extension part and parcel of. I dare say for the politicians in Borno state; it is good business and as far as they are concerned nothing in this world, not even the efforts of the Nigeria military should come in between them and their goldmine.

But at some point, they should also remember that nothing stays the same forever. They must come to the realization that monies that were meant for schools and hospitals that they ended up diverting would one day run dry, and the same infrastructures they refused to build might end up being their greatest undoing in the lives of their children and great-grandchildren.

I am, however, consoled by the words Mahatma Gandhi, who stated that our greatest achievements in life are not to change the world but to change ourselves. This words of wisdom by Mahatma Gandhi is directed to the politicians in Borno State because the rational thing for them to do now is to change their ways in the interest of peace in Borno state. This they must understand as a matter of urgency and in the interest of peace and tranquillity.


Itodo is a researcher in conflict resolution and wrote from ATBU, Bauchi.

*Boko Haram: Diplomatic community raises alarm over French's role in terrorism, writes President Buhari to sanction francophone countries*

The Centre for Diplomacy and Conflict Management (CDCM) has accused France and its colonies of aiding Boko Haram/ Islamic State in West Africa's (ISWAP) activities, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction these nations.

The Centre made this known in a letter signed by Executive Director Dr. Angulu Rilwan and addressed to President Buhari with the title “The Urgent Need to Demand Decisive Action from France in the Ongoing War Against Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorist Operating within Francophone Countries".

In the piece, the diplomatic community applauded the rapid progress made in the war against terrorism under President Buhari's administration, evident in the takeover of Camp Zero – the operational headquarter of Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest.

However, the Centre moaned over gross negligence on the part of neighbouring states – in a supposed military pact with Nigeria which have sabotaged the gallant Nigerian troops.

According to the group, these Francophone nations are safe havens for the radical sect to regroup, launch offensive as well as recruit fighters.

Being French colonies, the diplomatic community reckoned that these countries may only be acting the script of their master, France, who uncharacteristically remained silent despite several allegations of funding and arming the terrorist group.

It is on this premise, however, that the Centre appealed to President Buhari to extend cold diplomatic relations to France until it takes a decisive action towards confronting Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

“Mr. President may wish to note that the takeover of the operational headquarters of Boko Haram Terrorist by the Nigerian Military indeed marked a significant milestone in the war against terrorism in North-East Nigeria. And this consequently resulted in the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists to flee in droves into neighbouring countries such as Chad, Benin, Cameroon, and Niger,” the letter reads in part.

“ It is instructive to state that these countries are francophone countries that have entered into a strategic military pact with Nigeria that culminated in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising military units from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria and headquartered in N'Djamena with a mandate to bring an end to the activities of Boko Haram.

“ Mr. President may also wish to know that the MNJTF is an offensive and stabilization military forces to combat Boko Haram and other groups labelled as terrorists operating around the Lake Chad Basin. However, credible information suggests that Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters have indeed found these francophone countries as safe havens for regrouping and launching offensives against the Nigerian Military. This is on the heels that there is a growing security concern that these regional movements have expanded their reach in recruiting terrorist fighters, as well as the route where Boko Haram/ISWAP get their supplies of arms and ammunitions despite the presence of Operation Barkhane an ongoing French anti-insurgent operation in Africa's Sahel region, that consists of a 3,000-strong French force headquartered in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.

“ Mr. President, Operation Barkhane has been designed with five francophone countries, that are former French colonies, that span the Sahel. These countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel", and many questions have been asked as to the commitment of France in assisting to putting an end to the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorism in Nigeria.

“ Mr. President, we must admit that the resurgence of Boko Haram/ISWAP forces around Lake Chad means continuing conflict for Nigeria and neighbouring states, as well as ongoing peril for civilians caught in the crossfire.

“ The Sahel belt of Sub Sahara Africa has been riddled with conflicts and unstable governments from Mali, through Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Sudan and this has led to a steady flow of arms across the continent, helping to fuel more conflicts and fanning the growth of extremist in Nigeria.

“ Mr. President, it is no longer news that the French authorities have not made any substantial efforts towards curtailing the activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist who have found the francophone countries as safe heavens. This has further heightened the suspicion that the French authorities are giving covert support to the activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP by its refusal to act as at when necessary.

“Mr. President, for inexplicable reasons that French authorities have refused to address issues that have been raised in numerous quarters on how Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have been able to turn the francophone countries to a haven for recruitments and supply of arms and ammunition for its fighters.

“ The case of Chad is more worrisome given the fact that Operation Barkhane is stationed in Chad and Chad has remained a relatively safe home for Boko Haram terrorists when they come under heavy bombardment from the Nigerian Military. Chad has also been a route of guns and narcotics supply and trade for Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

“ Mr. President, France's role has fallen short of the required obligation required of them, and this in our considered opinion does not augur well for the sustenance of the war against terrorism in Nigeria and the region.

“ Mr. President, this lackadaisical stance of France, requires that Nigeria must take urgent actions in ensuring that France acts appropriately to support Nigeria in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria because if the Francophone countries remains a haven for Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist, then North-East Nigeria and Nigeria in general would continue to witness unrest for many years to come.

“ Mr. President, The Centre for Diplomacy and Conflict Management is as a result of this, advocating that the Nigerian authorities extend cold diplomatic relations to France until it takes a decisive action towards confronting Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists operating within Francophone countries.

“ Mr. President, the Nigerian authorities must take this decisive action to send a strong message towards ensuring that the nefarious activities of Boko Haram/ ISWAP terrorist are curtailed within the shortest possible time.

“ Mr. President, the Centre for Diplomacy and Conflict Management is convinced that this line of action is what is needed for the remnants of Boko Haram/ISWAP to be cleared within the shortest possible time.”

*Pro-democracy group slams Speaker Gbajabiamila over unguarded utterances to derail Buhari's govt*

The National Democratic Front (NDF) has warned Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to stop playing politics with issues of national security and quit making utterances to derail President Muhammadu Buhari's government.

This caution trails Mr Gbajabiamila's statement on Friday where he appeared to have berated the Service Chiefs for failing to honour invitation to the lower chamber.

In a statement signed by Secretary General, Dr. Abdukakadir Bolaji, the NDF said it is appalled by the “careless utterances of the Speaker” who also vowed to report the Foreign Affairs Minister to the President over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

According to the group, there is a grand plot to discredit the administration of President Buhari and Mr Gbajabiamila appears to be in forefront.

However, The National Democratic Front advised the Speaker not to return to the era where instead of parliamentary functions, the legislature issued summons to heads of critical agencies as bait for extortion.

The NDF, therefore, urged Mr Gbajabiamila to retrace his steps and not bow to any pressure to derail the country's democracy.

Read full statement below:

We welcome you all to the Press Conference that has become inevitable due to the flamboyance and overreaching disposition of some elected political office holders in the country whose actions and inactions are buoyed by the need to make headlines in the national dailies at all cost, not minding the effect on the overall interest of the country.

As you all may be aware, the National Democratic Front (NDF) has been on the front burner on issues such as good governance and accountability on the part of political office holders in Nigeria.

Consequently, our attention has been drawn to statements credited to the Honourable Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila wherein he berated the refusal of the Service Chiefs to attend a meeting with him over killings in the country.

In another vein, Mr. Speaker also threatened to report the Foreign Affairs Minister to the President over the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

The National Democratic Front is appalled by the careless utterances of the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, which by and large presents a despicable picture to members of the unsuspecting general public on how some political office holders though holding sensitive positions of authority, but not in tune with the realities on the ground in the country.

The statements by the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives gives a picture of one that is deluded by the paraphernalia of the Office of the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives to think that the Federal House of Representatives is a parallel government in Nigeria.

The carelessness, as well as the recklessness in the statements credited to the Speaker, is indicative of a grand plot by some unscrupulous elements within and outside government circles to discredit the efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria, as well as the securing the lives and properties of Nigerians in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

This is given the undeniable fact that the security of lives and properties is the primary responsibility of government and the Muhammadu Buhari led administration has been tackling the various issues with all the seriousness that it deserves.

It is indeed ironic that the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives has chosen the dishonourable path of displaying arrogance and blind ambition to play to the gallery on issues of national interest to the detriment of over 180 million Nigerians.

The National Democratic Front (NDF) views with bewilderment that the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives either by omission or commission is not aware of the various efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in addressing the issues in South Africa.

In the same vein, Mr. Speaker must quickly come to the realization that the Service Chiefs were appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and as such, they are not subject to his whims and caprices, and neither are the Service Chiefs at his beck and call.

The National Democratic Front is of the opinion that that Mr. Speaker should be aware of the electrifying schedule of the Service Chiefs and come to the realisation that they cannot abandon the business of National Security for summons and meetings at the slightest of calls.

Mr. Speaker must also realize that the business of national security is not rhetoric. It requires a high level of strategic thinking, which has been the case since 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed leadership of this country, and Mr. Speaker must not be seen as working against this intererst by virtue of the position he occupies.

The National Democratic Front is however convinced that the utterances by Mr. Speaker are not products of substance abuse or insanity as some would want us to believe or even the baggage of dishonesty being bandied around about his criminal conviction in the United States of America.

The National Democratic Front wishes to advise Mr. Speaker not to succumb to the pressure of returning to the era where members of parliament turned oversight functions and summon to heads of critical agencies as bait for extortion because that era is Gone with the Wind and any attempt to reintroduce it might come with its attendant consequences.

Whatever the case, The National Democratic Front candidly advises Mr. Speaker to retrace his steps and not bow to any pressure to derail our democracy for this is not the time to play to the gallery for the task at hand requires all hands to be on deck.

*Boko Haram: Group tasks EFCC, ICPC to probe NGOs undermining Nigeria's fight against terror*

The Public Accountability Network (PAN) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of certain Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) covertly undermining the country's fight against terror.

The group appealed to the anti-graft agencies to forthwith probe the funding sources of NGOs in the NorthEast in a press conference signed by Executive Director, Mark Daniel Atawodi, on Sunday in Abuja.

This plea comes on the heels of the odious exposure of the Action Against Hunger, a supposed global humanitarian organization, secretly aiding and abetting terrorists, supplying them food and drugs.

After several cautions from the Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE (TC – OPLD), the Nigerian Army declared persona non grata for aiding Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State West Africa.

Consequently, the Public Accountability Network reckons that there could be more secret terrorist sympathisers disguising as NGOs, hence the Army should conduct an audit to ascertain their authenticity.

The group, therefore, urged the Army to work with the EFFC, ICPC and Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to trace the sources of finances of these NGOs.

According to PAN, these so-called humanitarian groups’ mission is to sabotage the military's remarkable progress for their own selfish interest.

However, PAN called on the Army to not only ban any group found to be collaborating with Boko Haram but indict them and their managers put on trial with a view to securing the stiffest punishment possible.

Read full statement below:

Gentlemen of the press, we invited you here today because of the abominable discovery that some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are in the business of providing wholesale support to Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP).

The confirmation by the Nigerian Army that Action Against Hunger, an NGO operating in the Northeast was “aiding and abetting” terrorists in this regard did not come as a surprise to us. Public Accountability Network(PAN), with its sister NGOs had in the past raised concerns about the surreptitious activities of unscrupulous group that hide behind their international status or affiliation to commit crimes in Nigeria.

It is commendable that the Nigerian Army has proactively banned Action Against Hunger following the discovery of its support for terrorism. We are however concerned that banning this one NGO is not enough. Action Against Hunger is a mere tip of the iceberg. It is just one of the many organizations that have engaged in activities that are inimical to the interest of Nigeria.

With Action Against Hunger being found out, its other accomplices have by now gone underground, since they will by now be doing their utmost to conceal their illicit activities. The network of these groups is extensive since they include local, continental and international NGOs that gained access to the theatre of operations under the pretext of carrying out humanitarian work.

It is therefore critical at this stage that the Nigerian Army, working with sister security agencies, conduct an audit of NGOs working in areas plagued by Boko Haram insurgency. The essence of this audit is to ascertain the authenticity of the statement of claim that each organization made to gain access to the region. Violation of the terms on which they were accredited to the area would flag other mischief they have been up to.

The Nigerian Army must similarly leverage the special skills available in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the ICPC to trace the sources of finances of these NGOs. This is against the background that many of them are being financed by foreign interests that are obsessed with destroying Nigeria as a sovereign nation. Even some local NGOs are complicit of running errands financed from such questionable funds that allowed them to operate as proxies and franchises for the larger saboteurs.

We consequently demand that the Army, working with these anti-graft agencies, immediately investigate the finances of all groups operating in the Northeast. This investigation should cover what entities paid monies to NGOs operating in the area and the expenditure items of these organizations. In order words, Nigerian want to know who gave them money, what the moneys are meant for, who received the moneys and what the funds were spent on. In the event where payments are traceable to individuals, comprehensive background checks should be carried out to rule out any links to Boko Haram, ISWAP or any other terrorist group.

Our demand is based on the realization that these NGOs have the incentive to undermine Nigeria, an assignment they have assiduously carried out with all sense of impunity:

The criminal NGOs are supporting Boko Haram and ISWAP as a way of ensuring that the terrorists survive the military operation in order for them to validate their failed projections that the terrorists will bring about the end of Nigeria. The discovery of this treachery has however confirmed that Nigeria will overcome the evil they plotted for the country.

These NGOs are pained that their militant wings as represented by the terrorists have repeatedly taken beatings from the military. By supplying food and medication to these terrorists Action Against Hunger aims to reverse the progress made against the insurgent. This leaves us wondering if it is only food and medication that this NGO gave the terrorists since they could also have been behind the recent sophisticated weapons that the terrorists have been taking into battle.

They are also disappointed that the campaign of calumny mounted against the Nigerian state by its partners, like Amnesty International have only made the country stronger while the terrorists they are eager to allow to overrun the country are continually being defeated. But they should not have taken their disappointment to the point where they further compromise the safety of the innocent Nigerians that will become the victims of a well fed Boko Haram.

The quest for increased donor funding, which would be possible when Boko Haram continues to remain a treat is an attraction for these terrorist NGOs. They want to provide food and logistics that strengthen Boko Haram so that they will continue to have justification for requesting more funds. This is the lowest form of immorality. No one should prop up terrorists simply in order to raise more funds.

There has been concerns that the subversive activities of these questionable NGOs are at the instance of certain countries that have economic and geo-strategic objectives in Nigeria’s northeast. They have become the vehicles for delivering whatever interventions these countries have for undermining Nigeria.

Nigerians should not forget that the Army had in the past caught out some associates of these NGOs using the cover of their work in the region to gather intelligence that they then pass on to the terrorists. This particular objective of the indicted NGOs is o dangerous that it has been identified as a key factor in the instances when troops were ambushed. Genuine stakeholders had raised concerns about this but they were dismissed as conspiracy theorists.

The lie of providing food and care for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) when in reality they were servicing Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists is also conveniently being used as manipulated data that will be misinterpreted to create the impression that things are more dire than the reality on ground suggests.

Action Against Hunger and its fellow pseudo terrorist NGOs might have tainted the concept and practice of humanitarian relief work as seen from the resulting public ire, we nonetheless recognize that there are good organizations that are doing good work in in providing succour to persons and families affected by the activities of terrorists. We wholeheartedly welcome the objectives and the activities of these good ones especially at a time that humanity is being threatened by insurgents. We recommend such groups as the shining example that those scheming to profit from the human misery caused by terrorism.

With the knowledge that we now have of the subversive role being played by organizations like Action Against Hunger, we call on the United Nations and its subsidiaries, supra-national bodies and responsible donor partners to stop funding this organization and others with links to it. These potential donors must, in the interest of humanity, ensure that they implement stringent pre-qualification parameters for funds recipients to ensure that the resources they have earmarked for helping humanity are not diverted for terrorists’ use.

We want to conclude by asking that ban of any group found to have been collaborating with Boko Haram is not enough. The government should go the extra length to put indicted organizations and their managers on trial with a view to securing the stiffest punishment possible deter those that have the intention of supporting Boko Haram and ISWAP to remain persistent threat to Nigerians.

By Okanga Agila


“Information gathered from impeccable sources indicates that it could not have been a coincidence that upon issuing such threats, before the elections, and after the elections, activities of herdsmen and armed bandits have increased tremendously….There are several pointers to the fact that making the country ungovernable is a game plan of Atiku Abubakar who enjoys some level of support from some rebel groups in Cameroon by infiltration of some Nigerian communities and inflicting maximum damage to these communities.”
A  2019 post-election report by Centre for Diplomacy and Democracy, Washington DC, USA, signed by  MsCatherine Kerigun.
At the turn of 2019, there were penetrative anxiety and tension everywhere in Nigeria. For a nation facing another round of general elections in a few weeks, the crisis, violence and killings which engulfed the country in strangulating grips and its ferocious character was bad enough omen.
Prophets of doom who earlier predicted Nigeria’s violent break-up, sensed a glaring possibility of affirming their prophesy with the prevailing terse atmosphere, wailings and bloodshed in the country. Unknown to many, the partisanship of this period, laced in the lethal campaigns by the leading opposition PDP; its candidate, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and political actors sympathetic to his cause of ousting incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari accentuated the tensions in the land.  
Outside other conflicts, which were exhumed and deliberate actions initiated to intensify subsisting crisis, such as engaging foreign mercenaries to wreak havoc, the herders’/farmers skirmishes became potent tools exploited by the opposition to poison the minds of the electorates against the President. The devilish calculations and its results portrayed President Buhari as an incompetent leader and incapable of resolving Nigeria’s insecurity challenges.
The opposition found the herdsmen/farmers conflict a kicker for campaigns because they erroneously thought it was easy to impinge on the Nigerian psyche preachments that President Buhari sided, connived, and protected his Fulani kinsmen to murder other Nigerians.  But they were caught by their own traps for supporting Atiku,   another Fulani as Buhari’s replacement. Nigerians sensed deceit in the entire scheme or narrative.  
However, the conspiracy against President Buhari was thick and certified by big political players and stakeholders. And each was assigned a role. They included serving PDP State Governors and other lily-livered Governors on the APC platform who were lured into the fold by the sweet jingles of the PDP apologists.        
Former leaders of Nigeria and military chiefs were also active planners of the plot to upstage President Buhari. They included, the chief trumpeter, former military head of state and democratic President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; former COAS and defence Minister, the multi-billionaire businessman, Gen. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma,(rtd) former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State, Gen.  Abdulsalam Abubakar, Gen. Zamani Lekwot and Gen. Joshua Dongoyaro among an array of other enthusiasts’ in the project.
A coalition of civil societies domiciled in Nigeria were also drafted into the evil plot. They were sponsored for the mandate to mobilize and create awareness in Nigerians home and abroad about Buhari’s alleged failures, in tandem with the tempo of the instigated /rising   violence and killings across the country.   
Gen.  Danjuma who chanted alleged Fulani killings of his Jukun kinsmen in Taraba state  reportedly led a delegation to the United States to present practical evidence of the killings. The mission was also reportedly to curry the support of American President to dethrone President Buhari in 2019. He had earlier falsely accused the Nigerian Army of siding the alleged Fulani killers and publicly persuaded his kinsmen to arms in the guise of self-defence.
Even leaders of some Northern ethnic and religious groups were goaded into approval of the plots to oust President Buhari . They included, theNorthern Elders Forum, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Borno Elders Forum, and Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria among other mushroom groups.
 At a meeting held in Kaduna, March 24, 2018, when partisan campaigns kicked-off,  these coalition of groups citing the President’s “failed” leadership in the region,  denounced the 2019 presidential candidature of Buhari. By the action, they clearly endorsed, an unknown potential rival to Buhari, who would later be Atiku Abubakar on the platform of the PDP.
At least two State Governors on the platform of the PDP, namely, Benue state Gov. Samuel Ortom and his Taraba state counterpart, Gov. Dairus Ishaku  had the onerous task of amplifying the herders/farmers killings to national and global limelight. And they performed this task creditably.
At some point, Gov. Ishaku  asked the Fulanis;  “Why have  they become kidnappers, arsonists and killers? …So, why such a blind ambition to conquer and occupy other people’s territory?” His Benue comrade, Gov. Ortom chorused worse and louder, whatever, Ishaku chanted on Fulani herdsmen killings.
So, from Churches to schools, the enemies of Nigeria gathered to sponsor foreign mercenaries to bring down the institution of state. OBJ chorused plots by of “Islamisation and Fulanisation” of Nigeria by President Buhari. Therefore, the PDP electoral undertakers gleefully thought they have diminished the electoral value of President Buhari.  
But Buhari’s strongest rival in the 2019 presidential race, Atiku Abubakar lost the ballot to the incumbent President Buhari of the APC. But it never deterred him and the gang from pursuing the cause of wresting power from President Buhari at all cost. Atiku proceeded to the Tribunal to challenge Buhari’s victory, which he has also lost again by the verdict of the court a few days ago.
But again, few weeks the deceleration of results of the presidential election, it  was hellish, as the violence and killings exacerbated in different parts of Nigeria, as revealed by the report of the Centre for Diplomacy and Democracy, Washington DC. And the body fingered Atiku as allegedly the covert mastermind of the bloody restiveness in Nigeria to actualize his threats of destabilizing Nigeria as he promised during electioneering campaigns.
The report reads in part; “The statement by Atiku Abubakar stating that killings would continue if he loses the elections was a strategy designed by Atiku Abubakar to instill fear in the hearts of the electorates to secure their votes during the elections. However, this did not work out in his favour, and he has resorted to activating the plan B, which is to subtly engage the services of mercenaries from neighboring francophone countries to cause mayhem in Nigeria.”
It further insisted; “There are several pointers to the fact that making the country ungovernable is game plan of Atiku Abubakar who enjoys some level of support from some rebel groups in Cameroon by infiltration of some Nigerian communities and inflicting maximum damage to these communities.”
Nonetheless, it must be noted that the set of crisis and killings which was the first to relax after the general elections was the alleged Fulani herdsmen killings. The twine megaphones of amplifying the killings, Ortom and Ishaku are no longer wailing every day  in the media over the killings.  In fact, the belligerent Gov. Ortom admitted immediately after his reelection victory at the governorship elections that herders/farmers clashes have abated impressively, as he thanked President Buhari and commended the “Operation Whirl Stroke” for  the marvelous job.
And in Taraba state, Gov. Ishaku who also secured his reelection victory in 2019 is silent about herdsmen killings anymore. Now the real face of territorial expansion in his state has manifested in the sustained vicious and bloody campaigns by his Jukun kinsmen to exterminate the indigenous Tiv people of Taraba in the last five months. No Fulani herdsman is mentioned as precipitating or orchestrating the carnage in Taraba state.
It’s a pleasant surprise that  peace has now returned to Nigeria after the end of the 2019 general elections. It implies that the root cause was therefore to destabilize the Buhari government and project him as incompetent to preside over the affairs of Nigeria, especially tackling the security challenges.   It is relieving that President Buhari refused to bow to the plots or antics  of enemies of Nigeria to hijack power from the backdoor and so, the agenda  has failed woefully at break of day.
Therefore, the so-called fulani jihadist agenda, much publicized has failed. Nigerians can attest that it was crafted purely to blacklist President Buhari and his government. The assemblage of the anti-Buharists, who sponsored the various conflicts were mere looters whose only intention was  to truncate the lifespan of the administration as envisaged by Nigerians  for the personal phobia of what would confront them in President Buhari’s second coming.

Okanga wrote this piece from Agila, Benue State.

Boko Haram: France, allies warned over path with insurgents to undermine Nigeria



Save Humanity Advocacy Center (SHAC) has warned France to desist from its unholy union with members of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram to undermine the entity called Nigeria.

The group was reacting to a recent report by New York Times, which claimed the insurgents bought some sophisticated weapons from France.


Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Comrade Ibrahim Abubakar,
Executive Secretary of SHAC warned France and any country it may be using as proxy to prop up Boko Haram by using them as conduit to deliver arms and military gear to the terrorists to stop.

The group further urged the international community to ask France the pertinent questions before it becomes too late.

His speecb below.

Gentlemen of the press, you must have noticed the report that said Boko Haram insurgents have acquired sophisticated drones.

The reported hardware are presently capable of reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and spying missions. It is a matter of time before they escalate to using drones that are capable of carrying out attacks.

We find expedient to believe the report because it was widely syndicated by western owned media, which are known to run propaganda for Boko Haram in the past.

Their report of the drones acquisition came about the same time that there were reports from locals that the terrorists have started sporting new weapons in recent weeks.

In the past, the source of the weapons air-dropped to Boko Haram terrorists in Northeast of Nigeria has been established as patently French. It is something that has attracted outcry from the Save Humanity Advocacy Group in the past with the concern echoed by other individuals and organizations that became aware of the French treachery.

Let it be noted that in spite of the overwhelming evidence that indicted France it has not done anything meaningful to address its complicity in the distribution of instrument of death to terrorists for use against Nigerians. Even the arrest of French trainers among the terrorists has not moved French to own up to its negative role in the axis neither has it taught it to halt it subversive activities against Nigeria.

When this French involvement in arming Boko Haram was raised in the past France will sidestep the issues by sponsoring international NGOs and some media circuits to demonized the Nigerian authorities, especially the military and particularly the Nigerian Army. It is this practice that has again surfaced as the running commentary about the military being incapable of fighting the terrorists or that Boko Haram members have the upper hand over the Nigerian state.

The timing of the report about Boko Haram now possessing drones and even newer firearms curiously coincides with the announcement of a $1 billion regional effort aimed at combating terrorism in the West African Sub-region. These kind of reports coinciding with announcement of regional efforts have been pivotal to the demise of such efforts at fighting Boko Haram in the past.

The stories we are now reading means we will be seeing a repeat of previous patterns – Boko Haram will attempt hitting soft targets and occasional military targets that will not dare try now that there are Super Camps. These will then be followed by lopsided media campaigns that will first cast Boko Haram as the superior force and later present insurgents as victims of human rights abuses.

We are challenging France to tell the world who is responsible for arming Boko Haram in the past. The answer to this question of who supplied past weapons will signpost who to hold responsible now that the terrorists are getting drones that could strike any city of the world.

For this reason, we are imploring the world to ask France the pertinent questions before it becomes too late. Whether by default or by accident, it is a matter of time before Boko Haram tests the weapons France is arming them with on other nations, possibly in the west. Hopefully, by that time the world would not be in a quandary over who to hold accountable for such disaster should it unfold.

We use this opportunity to warn France and any country it may be using as proxy to prop up Boko Haram by using them as conduit to deliver arms and military gear to the terrorists. There are international instruments at the disposal of Nigeria to address the rascality being put up by those undermining Nigeria’s war against terrorism.

On its part, the Nigerian military must repeat the device blows it had dealt terrorists in the Northeast in the past. Eliminating the new threat posed by Boko Haram is crucial to the safety of citizens in Borno and other places. It must punish the terrorists with the same intensity that had made it impossible for them to overrun the country as planned by the countries secretly supporting them. It must continue with its strategy of Super Camps since this appears to be what has rattled the sponsors of Boko Haram to both increase weapons supply to the terrorists and to re-open the media front in the war.

The member states that have committed to the new funds to combat Boko Haram must break free of colonial loyalties, after all, no nation should continue tying itself to the apron strings of a nation that once postured as their conqueror. They should stand firm to the terms of the fund and make sure that all countries in the region make the place unconducive for terrorists and terrorist activities.

By Kareen Goulding

Since 2009 when Boko Haram began its violent campaign against the state in Nigeria, it has been a tale of invincibility. The military authorities underrated their sophistication at the time, and this resulted in heavy casualties on civilian populations as well as troops who employed conventional war strategies in a war that is asymmetric.

I must add that the Nigerian authorities were dumbfounded as they could not phantom the way out of dealing with the threat posed by the terrorist group. So this trend lasted for an upward eight years, and with millions displaced and properties worth millions of naira destroyed in North-East Nigeria. The Boko Haram phenomenon posed a severe threat to the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria and consequently plunged North-East Nigeria in a humanitarian crisis that shook our very foundation.

I recall that various school of thoughts propounded theories that would curtail the activities of the terrorist group, but none seemed to provide that magic wand needed to turn the tide against the terrorist group. And they gained more grounds, so much so that they took control of over 16 local government areas in North-East Nigeria. They established caliphates and attempted to begin an inglorious regime of abductions, maiming and killings, rape, destructions, and other nefarious activities centred around crimes against humanity.

The then government of the day seemed clueless, and there was no solution in sight. And the monster of Boko Haram grew in phenomenal proportion. Nigeria was on the brinks, nowhere including the federal capital territory was safe with the constant attack on critical government infrastructures including the headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, as well as the headquarters of the United Nations in Nigeria. It was such a sorry tale in Nigeria.

However, things began to look positive with the coming into office of the administration of President Muhummadu Buhari in 2015. I recall one of the first decisions taken was the relocation of the military high command from Abuja to North-East Nigeria, and it was followed with the appointment of service chiefs who were mandated to hit the ground running in the quest to bring the activities of Boko Haram terrorist to an end.

Many of us wondered then how such would happen with the level of grounds gained by the group as well as with the sophistication with which it operated that had left a huge demoralizing effect on the troops in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria.

I must confess that some of us had doubts on how this gargantuan task was going to be accomplished by a military that was highly demoralized and lacking the required weaponry to confront a terrorist group that was growing in sophistication daily.

When on 24th December 2016 news filtered in that Sambisa Forest, the operational headquarters of Boko Haram had been captured by Nigerian troops, the country leaped in joy. Even though in some quarters, the news was received with a pinch of salt, it was nonetheless true. This was a significant milestone in the war against terrorism in Nigeria, and since then, there has been no turning back. The Boko Haram group was left in disarray and attempted to employ other nocturnal means to regain control of their strong base, and that saw to the deployment of suicide bombings using women and children targeted at unarmed civilians. But again, the Nigerian Military was able to sustain the tempo with renewed vigour to the amazement of all the doubting Thomas’s.

The tide changed entirely, and there was hope once again that the threat posed by the terrorist group had been curtailed. And Nigerians celebrated this rare feat and urged the troops to do more. The political leadership of the country also provided that support by offering all that was needed to boost the morale of the troops.

The military leadership also led by example. The Chief of Army Staff was always in the trenches with the troops in a manner that was quite commendable. In my opinion, that was strategic in the sense that the troops were charged to give their best in defence of the country. And today, the successes recorded have been applauded in many quarters.

I must add that one of the things that caught my attention with the operations of the Nigerian Military is the deployment of operational strategies that were dynamic and yielded the required results in the war against terrorism in Nigeria. Amongst the avalanche of strategies introduced, the recent introduction of the Super Camp Strategy by Nigerian Military in the final onslaught against Boko Haram terrorist is indeed a masterstroke worthy of commendation.

According to available information, the Super Camp Strategy is such that has seen to the rapid decimation of the Boko Haram fighters. It was revealed that upon the realization that the Boko Haram terrorists were taking advantage of rural communities to strategize and launch attacks on military formations in North-East Nigeria, the military hierarchy designed the Super Camp Strategy that involves the setting up of military camps in remote communities across North-East Nigeria. This was aside the various army formations already in place.

The idea is indeed strategic that it gives the remnants of Boko Haram fighters little or no opportunity to move freely and to pass in between static defence location. And the result has been phenomenal with heavy casualties inflicted on Boko Haram remnants.

I am elated with the final defeat of Boko Haram terrorists and must give credit to the gallantry exhibited by the Nigerian Military. I believe that Nigerians must indeed doff their hats for the efforts of the Nigerian Military in defeating Boko Haram in Nigeria. This is on the heels that those in positions of authority made a lot of sacrifices.

The introduction of the Super Camp Strategy has proven to be effective in the war against terrorism in Nigeria. Nigerians must indeed come to terms with this reality and extend their support to the operations of the Nigerian Military.

Credit must also go to President Muhammadu Buhari for standing by his words to do everything within his powers to ensure that no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. And to the leadership of the Nigerian Military for exhibiting a high sense of patriotism in protecting the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria. The fighting troops that have laboured day and night also deserve our commendation. I think that a cue must be taken from this sense of dedication and commitment to duty as exhibited by the Nigerian Military. And if that is the case, there would be no stopping Nigeria in our quest for greatness.