₦airaland Forum

At least 34 people have been killed in an attack on a cattle market in north-eastern Nigeria, security officials have told the BBC.

Another 29 people were injured, said Nigerian military spokesman Col Dahiru Abdussalam.

The market in Potiskum, Yobe state, was set on fire by gunmen armed with explosives.

Police say the attack may be in revenge for the killing by traders of a man who had earlier tried to steal cattle.
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The joint taskforce, a combined operation between Nigeria's army and police, is pursuing the "unidentified gunmen", Col Abdussalam said.

"A group of gunmen armed with around 20 explosives and assault rifles attacked the Potiskum cattle market," police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin told the AFP news agency.

"They threw explosives and shot indiscriminately, setting fire to the market, killing lots of livestock and wounding many people, mostly cattle dealers," he said.

A gang of men locked the gate of Potiskum's fenced cattle market, trapping many traders and livestock inside, residents told the BBC.

The market - a bustling trading hub, with cattle on sale from neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger - was razed to the ground late on Wednesday and many animals were also burned to death, residents say.

Witnesses say they saw several bodies being removed from the market.

Correspondents say the attack does not appear to be the work of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram, which has carried out deadly bombings and shootings across northern Nigeria, including Potiskum, in the past 20 months.

naptu2: Wrong diagnosis is quite dangerous. Indeed it can kill. Malaria and typhoid have similar symptoms. If you administer malaria treatment on someone who has typhoid, you might unknowingly be leading him to his death.

That's the case with Boko Haram. There are many causes of the Boko Haram menace, many objectives and many factions of Boko Haram. If you treat one aspect (especially if it's the least threatening) and ignore others (especially if you ignore the greatest threat), then you haven't done anything and you'll still be heading for death.


Some diagnosis

1) It's because we have a southern president.

2) It's being sponsored by election losers.

3) It's an extension of Al-Qaeda

4) It's caused by poverty and illiteracy.

5) It's caused by the West (this is especially believed by conspiracy theorists and those that are against the west because of colonialism, Patrice Lumumba, etc).


Some supposed aims.

1) To ensure we have a northern president

2) To ensure that those who lost elections are installed in government.

3) To impose their own brand of islam on the north.

4) To impose their own brand of islam on Nigeria and beyond.

5) The west wants oil/to stop the emergence of a powerful african country.

6)To ensure the north gets more money.

I believe that all these diagnoses might be correct (apart from the "west" angle obviously), but the most dangerous angle is the Al-Qaeda angle.

Now, with the Al-Qaeda angle, I believe if you give them an inch (move the capital), they'll take a mile (the whole country).

naptu2: Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

297. (1) There shall be a Federal Capital Territory, Abuja the boundaries of which are as defined in Part II of the First Schedule to this Constitution.

(2) The ownership of all lands comprised in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja shall vest in the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

298. The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja shall be the Capital of the Federation and seat of the Government of the Federation.

http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm


1) You will need the support of 2/3rds of the members of the Senate and 2/3rds of the members of House, 2/3rds of all the state houses of assembly and the President to amend the sections of the constitution above

2) I wish you knew the level of corruption that took place between 1975-1991 when the capital was moved from Lagos to Abuja.

3) You are going to need to build new office blocks, new residences, etc for the thousands of civil servants, members of the armed forces, judges,national assembly members, etc that will move. Of course, the contracts to construct these structures will be inflated. Won't it be better to invest these funds into hospitals, schools, better equipment and training for the security forces, etc?

4) When the target moves, the hunter will also move.

5) The best way to spread development round the country is true federalism, fiscal federalism, resource control and the derivation principle. You will notice that whatever "development" a city gains from being the federal capital, will be lost once the capital is moved to another city. It's crazy to keep building these "civil service cities" up and down the country.

dayokanu: OP Since you are not biased, Can we move the FCT to Maiduguri or Sokoto in the NE and NC respectively?

dayokanu: If SS, SW and NC has had presidency then why not to NW Sokoto or NE Adamawa since you claim you are not biased

naptu2: 1) Have you read section 298 of the constitution?

2) I wonder why you want to run away from a problem rather than solve the problem.

3) Don't you think your suggestion will lead to waste of money and corruption?

naptu2: 1) Have you read section 298 of the constitution?

2) I wonder why you want to run away from a problem rather than solve the problem.

3) Don't you think your suggestion will lead to waste of money and corruption?

Musiwa,,:
the law does not allow him to move it to port harcourt.

CyberG: ^Hmmn...shows the base thinking of some people. A government with powers and resources to arrest, detain, try, gather intelligence, fight and kill terrorism, crime, kidnapping of < 1000 people and empower its 160M+ people, educate them, train them in every way and grow its economy, so that the < 1,000 people are totally isolated, captured, punished rehabilitated or killed REFUSED TO DO IT EFFECTIVELY. Rather, it will UPROOT his home base and run away like a coward to another place until the bad eggs arrive (only now much stronger) and then pull the base again until it is chased into the sea or relocates to a foreign country because IT WILL NOT DO THE RIGHT THING! Well, the suggestion is ONLY possible because the leader of the pack is a school child and mentally incompetent and totally inept. When Nigeria actually had (though imperfect) but STRONG leaders like Obasanjo, Buhari, Muritala, etc who know what it is to actually LEAD, this sort of ridiculousness would not even arise. You know that even when you want to be stupid, there are some people you should move far away from because they will summarily make you permanently unavailable BUT not this TOTALLY RETARDEEN.ED bottom SUCKER Goatathan Chimpluck!

Callotti: Typical cowards.
Instead of dealing ruthlessly with terrorists. . . the plan be is to move Abu-HA to Ivory Coast.
Only in Africa.
Tufiakwa.
If na to r-ape and and do pedo-philia, Nigerians go take Grade A1!
God forbid!!!

Kobojunkie: Are you high, or something?

Kobojunkie: @Poster, why did you create this thread? What is the point of this?

alj harem: Calabar was the former capital or was it not ? Yes or No ?

Calebsky: @

Ok. now i get your drift. you must be a tribalist. Calabar (South South) had it, Lagos (South West) had it, Abuja (North Central) is having it with the attendant man-made problems or disaster,whatever. Now i think it will only be fair to push it down east and Enugu (South East) will be perfect. No bias huh! Mind you i'm not an igbo man.

Calebsky: @

Ok. now i get your drift. you must be a tribalist. Calabar (South South) had it, Lagos (South West) had it, Abuja (North Central) is having it with the attendant man-made problems or disaster,whatever. Now i think it will only be fair to push it down east and Enugu (South East) will be perfect. No bias huh! Mind you i'm not an igbo man.

Lheyhe: You are bias in posting this topic, why should the federal capital be moved to south south or south eastern zone? and why not Akure, Ijebu, Ado-ekiti, Oke-ogun or Oshogbo in the south west. Nonsense

free2ryhme: guy na o ti lago ooo and not lugo