₦airaland Forum

cramjones: You must be a wimp whose brain is pus-filled to have the enfontry to write this rubbish! Foward roll yourself away from here you slimy skunk!

-CramJones

barcanista: Let me tell you, al qaeda are WEAK today compared to what they were 10years ago. The death of Osama and their bigwigs caused a lot of damage both psychologically. Alshaabab's can swear in a New President-General but the fact remains that their potency has been whittled down with the death of their leader. In a battle, the Death of the Leader is tantamous to defeat of the group. They can never remain the same again mentally and psychologically...

I don't know where your argument is but it is not logical

By Daji Sani in Yola who travelled more than four hours to Mubi to cover the story

One of the female students, named Susan, who was abducted by the Boko Haram sect from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State last April, was found by the police in the early hours of yesterday in Mubi, Adamawa State, two days after she was thrown off a truck by her captors, THISDAY has learnt.

This is just as the Defence Headquaters (DHQ) yesterday confirmed the death of an insurgent, who it claimed had been impersonating the leader of the terror sect, Abubakar Shekau, for over a year.

A senior police officer in Mubi confirmed that the girl was dropped off near the Divisional Police Headquarters in Mubi by locals who discovered her after she was thrown off a truck that was being used by insurgents to escape from Nigerian troops.

He said when the girl was found, she was incoherent, and had scars and injuries all over her body because she had been battered by her assailants, and left by the road by locals near the police station.

The police officer said Susan is one of the 219 Chibok girls, whose abduction had attracted the attention of the international community and a global coalition to find and rescue them.

He said the girl had old and fresh wounds and scars all over her body, with swollen legs because she had walked a long distance for two days after being thrown off the truck by her abductors.

“She had old and fresh wounds and her legs were swollen, may be because she trekked a long distance, and you could see marks on her body where she was mercilessly beaten by her abductors, I believe,” the senior police officer volunteered.

Another person, who identified himself as Mallam Musa, also informed THISDAY that the police yesterday morning found a young girl stranded on the road, near the police station.

He said the girl had fresh and old wounds on her body, adding that she had obviously been beaten and maltreated.

Musa said the young girl might have walked from Sambisa Forest, the enclave of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, which transverses Adamawa and Borno States.

A security source in Mubi, also said he was certain that Susan is one of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

He informed THISDAY that the she had been handed moved by Mubi Police Command to the Yola Police Command in the Adamawa State capital.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Army Public Relations Officer, Captain Nuhu Jefaru of the 23 Amoured Brigade in Yola, were not successful, while the Public Relation Officer of the Police Command in Yola, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Michael Haa, said he was yet to receive any information on Susan.

However, the leader of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, in elated late night tweets, confirmed the discovery of Susan
Tweeting from her twitter handle @obyezeks at 11.17 pm, Ezekwesili announced the news of Susan’s rescue.

This came barely three hours after Ezekwesili had granted an interview to Aljazeera about the missing girls and the struggles of the BBOG group.

She wrote: “After the emotional upheaval of yesterday's (Tuesday) dashed hopes, today came with the factual return of one of our 219 #ChibokGirls. She’s in trauma.

“One #ChibokGirl, miraculously found in a bush by locals and returned today, is confirmed by Chibok parents with her in Yola. Incredible!

“It is hard to comprehend the return of Susan who is yet incoherent. The locals that found her took her to Mubi Police and now moved to Yola.

“The eternal optimist that I am makes me see the return of Susan as a good sign for the rest of our 219 Chibok daughters. They shall return!!

“One hopes that our security/military would approach Susan’s return in a way that helps us learn more in the next couple of days.”

Giving more insight into Susan’s discovery, another member of the BBOG group, Ms. Hadiza Usman, informed THISDAY that the young girl was traumatised and incoherent when she was found by the police in Mubi.

She revealed that one of the Chibok parents travelled to Mubi and identified her, adding, “She has been moved from the Mubi police station to the Yola Police Command, following which she would be taken to the hospital this morning.”

She said the authorities tried to stabilise her so she could be debriefed, expressing hope that Susan’s release would give the security agencies some insight as to where other Chibok students who were kidnapped with her are held captive.

Concerns mount over double standards, US’ intent over Boko Haram

Efforts by the Nigerian military to procure US-made Chinook helicopters from Israel, to facilitate the movement of troops and the injured, have been blocked by the United States Government, THISDAY has learnt.

This, among other issues, including the US’ refusal to provide Nigeria’s security agencies with timely intelligence needed to defeat Boko Haram insurgents who have been riding rough shod in the North-east, would form part of the discussions when President Goodluck Jonathan meets with US President Barack Obama in New York this week.

Jonathan departed for New York on Sunday for the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Chinook is a versatile and reliable American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter produced by Boeing. Its primary roles are troops movement, artillery placement and battlefield resupply.

In a war where Boko Haram insurgents move in convoys through arid towns and villages, the helicopters are required to checkmate them, reinforce troops and supplies and recover dead and wounded soldiers.

Although it has a number of variants and is used primarily for the transportation of troops, supplies and search and rescue operations, limited weaponry can be mounted on its door and window for the purpose of enemy attacks.

However, according to defence and intelligence sources, attempts to buy the helicopters and other munitions from, first the US and other Western European countries, have proved to be an impossible task, thus compelling the military to resort to Israel and several retired members of the Israeli defense forces.

Opening up on the challenges the Nigerian military has faced dealing with the procurement of arms for the war effort in the North-east, a knowledgeable official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak with the press, said: “The US government has frustrated Nigeria all the way in our war against terrorism despite its public statements in support of Nigeria, as it fights the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-east… They want us to fight Boko Haram with our arms tied to our backs.

“They have refused to sell us arms and equipment and even our recent attempt to buy Chinook helicopters, which are manufactured in the US, from the Israelis was blocked, based on unfounded allegations of human rights violations by our troops. This is after the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu had initially approved the purchase.

“But because they were supplied by the Americans, the Israelis required a ‘No Objection’ letter from Washington which was refused.

“We had even tried to procure arms from Russia but this was stalled because of the Ukrainian crisis, thus compelling us to turn to other nations like Israel. But even this has been frustrated by the US,” he said.

He said it was not just in the area of arms procurement that US has been most unhelpful, adding that contrary to its public stance that it was assisting in the rescue operations of the abducted Chibok secondary school girls it has done nothing significant to help Nigeria in this regard.

Other intelligence sources also cited the fact that the US has refused to share intelligence with Nigerian security forces in a timely manner.

They said: “When we complained they started sharing some intelligence, but days after the fact when such intelligence is of little value.

“They have blocked us from procuring the helicopters and would not provide us with intelligence despite the fact that they have several drones and sophisticated aircraft overflying the North-east of Nigeria from bases in Niger and Chad where the Boko Haram fighters and movements are clearly in their sights.

“This belies their stance they want to help us to defeat the terrorists and help to rescue the Chibok girls.”

Indeed, a security analyst who spoke to THISDAY on the issue said the US’ role smacks of double standards and questioned its intent over the Boko Haram insurgency.

He warned that ignoring the threat of Boko Haram could be a strategy that could come to haunt the US in the future.

He also wondered why the same US would refuse to assist Nigeria based on unsubstantiated claims of human rights violations, which the military has repeatedly denied and insisted are carried out by Boko Haram insurgents wearing Nigerian military uniforms, yet the same US turns a blind eye to the same human rights violations committed by countries like Israel.

“Look at what happened in the recent war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip. Israel repeatedly bombed school compounds and UN buildings and in the process killed scores of women and children.

“Even the UN cried out against the targeting of its facilities by Israeli forces, yet the US did nothing and will continue to supply arms and ammunition to Israel to defend itself against Palestinians and other hostile neighbours in the Middle East,” the security analyst said.

Efforts by THISDAY to get the White House to respond to the allegations were not successful.

Two questions to the White House and the US National Security Adviser’s office which were unanswered as at press time are: The Nigerian military, through its agents, tried to buy Chinook helicopters for the prosecution of the war against terrorism, from Israel. But this was blocked by the U.S. National Security Council and the White House. If so, why was the procurement blocked?; and the decision to block the procurement of the helicopters may have stemmed from U.S.’ concerns over human rights abuses by Nigerian troops who have been fighting the insurgents in the North-eastern part of the country. Does this not appear contradictory given the fact that the U.S. continues to supply equipment and ammunition to Israel, which is also accused of human rights violations in Palestinian territories?

Awoofawo: Which constitution conference are you talking about; you mean those one written in president kitchen and spoon-feed us?

ezeagu: The Scottish independence movement has (or had) absolutely no resemblance to Nigeria's geopolitical landscape, to start with, Scotland is already its own country, that is in a union with the United Kingdom, they have their own parliament, capital, governance, and so on. Scotland is in a good deal with England and the UK already, whereas (most of) the component parts of Nigeria are actually not gaining anything from the Nigerian union. You see, you've based the benefits of staying in Nigeria on things that could/should/would happen unlike how Scotland has based it's unity with the UK with things that were already on ground. Do you think Scotland would have stayed in the UK if all it did was take its resources, tke away its independence (again Scotland is already an independent country), and bog it down with troubles that are not their own such as serious distant ethno-religious clashes/wars (like Boko Haram), polar-opposite political arrangements (a la Sharia law), bad governance, and tense ethno-religious shaped politics? No, they wouldn't.

GodMode: Nigeria was never meant to be. It was created by foreigners. The minor and major tribes in Nigeria didn't hold a meeting of unity. Nigeria was imposed on the tribes.

berem: You're not serious. We are talking about almost 70 south africans who died in a foreign land and you're talking about making money from religious tourism? Abegi!

berem: So that was the building before it collapsed? Chai!
I hope the SA government bans its people from coming to TB Joshua's church to seek for fake miracles.