₦airaland Forum

NaijaOlosho:
It is now clear that someone is from Nigeria Republic

Ishilove:
Congrats to them. Good looking couple.

Someone should remind me again the essence of pre-wedding pictures?

donstan18:
137 unfortunate victims of Nigerian political games.

I don’t know how, but there’s no way you’ll tell me that some politicians aren’t cashing out from this attacks and killings in Nigeria.

Niger mourns 137 victims after deadliest attack in recent memory

TUE MAR 23, 2021

(Reuters) - Flags flew at half-staff and Koranic verses played on state media on Tuesday as Niger began observing three days of national mourning for the 137 victims of coordinated raids on villages in the southwest.

The killings on Sunday represented Niger's worst civilian carnage in recent memory, surpassing an attack by suspected militants in January that killed at least 100 villagers and another last week that killed at least 58.

The scale of the violence this year has called into question claims of progress in the fight against Islamist militants by governments in West Africa's Sahel region and former colonial power France, which has 5,000 troops there to support them.

A security source blamed Sunday's attacks, which were carried out by men on motorbikes in the remote Tahoua region near the border with Mali, on the local Islamic State affiliate. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for previous raids against security forces and French aid workers.

Niger only finished a period of mourning for the previous attacks on Friday.

The rising death toll appears to be the result of the Islamists inserting themselves into ethnic conflicts between rival farming and herding communities, said Harouna Abarchi, a civil society activist who leads peace initiatives in the area.

The militants, largely drawn from the Fulani herding community, have targeted civilians in retaliation for killings of Fulanis by self-defence militias formed by the farmers.

"It's a fragile zone that has seen inter-communal conflicts in the past," Abarchi said. "They are now going after civilians, which ... could set the zone on fire."

The security crisis will land at the feet of President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, who takes office next week, succeeding Mahamadou Issoufou.

Abou Oumarou, a retired colonel and former regional governor, said the repeated attacks raised questions about the military's response.

"How is it that 200 people can move around on motorcycles and no one is aware?" he said. "These forces need to surround these zones so that we know when there is a massive movement."

The government said it is investigating the attacks.

(Reporting by Boureima Balima and Aaron Ross; editing by Grant McCool)

President Muhammadu Buhari and Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger Republic, on Tuesday agreed to strengthen sub-regional security as a way to push back against Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa, ISWAP’s worrisome assertiveness in sub- Sahara and Sahel regions.

President Buhari, who called his counterpart on phone to sympathize with him and citizens of the neighbouring country, following recent killing of 137 people, strongly condemned the terrorist’s attacks, describing it as heinous.

“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of victims and people of Niger Republic. Nigeria stands with all her neighbours in the fight against terrorism,” the President said.

Omodua:
I don't want to join issues with you after your gratuitous insults and spineless historical verbosity woven in outright half truths and infantile sensationalism.
Enjoy your uncouth and misguided outbursts!

When he finished, Captain Adamu then told Captain Danjuma what he knew.


He said that early that morning his commanding officer (C.O.) Lt-Col. Njoku had telephoned him and asked him to come and see him.

When he got ready and went to see him, he met the GOC with Lt-Col. Njoku and the GOC told him that some officers who he called "rebel elements" were trying to overthrow the Nigerian Government and they had heard that there had been some shooting in the Prime Minister's residence.

He also said that he had received a phone call from a lady who sounded like the wife of Brigadier Pam and that she sounded distraught.

He also said that in his attempt to reach the Prime Minister's house he was halted by a soldier, "one athlete", and told to put up his hands. He said that he simply faced down the soldier by saying he was talking absolute nonsense and should drop the gun. The soldier then stepped out of the way and he drove on.

He then gave orders to Adamu to deploy men to hunt down the "dissident elements", which he said included Emmanuel Ifeajuna and if they could not be arrested they should be shot.

After telling Captain Danjuma this story, Captain Adamu led him in to see the C.O. Lt-Col Njoku.

They went down to the front of the house together. Immediately he gave instructions for the Supreme Commander to be loaded into a vehicle with a large complement of soldiers and two officers and that he should be driven to Bida Prison to be held pending the date of a full enquiry.


It was at this point that the tables turned and tragedy struck again. An officer, who according to General Danjuma had up till that time been hiding and taking very little active part in the proceedings, now turned to the soldiers and asked them to ignore him. He described the orders given by General Danjuma as "utter nonsense", and at this point the RSM who had seized the machine gun earlier now turned the gun on Major Danjuma. It was under this situation that the most junior officers present took command and loaded both the Supreme Commander and Lt-Col Fajuyi into the Land Rover filled with soldiers and drove off with them.

nku5:
Just sharing a historical fact in the spirit of discourse