Boko Haram members
No
fewer than 50 Boko Haram militants and three soldiers died in separate
battles between the insurgents and security agents between Thursday
night and Friday.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the
insurgents engaged JTF troops for several hours in a tough battle in
terrorist camps located in Sambisa Game Reserve, about 70 kilometres
south of the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, where the militants first
emerged in 2009.
The militants fired anti-aircraft guns at JTF jets and helicopters and attacked ground troops with missiles and guns.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the
casualty figure was high on the side of the militants as the military
carried out simultaneous ground and aerial attacks on the troubled
border line with Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The militants hit a JTF helicopter with anti-aircraft weapons during the operation.
However, the pilot was able to navigate the damaged aircraft to safety with no casualty on the part of the crew members.
Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, told Saturday PUNCH
in an electronic mail on Friday that soldiers of the Special Task Force
also destroyed some Boko Haram camps located in the forests of Northern
and Central Borno.
He declined to confirm the casualty figure.
He said that heavy weapons such as anti-air craft and anti-tank guns were destroyed in the operation.
He said that the operation commenced by
the Special Task Force before the troops movement resulted in the
destruction of several weapons and logistics in possession of the
militants.
He listed the destroyed items to include vehicles, containers, fuel dumps and power generators.
“Advancing troops of Special Task Force
have destroyed some terrorists camps sited in the forests of Northern
and central Borno. Heavy weapons including anti-aircraft and anti-tank
guns were also destroyed in the process.
“The special operations which preceded
troop movement have resulted in the destruction of much of the
insurgents’ weapons and logistics such as vehicles, containers, fuel
dumps and power generators. The casualties inflicted on the insurgents
in the cause of the assault will be verified during mop-up.
“Defence Headquarters is quite satisfied
with the progress of the operation and the fighting spirit of
participating troops. The Special Task Force has been enjoined to
sustain the tempo.
“Meanwhile, border posts have all been
manned by security agents to prevent escape or infiltration by
insurgents,” the statement said.
British Broadcasting Corporation quoted
Olukolade as saying that at least 30 insurgents’ bodies had been
identified while soldiers suffered only minor injuries.
“The operation continues, we are injecting even more troops and resources into those areas,” he added.
The aim is to “destroy (Boko Haram)
bases, apprehend as many of them as possible and bring them to justice.
It is not just Sambisa, every camp is under attack,” Reuters quoted him
as saying.
In a separate battle, five suspected
Boko Haram members and three soldiers were confirmed dead in a five-hour
gun battle in Daura, hometown of a former head of state, Maj-Gen.
Mohammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday night.
Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abdullahi Magaji, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the sect members attacked two police stations and four banks.
Magaji said one of the suspects was
killed on Thursday night while the other four were trailed and shot dead
on Mani-Dutsi Road around 9.30am on Friday.
General Officer Commanding 1 Division of
the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj-Gen. Garba Wahab, told newsmen in Kaduna
that three soldiers died and two others were injured in the fight.
He said security agents recovered four AK 47 rifles and some cash stolen from the bank by the gunmen.
The GOC appealed to residents of Daura,
in Katsina State harbouring suspected terrorists to flush them out in
their own interest.
“I’m not bothered about the casualties of the criminals but we have been able to recover four AK 47 rifles from them.
“I called this press conference to fill
the gap on the attack that occurred and is still taking place in Daura,
Katsina State. We had an incident from 10pm on Thursday evening when
criminals attacked three police stations and four banks in Daura town.
“At the end of the operation, even
though it is still on, I lost three of my men, two including an officer
are wounded. I’m not bothered about the casualties among the criminals
but we have been able to recover four AK47 rifles from them.
“Another group of the criminals had a
road traffic accident, in which three of them died. They engaged the
police and the civil defence in that town and one of the vehicles they
were travelling in was seen with a huge amount of money.
“I have instructed my boys to give it to
the police to count and keep. It is to be given back to the bank
because that’s not my job. But the guns recovered in that vehicle by
troops is in the custody of the division.
“The criminals came, they bombed
vehicles, they packed money using Improvised Explosives Devices to bomb
everywhere. There are so many of them dispersed in Daura town right now
and what we want to do is to appeal to the people of Daura that anybody
with gunshot wounds should be reported (to security agents) because if
they don’t, these are the same people who will turn back and attack the
same town.
“What I want to achieve is an instance
where people living in the North-West feel secure. We don’t want a
situation where we will be viewed like we don’t have respect for
traditional rulers. That is why we are appealing to the people around
the general area even those in the Emir’s palace, because the
possibility of these people entering the palace of the Emir is very
high.”
In a separate development, the Chief of
Army/Civil Military Relations, Brig. Gen. Bola Koleosho, told newsmen in
Abuja that the insurgents had been found to be using fake military
camouflage in their operations.
Koleosho said the military discovered
during a recent gun battle that culminated in heavy casualties on the
side of the insurgents that they were kitted with fake camouflage.
He said the Nigerian Army considered it
necessary to raise the alarm because of the repetition of the same trend
in the Thursday night attacks by gunmen in Daura, Katisna State.
Koleosho, who displayed the two types of
camouflage being used by the militants, said there was a marked
difference between them and the ones being used by the Nigerian Army for
operations in different locations within the country.
He said, “A recent exchange of gun fire
with the insurgents in the North Eastern part of the country which
resulted in large number of casualties on their side showed that the
insurgents were dressed in fake military camouflage.
“To the unsuspecting populace, these
insurgents would have been misconstrued as soldiers of the Nigerian
Army. No doubt, the Nigerian Army has often been erroneously accused of
heinous crimes against innocent citizens whereas Boko Haram insurgents
have been the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.
“All of us are aware of what happened in
Baga, the accusations and all. But it has been found that Boko Haram in
camouflage uniforms were actually responsible for the burning of the
houses and killings of civilians.”
Koleosho said soldiers of 35 Battalion,
Katsina, under I Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, responded to the
distress call in Daura and recovered some IEDs, two Gof cars, 10 AK 47
assault rifles and a large quantity of ammunition.
He warned hospitals and clinics against
treating any person with gunshot wounds without the precautionary
measure of reporting first to security operatives.
Meanwhile, the United Nations warned on
Friday that members of Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Nigeria
could face war crimes charges for deliberate acts leading to ethnic and
religious cleansing.
The spokesperson for the UN Office of
the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rupert Colvile, said this in a
statement made available at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday,
the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He reiterated calls on Boko Haram and
other extremist groups in Nigeria to cease their “cowardly attacks”
against civilians, members of government institutions, security forces
and foreign nationals.
“The High Commissioner noted that
members of Boko Haram, if judged to have committed systematic attacks
against a civilian population on grounds such as religion or ethnicity
could be found guilty of crimes against humanity.
“Deliberate acts leading to population
‘cleansing’ on grounds of religion or ethnicity could also amount to a
crime against humanity,” Colville stressed.
OHCHR urged the Nigerian government to abide by human rights principles during security patrols.
The rights body also said it was
concerned about the large number of casualties, reportedly including
many civilians, and massive destruction of houses and property.
Colville urged the government to ensure that international human rights law was respected during its emergency operations.
United States Secretary of State, Mr.
John Kerry, on Friday expressed concern at allegations of ‘gross human
rights violations’ in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
In a statement titled ‘State of
Emergency and Fighting in Northern Nigeria,’ Kerry said, “The United
States is deeply concerned about the fighting in North-Eastern Nigeria
following President Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in
the Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. We are also deeply concerned by
credible allegations that Nigerian security forces are committing gross
human rights violations, which, in turn, only escalate the violence and
fuel extremism.
“The United States condemns Boko Haram’s
campaign of terror in the strongest terms. We urge Nigeria’s security
forces to apply disciplined use of force in all operations, protect
civilians in any security response, and respect human rights and the
rule of law.”
PUNCH
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