Residents of two Bura villages in
Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State now live in fear after Boko
Haram insurgents struck and ordered non-Muslims to convert to Islam
within 24 hours.
The insurgents were
said to have invaded Shaffa and Tesan Aledeh which are predominantly
Christian communities on Wednesday evening.
Before
they left unchallenged, they vowed to return if their ultimatum was
not met, and killed two retired army officers and an ex-policeman.
The
insurgents were said to have killed one of the former officers
in Tesan Aledeh before leaving for the nearby Shaffa where they took
the lives of the second retired officer and the ex- policeman.
A
source, who disclosed this to one of our correspondents on Thursday,
said the developments caused fears among Christian communities along the
Biu-Hawul-Garkida-Mubi Road.
He
said, “There is widespread fear of possible attacks by the insurgents
among Christians in communities along this important road. People are
worried that at the end of the ultimatum, the Boko Haram may also
attack
them.
“The Boko Haram members have
started focussing attention on Christian communities in Southern Borno
now; Yesterday (Wednesday), they attacked Tesan Alede and Shaffa in
Hawul Local Government Area .
“They
killed a retired police officer in Tasan Aledeh and warned the people of
the community to convert to Islam within 24 hours.
“The
people are now panicking because they are really helpless. First,
there is no concentration of soldiers there. The soldiers only come in
the afternoon and after patrolling for the day, they go back.
“Another
thing is that there is no civilian JTF in the area. The people did not
form the Civilian JTF because they were warned not to do so to avoid
attracting the attention of the insurgents. Now they are harassing them.
“The
Boko Haram members are openly addressing people in Shaffa and other
Hawul communities. And because of the killing of the three ex-service
men, many people are relocating.”
The PUNCH
learnt on Thursday that the insurgents had on Saturday burnt many
houses and churches in Debiro, Biu Local Government Area in Borno
State.
Among the churches allegedly
burnt were the EYN and the ECWA worship centres The residence of the
Pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church was also said to have been
affected.
Many residents, including
a former Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Maj.
Gen. B.A Debiro, were said to have been displaced.
A source said the insurgents stormed the community in two hilux vans and 20 motorcyles .
They
were said to have headed straight for the residence of the District
Head, Lawan Thlama, where they ordered that five young men should take
them round to identify the residences of Christians in the community.
It was gathered that when information reached the Christians, they fled into the bush for safety.
However,
another source said that five insurgents were arrested at Tafawa in
Balewa LGA of Bauchi State and in Jalingo, Taraba State.
FG deploys additional troops in Adamawa
Meanwhile,
the Federal Government has deployed additional 500 troops in Adamawa
State to give more bite to the fight between the military and Boko
Haram insurgents in the state.
The
Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri,
disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday while updating journalists on the
war against insurgency in the North-East.
Omeri
said, “The military has mobilised additional troops to protect Mubi and
to restore order to Michika, Gulak, Baza and the surrounding villages.
“The Nigeria military has continued to enforce its presence in the challenged communities in the North-East.
“Contrary
to media reports of striking of some towns in Adamawa State such as
Mubi; the military has confirmed the new redeployment of more than 500
troops to support the expectation around the area, including Gulak and
Michika. We believe with this commitment and effort, the situation will
be brought under control.
“The situation report indicates that Mubi is calm while troops, including the police and other services are on patrol there.”
FG replies Borno elders
Omeri also dismissed the claim of Borno Elders’ Forum that Maiduguri had been surrounded by Boko Haram insurgents.
He
said during a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in
Abuja on Thursday that the statement issued by the forum that the
insurgents had been expanding their operations without any threat was
false.
He added that the government had been doing much to halt the spread of insurgency as signified by the government of Borno State.
He
said, “That (forum’s statement) is far from the truth. The Borno State
Government even recently commended the military for its effort in
halting the spread of Boko Haram.
“The
government has stated that it would not concede any part of this
country to any group. That statement has not changed and the military is
doing its best to protect citizens in every part of the country.
“We
know we have challenges with the Boko Haram insurgency but that is not
to say that the government will abdicate its responsibility.”
Meanwhile,
the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has urged the government to take
necessary measures to safeguard the territorial integrity of the
country.
Its President,
Bobboi Kaigama, said in a statement on Thursday that the call had
become imperative following reports that some cities in Borno and
Adamawa states had been attacked by Boko Haram.
Kaigama said that the government must be decisive in checking the excesses of the sect.
Bama still under B Haram’s control –Indigenes
But
in spite of Omeri’s assurance, some residents of Bama came out on
Thursday to rubbish military’s claim that the town had been recaptured
from the insurgents who overran it last week.
The
residents, under the aegis of ‘Bama Development Foundation, told a news
conference in Maiduguri, said that on September 1, the Army resisted
the insurgents for several hours but were overpowered .
The
Chairman of the BDF, Mohammed Hassan, said during the incident
several lives were lost either through gunshots and drowning in River
Yadzaram while fleeing.
He added that apart from those in Boko Haram captivity, many women, children and old people were still missing.
Hassan
added, “As a matter of fact, we are calling on the Borno State and
Federal governments to expedite action on reclaiming Bama from the
terrorists as those in captivity are under serious trauma as a result of
starvation. Those that have lost their lives are yet to be buried.
“After
11 days of the incident, no search and rescue operation was
conducted. It is to our knowledge that security and welfare of the
people are the fundamental obligations of a good government”.
Hassan appealed to the Federal Government to deploy more troops in Bama so that the people would go back to their community.
In
Kaduna, the Arewa Consultative Forum advised the Federal Government
to ensure that the 10,000 retired soldiers it planned to recall to
fight the Boko Haram insurgents were properly screened.
The
forum, through its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim ,
said it was also its view that federal character should be reflected
in the selection process to ensure fair representation.
It
said, “We particularly advise that those who have never been in the
military and therefore cannot be re-instated or recalled should be
precluded from the exercise. Ex-militants, who have received formal
training as part of the amnesty granted by the late President Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua’s benevolence, should not be considered to benefit from the
exercise.
“They are not qualified for either re-instatement or recall from the reserve list.
“It
has been brought to the knowledge of the ACF that the Federal
Government has authorised the reinstatement of 10,000 retired soldiers
back into the Nigeria Army. This in the wisdom of government is to boost
the strength of the military to confront the insurgency that has
engulfed the country.
“ACF welcomes
this development However, it wishes to caution the authorities
responsible for the reinstatement to scrutinise the retired soldiers
thoroughly and ensure that only persons qualified in accordance with
military regulations are recalled. Furthermore, the issue of federal
character must be reflected in the selection process to ensure fair
representation of all sections of the country.
“ACF therefore urges the authorities to display transparency and honesty in the reinstatement exercise.”
Source: The Punch