We will get Gwoza back from Boko Haram – Gen Olukolade is now ready to accept reality

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">                                      <img alt="Olukolade" class="attachment-thumbnail-single-image wp-post-image" height="241" src="http://ynaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Olukolade.jpg" width="400" /></span></div> <div class="entry"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em><br /></em>On Wednesday, 27 August, the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade said the Nigerian Army will imminently take back the Islamic caliphate of Gwoza from the forces of Boko Haram.<br />After initially being in denial about Abubakar Shekau’s declaration that Gwoza now belongs to the sect, the Army boss has said moves are already in place by Nigerian forces to regain the sovereignty of the town in Borno state.<br />During a telephone conversation with Channels Television, Olukolade said the army is working to reverse Shekau’s proclamation. “We are definitely working to reverse all those tendencies. We are not conceding any portion of this country to a group of terrorists and the required operation to reverse that is ongoing,”<br />Speaking further, he said, “we are working to ensure Gwoza as a town, its surroundings and other portions that terrorists seem to be moving around are secured,” while he assured Nigerians that “we are sure we will accomplish it in a short while.”<br />He also spoke about the $1bn (<del>N</del>162,120,000,000) loan President Jonathan requested for permission to borrow, saying it will go a long way in acquiring equipment to tackle the menace of the sect.<br />He said, “On a regular basis, we require and we are sure we will get the regular upgrade that is required to<br /><a href="" name="more"></a>conduct this operation properly. We are encouraged that political authorities and Nigerians have appreciated the need for the military to be properly equipped to handle this operation.”<br />He added that the military has started to receive upgraded weapons, while imploring the soldiers to also upgrade their response.<br />Meanwhile, he refuted the reports by BBC which suggested that Nigerian soldiers fled to Cameroon after a fierce fire-fight with Boko Haram insurgents in Gamboru-Ngala, Borno State.<br />However, the Defence Headquarters had on Tuesday, 26 August, announced the return of the troops from Cameroon, saying they had gone on a separate counter-terrorism mission.</span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br />Read More: <a href="http://kevindjakpor.blogspot.com/2014/08/we-will-get-gwoza-back-from-boko-haram.html#ixzz3BnbR0Ygb" style="text-decoration: none;">http://kevindjakpor.blogspot.com/2014/08/we-will-get-gwoza-back-from-boko-haram.html#ixzz3BnbR0Ygb</a><br />Follow us: <a href="http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=cqsi12R0Gr46eFacwqm_6l&u=kevindjakpor" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">@kevindjakpor on Twitter</a> | <a href="http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=cqsi12R0Gr46eFacwqm_6l&u=KevinDjakporBlog" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">KevinDjakporBlog on Facebook</a></span></div>

We will get Gwoza back from Boko Haram – Gen Olukolade is now ready to accept reality

                                       On Wednesday, 27 August, the Director of Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade said ...

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South West monarchs warn over declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate’

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I</span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BADAN</span>—ROYAL Fathers in South West of Nigeria, yesterday warned that recent declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate’ in the North-Eastern part of the country by the Islamic Fundamentalists,  Boko Haram, was meant to provoke the country to full scale war.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: black; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/boko-abducted-girls.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="boko-abducted-girls" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-444111" height="187" src="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/boko-abducted-girls-300x187.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow; border: none; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow;" width="300" /></a></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <br /></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Speaking through the Chairman Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee, Oba Frederick Enitiolorunda Obateru Akinruntan, who is the Olugbo of Igboland, argued that it was impossible to declare a republic within republic.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Chairman said “We are fighting guerilla war. We should not blame the FG because the president has to be very careful.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is difficult to fight because it is a guerilla war. About caliphate being declared by Boko Haram in Gwosa, it is meant to provoke the country. It is not possible to declare a republic within republic. It can never be possible.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He hinted that the age long royal battle among Yoruba monarchs including Alaafin-Ooni feud would soon be a thing of the past, saying “the committee is more determined to bring all the kings in the South West together under the same roof and amicably resolve all grey issues that could fan ember of disunity.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is not easy to repair a damaged thing. All of us in the committee are happy that the peace efforts we are making are already yielding results. We would ensure that peace reigns among Yoruba Obas.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No other Oba in Yorubaland had ever made any effort in reconciling our monarchs. We thank God because our efforts are yielding fruits. We receive calls across the country and beyond acknowledging our reconciliatory  moves.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“At the commencement of the reconciliation,  we received the blessings of Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Alake of Egbaland, Awujale of Ijebuland, Soun of Ogbomoso, Olubadan of Ibadanland and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At one of the meetings we organised, we knew the cause of the age long crisis between two prominent Yoruba Obas and very soon, we will bring the two of them together and resolve it amicably.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Reconciliation is a gradual process and every day, we are moving closer to the end of the age long rivalry.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Everybody is coming to the understanding and appreciation of the fact that we the traditional rulers in the South-West geo-political zone must come together and speak with one voice in order to get our share of national recognition.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We are now all aware of the marginalization of the Yoruba in the affairs of the country which the President, Goodluck Jonathan has just been addressing. It is as a result of the lack of unity among us the traditional rulers that has been responsible and we are addressing it.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> <br /></div>

South West monarchs warn over declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate’

I BADAN —ROYAL Fathers in South West of Nigeria, yesterday warned that recent declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate’ in the North-Eastern part o...

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Boko Haram: 27 police officers still missing in Gwoza — DCP Ojukwu

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h1 class="entry-title posttitle" itemprop="name headline" style="border: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 2049px;"> <span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">P</span><span style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">olice</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">authorities, yesterday, disclosed that 27 police officers are still missing, almost one week after Boko Haram insurgents attacked Police Academy in Gwoza, abducting 35 of them.</span></h1> <div id="entryContainer" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="entry entry-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 6px 0px 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_122952" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 430px;"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/police0.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: background-color, border-top-color; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color, border-top-color; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Nigerian Police" class=" wp-image-122952" height="230" src="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/police0-300x202.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.247059) 1px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow;" width="420" /></span></a></div> <div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nigerian Police</span></div> <div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> </div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In a statement by the Force Public Relations officer, DCP Emmanuel Ojukwu, the Police Command confirmed that eight of the officers have so far been rescued and returned to safe Police locations.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ojukwu noted that “27 are still missing. We are looking forward to more returning in the next few days. Search and rescue efforts are continuing. Police will reclaim her facilities.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It will be recalled that the Defence Headquarters had earlier declared that military operations to secure Gwoza town seized by the insurgents earlier this month were on-going.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This came as Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau proclaimed Islamic caliphate in the town, which he said, was now firmly in the grip of the sect.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Responding to the claim by the sect leader that Gwoza town seized by the insurgents earlier this month has been placed under an Islamic caliphate, the military authorities said, “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Boko Haram leader had in a new video claimed that he has created an Islamic caliphate in Gwoza.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described as an unprecedented national embarrassment the increasing seizure of Nigerian towns by the terrorist group, Boko Haram and the reported fleeing of 480 Nigerian soldiers to Cameroon during an attack on a military base in Gamboru-Ngala on Monday.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In a statement issued in Lagos, Tuesday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party called on President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently address Nigerians on the worsening security situation in the northern part of the country that has allowed Boko Haram to proclaim its rule over a part of the nation’s territory.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It said in the face of the biggest threat to Nigeria’s unity and territorial integrity since the country’s civil war, President Jonathan must also put partisanship aside and rally the nation against Boko Haram, which by all indications seems to be getting bolder and stronger, to such an extent that the group is now hoisting its flag over parts of the nation’s territory.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">APC also restated its call for an urgent national stakeholders’ conference on security that will cut across party lines to help fashion a solution to what has now become a clear and present danger to the survival of Nigeria, while pledging its unalloyed support for any sincere effort by the Federal Government to end the insurgency as quickly as possible.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As an immediate first step, the party calls on President Jonathan to immediately halt the illegal electioneering campaign by his Ministers, other appointees and supporters, saying Nigeria must survive as a nation before any party or individual can rule over it.</span></div> <div class="OUTBRAIN" data-browser="safari" data-dynload="" data-ob-mark="true" data-os="ipad" data-src="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/boko-haram-27-police-officers-still-missing-gwoza-dcp-ojukwu/" id="outbrain_widget_0" obdone="true" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="ob_strip_container NA" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px;"> <span class="ob_empty" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><wbr style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></wbr></span><span class="ob_org_header" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div> </div> </div> </div> <br /></div>

Boko Haram: 27 police officers still missing in Gwoza — DCP Ojukwu

P olice   authorities, yesterday, disclosed that 27 police officers are still missing, almost one week after Boko Haram insurgents attacke...

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Thousands flee to Cameroon after Boko Haram attack in Borno

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h1 class="entry-title posttitle" itemprop="name headline" style="border: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1600px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A Boko Haram attack on a border town in Borno State forced thousands of people to flee on Monday, in a fresh assault indicating the militants’ growing ability to strike at will.</span></h1> <div id="entryContainer" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="entry entry-content" itemprop="articleBody" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 6px 0px 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The attack on Gamboru Ngala comes after the town was almost entirely destroyed in May in a devastating assault that also left more than 300 people killed and prompted outrage at the lack of military response.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Many local residents sought refuge across the border in the north Cameroon town of Fotokol, where troop reinforcements were being sent, a security service source told AFP.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Boko Haram, which has been blamed for more than 10,000 deaths in a five-year-old uprising, has in recent weeks sought to take over a number of towns in Borno state, shifting from hit-and-run tactics to an apparent holding strategy.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared in a video obtained by AFP on Sunday that the town of Gwoza, southwest of Gamboru Ngala, was now under an Islamic caliphate.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Residents said Monday’s attack began at about 5:30 am (0430 GMT), with the extremists launching coordinated strikes on the main police station and a military base known as the Harmony camp.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“The sounds (of gunfire) became more deafening as police and soldiers responded to Boko Haram,” said witness Hamisu Lawan. “Most of our people have fled into Cameroon.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Others locked themselves in their homes, voicing fears that the militants would turn their guns on civilians once they had overrun the police station and military camp.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Residents in Fotokol, which is separated from Gamboru Ngala by a river, also reported “intense” fighting throughout the morning.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“(Cameroonian) soldiers are at the bridge,” one said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Cameroon said on August 18 that it had closed its vast border with Nigeria to guard against the spread of Ebola, which has caused five deaths in the country’s financial capital, Lagos, in the far southwest.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But few believed that Cameroon had the resources needed to seal all the possible crossing points along the roughly 1,600-kilometre (1,000-mile) frontier.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Territorial ambitions -</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Local officials and residents in Borno say Boko Haram may be in control of a key road that connects Gamboru Ngala to the state capital Maiduguri.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Establishing which parts of the area have in fact fallen into rebels hands is difficult in the remote region, where travel is dangerous and prolonged fighting has hit mobile phone networks.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Sunday’s video, Shekau did not develop his claims about Gwoza being part of the Islamic caliphate, despite previously voicing his support for the leader of the Islamic State (IS) militants, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who proclaimed himself the “leader of Muslims everywhere” in June.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Al-Baghdadi’s Sunni Muslim fighters have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nigeria’s military dismissed Shekau’s claim as “empty”, maintaining that the country’s sovereignty remained intact.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But that assertion is in conflict with multiple reports indicating that Boko Haram controls several towns in Borno and at least one in neighbouring Yobe state.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Analysts believe that Boko Haram will attempt to hold more towns in Borno in the short to mid-term, with Nigeria’s military unable or unwilling to tackle them.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some Nigerian troops stationed in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, have refused to deploy to retake Gwoza because of what they say are sub-standard weapons that leave them at the mercy of the better-equipped rebels.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Defence analysts have also argued that Nigeria needs to improve its counter-insurgency strategy and adapt to guerrilla fighting rather than relying on conventional means.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Others complain of a lack of political will to properly tackle Boko Haram, which wants to establish a hardline Islamic state and whose campaign has targeted schools, churches and government installations.</span></div> <div class="OUTBRAIN" data-browser="safari" data-dynload="" data-ob-mark="true" data-os="ipad" data-src="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/thousands-flee-cameroon-boko-haram-attack-nigeria/" id="outbrain_widget_0" obdone="true" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Thousands flee to Cameroon after Boko Haram attack in Borno

A Boko Haram attack on a border town in Borno State forced thousands of people to flee on Monday, in a fresh assault indicating the milita...

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Boko Haram declares Gwoza ‘Islamic Caliphate’ + Excerpts of the transcribed speech by Shekau

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN_92A_IRVsFKENvZHZ7n4n1SFlyHOc9wzHm1J1IVppQ6y1dEJGVOu3xrSO7mLSe18zXIOuvy1MPKVrAkXV0kB0e0S091DX79C5F5ruDo6XPFhj9TgWb5LGDcfs8zhVTE-iMPCet5f40d/s1600/00.jpg" width="400" /></span></div> <div> </div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In a 52 minute video made available to AFP, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, declared the creation of an Islamic caliphate in Gwoza town in Borno state seized by the sect early this month.</span></div> <div> </div> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">According to AFP, Shekau declared that Gwoza now has 'nothing to do with Nigeria'. </span></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in (the town of) Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic caliphate. By the grace of Allah we will not leave the town. We have come to stay,” said Shekau</span></blockquote> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Find the excerpts of the transcribed speech by Shekau after the cut. Meanwhile the Nigerian Military has reacted to Shekau's claims, saying the claim is empty. The military says appropriate military operations to secure Gwoza from activities of the bandits is still ongoing. Continue...</span></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Excerpts of the transcribed speech by Mr. Shekau below...</b> "I chose to deliver this message in order to refute the lies being spread by the government, about the operations we had in recent times.<br />"We warn the vigilantes called civilian JTF to back off; if not, there will be no place for them to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6089869001362915509" name="more"></a>hide. We have evidence of how you killed some of our brethren whom you would ask if they were Boko Haram members before you killed them. We know how you humiliated them by asking them if they had ever carried guns or killed someone…We know everything about the evil you committed against our brethren.<br />"We still have the magnanimity of asking you to repent because you will never succeed in this way by the grace of Allah. And I swear by Allah that we will never stop killing you, because Allah commanded us to kill people like you. If we pity you and spare you, one day you will become infidels. So, to us, having pity on you is an act of disbelief. You can continue to run or hide your identities in women’s attire, but we will get to you and remove the women’s clothing off of you. Then, while you are shouting for mercy, we will strike, smash your heads and kill you all. Even if you don't do anything to us we will kill you...We would do it even to avenge our brethren. You killed our brethren in large numbers.<br />"We don't joke with religion (quoting from the Koran). There is no hypocrisy in this religion. It is only the truth. </span><br /> <div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We are not proud of our strength, nor with our weapons nor with anything we have but we are only proud of victory from Allah the exalted. Victory is only from God. Who is America in the sight of Allah? Who is America in the sight of Allah? Who is Israel in the sight of Allah? Who is France in the sight of Allah?”</span></div> </blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RV0yYBKduKfGdCMQQOqos1Htvk__wT-7Qf06GwCKpiajcquJ1NzczLmLNBaGphrlr05aAfwzgJl1Unwe2X60rhNNZhDJDBoR8P8rCrriuBC3RTmvNa6JAODj-Dz_RKTDpAn6S-vBInu5/s1600/1.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTSNRyy-JN5S8JTddocRfwbtxsdZ9KczVeNgXOvnka8pV7aaofpjF0Y1cgw0EQz57-42TgLBxevyTtZRGCsqJeUpEurCEGu8oH2UNrMhL9nfMYpxsPhZD4dg5Kwn2pXNr8kbzK_LlTOjE/s1600/2.png" /></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJgMtBpSoppcKmOinypOMVrTeQ81RqaCKTFqc5IDgiy_uiDaQcUBjLjBmlb05BWu8WKMDNvEOJDF4jn0cG1CwZvhn0UQw_P0eVU7eunXmf8mKutHCwQ9ki-mL7gmBt4V_iSRP6iIUulJC/s1600/3.png" /></span></div> </div>

Boko Haram declares Gwoza ‘Islamic Caliphate’ + Excerpts of the transcribed speech by Shekau

In a 52 minute video made available to AFP, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, declared the creation of an Islamic caliphate i...

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Boko Haram Claims New Land In Nigeria, Hoists Flag Over New Borno Town as Nigerian Government seems clueless

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="http://cdn-01.naij.com/o/3zXGN2ScGPuVqm0fP3q19IpH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Boko Haram" border="0" class="size-full wp-image-277173" height="245" src="http://cdn-01.naij.com/o/3zXGN2ScGPuVqm0fP3q19IpH.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="470" /></span></a></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />After their sudden attack on the National Police Mobile Training Camp in Limankara village of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state recently, Insurgent group Boko Haram has attacked Pulka village of Gwoza and sacked the whole community, hoisting their flag and claiming it as part of their unrecognised republic.</span><br /> <div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_277173" style="width: 480px;"> <div class="wp-caption-text"> </div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pulka is located 20 kilometres from destroyed Gwoza town which is surrounded between the Mandara Mountains close to the camerounian border.<br />This is not the first time, Pulka has been stormed into by the insurgent group, the latest attack happened on Thursday evening and is said to be the deadliest, as the Islamic group went on a killing rampage with quite a number of residents being killed and properties, shops and vehicles being destroyed.<br />One source told Vanguard: <em>“the insurgents, large in number, and using Rocket Propelled Launchers, Improvised Explosive Devices and petrol bombs,  invaded Pulka and opened fire on innocent civilians before overpowering security operatives and vigilante groups and  hoisting  their flags”.</em><br />Refugees from the area have been on the run ever since the insurgent group over took Gwoza three weeks<br /><a href="" name="more"></a>ago and are now going over to Madagali town of Adamawa state.<br />One of such refugees, Mr. Yakubu Jidda told reporters:<em> “the latest attack on Pulka forced many people in Madagali including the displaced persons to flee to neighbouring Mubi and Gombi towns of Adamawa for fear of possible attacks from the terrorists who now operate freely without confrontation from security operatives”.</em><br />One member of  Kashim Shettima community said: <em>“Yes some Boko Haram terrorists invaded Pulka and killed many innocent people and destroyed  a lot of  houses before hoisting their flags in different locations of Pulka.  We,  the people of Gwoza are very  worried with the spate of killings and destruction by terrorists without  military or security agencies confronting them.</em><br /><em>“The terrorists are now having a field day in any community they storm in Gwoza. Just  last Wednesday, the terrorists invaded the Police  Mobile Training Camp in nearby Limankara village and took over the facilities on ground.”</em><br />Thousands including security operatives have been killed across Nigeria, and many rendered homeless especially in the north-eastern region since Boko Haram launched its violent attacks in 2009.<br />Members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect had reportedly seized the town of Buni Yadi town, in Yobe State, on August 20.<br /></span></div>

Boko Haram Claims New Land In Nigeria, Hoists Flag Over New Borno Town as Nigerian Government seems clueless

After their sudden attack on the National Police Mobile Training Camp in Limankara village of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state ...

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Boko Haram overruns a Police College in Gwoza

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="block-story-object-asset"><img alt="" class="media-element file-embedded" src="http://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/page_images/galleries/2014/Ngala-bridge-cameroon.jpg?itok=ta3Y9T_w" /></span><span class="block-story-object-content"><span class="block-story-object-content-header"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description"> </span></span></span></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image"><span class="block-story-object-content"><i><span class="block-story-object-content-header"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description">A bridge in Gamboru-Ngala bridge blown up by Boko Haram </span></span></i><span class="block-story-object-content-footer"><span class="block-story-object-content-footer-item block-story-object-content-footer-item-attribution"><i>Sahara Reporters Media</i> </span></span></span></span> </span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />A police source told our correspondent that the surging militants blew up an armored tank stationed at the gate of the training camp before gaining entrance into the school and wreaking havoc. <br />Heavily armed insurgents belonging to the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, today invaded a well-known Nigerian Police training college in Gwoza, Borno State.<br />Our police sources said the militants, who numbered several hundred, stormed the police college with five armored tanks they had earlier seized from Nigerian soldiers who had had made several unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the sect from Gwoza over the last two weeks.<br />The sources told SaharaReporters that the college had five units of police officers in training at the time of today’s attack. One source disclosed that each unit had 59 trainees and a unit commander. Among the units in residence at the college were two mobile police (MOPOL) units from Nasarawa and Gombe States and a<br /><a href="" name="more"></a>mobile police unit from Abuja. Two other units from Zamfara State were also at the college during the attack.<br />One of our sources disclosed that numerous trainees were killed or seriously injured by the militants who carried out the assault. “Those who survived the attack had to run to the mountains nearby,” said the source. He added that some of the trainees managed to escape to Adamawa State.<br />A police source told our correspondent that the surging militants blew up an armored tank stationed at the gate of the training camp before gaining entrance into the school and wreaking havoc.<br />Boko Haram had seized much of Gwoza town two weeks ago. They hoisted the sect’s flag in the town and appointed an Emir to administer the strategic northeastern township, after the town’s traditional ruler escaped with other refugees.<br /></span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The training center was one of the few government facilities that remained out of the control of the sect, until today’s massive offensive by the insurgents.<br />Since the Islamist group’s take over of much of the town, the Nigerian army had launched a series of operations to liberate the town. But each of the military actions had been repelled by the militants in counter-attacks that proved deadly both for Nigerian troops and insurgents, according to a military source.<br /></span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Recent efforts by the military to mobilize troops in a determined battle to wrest Gwoza from Boko Haram have been hampered by protests by soldiers and their spouses.<br />SaharaReporters learned that many soldiers were refusing orders from their superiors go on missions against Boko Haram fighters. The defiant soldiers and their wives have expressed concern that the Islamist insurgents are equipped with weapons that are far superior to the weaponry and other equipment available to soldiers.<br />“Some of the soldiers complain that their weapons do not march those of Boko Haram,” one source said.<br /><br /></span></div>

Boko Haram overruns a Police College in Gwoza

  A bridge in Gamboru-Ngala bridge blown up by Boko Haram  Sahara Reporters Media     A police source told our correspondent that the s...

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Could you survive as a Christian living in Gwoza, Chibok in Nigeria or Iraq, right now?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; border: none; color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 20px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; width: 638px;"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" width="638"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: small;">So much happened and is still happening in North East Nigeria but just a little is being reported. Interestingly, the only report we get is about how many have been killed by Boko Haram terrorists or the number of these terrorists that have been killed by Nigerian Soldiers. In nearly all the report, there seem to be a connivance among the media to consciously forget the primary target of these Islamic terrorists. They have sisd it time without number, though we all choose to pretend about it, that Christians are their primary target. On several occasions they have commanded some Christians to deny Christianity failing which results in brutal killing.<br /><br />Like the Christians in North Eastern Nigeria so are the Christians in Mosul, Irbil etc and the Yazidi sect, in Iraq. From what is going on right now, I am constantly jealous that the threats and killings of the Yazidis was what kicked the World out of sleep. It seems that the World did not and are not considering the lives of the Christians, viciously killed by the Islamic State, right there in Mosul and other places. While these  Christians lives were being killed and forced out of their communities, forced to deny Christianity, no threat came from anywhere. No military intervention, no Aids droppings, nothing.<br /><br />The case of Christians in Iraq is even nothing to be compared with the plight of Christians in North East Nigeria. We all know that, before the wicked Islamic State wickedness began, Boko Haram terrorists have been killing Christians in Nigeria. Did you hear the sound of planes coming to drop Aids for these wickedly and viciously killed Christians? Not even a mention! The World left everything for Nigeria to handle. Several of these Christians were beheaded, burnt to death, shot dead inside their places of worship, bombed while having service and so on. All the World did was to condemn these devilish actions. While they continue to tell anyone that cares to listen that their primary goal is to Islamize the whole of a northern Nigeria, many laugh it off.<br /><br />Today, many of these Christians in Northern Nigeria are in caves, eating wild fruits and battling with dangerous animals. They have been forced out of their homes, places of worship, farms and their very lives and yet the world seem not to consider them for Aids droppings neither do Nigeria qualify to be given a hand, without unnecessary conditionalities, so as to battle these terrorists to a standstill.<br /><br />The worst is that I am yet to hear from the world acclaimed human right movements. I must say here that, it is complete hypocrisy for these people to campaign against the falling of trees and the killing of animals and fishes in the waters but yet lend no loud voice to the condemnable vicious acts of devilish wickedness against Christians in North Eastern Nigeria and in Iraq.<br /><br />Well, whether in Iraq or in Nigeria, Christians are Christians and lives are lives! Let the World speak up or forever keep Quiet in every other thing happening anywhere in the world!<br /><br />Below is details of the happening in Iraq.<br /><a href="http://lists.catholic.org/link.php?URL=aHR0cDovL3ljdmYub3JnL2NvbGxlY3Rpb25zL2VtZXJnZW5jeS1yZXNwb25zZS9wcm9kdWN0cy9lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZnVuZC1zYXZlLWlyYXFpLWNocmlzdGlhbnM=&Name=&EncryptedMemberID=MTIxNTE3NjQ3Njg%3D&CampaignID=5561&CampaignStatisticsID=14987&Demo=0&Email=c2VsZmxlc3NoZWFydHNuZ0BnbWFpbC5jb20=" shape="rect" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" target="_blank"><img border="0" hspace="0" name="147df28016686283_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.19" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhkGt8UKIfIF1WENYE4OuQ0Xw8ND4jbRbI6bszZd7k9XP5nWef2m0fEHlke74xlUENKsuthIocoqFtiJjpJQAjXy_OzCfJzlQhQuN_VqHuuIP8bymh2c_noUHnUBX5vwWJBKsrRME4yeb9qINwksejeIIZ3Xdx2_vnjI4owVVT-_aktLLM=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: none; display: block; max-width: 100%;" vspace="0" width="638" /></a></span></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The mark of death for Christians.</span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There's a red mark on your door. In dripping blood-red paint, it's been marked with the Arabic letter N, a monogram for Christians. It's a mark of death, a warning. You have 24 hours to flee, leaving everything behind. No food or water, no vehicle, no money, nothing is allowed to you. </span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />To stay means death. You've heard the stories. Children beheaded, their heads displayed in a public park in Mosul. Women and girls raped and enslaved. Even those who pay the tax for being Christian have still had their family kidnapped, their wives raped and their livelihoods confiscated. The only option is to flee on foot.<br /></span><br /> <table style="border: none; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; width: 608px;"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" width="608"><a href="http://lists.catholic.org/link.php?URL=aHR0cDovL3ljdmYub3JnL2NvbGxlY3Rpb25zL2VtZXJnZW5jeS1yZXNwb25zZS9wcm9kdWN0cy9lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZnVuZC1zYXZlLWlyYXFpLWNocmlzdGlhbnM=&Name=&EncryptedMemberID=MTIxNTE3NjQ3Njg%3D&CampaignID=5561&CampaignStatisticsID=14987&Demo=0&Email=c2VsZmxlc3NoZWFydHNuZ0BnbWFpbC5jb20=" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" hspace="0" name="147df28016686283_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhvCYUj_uqRC-_mRK3hiI_rnN46y8Pa7mhGZE8TTn0WtDqKY6ZCM02BLqBe0X4DWTjN6quqjwuySi1FA4VFdUnvXZVYfgYxi3M2uia4LtndFP0ZKJSMhQf-XqniFH63IBy994wiDIfDTVHkBweiysRhV-AvG7jUmEp8q_qE8m5CvZCN5Ys=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: none;" vspace="0" width="598" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Christians flee as ISIS terrorists close in to kill. Not all of them will make it.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br />At a border checkpoint, your family is aggressively searched for hidden money and jewelry. A woman shrieks in pain as her finger is cut off because in her panic she could not remove the ring. In front of you, a child's favorite toy is stripped from his tiny hands, as if the Islamic State needed it.<br /><br />You know your home, heard-earned and well-kept, will be given as a reward to a terrorist fighter and his family along with all your possessions inside.<br /><br />These thoughts weigh on your mind as you are forced to walk in the grueling 120 degree summertime heat of the unrelenting Iraqi desert. You have nothing but the clothes on your back. Nobody is coming to rescue you as your lips crack with dryness.<br /></span><br /> <table style="border: none; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; width: 608px;"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" width="608"><a href="http://lists.catholic.org/link.php?URL=aHR0cDovL3ljdmYub3JnL2NvbGxlY3Rpb25zL2VtZXJnZW5jeS1yZXNwb25zZS9wcm9kdWN0cy9lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZnVuZC1zYXZlLWlyYXFpLWNocmlzdGlhbnM=&Name=&EncryptedMemberID=MTIxNTE3NjQ3Njg%3D&CampaignID=5561&CampaignStatisticsID=14987&Demo=0&Email=c2VsZmxlc3NoZWFydHNuZ0BnbWFpbC5jb20=" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" hspace="0" name="147df28016686283_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.21" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiYpLhySZj3b9qDjpHPfsIFvMNDR5NQCo64uQxI7Lxwp3F7VRfR2vsSGYbV7OnwvC-UgELAkgdSXt984O12QtdlgGMJovvXSs36E4Kr__lbQg5bJ_CfLWlwMap5-2vqcJ8lHQ2GJ1y2z5nJ5DxByxTnwWPTo2IxrjM6NfOedC5dbpnQf-g=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: none;" vspace="0" width="598" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The odds of survival in the desert are poor, especially for the elderly and young.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br />You watch as the elderly collapse at the side of the road, family wailing because if they don't keep moving, roving bands of Islamic State terrorists will kill them family for sport. Grandparents are left to die from exhaustion, or at the hands of gleeful terrorists.<br /><br />If you're lucky, you might make it to a city that will take you in, but then you're likely to be shuttled to a refugee camp where all you can do is wait - a virtual prison sentence with heat and hunger for bars.<br /></span><br /> <table style="border: none; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; width: 608px;"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" width="608"><a href="http://lists.catholic.org/link.php?URL=aHR0cDovL3ljdmYub3JnL2NvbGxlY3Rpb25zL2VtZXJnZW5jeS1yZXNwb25zZS9wcm9kdWN0cy9lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZnVuZC1zYXZlLWlyYXFpLWNocmlzdGlhbnM=&Name=&EncryptedMemberID=MTIxNTE3NjQ3Njg%3D&CampaignID=5561&CampaignStatisticsID=14987&Demo=0&Email=c2VsZmxlc3NoZWFydHNuZ0BnbWFpbC5jb20=" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" hspace="0" name="147df28016686283_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.22" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgqMYKaCUJoLxGUbu2hTfgu8Lz7eg8mO1OrPQ7ekF6yKUM31K-v4IuTy58fN3e8qQV1-z5cQNbH3rrk1e8ZYvG7rE4nff8Oq7qlG_-gzAuwmz9FQJVOZC9CCCAzvRSpOs9-tVZKPE6ktt7tjFYzca3I1MK7idyB3vF-w6bMj565bqnTe5M=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: none;" vspace="0" width="598" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For Iraqi Christians, this is what good luck looks like. Could you imagine living like this?<br />Could you imagine this being your child?</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /><br />The unlucky are trapped on mountains of death, surrounded by another band of Islamic State fighters who think you should die instead of leave. For those people, trapped on a mountainside without food, water, medicine or the ability to flee, all you can do is wait for a slow death by exposure and starvation.<br /><br />The children are the first to die, especially the babies.<br /></span><br /> <table style="border: none; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; width: 608px;"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" width="608"><a href="http://lists.catholic.org/link.php?URL=aHR0cDovL3ljdmYub3JnL2NvbGxlY3Rpb25zL2VtZXJnZW5jeS1yZXNwb25zZS9wcm9kdWN0cy9lbWVyZ2VuY3ktZnVuZC1zYXZlLWlyYXFpLWNocmlzdGlhbnM=&Name=&EncryptedMemberID=MTIxNTE3NjQ3Njg%3D&CampaignID=5561&CampaignStatisticsID=14987&Demo=0&Email=c2VsZmxlc3NoZWFydHNuZ0BnbWFpbC5jb20=" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" hspace="0" name="147df28016686283_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.23" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgBdenfjB4KRGS4v5uZIX5J0eEMjbExQVur910K8v-VCSl9AJGZpDe6pS5xIJs5zeEzGIuq3wkNEU73a8AO4ddn2r4UTbE68yR_Gh62RT3DK62bLTloY0Uy3coC5kIH6rGUS1r08BIpcqEU6pn61s0cJ5Q3K6lVDQUL8dbtxKFRuwbz4pQ=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: none;" vspace="0" width="598" /></span></a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Many children have died in the desert. Many more are expected to die in the weeks to come.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is not a work of fiction. This is real. This is happening right now. The only way you can help is to act now. Tomorrow will not be too late, IT IS TOO LATE. DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You can write to: selflessheartsng@gmail.com for enquiries on how you can help.</span></div>

Could you survive as a Christian living in Gwoza, Chibok in Nigeria or Iraq, right now?

So much happened and is still happening in North East Nigeria but just a little is being reported. Interestingly, the only report we get i...

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Boko Haram: Panic in Borno/Adamawa Communities as Boko Haram flee Gwoza

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header class="post-header cf" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="featured" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Boko-Haram-militants1.jpg" itemprop="image" rel="prettyPhoto" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Panic in Borno/Adamawa communities"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Boko-Haram-militants" class="attachment-main-slider wp-post-image no-display appear" height="336" src="http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Boko-Haram-militants1-702x336.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Panic in Borno/Adamawa communities" width="702" /></span></a></div> <h1 class="post-title" itemprop="name" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px 35px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 18px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Panic in Borno/Adamawa communities</span></span></h1> </header><div class="post-meta" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(217, 217, 217); border-bottom-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(217, 217, 217); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 21px; overflow: hidden; padding: 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">…As Boko Haram insurgents flee Gwoza</strong></div> <div class="post-container cf" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="post-content-right" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="post-content description" itemprop="articleBody" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px -1.857em; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fear has gripped residents of some communi­ties around the border of Borno and Ad­amawa states following rumours that Boko Ha­ram insurgents fleeing from Gwoza may attack their communities.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ezekiel Musa and Markus Yalah, both residents of Askira, south of Borno and Madagali in Adamawa State said they fled the communi­ties yesterday to Maiduguri to stay with their brothers in response to the rumour that Boko Haram was planning to attack their towns.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“We heard Boko Haram men left Gwoza and have vowed to attack some com­munities in Askira/Uba again. So most people have not been sleeping very well since Thursday. We had to leave because everybody is talking about it. We came through Biu to Gujba in Yobe,” Markus disclosed.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Also, a Maiduguri resident who did not want his name in print confirmed the develop­ment, adding that his mother intimated him about the anxiety in his village. “My mother told me people in our village didn’t sleep since Thursday. I asked her to come to Maiduguri, but she refused, I’m worried about her safety now,” the resident, a civil servant told Sunday Sun. He said the movement of Boko Haram insurgent out of Gwoza on Thursday has triggered panic in the area.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For nearly 10 days, Boko Haram insurgents took over Gwoza town, about 183 from the capital Maiduguri after a deadly attack. Thousands of residents were forced to flee the area even as mili­tary forces battled to regain control of the hilly town. Sources however said the in­tensity of military air strikes on the area pushed out the in­surgents on Thursday as they headed for Pulka, few kilo­metres away where they car­ried out another attack, fuel­ing speculation the terrorists may visit other communities southward with violence.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Meanwhile, a member representing Gwoza State Constituency in the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon Usman Jana Babayo has said over 65 per cent of peo­ple displaced by the recent Gwoza attack have taken ref­uge in Uba, Borno and Mubi in Adamawa State but lack food and clean water. He said the situation compelled Bor­no State government to pro­cure relief materials worth N10 million, adding that the materials have been distrib­uted to those at Madagali, 40 kilometres, south of Gwoza.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Some fled to Uba and Madagali while others went as far as Mubi in Adamawa for safety. Some are still on the mountain,” he disclosed.<b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></b></span></div> <div> <br /></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Boko Haram: Panic in Borno/Adamawa Communities as Boko Haram flee Gwoza

Panic in Borno/Adamawa communities …As Boko Haram insurgents flee Gwoza Fear has gripped residents of some communi­ties around th...

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Boko Haram Militants Appoint Emir For Captured Gwoza As Women Bury Their Dead

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="page-header-lead lead flush-bottom" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 12px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another female source said it became necessary for them to bury the dead because “the men in our town and surrounding towns have either been slaughtered or have fled for fear of being killed.”</span></div> <div> <br /></div> <br /> <div class="first" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span class="ds-1col file file-image file-image-jpeg view-mode-embedded centered clearfix block-story-object block-story-object-resource block-story-object-resource-image" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; margin: 0px auto 24px; max-width: 500px; width: 500px;"><span class="block-story-object-asset" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" class="media-element file-embedded" src="http://saharareporters.com/sites/default/files/styles/normal_medium/public/Palace_of_Emir_Gwoza.jpg?itok=uRUO3fJg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image" /></span></span><span class="block-story-object-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; padding: 12px;"><span class="block-story-object-content-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block;"><span class="block-story-object-content-header-description" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; text-shadow: none;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Palace of The Emir of Gwoza reportedly taken over by Boko Haram militants who have appointed their "emir"to govern the township</span></span></span><span class="block-story-object-content-footer" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-top: 6px;"><span class="block-story-object-content-footer-item block-story-object-content-footer-item-attribution" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; font-style: italic; text-shadow: none;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sahara Reporters Media</span></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">With most of their menfolk killed or on the run, women in the town of Gwoza, Borno State, have taken on the grim task of burying dozens of residents massacred in last week’s assault by insurgents belonging to the Islamist group, Boko Haram.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In telephone interviews, two sources in the town said the women of Gwoza were burying men, women and children who lost their lives when a vicious band of Boko Haram fighters descended on the town last week in an orgy of death and destruction.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“We are very fatigued,” one of the women told our correspondent. She added, “We are almost resigned to fate in our tedious and unusual work of burying scores of dead bodies that still litter our town.”</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">Another female source said it became necessary for them to bury the dead because “the men in our town and surrounding towns have either been slaughtered or have fled for fear of being killed.”</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">The source said the town was now peopled by trapped women, little children and the elderly who were spared by the Boko Haram fighters.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">The insurgents have seized the Emir’s residence as well as a government lodge in Gwoza, and have appointed a replacement for the town’s fleeing Emir. Our sources added that Boko Haram’s black flags have been hoisted at different locations in the town as a mark of the sect’s authority.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">A source also stated that the sect had introduced strict Islamic laws in the seized emirate.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">A soldier involved in a counter-insurgency operation corroborated the accounts of the situation in Gwoza. He said some women and youths who arrived in Madagali, Adamawa State, after fleeing Gwoza and traveling through the rough terrain of hills painted terrifying portraits for military officials who interviewed them.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-shadow: none;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;">A senior military officer told SaharaReporters that the Nigerian Army was drawing up a strategic plan to execute “a multi-dimensional offensive in a bid to dislodge Boko Haram from Gwoza and surrounding villages.”</span></div> </div>

Boko Haram Militants Appoint Emir For Captured Gwoza As Women Bury Their Dead

Another female source said it became necessary for them to bury the dead because “the men in our town and surrounding towns have either be...

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GEJ reacts to Northern Elders ultimatum over missing Chibok girls

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-5wQjjU_VLlIVZwMtuP_siSly186JL-crkb1BQVUmccTEStjp0Kwu6GJuO4gqClKodKEK65bMnO1Qui5DpncfP_7JxDnJfWBquCTRERsQjAfyeIww7vc4GkpxxfloQU3jmaymOKMA_u0/s1600/President-Jonathan-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-5wQjjU_VLlIVZwMtuP_siSly186JL-crkb1BQVUmccTEStjp0Kwu6GJuO4gqClKodKEK65bMnO1Qui5DpncfP_7JxDnJfWBquCTRERsQjAfyeIww7vc4GkpxxfloQU3jmaymOKMA_u0/s1600/President-Jonathan-300x225.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></span></a></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">President Jonathan has reacted to the October ultimatum handed to him by the Northern Elders Forum to return the missing Chibok girls to their families and end insurgency activities in the north. They made this demand at a press conference yesterday August 11th, alleging that the sect activities are politically motivated with a grand agenda to weaken the political and economical interest of the North, with a view of exploiting this weakness in the 2015 elections.</span><br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We are convinced that most of these conflicts are being engineered to weaken the North politically and economically by interests, which intend to exploit such weaknesses for electoral benefits. In the light of our firm conviction that the insurgency and related security challenges pose threats to the 2015 elections and the survival of our nation, we strongly advise President Goodluck Jonathan to bring an end to the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October 2014. Continue..</span></blockquote> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The circumstances under which our fellow citizens in and around Gwoza in Borno State in particular live and die will not be tolerated by any people who have a government and a leader sworn to defend them, and they must be reversed immediately,” the Northern Elders said.<br /><br />Reacting to the deadline, President Jonathan through his SSA on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, released a statement today describing the threat by the Northern leaders as "preposterous" and "contrary to common sense".<br /><br />Find the statement below...<br /><br />We read with deep concern the statement published in the Media today by the Northern Elders Forum giving President Goodluck Jonathan a two ultimatum on the Boko Haram Insurgency and the Chibok Girls abduction Saga.<br /><br />We wish to state categorically that President Jonathan does not require any threat or ultimatum from any group of persons to be alive to his responsibilities to the Nigerian People.<br />The issue of Insurgency especially those ideologically based on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based counter insurgency programmes to ensure success.<br /><br />In these areas, the Federal Government is making progress:<br /><br />a)   We are improving on our operational capabilities and efficiencies by acquiring more advanced weapons and technologies for our military and security agencies.<br />b)   We have drafted more military personnel to the region to strengthen the fighting power of our armed forces.<br />c)   We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to assist in identifying key locations.<br />d)   We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.<br />e)   We are deploying more resources to maximize operational efficiency, acquire more advanced and relevant weaponry and boost the general morale of our combatants. This is why the Government recently requested for an additional funding of $1bn.<br />f)    And the last piece in the puzzle is targeting the domestic and international funding, and stopping the money flows into the coffers of the terrorists.<br />g)   With all these efforts and the support of our allies, these steps will help fight the threat of the Boko haram and move us closer to bringing the girls back safely.<br /><br />Lastly, the suggestion that the Government is carrying out any scheme to annihilate any section of the country for political gain is preposterous, contrary to common sense, divisive and essentially a deliberate attempt to disseminate “hate mentality” and cause mischief.<br /><br />President Goodluck Jonathan was voted for by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the board, and he will never promote any policy that is either divisive or inimical to the wellbeing of any section of the polity.<br />What the country needs today is total co-operation, of all its citizens and stakeholders, with the Government and our military and the security agencies.<br />We wish to assure Nigerians that in spite of this and many more distractions, the President is focused on continued successful executions of his transformation Agenda; and the guarantee of the security of lives and properties of the Nigerian people.</span></div>

GEJ reacts to Northern Elders ultimatum over missing Chibok girls

President Jonathan has reacted to the October ultimatum handed to him by the Northern Elders Forum to return the missing Chibok girls to ...

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Nigerian troops flee Gwoza as Boko haram takes over

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template" itemprop="blogPost" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/BlogPosting" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"> <div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6717142524837469242" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 670px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fkjNjFUPSOHcc9vUgDMjLCfsSsKaoqGDLZquBs_s_6J2LZYkctai6KXbLizzz06gMNkf9CrF4Cy8WyQsB0O26B99IazS1meBqmMsCjHG42Hda4LLP4XnE9MBlt3r_4GiNtEV-6EVYgxY/s1600/_65582764_65582763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fkjNjFUPSOHcc9vUgDMjLCfsSsKaoqGDLZquBs_s_6J2LZYkctai6KXbLizzz06gMNkf9CrF4Cy8WyQsB0O26B99IazS1meBqmMsCjHG42Hda4LLP4XnE9MBlt3r_4GiNtEV-6EVYgxY/s1600/_65582764_65582763.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="640" /></span></a></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6717142524837469242" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 670px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div> Unconfirmed report has it that Nigerian troops are nowhere to be found in Gwoza, Borno state as Boko haram insurgents have successfully taken control of the community.<br /><br />Sahara reporters reveal that Nigerian soldiers were defeated by the terror group three days after they first invaded the town, killing over 100 civilians and several soldiers.<br /><br />Some units of the Nigerian Army 213 battalion, Operation Task Force Mike and 234 battalion, which attempted to retake Gwoza Township from Islamist militant Boko Haram, beat a hasty retreat on Thursday night as the militants showed superior firepower.<br /><br />The soldiers were reported to have been led into the battle by Lieutenant BMG Martins and Lt. Colonel Agu of the 234 Battalion, formerly Special Operations Battalion (SOB), but they were given the surprise of their lives when they ran into stiff resistance from the militants as they advanced on Gwoza from the Madagali axis.<br /><br />The soldiers retreated but the militants set off in hot pursuit, chased them and snatched one of their tanks as well as the driver of the tank. They then called the soldier’s wife and informed her that her husband was in captivity.<br /><br />Col. Agu has himself not been since then.<br /><br />SaharaReporters sources said that following the encounter, some 30 Hilux pick up vans were used to bring back to Mubi in Adamawa State several wounded and dead soldiers.<br /><br />The defeat of Nigerian soldiers in Gwoza puts the strategic town firmly in the hands of Boko Haram militants three days after they first invaded the town, killing over 100 civilians and several soldiers.<br /><br />It is the second time in 24 hours that Nigerians soldiers were defeated by Boko Haram in an attempt to retake Gwoza. The army had recently retaken Damoboa, over two weeks after Boko Haram overran the town and planted its flag.<br /><br />Nigerian army sources in Abuja said that following the attack, they have yet to find Lt. Col Agu. They further confirmed that about three military alpha jets have been deployed to the area to assist in the rescue of soldiers who might be trapped in mountains surrounding Gwoza.<br /><br />Military sources blame the Brigade commander for asking the contingent to withdraw from Gwoza after they made contact with the terrorists, adding that the hasty retreat emboldened Boko Haram militants to chase and kill the soldiers during the unusual retreat.</span><div style="clear: both;"> </div> </div> <div class="post-footer" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"> <div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="post-author vcard" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1em;">Posted by <span class="fn" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="g-profile" data-gapiattached="true" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true" href="https://plus.google.com/104542530973138887446" rel="author" style="text-decoration: none;" title="author profile"><span itemprop="name">Esito Ekpo</span> </a></span></span><span class="post-timestamp" style="margin-left: -1em; 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Nigerian troops flee Gwoza as Boko haram takes over

Unconfirmed report has it that Nigerian troops are nowhere to be found in Gwoza, Borno state as Boko haram insurgents have successful...

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