NEWS: Boko Haram Attack Cameroon

Nigeria’s neighbour, Cameroon, yesterday, came under attack from Boko Haram Islamic sect as the terrorists launched an offensive on the home of Cameroon’s vice Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, abducting his wife and killing three others in the northern town of Kolofata.

A local religious leader and mayor, Seini Boukar_Lamine, was also kidnapped in a separate attack on his home.

According to Cameroon's Information Minister, Issa Tchiroma told Reuters news agency yesterday that, “I can confirm that the home of Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali in Kolofata came under a savage attack from Boko Haram militants.

They unfortunately took away his wife. They also attacked the Lamido’s (religious leader’s) residence and he was also kidnapped,” he said, adding that at least three people were killed in the attack.

Boko Haram fighters clashed with the Cameroonian army in cross‑border attacks twice since Friday, killing four soldiers.

Cameroon has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers along its border to help combat the Nigerian armed group.

In May, Boko Haram kidnapped 10 Chinese workers from northern Cameroon!

NEWS: Panic In Chibok As Boko Haram Threatens To Attack

There was panic in Chibok local government area of Borno state, where over 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School were abducted by Islamic militants, Boko Haram following a letter purportedly written to the people of Chibok by the sect members informing them of their plans to attack the local government.

A top local government official in Chibok town, who did not want his name published revealed this to newsmen in Maiduguri the Borno state capital Monday.

According to him, when they met the police with the letter they were assured of maximum protection, but the police however complained of lack of fuel for their vehicle, as the ban for selling fuel in the local government for fear that insurgents may use it to burn houses made it impossible to access the comodity.

He said, the local government also has assured the security operatives that they are going to buy fuel and keep it with the security for their use and also pleaded for reinforcement as the number of security operatives in the area may not be enough.

He said, ”whenever Boko Haram tells you that, they are coming, they never fail to come. Our fears now is that, we don’t know when and how they are going to come but our people are in great fear. We are calling for prayers as well as government to provide adequate security in Chibok.”

NEWS: Four Borno Villages Being Attacked By Boko Haram

A series of suspected Boko Haram attacks in four villages in Nigeria’s restive northeast killed several people, residents said Sunday, in the latest violence blamed on the Islamist insurgents.

The military was not immediately available to comment on the raids in Borno state, the hardest hit area during Boko Haram’s five-year extremist uprising, which has killed thousands.

All of the targeted villages are in the Gamboru Ngala district near the border with Cameroon, where Boko Haram killed hundreds in a gruesome attack earlier this month.

The latest unrest hit the villages of Nuwari, Musari, Walori on Saturday, where gunmen, some dressed as soldiers and riding in 4×4 trucks, opened fire on civilians and razed much of the area, according to multiple witness accounts.

“They burnt all the villages and took away all our livestock,” said Nuwari resident Bunu Kaloma, providing details reported by other witnesses.

He said 15 people were killed in the spate of attacks but there were conflicting reports and it was not possible to establish a concrete death toll.

Separately on Thursday, gunmen reportedly attacked a wedding in nearby Kolma village.

“They came in after dark while a wedding party was going on and went on shooting and tossing explosives into homes,” said area resident Bukar Mustapha.

The area has a poor mobile phone network and details of attacks often take days to emerge.

Borno residents have been subjected to nearly daily raids in 2014, with more than 2,000 people in the area killed already this year.

Nigeria this month extended a year-long state of emergency in the area, but the extraordinary measure has not stemmed the bloodshed.

Boko Haram has been fighting Nigeria’s government to create an Islamic state in the north since 2009, but the conflict has received unprecedented global attention over the last six weeks.

The group’s April 14 mass abduction of more than 200 girls from a secondary school in Chibok, also in Borno, has drawn condemnation worldwide.

The United States, Britain, France and Israel are providing varying levels of support to Nigeria’s military to help find the girls.

NEWS: Ambassador Daniel Benjamin Says ‘Boko Haram, World’s Deadliest Terrorist Group’

FORMER Head, Counter Terrorism Bureau of the United States, State Department, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, described Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, commonly called Boko Haram as the deadliest terrorist group in the world, noting that it killed at least seven persons in each attack in the North eastern part of the country.

Speaking at the 2nd International conference on democracy and good governance in Port Harcourt, Ambassador Benjamin said that the Taliban in Afghanistan was next to the dreaded Boko Haram in rating of terrorist groups at the moment.

Benjamin who spoke at the programme organised by the Rivers State Government, said Boko Haram had become a major problem in the country and some other neighbouring countries, adding that the situation was not as bad as it is in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said: “By 2012, Boko Haram was the second most deadly terrorist group in the world after Afghanistan’s Taliban as Taliban killed more people than Boko Haram. Presently, Boko Haram is the deadliest terrorist group, killing at least seven persons per attack. Boko Haram has already become a major menace to countries such as Cameroun, Niger, as well as Chad. They are well funded and well armed.”

Professor Pat Utomi, at the event, harped on the values of democracy, saying that it confers legitimacy on political leadership.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi on his part called on Nigerians to vote out the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in coming elections, stressing that it was the only way the country could overcome some of its challenges.

NEWS: Olusegun Obasanjo Spoke To People Close To Boko Haram To Release The Kidnapped School Girls #BringBackOurGirls

Nigeria’s ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has met with people close to Boko Haram in an attempt to broker the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls, a source close to the talks told AFP.

The meeting took place last weekend at Obasanjo’s farm in southern Ogun state and included relatives of some senior Boko Haram fighters as well as intermediaries and the former president, the source said.

“The meeting was focused on how to free the girls through negotiation,” said the source who requested anonymity, referring to the girls seized on April 14 from the remote northeastern town of Chibok, Borno state.

Reports of the talks emerged as Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, said the girls had been located while casting doubt on the prospect of rescuing them by force.

Obasanjo, who left office in 2007, has previously sought to negotiate with the insurgents, including in September 2011 after Boko Haram bombed the United Nations headquarters in Abuja.

Then, he flew to the Islamists’ base in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, to meet relatives of former Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed in police custody in 2009.

The 2011 talks did not help stem the violence and some at the time doubted if Obasanjo was dealing with people who were legitimately capable of negotiating a ceasefire.

Spokesmen for the former head of state, who remains an influential figure in Nigerian politics, could not be reached to comment on the latest reported Boko Haram talks.

But the source told AFP that Obasanjo had voiced concern about Nigeria’s acceptance of foreign military personnel to help rescue the girls.

NEWS: Some Parents Of Abducted Chibok Secondary School Girls Say 'Our Daughters Not In Boko Haram Video'

Some parents of the school girls abducted at government girls secondary school in CHIBOK, Borno State by BOKO HARAM terrorists in the last four weeks have distant themselves from the latest video clip purportedly released by acclaimed leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau who claimed that the kidnapped students, particularly the Christians have been converted to Islam, stressing that they could not identify any of their daughters in the clip as obtained by AFP and media outfits other Monday.

It would be recalled that Governor Shettima orders mass production of the clips for possible identification by parents after he watched with very keen interest on the BBC world service, and  therefore directed transfer of the video into mobile storage devices under the care of some officials,including the Chairman of Chibok local government area, who have been given an immediate task of showing the videos to parents, some of the freed students who know their abducted colleagues, teachers and management staff of school.

Unfortunately,  after watching the video, Mallam Zannah Chibok, one of the parents said, he couldn’t identify any of his daughter in the video,  pointing out that some of the faces shown on the video are not even students considering their ages which they are supposed to be over 30 or 40 years old.

Likewise, another parent who did not want his name mentioned for security reasons, admitted that watched the video on cable network channels, including Facebook and other social media, but to his dismay,  he couldn’t identify any of his missing daughters in the video.

Also speaking to our correspondent on phone, some parents and residents of Chibok, especially those residing in remote villages are yet to come across any video, not to talk of identifying their missing daughters.

DETAILS LATER!

VIDEOS: Boko Haram Shows Abducted Video Of Chibok Secondary School Girls #BringBackOurGirls

The Boko Haram terrorist sect have issued yet another video, showing, as they claim, the missing Chibok girls who still are in their captivity. Also in the video, the sect's leader Abubakar Shekau imposes options for the girls' release.

It will be recalled that in their previous video entry, the sect have claimed responsibility for the abduction of 276 female students. The girls were snatched from their school's dormitories by the Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok town, Borno State, on April 14. While some of them have managed to escape, over 200 still remain in the terrorists' hands. Eleven more girls were abducted from the Gwoza area of Borno State on May 4.

In the video obtained by AFP, Shekau appears dressed in a military uniform and holds an automatic weapon. He speaks in the Hausa and Arabic languages.

He says the girls were "liberated" by converting to Islam. He then suggests that the girls could be traded for the "Boko Haram's brothers in arms" who have been serving their prison time, explaining, "We will never release them [the girls] until after you release our brethren. Here I mean those girls who have not submitted [converted to Islam]".

The video also includes footage of about 130 girls whom the terrorists claim to be the abducted Chibok female students. It is worth noting that Shekau does not appear in the same shot as the girls at any point during the video. 

The girls were shown wearing black and grey full-length hijabs, reciting the first chapter of the Qur'an and holding their palms upwards in prayer. Their location is undetermined.

Three of the girls are then interviewed: two of them say they were Christian and had converted to Islam, while one girl says she was Muslim. The girls appeared calm and one said that they had not been harmed, although in the previous video, Shekau had threatened to sell the girls into slavery. 

There was no indication of when the video was taken, although the quality is better than on previous occasions and at one point an armed man is seen in shot with a hand-held video camera.

The Nigerian government has been criticised for its lack of immediate response to the abduction, with a wave of demonstrations demanding action engulfing the whole country and drawing attention of the world. The police have offered a N50 million reward for any information that could lead to identifying the whereabouts of the girls.

However, President Goodluck Jonathan has accepted help from the United States, Britain, France, China and Israel, which have sent specialist teams to help in the search effort.

Previously, a former mediator, human rights activist and the leader of the National Civil Rights Congress, Shehu Sani has suggested that the kidnapped girls may be used for prisoner swap.

See videos below:

NEWS: President Goodluck Jonathan Refuses To Release Boko Haram Prisoners For Abducted Chibok Secondary School Girls

The Federal Government of Nigeria have allegedly said that it won't swap Boko Haram prisoners for abducted schoolgirls, according to AFP.

Earlier today the terrorist group released a new video message in which they purported to show some of the hundreds of girls they have captured from a town in the north-east of the country.

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the militant group, also said that the girls had been converted to Islam while in captivity, which he referred to as a "liberation".

The 17-minute video, obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), showed around 100 girls wearing full veils and reportedly praying in an undisclosed location.

In a separate part of the video, Shekau said that the girls would remain captive until the Nigerian government releases all imprisoned Boko Haram militants.

When asked if the government would reject any offer of a deal in exchange for prisoners, interior minister Abba Moro told AFP: "Of Course."

He said: "The issue in question is not about Boko Haram giving conditions."

The video has raised further concerns that the girls have now been split up into a number of groups across a remote stretch of Nigeria, as well as fears some may have been smuggled out of the country altogether.

The Nigerian government has previously said it will not "pay a ransom" to get the girls back, and on Thursday the president, Goodluck Jonathan, vowed that he would make the incident "the beginning of the end" of terrorism in the country.

Three girls were reported to have appeared individually in the videos, with one of them saying that they had not been harmed by their captors.

NEWS: Names Of The 53 Chibok Secondary School Girls That Escaped From Boko Haram’s Custody

Daily Trust has obtained a list of the 53 Chibok Secondary School girls who escaped from Boko Haram's custody.

The list includes those who escaped on the night of their capture at the Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State on April 14, as well as those who escaped from the Boko Haram camps where they were being held.

Seven of the girls are Muslims, while the remaining are Christians, according to information provided by their parents.

There has been controversy over the religious identities of the girls who escaped so far, which some commentators suggesting they were all Muslims. But the records obtained show that seven of the girls are Muslims, while the remaining are Christians, according to information provided by their parents.

See the following names below: 

MUSLIMS – 7

Habiba Yahya

Zarah Umoru,

Hadiza Hamidu

Hauwa Ibrahim

Yagana Musa

Aishatu Usman

Hamsatu Umoru

CHRISTIANS – 46

Amina Thlawur

Binawi Galam

Lucy Dzakwa

Hauwa Thlawur

Kwanta Isa

Asabe Yaga

Hauwa Musa

Hauwa John

Hannatu Joshua

Amina Yaga

Sarah Amos

Kauna Bitrus

Dinna Lawan

Hauwa Sani

Luggwa Yahi

Hamatu Ibrahim

Pogu Bullum

Sanya —-

Nkeki Duds,

Hannatu Iliya

Saratu Musa

Solomi Yakubu

Mary Katambi

Awa Thlama

Mary Yaga

Godiya Simon

Rejoice Yaga

Yalmata Mutah

Patience Bulus

Dorcas Musa

Mercy Paul

Rahap Pogu

Rifkatu Halai

Thhlama Walla

Deborah Ishaya

Hadiza Kwakwi

Filo Dauda

Amos Mufah

Naomi Lawan

Asabe Nkeki

Hadiza Yama

Kuma Ishaku

Solomi Bitrus

Ladi Nkeki

Rahap Yaga

Comfort Agub

NEWS: Boko Haram Survivor Speaks To CNN “Extremists Fired Shots & Shouted “Allah Hu Akbar”

Houston, Texas (CNN) – Ikenna Nzeribe was the sole survivor after assassins from Boko Haram stormed his Nigerian church in 2012, just 60 miles from where the jihadists last month abducted more than 200 girls.

The church massacre remains vivid for Nzeribe three years later — as are the scars on his face, neck and arm.

The Muslim extremists fired shots into the air and shouted “Allah Hu Akbar,” or God is great.

Nzeribe and 13 other Christians hit the floor.

They were mourning how Boko Haram earlier had killed three fellow Christians, but now Boko Haram was coming for them.

The masked gunmen shot the 13 worshippers in the head, fatally.

Now it was Nzeribe’s turn.

“As soon as I saw the man, I knew it was over for me,” Nzeribe, 33, said about the gunman. “The only thing I could do was say a last prayer, which was ‘Blood of Jesus cover me.’

“And that was it for me,” he told CNN.

Nzeribe, a handsome banker, was shot in the face with an AK-47 assault rifle, blowing away his jaw, lips and part of his tongue.

He faked death — “until they finished,” he said.

He bled profusely.

“I would say I died in the process,” Nzeribe added. “But God brought me back to life.”

Rescuers took him to a local hospital in Mubi, a suburban area in northeastern Nigeria where he was part of a Christian minority and where the mass shooting in church occurred.

He was later flown to London, where surgeons reconstructed his face.

Nzeribe recalled looking in the mirror for the first time post-surgery.

What he saw was “a very different person,” Nzeribe said, shaking his head. He stopped the interview, wiping away the tears and finding composure after long breaths.

A zigzagging scar runs up Nzeribe’s chin to his upper lip. His mouth is even more disfigured, but at least he can talk, in soft tones. And he has a great laugh, though he can’t smile.

He’s had more than a dozen surgeries, with more pending. He’s now recovering in Houston, where he receives treatment and lives with his wife and their baby, joining a Nigerian immigrant community whose residents find the climate similar to their native country’s. His attorney, Frank C. Onyenezi, is working on Nzeribe’s immigration status.

“We’ve come a long way,” Nzeribe said of his surgeries and reconstructed face.

He’s flattered to hear how he appears younger.

“It gives me confidence,” he said of his surgically reconstructed face. “It gives me hope.”

A devout Christian whose tale has been publicized in the religious press, he said has forgiven the gunmen of Boko Haram, whose mass abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls has outraged the international community.

“The first thing I did was to forgive them,” Nzeribe said. “Had they known better, they couldn’t do that.”

But Nzeribe isn’t naïve: He is warning the world about how Boko Haram and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, commit atrocities with impunity.

“Everything he says he will do, he does them,” Nzeribe said. “It gives them a sense of fulfillment and makes them want to do more.

“Just like al Qaeda, they are very, very destructive,” he added.

He now prays for the kidnapped 276 girls, still missing in Nigeria.

NEWS: Boko Haram Finally Agree To Free The Abducted Secondary School Girls, But On One Condition

Boko Haram, who kidnapped more than 200 Secondary School girls are seeking a prisoner swap for jailed comrades, The Daily Telegraph has been told. Shehu Sani, who has previously brokered face-to-face peace talks with Boko Haram, said he believed that the video in which its leader threatened to sell the girls as “slaves” was proof that it planned to use them as bargaining chips rather than kill them. The video released earlier this week showed Abubakar Shekau gloating that he would sell the captives “in the market” to anyone wishing to take them as wives. But while the broadcast appalled the captives’ families and provoked worldwide outrage, Mr Sani saw it as a veiled attempt to reach out for a trade with the Nigerian government. “If you look at the fact that these girls have already been in captivity for some three weeks, then it is possible to detect a conciliatory tone in this statement from Shekau – he is not saying he is going to kill the girls,” Mr Sani said. “The group is most likely to want to attach some kind of conditions to the girls being released, such as the freeing of some of their own prisoners.” Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president, pledged the safe return of the girls, who were taken more than three weeks ago from their boarding school in the lawless Borno region in the north of the country. It is thought that some of them have already died, and there are fears that scores of others have been trafficked into Cameroon!