"Disgrace" that neighbours must take on Boko Haram - Buhari

 


Abuja - It is a "disgrace" for Nigeria that its neighbours have been more successful in battle against its Boko Haram insurgency than its own army, opposition presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari said in an interview a week before the election.

Troops from neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, all much smaller and poorer than Nigeria, have been battling the Islamist militants who have seized territory in northeastern Nigeria in a five-year insurgency.
Thousands have been killed and 1.5 million displaced in the uprising by militants known for executing and kidnapping civilians.

"It's a big disgrace for Nigeria. It is now Cameroon and Chad fighting the insurgency more than us. We will build the capacity and should be able to secure our territorial integrity," Buhari told Reuters.
A former military ruler, Buhari is hoping his strongman reputation will resonate with voters disheartened by incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan's failure to tackle the insurgency.

The election itself, set for Feb 14 although there has been talk of possible delays, will be another big test of security. Eight hundred people died in violence after the last election in 2011.
Buhari said that he was committed to using the courts if there are irregularities in the voting, and would not call his followers into the streets.

"I'm optimistic that I won't lose. But we signed an undertaking that it will be violence free," Buhari said. "We are attempting to stabilize a multi party democratic system."
Buhari said his administration also intends to tackle corruption within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) and plans to reopen an investigation into missing crude revenues of around $20 billion.
He would also tackle the theft of crude tapped from pipelines in the Niger River delta.

"Our main objective is to secure the country. We will not tolerate insurgency, sabotage of the economy by the blowing up of installations, by stealing crude and so on.... All these things will be things of the past."

week's scheduled presidential election.

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Amaechi threatens mass action against poll shift

Port Harcourt - Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has said that members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) would take to the streets in protest if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postpones the February polls, reports The Guardian.

Amaechi, who is the director general of Buhari campaign organization, stated this on Friday in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State while addressing a campaign rally.

He insisted that the presidential election must hold on February 14 because Nigerians are charged and poised to vote on that day for an inevitable change.

He noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was afraid of losing the election and that was why it is pushing for a postponement.

Read more at The Guardian.

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Election to be postponed amidst Boko Haram violence

Dakar— INEC will postpone the February 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes.

The official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, said the Independent National Electoral Commission will announce the postponement later Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater military strikes by more countries are planned.

African Union officials and representatives of countries supporting the initiative were ending a three-day meeting Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, to finalize details of a 7,500-strong force from Nigeria and its neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger. Details of funding, with the Africans wanting the United Nations and European Union to pay, may delay the mission.

Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about 100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday. Several security forces from both countries were killed.

International concern has increased along with the death toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.

Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration have supported postponing the Feb. 14 vote.
Any delay is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, though the opposition stands to take most votes in the northeast.

Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their candidate does not win. Some 800 people were killed in riots in the mainly Muslim north after Buhari, a Muslim, lost 2011 elections to Jonathan, a Christian from the south.

Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly contested election since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999.

Jonathan's party has won every election since then but the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic uprising, growing corruption and an economy hit by halved oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170 million.

A postponement also will give electoral officials more time to deliver some 30 million voter cards. The commission had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the 68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to delay the vote.

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Niger forces kill 109 Boko Haram militants

Niamey - Niger's forces killed 109 fighters from Boko Haram on Friday as they repulsed attacks on the south-eastern town of Bosso, near the Nigerian border, Niger state television said.
Four soldiers from Niger were killed in the fighting against Boko Haram, whose insurgency is spreading from Nigeria to neighbouring states.
Niger's defence minister reported that a civilian was also killed and 17 other troops were wounded.
Chadian forces, who have taken a lead role in battling Boko Haram in recent days, fought alongside Niger's troops on Friday. Chad's commander in Niger, General Yaya Daoud, was also wounded with a gunshot to the stomach, a security source said.


Intensified battle
 
The clashes in Niger came as regional efforts intensified to battle Boko Haram, which has waged a six-year insurgency centred in northeastern Nigeria, where the Islamists have seized swathes of territory.
The conflict has killed at least 13 000 people and forced more than a million from their homes since 2009.
Niger announced on Thursday that on Monday it would ask its parliament to approve sending troops to Nigeria to fight the militants alongside Chadian and Cameroon soldiers.

 The US condemned the fresh Boko Haram attacks in "strongest possible terms" and pledged support for regional forces.
"This unchecked killing must stop," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said. "We continue to provide support to governments in the region, including through intelligence sharing and are increasing our support for these efforts."
US intelligence officials said on Friday that while Boko Haram is flush with cash and weapons after a string of battlefield advances, the militants could face a tougher fight with Nigeria's neighbours.
The military intervention of neighbouring powers could potentially be a "game changer in a positive way", one intelligence official said.

 Clashes

Local radio reports said Friday's fighting in Bosso broke out in the morning and resulted in heavy clashes.
"We could hear the sound of weapons all around the town, often very near our windows. There was the noise of heavy weapons and of light arms, making our houses shake," one resident said.
Chadian forces have been stationed in Bosso since Monday, a humanitarian worker said, adding that Boko Haram "took the municipality" for a time before being "driven back to Nigeria".
However, a local leader said only that Niger's troops fought back the raid, while the Chadians were stationed at a distance.

 A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said soldiers from Chad and Niger "were all over the streets" of Bosso.
"It was like a race across the town," one resident said. "As the fighting drew near, we heard cries of 'Allahu Akbar' [God is greatest]. We heard an aircraft fly over the town.
"We even saw smoke coming up from the town hall and the prefect's office, where heavy gunfire was heard," he added in the Hausa language, asking not to be named. "It's quiet now, but we're staying home."
Other clashes broke out some 10km from Niger's Diffa, which is on the border with Nigeria near a bridge that links the two countries. Its control is essential for transporting troops and supplies.

Voting

Little more than a stream, the Komadougou Yobe marks the frontier between Niger and Nigeria, and the water level has recently dropped considerably, making it easy to cross.
A large number of refugees fleeing the violence in Nigeria have also crossed into Diffa.
Yacouba Soumana Gaoh, Diffa's governor, told local reporters that close to 3 000 of Niger's troops are massed in groups every 10km - 15km along the border with Nigeria.
The military has drawn fierce criticism for failing to rein in the insurgents, who have intensified attacks ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections set for 14 February.

The election authorities said they will announce on Saturday whether the polls will be delayed as problems mount with distributing identity cards to 68.8 million registered voters.
Earlier this week, Chad launched a ground assault across the frontier to battle the jihadists and recapture the Nigerian town of Gamboru after having bombed the area beforehand. Chad's army said it had killed more than 200 Boko Haram fighters in the clashes.
In response, Boko Haram launched a bloody counter-attack on the Cameroonian town of Fotokol, killing 19 soldiers and at least 81 civilians.

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Tension Looms Between APC, PDP In Kaduna

In less than nine days to the country’s general elections, the major opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is reportedly building up tension in Kaduna State.




 
ThisDay reports that the tension became worse following the recent stoning of the state Governor, Mukhtar Yero’s convoy on Monday in Birnin-Gwari and Udawa during his campaign rally, allegedly by the supporters of the APC.

The incident reportedly happened after the governor’s return to Kaduna city, where some people alleged to be APC members booed  him around the Panteka and Bakin Ruwa areas of the city, chanting “Ba Mu so” (we don’t want) as the governor’s convoy was passing by.
Meanwhile, another group believed to be PDP supporters in Bakin Ruwa reportedly responded by attacking any vehicle, motorcycles and tricycles (Keke NAPE) carrying APC stickers.
It was also learnt that the APC presidential candidate Campaign billboards, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and that of the state governorship candidate, Mallam Nasir  El-Rufai in the area and the one at of Kabala West were destroyed by the angry mob.

Many people sustained injuries during the incident which caused panic among residents in the affected areas.
Reacting to the incident on Tuesday the APC in a statement issued in Kaduna, accused Yero and the PDP for promoting violence.
However, Senator Sani Sale, who spoke to newsmen on behalf of the party, maintained that the governor should be held responsible for the brawl.

“We make bold to say that responsibility for the mayhem, injuries and the loss of lives and property rest squarely on Yero and his PDP government,” Sale said.
The APC chieftain alleged that Yero had during the launch of his campaign last month, incited his supporters to violence “apart from threatening the property, liberty and freedom of movement of El-Rufai, our candidate for the governorship of this state.”
Sale, who insisted that the reaction of the APC to such incitements was to ask its supporters not to respond to provocations.

According to him, the APC has written to alert the National Human Rights Commission and representatives of the international community to “this blatant instance of hate speech.”
Sale further revealed that the state chapter of the APC campaign secretariat had taken several steps to discharge its responsibility to maintain peace in the state so that campaigns and the elections can take place in a competitive but calm atmosphere.

“Despite the fact that our campaign itinerary had long been concluded, with a zonal rally for Kaduna Central fixed for Kaduna last Saturday, 31 January 2015, we delayed the conclusion of our Zone 2 tour last week once we learnt that the PDP had scheduled a presidential rally for the same day. We followed up the suspension of campaign activities in Kaduna by running massive radio announcements to advise our supporters to stay off the streets during the PDP’s rally to avoid being the victims of the callous shoot-at-sight order given to soldiers and security agents. We also shifted our campaign activities to Zone 3, three days earlier than scheduled, precisely to deny and frustrate the PDP’s plan to unleash violence and blame it on us. You can therefore imagine our outrage that Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero yesterday supervised hoodlums and thugs on a rampage against people and properties. It is bad enough that his entourage attacked and destroyed billboards of General Muhammadu Buhari and Malam Nasir El-Rufai in the Bakin Ruwa and Kabala West areas of Kaduna, the state capital. It is worse that residents who challenged this act of wanton vandalisation were attacked and beaten by the thugs. It is worst that Yero was in the motorcade as his henchmen attacked persons and property with a ferocity that claimed lives. Yero’s security detail got in the unfortunate action, shooting at citizens who happened to be in the area. Election is a civilised contest and we cannot allow Yero to turn his impending defeat into an inferno for everyone. We call on the good people of Kaduna State to remain calm and avoid any provocation. We will insist that this election is conducted in an atmosphere of peace and orderliness,” Sale said.
Meanwhile, the political tension in the country in general did not exempt the south  west region as it would be recalled that a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people, the Afenifere, is reportedly in disarray following the declaration of its support for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

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