Boko Haram has access to anti-aircraft weaponry

The Nigerian military said on Friday that it destroyed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, owned by insurgents in Borno State.

The military said in a statement that advancing troops of the Special Task Force have destroyed some terrorists' camps sited in the forests of Northern and Central Borno.

The statement was issued in Abuja on Friday and signed by Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information.

In his nationwide broadcast on May 14 while declaring a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, President Goodluck Jonathan directed the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, to deploy more troops to the three states. The president said the insurgents were not only carrying out violent acts but had commenced the process of excising some part of the Nigerian territory for themselves, and were mounting strange flags.

Mr. Olukolade noted that heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, were also destroyed in the process.

He said the special operations, which preceded troop movement, resulted in the destruction of many of the insurgents' weapons.

Logistics, it added, such as vehicles, containers, fuel dumps and power generators were also destroyed.

It said that "the casualties inflicted on the insurgents in the course of the assault will be verified during a mop up."

According to the statement, the Defence Headquarters is quite satisfied with the progress of the operation and the fighting spirit of participating troops. It urged the Special Task Force to sustain the tempo.

Meanwhile, border posts have all been manned by security personnel to prevent escape or infiltration by the insurgents.

Security sources earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that at least 20 members of the insurgents were killed in the Sambisa forest operation.

Sambisa, a forest that spreads over a distance of 300sq km from Damboa up to Gwoza, Bama and the Cameroon border, has been a hideout and training camp for the extremist Boko Haram sect. The camp was first discovered early this year when a military raid was launched there.

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Military shut down telecommunications in Maiduguri as part of attack on Boko Haram

Residents lamented the collapse of telecommunications services in Maiduguri.

There has been a partial telecommunications shut down in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital over the State of Emergency declared in the state by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Residents of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital woke up on Friday to realise that what they thought was a minor problem with mobile telephone services the previous day was actually a deliberate action by the mobile networks, who are believed to be complying with directives from the Nigerian military.

Though the Nigerian military has officially kept mum on the telephone shut down, a top security official said the networks were put off as part of strategy to demobilize the insurgents in the state.

He said the reprieve the residents got, as telecommunications were restored late on Friday morning, will be "for some few hours."

He said the grounded GSM networks were part of the military strategy to slow down the communication of the Boko Haram who are spread in camps in the forest of Sambisa, Mafa, Wulgo and Kirenowa axis of Borno State.

All major national telecom carriers, MTN, GLO, ETISALAT and AIRTEL were grounded, leaving residents confused especially as there was no official information either by the network providers, the state government, or the military. Many of the residents would not speak officially for security reasons.

The Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Sagir Musa, declined comments as he told journalists that he would not be making comment on the military operations in Bono for now.

Meanwhile, troops were, up to Thursday night seen arriving the town via roads and air; even as jet fighters were also said to have been deployed to the state.

Though the State of emergency situation has not changed the normal life of the residents, there seems to be apprehension in the state as to how the soldiers would conduct themselves.

Babagana Alkali, an accountant with Borno State Government told PREMIUM TIMES that his fear is the soldiers' conduct.

"The State of Emergency is a welcomed development, but our problem here in Nigeria is soldiers don't adhere to the rules of engagement. If soldiers can discharge their duties professionally to ensure that peace is restored in Borno and Nigeria at large, no one would complain.

"But the problem is when soldiers are attacked and one of them got killed, they start harassing innocent people, maiming and killing them, while the culprits go free," he said.

Also, some schools in Maiduguri have remained close since Wednesday.

"We are keeping the children at home to study the state of emergency situation. We can't guarantee their safety until we study the way soldiers conduct themselves, then we can open by next week Monday," a proprietor of one of the schools in the Borno capital said.

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Video - State of Emergency declared in Nigeria

Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president, has imposed a "state of emergency" in three states in an attempt to curb the increasingly violent attacks by armed group Boko Haram, saying the level of violence called for "extraordinary measures".

The decision comes after a spate of attacks on security forces and government targets by armed group Boko Haram in its northeast stronghold this month.

Nigerian Judge gives Iranian 17 years jail sentence for arms trafficking

Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court in Lagos monday sentenced an Iranian national, Azim Aghajani, and his Nigerian counterpart, Ali Jega, to 17 years imprisonment each for their involvement in the importation of firearms into Nigeria.

Justice Okeke while delivering his judgment, held that he was not in doubt that the 13 containers loaded with arms were imported into the country, contrary to the claim by the accused persons that the containers contained building materials meant for construction in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia.

The judge, who will be retiring in five days, also declared that the federal government through its lawyer succeeded in tendering before the court emails of the transactions between the convicts.

According to him, "It is my opinion that the moment the security started closing in, the story started changing.

"I sympathise with the second accused person because of the role he played because he thought he was helping his friend.

"It is my view that the accused made a false declaration on the bill of lading. If the goods were truly construction materials, the accused persons should have stated so in the bill of lading.

"There is no doubt that the accused persons and their collaborators deal in the unlawful importation of arms."

The court also ordered that the jail terms would run concurrently from February 1, 2011 when they were first arraigned.

Justice Okeke also directed that the container loaded with firearms be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

But shortly before the sentencing, the counsel to the convicted Iranian, Chris Uche (SAN), had prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, explaining that the defence had cooperated to ensure the speedy disposal of the case.

The lawyer also prayed the judge to exercise his discretion in convicting the accused.

Uche also said: "It would serve no useful purpose in keeping the first accused in Nigerian prisons. I urge your lordship to order his immediate repatriation to his country."

While aligning himself with the submission of the senior advocate, the counsel to the second accused person, Aliyu Musa Yauri, said his client became a convict in his bid to make ends meet, adding that a sentence against the second accused was a sentence against his entire family.

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Nigeria bans film exposing corruption in the oil industry

A film documenting corruption in the management of oil profits has been banned in Nigeria.

"Fuelling Poverty" examines the mismanagement of Nigeria's oil wealth in the context of protests against fuel subsidy suspensions in 2012.

Produced in partnership with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), filmmaker Ishaya Bako told Media Rights Agenda (MRA) that the film examines "real issues, on everyday life."

Issues, it seems, that are too real for the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to want to share. In a letter dated 8 April 2013, the NFVCB states that "Fuelling Poverty" is not permitted to be distributed, aired or exhibited, due to contents that "are highly provocative and likely to incite or encourage public disorder and undermine national security", according to MRA.

The film was released in November 2012, but was only banned when Bako submitted a request to show the film publically, the Associated Press reported.

In NFVCB's letter to Bako, the young filmmaker was warned that "all relevant national security agencies are on the alert" to ensure that he does not exhibit or distribute the film, said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

"Instead of banning the documentary 'Fuelling Poverty,' authorities should look into the important questions it raises about corruption and impunity in the country's oil sector and at the highest levels of government," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita from New York. "We urge Nigeria's National Film and Video Censors Board to overturn this censorship order."

Contrary to the NFVCB's intentions, however, the ban has only increased the popularity of the documentary. News reports cited by CPJ says that activists have been sharing the film on social media since the ban was issued; as of 24 April the video has over 57, 000 views on YouTube.

The film has also gained international recognition. CPJ notes that "Fuelling Poverty" was screened at the 20th New York African Film Festival this month. It also recently won "Best Documentary" at the 2013 African Movie Academy Awards.

Media Rights Agenda is still seeking to understand the reasoning behind the ban.

On 18 April, the group submitted a Freedom of Information request to the director-general of the NFVCB, asking for detailed information about the decision-making process that led to the ban.

Bako himself is also considering appealing the board's decision, says CPJ.

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