Nigeria's top Islamic leader on Monday accused the military of fleeing when Boko Haram attacks and terrorising civilians, in the harshest ever criticism from the key cleric, as violence persisted in the northeast.
A statement from the country's top Muslim body, the JNI, described the military's handling of the five-year Islamist uprising as "unfortunate, worrisome and embarrassing".
The JNI speaks for Nigeria's top cleric, the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, and included the harshest ever-criticism of the military from a key Islamic leader.
"Soldiers take to their heels and abandon their bases, arms, ammunition and other military hardware on the approach of the insurgents!" the statement said.
"Nigerian Security Forces only surface after the deadly attacks and terrorise an already terrorised people by installing road blocks and searching homes," it added.
The condemnation came after similar remarks last week from Nigeria's number two Islamic cleric, the Emir of Kano, and will likely infuriate President Goodluck Jonathan's government, which expects traditional monarchs to abstain from political commentary.
In a speech released at the weekend, defence spokesperson Chris Olukolade meanwhile accused the media and other "campaigners" of distorting the military effort against Boko Haram, tarnishing Nigeria's global image and hurting troop morale.Bodies lying dead
Another attack occurred Monday, when suspected Boko Haram gunmen entered a market in the northeast town of Damasak at about 11:00 (10:00 GMT) and opened fire on unarmed traders, a military officer and a local government official told AFP.
The militants were disguised as traders, carrying containers they claimed were full of goods for sale but which in fact were stuffed with AK-47 rifles, the official, Mohammed Damasak, said.
The gunmen "inflicted horror", he said, adding: "Many traders escaped with bullet wounds while many are lying dead at the market."
A military officer with direct knowledge of the attack but who requested anonymity said soldiers had deployed to the market and were battling the militants "for control of the town".
Damasak, in northeast Borno state, is close to the Niger border, a remote region with a poor telephone network.
It was not immediately possible to establish a death toll or whether the Islamists had chased out the military.
Boko Haram is believed to have taken over more than two dozen towns in recent weeks as part of a campaign to establish a strict Islamic state in the northeast.Government should 'wake up'
While there has been no official response to the tough JNI statement, it will likely ratchet up tensions ahead of Nigeria's general elections in February.
The main opposition All Progressives Congress is widely expected to nominate a candidate from the mainly Muslim north against Jonathan, who is a southern Christian, and Nigeria's religious divide will be a key factor in the vote.
The JNI, speaking on behalf the Sultan, condemned the recent Boko Haram violence while urging the government "with the loudest voice, to wake up to its fundamental and obligatory responsibility of protecting lives".
It accused the government of "wallowing in diatribe" against a growing number of critics who say the military response to Boko Haram's five-year uprising has been woefully inadequate.
Stop 'ridiculing' our nation
Military spokesperson Olukolade said Nigeria's management of the Islamist conflict had been hugely distorted by the media and "campaigners" who have concealed their political bias against Jonathan.
The attack on so-called campaigners was a reference to the Bring Back Our Girls protesters carrying out daily marches to demand the release of the 219 schoolgirls held hostage by Boko Haram since mid-April.
The local media valued "reporting war" above "the nation's image or collective destiny", he said in a speech in the US city of Atlanta.
The foreign press had shown "disdain for objective reportage" and inflated claims of rights abuses by Nigerian troops, he added.
AFP
Related stories: Nigerian soldiers attack own army commander
Video - The state of Nigerian governance and Boko Haram
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Suicide bombings kill more than 60 in crowded market in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Two explosions at a crowded market in northeastern Nigeria have killed more than 60 people, sources told Al Jazeera.
The twin bomb blasts on Tuesday hit the Monday market in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the sources said.
"After the first explosion happened and people started to gather, a second explosion took place," Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Abuja, said.
"Many people are saying that they believe the second explosion was carried out by a female suicide bomber. At least that is what an initial reports are indicating."
Soldiers and police officers cordoned off the area while rescue workers helped survivors to the hospital.
Hospitals have been flooded with injured residents, Al Jazeera sources said.
No official statements have been issued yet.
Maiduguri is a stronghold for the armed group Boko Haram. Borno state is one of the three states in northeastern Nigeria that are under a state of emergency because of the extremist violence.
Towns seized
Also on Tuesday, government and security sources told AFP that Boko Haram had taken over another town in Nigeria's northeast.
Maina Ma'aji Lawan, who represents Borno in Nigeria's senate, said the group was in control of the border town of Damasak.
Nigerian soldiers and hundreds of residents fled across the frontier to seek sanctuary when the heavily armed fighters opened fire on traders on Monday morning, he said.
"There is not a single male in Damasak," Lawan said. "Boko Haram is in control because all males and soldiers have fled."
Boko Haram has seized more than two dozen towns in Borno and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa states, marking a change in strategy from its previous trademark of deadly hit-and-run strikes or high-profile strikes against government, police or military targets.
The group wants to create an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria, and its seizure of towns has raised fears about a potential loss of government control in the region.
Aljazeera
The twin bomb blasts on Tuesday hit the Monday market in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the sources said.
"After the first explosion happened and people started to gather, a second explosion took place," Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh, reporting from Abuja, said.
"Many people are saying that they believe the second explosion was carried out by a female suicide bomber. At least that is what an initial reports are indicating."
Soldiers and police officers cordoned off the area while rescue workers helped survivors to the hospital.
Hospitals have been flooded with injured residents, Al Jazeera sources said.
No official statements have been issued yet.
Maiduguri is a stronghold for the armed group Boko Haram. Borno state is one of the three states in northeastern Nigeria that are under a state of emergency because of the extremist violence.
Towns seized
Also on Tuesday, government and security sources told AFP that Boko Haram had taken over another town in Nigeria's northeast.
Maina Ma'aji Lawan, who represents Borno in Nigeria's senate, said the group was in control of the border town of Damasak.
Nigerian soldiers and hundreds of residents fled across the frontier to seek sanctuary when the heavily armed fighters opened fire on traders on Monday morning, he said.
"There is not a single male in Damasak," Lawan said. "Boko Haram is in control because all males and soldiers have fled."
Boko Haram has seized more than two dozen towns in Borno and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa states, marking a change in strategy from its previous trademark of deadly hit-and-run strikes or high-profile strikes against government, police or military targets.
The group wants to create an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria, and its seizure of towns has raised fears about a potential loss of government control in the region.
Aljazeera
Monday, November 24, 2014
Boko Haram kill 48 fishermen
Islamist militants from Nigeria's Boko Haram have reportedly killed 48 people in an attack on fish sellers near the border with Chad.
A fish traders' group said some victims had their throats slit whilst others were tied up and drowned in Lake Chad.
The attack took place on Thursday, but the news took several days to come to light because Boko Haram has destroyed mobile phone masts in the area.
It was the second major attack in two days by Boko Haram.
In Thursday's attack, the traders were on their way to Chad to buy fish when militants blocked their path near the village of Doron Baga, some 180km (112 miles) north of Maiduguri in Borno state.
Abubakar Gamandi, the head of the fish sellers' association, said the militants had used no guns.
"The attackers killed their victims silently without the use of the gun to avoid attracting attention from the multi-national troops," he told AFP news agency.
Troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger have been deployed to the area and have a base at Doron Baga, but the military task force has had little impact, says the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos.
On Wednesday, Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village of Azaya Kura, also in Borno state, killing at least 45 people.
In this attack too, victims' hands were tied behind their backs and their throats were slit. The attack was apparently aimed at punishing the community after four insurgents were pointed out to soldiers and were shot dead.
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.
It has stepped up attacks against civilian targets since the Nigerian military launched an offensive against the group last year.
BBC
A fish traders' group said some victims had their throats slit whilst others were tied up and drowned in Lake Chad.
The attack took place on Thursday, but the news took several days to come to light because Boko Haram has destroyed mobile phone masts in the area.
It was the second major attack in two days by Boko Haram.
In Thursday's attack, the traders were on their way to Chad to buy fish when militants blocked their path near the village of Doron Baga, some 180km (112 miles) north of Maiduguri in Borno state.
Abubakar Gamandi, the head of the fish sellers' association, said the militants had used no guns.
"The attackers killed their victims silently without the use of the gun to avoid attracting attention from the multi-national troops," he told AFP news agency.
Troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger have been deployed to the area and have a base at Doron Baga, but the military task force has had little impact, says the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos.
On Wednesday, Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village of Azaya Kura, also in Borno state, killing at least 45 people.
In this attack too, victims' hands were tied behind their backs and their throats were slit. The attack was apparently aimed at punishing the community after four insurgents were pointed out to soldiers and were shot dead.
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009.
It has stepped up attacks against civilian targets since the Nigerian military launched an offensive against the group last year.
BBC
Friday, November 21, 2014
China to build $12 billion railway system in Nigeria
A state-owned Chinese company has signed a $12 billion agreement to build a railway along Nigeria’s coast that it billed as China’s single largest overseas contract, yesterday.
China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. (CRCC) signed the official construction contract with the Nigerian government on Wednesday in Abuja.
The Nigerian railway will stretch for 1,402 kilometres (871 miles) along the coast, linking Lagos, the financial capital of Africa’s largest economy and leading oil producer, and Calabar in the east, according to the report.
The $11.97 billion deal marks China’s largest single overseas contract project so far, it said, citing CRCC.
The news came two weeks after Mexico cancelled a $3.75 billion bullet train deal only days after it was signed with a Chinese-led consortium headed by CRCC — the sole bidder — reportedly due to concerns about transparency.
CRCC chairman Meng Fengchao said the Nigeria project will adopt Chinese technological standards and lead to $4 billion-worth of Chinese exports of construction machinery, trains, steel products and other equipment, Xinhua said.
It will create up to 200,000 local jobs during the construction and a further 30,000 positions once the line is operational, he said.
“It is a mutually beneficial project,” Meng was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Trains will travel at a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour on the link, the report added.
China has dramatically stepped up its presence on the African continent in recent decades as it seeks more resources and new markets for its economy. Trade between China and Nigeria totalled $13.6 billion last year.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang promised more investment and more Chinese technical expertise during a visit earlier this year.
Leadership
Related stories: Nigerian government signs $1.49 billion construction deal with China
Nigerians suffering in Chinese prisons
China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. (CRCC) signed the official construction contract with the Nigerian government on Wednesday in Abuja.
The Nigerian railway will stretch for 1,402 kilometres (871 miles) along the coast, linking Lagos, the financial capital of Africa’s largest economy and leading oil producer, and Calabar in the east, according to the report.
The $11.97 billion deal marks China’s largest single overseas contract project so far, it said, citing CRCC.
The news came two weeks after Mexico cancelled a $3.75 billion bullet train deal only days after it was signed with a Chinese-led consortium headed by CRCC — the sole bidder — reportedly due to concerns about transparency.
CRCC chairman Meng Fengchao said the Nigeria project will adopt Chinese technological standards and lead to $4 billion-worth of Chinese exports of construction machinery, trains, steel products and other equipment, Xinhua said.
It will create up to 200,000 local jobs during the construction and a further 30,000 positions once the line is operational, he said.
“It is a mutually beneficial project,” Meng was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Trains will travel at a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour on the link, the report added.
China has dramatically stepped up its presence on the African continent in recent decades as it seeks more resources and new markets for its economy. Trade between China and Nigeria totalled $13.6 billion last year.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang promised more investment and more Chinese technical expertise during a visit earlier this year.
Leadership
Related stories: Nigerian government signs $1.49 billion construction deal with China
Nigerians suffering in Chinese prisons
Boko Haram attack leave 45 people dead
The leader of a vigilante fighter group in Nigeria says Boko Haram militants have killed about 45 people in an attack on a village.
Muhammed Gava of the Nigeria Vigilante Group said the assault occurred Wednesday in Azaya Kura village in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state. He told The Associated Press on Thursday that the heavily armed Boko Haram militants surged through the village in several trucks, destroying houses and carting away food and livestock.
Shettima Lawan, a local politician, mourned the attack, telling the AP: "I am still searching for motives behind the mass killing and destruction."
The village is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno. The state has been hit the hardest by Boko Haram's five-year insurgency.
The militants continue to pursue their aim to carve out an "Islamic caliphate" under their black and white flag. Last week, Boko Haram fighters captured Chibok town, where more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped six months ago. Nigeria's army recaptured Chibok on Saturday.
At least 1.5 million people have fled their homes since Nigeria declared a state of emergency in May 2013, according to U.N. figures.
AP
Related stories: Boko Haram captures more territory in Adamawa as Nigerian forces flee
Nigerian military take back Chibok from Boko Haram
Muhammed Gava of the Nigeria Vigilante Group said the assault occurred Wednesday in Azaya Kura village in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state. He told The Associated Press on Thursday that the heavily armed Boko Haram militants surged through the village in several trucks, destroying houses and carting away food and livestock.
Shettima Lawan, a local politician, mourned the attack, telling the AP: "I am still searching for motives behind the mass killing and destruction."
The village is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno. The state has been hit the hardest by Boko Haram's five-year insurgency.
The militants continue to pursue their aim to carve out an "Islamic caliphate" under their black and white flag. Last week, Boko Haram fighters captured Chibok town, where more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped six months ago. Nigeria's army recaptured Chibok on Saturday.
At least 1.5 million people have fled their homes since Nigeria declared a state of emergency in May 2013, according to U.N. figures.
AP
Related stories: Boko Haram captures more territory in Adamawa as Nigerian forces flee
Nigerian military take back Chibok from Boko Haram
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