Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Video - Nigeria's army, police trade blame over militant attack on school
It appears as if the Nigerian girls' disappearance is taking its toll on Nigerian security forces. The army and Yobe police are blaming each other for the abductions. Yobe police officers claim the militants attacked Dapchi because the army had withdrawn from the area. However, the military maintains it pulled out of Dapchi because calm had returned to the area. The army claims it handed over security control to the Yobe police -- and blames local officers for the bungle. Yobe's police commissioner, however, denies any handover took place -- and says the military failed to inform him of its intention to withdraw.
Nigerian and Cameroonian military free 1,130 hostages from Boko Haram
At least 1,130 civilians were freed, and 37 suspected Boko Haram militants were killed during a joint offensive by Cameroonian and Nigerian troops in communities around the Lake Chad region on Monday, according to a Nigerian army spokesman.
In a statement on Tuesday, spokesman Colonel Onyema Nwackukwu said the offensives took place in border villages of Kusha-Kucha, Surdewala, Alkanerik, Magdewerne and Mayen, culminating in the destruction of several Boko Haram camps and seizure of weapons, including machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.
Four improvised explosive devices were also destroyed.
Nwackukwu said some 603 hostages were freed across Kusha-Kucha, Surdewala, Alkanerik, Magdewerne and Mayen villages; they were taken to the Nigerian Bama town for profiling and handing over to relief agencies.
"The troops also extracted 194 civilians held captive by the insurgents and destroyed makeshift accommodations erected by the insurgents. Additionally, the combined troops successfully cleared Miyanti and Wudila villages, where they rescued three men, 121 women and 209 children," the army spokesman added.
On Tuesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen condemned the abduction of some 110 schoolgirls from Nigeria’s northeastern Dapchi town Monday.
In a statement on Tuesday, spokesman Colonel Onyema Nwackukwu said the offensives took place in border villages of Kusha-Kucha, Surdewala, Alkanerik, Magdewerne and Mayen, culminating in the destruction of several Boko Haram camps and seizure of weapons, including machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.
Four improvised explosive devices were also destroyed.
Nwackukwu said some 603 hostages were freed across Kusha-Kucha, Surdewala, Alkanerik, Magdewerne and Mayen villages; they were taken to the Nigerian Bama town for profiling and handing over to relief agencies.
"The troops also extracted 194 civilians held captive by the insurgents and destroyed makeshift accommodations erected by the insurgents. Additionally, the combined troops successfully cleared Miyanti and Wudila villages, where they rescued three men, 121 women and 209 children," the army spokesman added.
On Tuesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen condemned the abduction of some 110 schoolgirls from Nigeria’s northeastern Dapchi town Monday.
Names of 110 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria released
The Nigerian government has released the names of the 110 missing girls, some as young as 11 years old, who have not been seen since a raid on their school in Dapchi last week.
Fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance planes have all been deployed in the search for the girls, who vanished after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked the Government Girls Science Technical College.
According to a list of names released by the authorities Tuesday, the missing are aged between 11 and 19. The names have been verified by a panel of school administrators and government officials, according to a statement by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture.
As of Monday evening, the Nigerian Air Force had flown a total of 200 hours while searching for the girls. Nigeria's Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, has been relocated to Yobe State, where Dapchi is located, to personally supervise the search, the government statement said.
The school is only 275 kilometers (170 miles) from Chibok, where Boko Haram militants kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a school in 2014.
After global outrage and prolonged negotiation, many of the Chibok girls were later freed but more than 100 are still missing, thought to be held in a number of unknown locations.
The father of one of the girls who was taken from Dapchi, Bashir Manzo, told CNN he isn't happy with the way the government has handled the situation.
"My daughter Aisha Kachalla is missing and we can't get any information from school because soldiers are all over there," said Manzo, who is also the newly elected head of the parent's association.
"No security came to Dapchi the day the men came, now over a hundred soldiers have taken over the village."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the raid was a "national disaster" and promised the families of the missing girls their children would be returned.
"We are sorry that it happened; we share your pain. Let me assure that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return all the missing girls," Buhari said in a Twitter statement.
Fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance planes have all been deployed in the search for the girls, who vanished after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked the Government Girls Science Technical College.
According to a list of names released by the authorities Tuesday, the missing are aged between 11 and 19. The names have been verified by a panel of school administrators and government officials, according to a statement by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture.
As of Monday evening, the Nigerian Air Force had flown a total of 200 hours while searching for the girls. Nigeria's Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, has been relocated to Yobe State, where Dapchi is located, to personally supervise the search, the government statement said.
The school is only 275 kilometers (170 miles) from Chibok, where Boko Haram militants kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a school in 2014.
After global outrage and prolonged negotiation, many of the Chibok girls were later freed but more than 100 are still missing, thought to be held in a number of unknown locations.
The father of one of the girls who was taken from Dapchi, Bashir Manzo, told CNN he isn't happy with the way the government has handled the situation.
"My daughter Aisha Kachalla is missing and we can't get any information from school because soldiers are all over there," said Manzo, who is also the newly elected head of the parent's association.
"No security came to Dapchi the day the men came, now over a hundred soldiers have taken over the village."
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said the raid was a "national disaster" and promised the families of the missing girls their children would be returned.
"We are sorry that it happened; we share your pain. Let me assure that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return all the missing girls," Buhari said in a Twitter statement.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Video - Nigerian authorities intensify search for missing girls
Nigeria is sending extra troops and planes to the North-eastern state of Yobe as the search for missing schoolgirls intensifies. During the weekend, the government announced that 110 girls are presumed to have been abducted. That's according to information received from parents.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Father's plea to find daughter kidnapped by Boko Haram
The father of a 14-year-old girl who is among 110 believed to have been abducted by Boko Haram has pleaded with the Nigerian government to act quickly.
"We don't want these girls to stay long with those militants. Anything can happen to them," Kachalla Bukar told the BBC.
Jihadists stormed the school in the town of Dapchi in the north-eastern Yobe state on 19 February.
The attack has revived memories of the Chibok schoolgirl abduction in 2014.
President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a "national disaster" and apologised to the girls' families.
Mr Bukar says his wife cannot stop crying and he cannot sleep since their "brilliant" daughter Aisha disappeared.
"We are begging the government to control the situation quickly."
Nigeria has deployed extra troops and planes to search for the schoolgirls.
"We want to assure Nigerians that no stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls", Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammed told the BBC.
Anger has been growing among the girls' parents amid reports that soldiers had been withdrawn from key checkpoints in Dapchi last month.
Dapchi, which is about 275km (170 miles) north-west of Chibok, came under attack last Monday, causing students and teachers from the Government Girls Science and Technical College to flee into the surrounding bush.
Residents say that Nigeria's security forces, backed by military jets, later repelled the attack.
Authorities initially denied the students had been kidnapped, saying they were hiding from their attackers.
But they later admitted that 110 girls were missing after the attack.
Boko Haram militants have been fighting a long insurgency in the country's north in their quest for an Islamic state in the region.
Nearly four years ago they abducted 276 girls from a school in Chibok, leading to a worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign. The location of more than 100 of those girls is still unknown.
The conflict is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people, and led to the abduction of thousands.
"We don't want these girls to stay long with those militants. Anything can happen to them," Kachalla Bukar told the BBC.
Jihadists stormed the school in the town of Dapchi in the north-eastern Yobe state on 19 February.
The attack has revived memories of the Chibok schoolgirl abduction in 2014.
President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a "national disaster" and apologised to the girls' families.
Mr Bukar says his wife cannot stop crying and he cannot sleep since their "brilliant" daughter Aisha disappeared.
"We are begging the government to control the situation quickly."
Nigeria has deployed extra troops and planes to search for the schoolgirls.
"We want to assure Nigerians that no stone will be left unturned in our determination to rescue these girls", Nigeria's Information Minister Lai Mohammed told the BBC.
Anger has been growing among the girls' parents amid reports that soldiers had been withdrawn from key checkpoints in Dapchi last month.
Dapchi, which is about 275km (170 miles) north-west of Chibok, came under attack last Monday, causing students and teachers from the Government Girls Science and Technical College to flee into the surrounding bush.
Residents say that Nigeria's security forces, backed by military jets, later repelled the attack.
Authorities initially denied the students had been kidnapped, saying they were hiding from their attackers.
But they later admitted that 110 girls were missing after the attack.
Boko Haram militants have been fighting a long insurgency in the country's north in their quest for an Islamic state in the region.
Nearly four years ago they abducted 276 girls from a school in Chibok, leading to a worldwide #BringBackOurGirls campaign. The location of more than 100 of those girls is still unknown.
The conflict is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people, and led to the abduction of thousands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)