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Boko Haram Kills 53 Soldiers In Three Days …Slaughters Nine Farmers In Borno …Killing, Destruction Not Part Of Jihad -Sanusi
Boko Haram jihadists have killed 53 soldiers and farmers in three days of attacks in northeastern Nigeria, security sources said yesterday, in a new show of force ahead of February elections in the West African country.
Despite the government’s insistence that Boko Haram is near defeat, the group has recently carried out a string of major attacks on military and civilian targets.
President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking re-election in February, faces widespread criticism over his security record as soldiers based in the northeast regularly complain of fatigue and insufficient supplies of food and arms.
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter group, killed at least 44 soldiers in attacks on three military bases at the weekend, according to security sources. Of those, at least 43 were killed on Sunday in Metele, a remote village near the border with Niger, according to a military officer who requested anonymity.
“Our troops were completely routed and the terrorists captured the base after heavy fighting,” he told AFP, adding that the base commander and three officers were among the dead.
A search was under way for survivors or further victims in the surrounding bush, he said.
A pro-government militiaman said the jihadists arrived on around 20 trucks and army air support did not arrive until after they had “invaded the base and looted the weapons”.
The same day, jihadists also launched a pre-dawn attack on a base in the town of Gajiram, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. Fighting lasted several hours, residents told newsmen.
And a soldier was killed in an attack Saturday on a base in Mainok, also in Borno state, the cradle of the Boko Haram movement, security sources said.
ISWAP asserted responsibility for the attacks in Metele and Mainok, claiming to have killed at least 42 soldiers in addition to carting away four tanks and other vehicles, according to the SITE Intelligence monitoring group.
In addition, Monday saw the latest in a string of attacks on villages, usually carried out to pillage food and abduct civilians used as fighters or forced to marry jihadists.
The jihadists have accused farmers and loggers of passing information to the military. Armed with guns and machetes, jihadists killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in the Mammanti village in Borno state, locals told newsmen yesterday.
The jihadists came on bicycles, said Usman Kaka, a farmer who escaped. “They just opened fire on us and continued to fire as we fled,” Kaka said.
Village chief Muhammad Mammanti said the assailants had hacked “three people who resisted being abducted”.
Also on Monday, seven women were snatched while working in fields near the city of Bama, according to militiamen fighting alongside army soldiers.
In an attack on Mammanti last week, jihadists stole hundreds of heads of cattle.
The surge in attacks on military targets suggests that hardliners within ISWAP have taken the upper hand after internal divisions, observers say.
More than 27,000 people have died since the start of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009, and 1.8 million remain homeless.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram members have killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others in a village in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, the cradle of the jihadist movement, locals told newsmen yesterday.
Last Monday, they stormed into fields outside Mammanti village, opening fire on farmers as they worked, killing nine and injuring three others.
“We recovered nine dead bodies after the attack,” the village chief Muhammad Mammanti said.
“The insurgents took away 12 people, including women, and macheted three people who resisted being abducted,” Mammanti.
The jihadists came on bicycles in the afternoon, said Usman Kaka, a farmer who escaped.
“They just opened fire on us and continued to fire as we fled,” Kaka said.
“We later returned to find nine people had been killed and three left with machete cuts on their heads for refusing to go with the gunmen,” he said.
Last week Wednesday Boko Haram jihadists attacked Mammanti, killing one person and burning the entire village before stealing hundreds of cattle.
The attack on Mammanti forced residents to moved to the state capital Maiduguri from where they would commute daily to work on the fields.
Boko Haram has stepped up attacks on farmers and loggers in recent years, accusing them of passing information to the military.
Despite the government’s insistence that Boko Haram is near defeat, the group has recently carried out major attacks on military and civilian targets, killing scores.
More than 27,000 people have died since the start of the insurgency in the remote northeast in 2009 and 1.8 million are still homeless.
In another development, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, yesterday, dismissed insinuations killings and destruction in the country by Muslim elements in the name of Islamic Jihad were against the tenets and teachings of Islam.
Emir Sanusi said this while speaking at the grand finale of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, MUSWEN, and N5 billion launch of MUSWEN International Centre, which took place at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano Sanusi said: “Killing people in the name of Jihad is not Jihad.
Allah does not prohibit us to cater for and take care of people. “So, what we see with people destroying the peace of the nation is not a Jihad. When your freedom to practice Islam is not tampered with, this is not Islam.
And we have to take it and we have it as our responsibility to say that this is not Islam. “We must keep the promise with those we promised.
These who are leaders, you are expected to fulfil your promises to the people when you assume office.
It doesn’t matter if you ask God to make you President, Governor, Emir, it does not matter but you promised Allah that I will take care of people and fail. “Islam does not allow a Muslim to take away property of the people unjustly. Fight only those who fight you. Even, there are rules when there is war, you don’t fight the children, this aged and women.”
Sultan urges Muslims to eschew violence In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar warned Muslims against violence, as he urged them to remain calm, even at the point of provocation. He said: “Let us show decorum, let us show people that we are Muslims.
We should not use foul languages. We can be aggrieved, but don’t let us allow grievances to make us to be violent.” Also speaking Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, urged Muslims in the region to continue to embrace peace as the 2019 general elections are fast approaching.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said the 33.5-kilometre Elele–Umudioga–Egbeda–Ubimini–Ikiri–Omoku dual carriageway is nearing completion and will be ready for inauguration by early May.
Speaking after inspecting the project last Wednesday, the governor disclosed that the N80.8 billion road project, currently at about 90 per cent completion, is on track for delivery before the end of April.
The project, which links Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas, was awarded to Craneburg Construction Company with a 24-month completion timeline.
Fubara expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, describing the road as a landmark achievement of his administration.
He noted that beyond infrastructure, the project symbolises progress and purposeful governance.
Highlighting its economic and security value, the governor said the road serves as a vital link to Omoku, a major gas hub, and would significantly enhance business activities in the area.
He recalled that the corridor was previously notorious for kidnapping and armed robbery but said the ongoing development had transformed the security outlook.
According to him, improved accessibility will enable security agencies to respond swiftly to emergencies, effectively curbing criminal activities that once plagued the route.
Fubara commended the contractor for adhering to the project timeline, expressing confidence that the road will soon be completed and opened to the public.
Recall that the governor had, during the flag-off ceremony in May 2024, disclosed that the project is funded from the State’s internally generated revenue savings.
Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates, at the weekend.
This raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed last Saturday that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault on March 14.
It added that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.
“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran,” the ministry stated.
“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran,” UAE added.
According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.
Others affected include residents from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The list also included Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia and Sweden.
The Tide reports that this development has sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UAE, where thousands of citizens live and work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, logistics and trade.
Data from Nigeria’s diaspora commission shows that the UAE remains one of the largest destinations for Nigerian migrants in the Middle East, particularly in the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The Nigerian government had in recent years raised concerns over the safety and welfare of its citizens in the country following diplomatic tensions and visa restrictions affecting Nigerians.
Saturday’s attacks have now heightened anxieties within the diaspora community, especially as the Gulf region faces growing military confrontations.
In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country remained fully prepared to confront any threats to its security.
“The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine state security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities,” the ministry said.
In a separate update, the ministry noted that its defence systems were still actively intercepting missiles and drones.
“UAE air defences are dealing with Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” it said.
Regional media reports indicate that the attacks form part of a wider escalation of hostilities between Iran and Western-backed forces in the Middle East.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has continued sustained missile and drone strikes across the Gulf despite protests from neighbouring states.
The strikes were said to be in retaliation for military operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian positions in the region.
Tehran targeted several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, late on Friday and into Saturday.
The attacks also caused infrastructural damage in parts of the UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that US interests in the UAE would remain legitimate targets.
Iranian state media reported that the group issued the warning after US forces attacked Iranian-controlled islands.
The IRGC specifically mentioned ports, docks and military installations linked to the United States as potential targets.
It also urged residents in the UAE to evacuate areas around ports and military facilities to avoid civilian casualties.
Security analysts say the growing exchange of threats and strike across the Gulf could destabilise the region’s economic and aviation activities if the conflict escalates further.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the five new commissioners sworn-in last Wednesday to put in their best for the development of the State.
Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in of the commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
This followed the successful screening of the five commissioners by the Rivers State House of Assembly, last Tuesday.
The five commissioners are Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
The Tide reports that the governor had sent nine commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening, but the Assembly confirmed only five nominees and rejected the nomination of four over various allegations.
Those rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Dantonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Demua, Mr. Tamuno Williams, and Otonye Amachree.
The governor congratulated the new commissioners on their appointment, noting that their thorough screening by the Rivers State House of Assembly was a proof of their capabilities.
He urged them to deploy their wealth of experience in various fields and put the State on a fast lane of development.
“Ordinarily, I am supposed to charge you on your responsibilities and how to operate. But that has been taken care of by the screening at the Assembly.
“I believe that going through one of the most rigorous screenings, it is enough to say that for those of you who succeeded, you are fit and ready to deliver to our dear State.
“So there is no further charge. The screening was the charge, so I wish you the best as I don’t expect anything less than the best from you,” Fubara said.
