The Nigerian military says troops have killed 29 suspected Boko Haram militants in raids since Thursday.
A military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Dole, says troops killed 20 insurgents during an "offensive operation" late Friday in Bita, a town near the Cameroonian border. He says one soldier was killed during the operation.
In a statement obtained by VOA, Dole said Boko Haram had been using the area as a staging ground to launch attacks on villages and people driving through the region. (read more)
Extremists gun down 7 civilians in Nigerian mosque
DAMBOA, NIGERIA — Gunmen believed to be Islamic militants lured Muslims with a call to prayer and gunned them down as they entered the mosque in Damboa village in the latest killings reported in an Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria, residents and officials said.
The tactics used by Nigeria's Boko Haram terrorist network in Saturday's attack that killed seven residents seem to contradict the thinking of some other Islamic extremists on the continent. Al-Shabab gunmen allowed Muslims to leave Kenya's Westgate mall during their Sept. 21 attack, acting on the realization that the indiscriminate killing of Muslims is a strategic liability.
Survivors in Damboa told The Associated Press that almost all seven people killed were elderly men who used no watches and set the start of their day by the muezzin's call. So they may not have realized that anything was wrong when Saturday's call to prayer came at 4 a.m. instead of the usual 5 a.m. (read more)
Nigeria: Death Toll in Blasts in Christian Area 27 By Associated Press 2 August 2013
A Christian leader says he carried three bodies from this week's multiple blasts in the northern Nigerian city of Kano to a military hospital, raising the toll to at least 27 dead.
Tobias Itika of the Christian group Ohaeneze said Friday the three were not counted in a toll from two other hospitals. He said other victims were treated at an orthopedic hospital but he did not have an exact figure. Two other hospitals reported treating 20 wounded.
Nigeria's military said Islamic extremists Monday night planted multiple bombs around a Kano bar thronged with people.
Tuesday night, extremists killed eight people in an attack targeting teachers and Muslim clerics in northeast Nigeria.
The military warned Thursday of planned "massive attacks" in an ongoing Islamic uprising centered in Nigeria's northeast.
Nigeria: Islamic extremists kill 8; Military warns of planned ‘massive attacks’ in Maiduguri By Associated Press 1 August 2013
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Islamic extremists killed eight people in an attack targeting teachers and Muslim clerics in northeast Nigeria, witnesses and the military said Thursday.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa also warned that the Boko Haram terrorist network plans more such killings and “massive attacks” aimed at the northeastern city where their extremist movement was born — Maiduguri, capital of Borno state. (read more)
Nigeria Islamists kill 20 in attack on northeast: military By Reuters 28 July 2013
(Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants attacked a fishing settlement in northeast Nigeria over the weekend, killing 20 civilians, the military said on Sunday.
The assault targeted Baga, a town on the shores of Lake Chad, until recently a stronghold for Islamist sect Boko Haram. (read more)
Nigerian extremist leader says Boko Haram will burn schools, kill teachers but not children By Associated Press 13 July 2013
LAGOS, Nigeria — Shaking a finger while cradling an assault rifle, the bearded leader of Nigeria’s extremist Islamic sect threatens to burn down more schools and kill teachers. But he denies his fighters are killing children. In a new video released Saturday, Islamic radical Abubakar Shekau said he “fully supports” attacks on several schools in northeastern Nigeria in recent weeks. (read more)
Bomber on Motorcycle Kills 9 During Rush Hour in Pakistan By Declan Walsh, New York Times 29 April 2013
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- Days later, the survivors’ faces tensed at the memory of the grim evening: soldiers dousing thatched-roof homes with gasoline, setting them on fire and shooting residents when they tried to flee. As the village went up in smoke, one said, a soldier threw a child back into the flames. Even by the scorched-earth standards of the Nigerian military’s campaign against Islamist insurgents stalking the nation’s north, what happened on the muddy shores of Lake Chad this month appears exceptional.
The village, Baga, found itself in the cross hairs of Nigerian soldiers enraged by the killing of one of their own, said survivors who fled here to the capital of Borno State, 100 miles south. Their home had paid a heavy price: as many as 200 civilians, maybe more, were killed during the military’s rampage, according to refugees, senior relief workers, civilian officials and human rights organizations. (read more)
Women and children in front of burned houses in Baga, Nigeria, after as many as 200 civilians were killed in an assault that survivors blamed on soldiers. Though civilian casualties have been viewed as routine, the size of the death toll has created an uproar.
Nigeria: Boko Haram - OBJ Blames Jonathan Sam Eyoboka AllAfrica 14 November 2012
Warri — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, blamed the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan for allowing the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to grow into a monster that is now uncontrollable by his failure to act on a report submitted to the government. The former president who spoke at a lecture delivered by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi to mark the 40th anniversary of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor's call to ministry at the Word of Life Bible Church, Warri in Delta State, also tasked Nigerians to choose between a strong leader who might adopt unusual approach to tackle a problem or a weak leader who will leave the problem to fester. Answering a question from a pastor from Borno State on how he could forge any form of unity with those who are perpetuating violence in the northern part of the country, Obasanjo went emotional, saying: "Boko Haram is an ill wind that blows nobody no good." (read more)
Suicide Attack on Nigerian Church Raises Fears of Sectarian Violence Heather Murdock October 28, 2012
Nigerian authorities say eight people were killed and 100 more injured when a suicide bomber attacked a Catholic church during morning services, raising fears of renewed sectarian violence in the volatile city of Kaduna.
About 20 minutes after the bombing a woman weeps outside the partially destroyed church “I am feeling bad already,” she said.
While police try to clear the area, she says she lost brothers and sisters in the morning attack.
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib said a suicide bomber rammed his car into the barriers surrounding the church. (read more)
Genocide and Mass Atrocity Warning: Nigeria – the Boko Haram Genocide Watch 26 October 2012
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The country is divided along religious, ethnic and socioeconomic fault lines, which split the country into a poor, predominantly Muslim North and a rich, predominantly Christian South. Boko Haram is a jihadist militant organization that has taken advantage of poverty and poor governance in the North. It is an Islamist movement that is a threat to stability in West Africa and has been compared to Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab. It strongly opposes westernization, specifically rejecting modern science and democracy. It seeks to impose sharia law in Nigeria. (read more)
Nigerian Army Guilt? by John Campbell Council on Foreign Relations 23 October 2012
Sunday’s New York Times carried an Agence France Presse piece reporting on the alleged Boko Haram killing of at least thirty people over a three day period in Potiskum, Yobe state. The piece also notes that it was “not clear whether soldiers were responsible for any of the destruction.” The Nigerian army has been widely accused of indiscriminate killings in northern Nigeria as part of its campaign against Boko Haram. Some political leaders have urged the Jonathan government to withdraw the military, especially from Maiduguri, arguing that it feeds popular support for Boko Haram. I have blogged on a Human Rights Watch report that raises the question of whether the International criminal Court has jurisdiction over crimes committed both by Boko Haram and the military. (read more)
Nigerian Christian Group Concerned About Lack of Security Peter Clottey Voice of America 18 October 2012
The president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says his group is not satisfied with the level of security in some parts of the country, where Christian churches have been attacked by armed groups.
“We are not satisfied. It could be better; it should be better,” said Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who adds that improvements have been made, but more needs to be done.
He says those improvements have come despite growing threats from militant groups such as Boko Haram.
“I must commend the security agencies, because in the real sense they have improved, and they have done more than they used to do,” Oritsejafor said. (read more)
Gunmen kill worshippers at Nigeria mosque By Al Jazeera 14 October 2012
Gunmen have opened fire on Muslim worshipers as they were leaving a mosque in northern Nigeria, killing at least 20 people, a local official said.
The attack on Sunday happened in a remote village called Dogo Dawa, in Kaduna state, said Abdullahi Muhammad, the traditional ruler and councillor of Birnin Gwari, a local government area next to the village. (read more)
Nigeria: Boko Haram Attacks Likely Crimes Against Humanity Huffington Post 11 October 2012
(Abuja) – Widespread and systematic murder and persecution by Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group in northern Nigeria, likely amount to crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Government security forces have also engaged in numerous abuses, including extrajudicial killings, Human Rights Watch said.
The 98-page report, “Spiraling Violence: Boko Haram Attacks and Security Force Abuses in Nigeria,” catalogues atrocities for which Boko Haram has claimed responsibility. It also explores the role of Nigeria’s security forces, whose own alleged abuses contravene international human rights law and might also constitute crimes against humanity. The violence, which first erupted in 2009, has claimed more than 2,800 lives.
“The unlawful killing by both Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces only grows worse; both sides need to halt this downward spiral,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Nigeria’s government should swiftly bring to justice the Boko Haram members and security agents who have committed these serious crimes.” (read more)
Genocide Warning: Nigeria By Genocide Watch 3 February 2012, updated 24 April 2012
Nigeria is the most populous country of Africa. The country is, however, divided along religious, ethnic and socioeconomic fault lines, which split the country into a poor and predominantly Muslim North (ethnic communities: mainly Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri) and a rich and predominantly Christian South (ethnic communities: mainly Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Ibibio and Tiv). During the Nigerian civil war (Nigerian-Biafran war), from 1966-1970, over a million Igbos died. This conflict originated from secessionist claims by Dr. Ojukwu, the Igbo leader and other peoples in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, to declare the independence of the Republic of Biafra. Biafra was only recognized by Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon and a few other states. The Nigerian army encircled Biafra and starved it into submission. The southeast region is still restive and there are insurgencies among Niger Delta groups.
Currently, the terrorist insurgency of the radical Islamist movement, Boko Haram, in the North of Nigeria poses a new threat of genocidal massacres. Boko Haram declares its goal as eradication of all Christian and Western influence in Nigeria, an exclusionary ideology characteristic of a genocidal group. Since the summer of 2011, Boko Haram has struck many targets in Nigeria ranging from government buildings, especially the security sector, to schools and churches. The attacks have killed hundreds of people. Boko Haram proudly claims "credit" for these mass murders. The attack are aimed at polarizing relations between the Muslim North and the Christian South of Nigeria.
On 25 December 2011, several church bombings struck Nigeria. These Christmas Day attacks caused the death of at least 49 persons. The bombings were followed by a message from Boko Haram giving the Christians who are living in the North three days to leave the North. As a result thousands of Christians have fled the North. Moderate Muslims are also targeted by Boko Haram. On 8 and 9 April, 2012, there were more car bomb attacks aimed at churches. The Easter bombs killed 45 persons.
In 2011 at least 550 people died. More than 253 people were killed since January 2012. The deadliest attack took place on 20 January 2012 resulting in the death of at least 185 people. Boko Haram targets people based on their ethnicity and religion, including moderate Muslims (read more).
Tensions are rising quickly. In a public announcement made by the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), he stated that the Christian community would react in "an appropriate manner", without giving details, but implying that forceful self-defence would be used. The moderate Muslim leader, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, assures that the attacks do not represent a conflict between Islam and Christianity. Nevertheless, the situation is highly alarming in the light of previous violent religious and ethnic clashes in Jos and other areas of the Center and North (read article by Greg Stanton).
The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has announced his determination to defeat terrorism by Boko Haram. There were peace talks between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government in March 2012, but after one week Boko Haram withdrew from further negotiations declaring that the government would never keep its promises. A problem is also that Boko Haram actually represents disparate command groups that will not necessarily obey the terms of any possible agreement.
Boko Haram is a nickname for Jama'atu Ahlis-Sunnah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad, which signifies "followers of the Prophet for the propagation of Islam and holy war" and which rejects any form of Western education. Although Boko Haram is not a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), there are personal connections between both radical organizations. It is disturbing that both goals and tactics of Boko Haram are quite similar to branches of Al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
The early warning signs of genocidal massacres include the following;
Risk of future instability is judged by Barbara Harff to be very high (read article by Harff).
There have been previous genocidal massacres in Nigeria, such as those from 1967 to 1969 undertaken against the Igbo and those in 2010 on the Jos Plateau, without prosecution.
During his candidacy for the presidency in January 2011, Goodluck Jonnathan denounced the "zoning" pact which is an informal agreement according to which the Nigerian presidency should rotate between Muslim north and Christian South. His subsequent election a few months later led to post-election violence in which hundreds of people died (read more).
The division between the Muslim north and the Christian south of Nigeria also reflects large economic discrepancies, because the oil-rich south is the source of most of Nigeria's wealth.
Genocide Watch warns that future genocidal massacres are likely, based on religious and ethnic identity. Nigeria is at stage 6 of Genocide Watch's 8 stages of genocide: Preparation.
Nigeria: Les kamikazes tuent 5 personnes dont 1 policier
Par Afriquejet
31 juillet 2012
Cinq personnes, dont 1 policier, ont été tuées par des kamikazes et des hommes armés qui ont frappé lundi dans deux villes situées au nord du Nigeria après un week-end marqué par des meurtres similaires, selon la police. A Sokoto, trois personnes, un caporal de la police et deux kamikazes présumés, sont morts tandis que huit policiers et un civil ont été blessés dans deux attentats suicides à la bombe simultanés au siège de la police de la zone et dans un magasin à proximité d'un poste de police.
L'inspecteur général adjoint de la police de la zone 10, Ibrahim Muhtari, a confirmé ces attaques, dont l'une a eu lieu dans son bureau et a endommagé sa voiture officielle. (read more)
Nigéria un garcon de dix ans tué par l`explosion d`une bombe
Par AFP
22 juillet 2012
Un garçon de dix ans a été tué et dix personnes ont été blessées dimanche par l'explosion d'une bombe artisanale dans le nord du Nigeria, a annoncé la police.
L'explosion s'est produite dans un quartier de la ville de Bauchi, connue pour ses bars et ses établissements spécialisés dans les divertissements.
"L'explosion d'un engin explosif improvisé, caché dans une charrette, a tué un garçon de dix ans et blessé dix autres personnes", a déclaré Mohammed Ladan, un responsable de la police de l'Etat de Bauchi, dont la ville du même nom est la capitale.
La charrette avait été abandonnée par un homme vêtu comme un épicier, mais aucune arrestation n'a été effectuée et il était toujours impossible de savoir qui était responsable de l'explosion, a-t-il ajouté.Cette région a été le théâtre d'attentats meurtriers commis par le groupe islamiste Boko Haram. L'explosion de dimanche n'a pas été revendiquée.
Sécurité: Six personnes tuées dans des fusillades au Nigeria
Par Afriquejet
20 juillet 2012
Six personnes ont été tuées jeudi dans deux incidents à Maiduguri, fief de la secte islamiste Boko Haram, rapporte ce vendredi le journal privé 'Vanguard'. Dans le premier incident, au moins quatre commerçants ont été tués par des inconnus armés qui ont attaqué le plus grand marché de la ville, Monday Market.
L'incident a contraint de nombreux commerçants qui effectuaient leurs achats à la veille du Ramadan à fuir le marché.
Aucun groupe n'a revendiqué cette fusillade qui, toutefois, porte les caractéristiques de la secte islamiste. (read more)
Nigeria: Plus de 100 morts dans les violences du week-end
By Afriquejet
9 juillet 2012
Au moins 104 personnes, dont deux députés en activité et trois agents de sécurité, ont été tués depuis samedi dans l'embrasement de la crise fratricide dans l'Etat du Plateau, dans le Nord du Nigeria, rapporte ce lundi le journal privé 'Nation'. Selon le quotidien, le bilan s'est alourdi après la découverte des corps de 50 personnes, essentiellement des femmes et des enfants, tués dans l'Eglise du Christ au Nigeria (COCIN) où ils s'étaient réfugiés. (read more)
Un commissariat de police de Kano, au Nigeria AFP/Archives - Aminu Abubakar
Nigeria: dix-sept "extrémistes" et un policier tués dans le nord du pays
Par AFP
27 Juin 2012
Les attaques menées depuis mardi soir par des islamistes présumés dans trois villes du nord du Nigeria contre cinq postes de police et une prison ont provoqué la mort de 17 assaillants et d'un policier, a annoncé mercredi la police nigériane.
"Dix-sept extrémistes ont été tués par nos hommes. Nous avons perdu un caporal de la police", a déclaré le chef de la police de l'Etat de Kano, le commissaire Ibrahim Idris.
Les dernières violences en date dans Kano, la deuxième ville du Nigeria et cible à plusieurs reprises d'attaques des islamistes du groupe Boko Haram ces dernières semaines, ont commencé par des attaques coordonnées au fusil et à l'explosif contre les trois postes de police des quartiers de Dala, Panshekara et Shallawa. (read more)
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