Metro
Children of suspected Boko Haram members flee terrorists’ enclave, surrender to troops in Borno
Two teenage girls, believed to be relatives of Boko Haram members, have escaped from a terrorist enclave in the Mandara Mountains and surrendered to troops of Operation HADIN KAI in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The development was reported by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security analyst covering the Lake Chad region.
According to the report, the girls surrendered at about 3:55pm. on July 21 to troops of C Company, 192 Battalion Mechanised, deployed in Gwoza.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the minors escaped from the Grazah terrorist enclave in the Mandara Mountains before making their way to the military position.
“The girls escaped from the Grazah terrorist enclave before surrendering to troops,” the report stated.
The girls were identified as 11-year-old Fatima Adamu and seven-year-old Rahima Adamu.
“Military sources said the two minors were received by the troops, properly screened and documented in line with established operational procedures,” the report stated.
According to the report, the girls are currently in the custody of the 192 Battalion, where they are undergoing further profiling and administrative procedures.
Makama further reported that the latest surrender adds to the growing number of women and children fleeing Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, enclaves as sustained military offensives continue to mount pressure on insurgent strongholds across the North-East.
The report also noted that although the general security situation across the theatre remains calm, troops have maintained high operational readiness while continuing offensive operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.
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Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have destroyed two improvised explosive devices, IEDs, and conducted extensive clearance operations across parts of Borno State as part of ongoing wet season offensives aimed at denying Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists freedom of movement.
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed the development in a post shared via his X handle.
According to Makama, the coordinated operations were carried out on Monday, July 21, under Operation DESERT SANITY V by troops of Sector 2 in collaboration with volunteer forces.
Makama quoted intelligence sources as saying that troops of the 19 Battalion (Mechanised) and 25 Brigade Garrison, comprising 134 soldiers supported by 100 volunteer fighters, mounted on four Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, six gun trucks, three troop-carrying vehicles, one VP1 vehicle and 17 motorcycles, carried out a clearance operation along the Damboa–Bulabulin–Kumala Main Supply Route and adjoining communities.
During the operation, troops swept the Kumala and Bulabulin general areas, where they discovered two primed improvised explosive devices planted along the route by suspected terrorists.
The explosive devices were safely detonated in situ, preventing what security sources described as a potential attack on military personnel and civilian road users.
The troops also encountered a suspected terrorist logistics supplier, who fled on sighting the advancing forces.
In a related operation conducted simultaneously, combined troops of the 162 Amphibious Battalion, 231 Battalion and 331 Artillery Regiment, alongside 117 volunteer fighters, carried out clearance patrols across Diwa, Liya, Bam, Ngilu, Sura, Pela and Pela Sanga communities.
The combined force, comprising 32 soldiers mounted on two MRAPs and 75 motorcycles, thoroughly searched the communities and surrounding areas without making contact with insurgents or discovering any terrorist camps.
Military sources, according to Makama, said the clearance operations form part of sustained efforts under Operation DESERT SANITY V to dominate the theatre, secure key supply routes, detect explosive hazards and prevent terrorists from re-establishing camps during the rainy season.
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Metro
Benue killings: ‘We have been abandoned to our fate’ – Agonising residents recount latest ordeal
Fear has gripped residents of Benue State as suspected Fulani herdsmen continue to cause mayhem in various communities.
DAILY POST reports that Benue South (Idoma speaking area) is bearing the brunt of recent attacks, which have claimed many lives and property.
The recent wave of deadly attacks in that area has claimed nearly 60 lives, centered primarily around the Otukpo Local Government Area.
The attack, often attributed to suspected armed herdsmen, has triggered widespread protests and caused a massive humanitarian displacement crisis, with youths of the community storming the palace of the paramount ruler of the Idoma nation (Och’Idoma) with corpses of those killed by the attackers.
Many residents suspect that the fresh wave of violence involves retaliatory acts following the June 26 ambush and murder of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isa.
The recent attacks came after a yet-to-be-identified Fulani man threatened that the people of Benue State would regret the killing of the MACBAN president in the state.
DAILY POST reports that no fewer than 10 persons were confirmed dead after separate attacks by suspected armed herdsmen on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state.
The attack started when suspected assailants attacked Akpachi village in Ugboju community, killing two persons and leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries.
Barely 24 hours later, the attackers invaded the Otukpo Nobi community, where eight persons were killed and several others injured.
Away from that and less than 48 hours, residents of Ondo community in Ugboju, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, fled their homes following a fresh attack by suspected Fulani armed herdsmen.
The attackers stormed the community in the early hours of the day and opened fire, forcing residents to flee for safety.
Again, about two days later, suspected armed herders stormed Ankpechi community in Oglewu Ward, along the Otukpo-Oweto-Abuja Road in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, shot at residents and looted several provision stores.
Suspected armed herders also stormed Ankpechi community in Oglewu Ward, along the Otukpo-Oweto-Abuja Road in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, shot at residents and looted several provision stores.
The attackers were said to have stormed the area and fired sporadically forcing residents, including traders and customers, to flee for safety.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Ohimini Local Government Area, Mr Gabriel Adole, said the attackers were suspected armed herdsmen.
“Yes, there was an attack this morning between 8am and 9am by suspected armed herdsmen. They came to Ankpechi community in Oglewu Ward, shooting sporadically. They shot one person, forcing residents to scamper for safety,” Adole said.
‘Our blood not worthless’ – Idoma diaspora demands urgent action over Benue killings
Responding to the attacks, the Idoma Association in the United States appealed to President Bola Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to end the persistent killings in Benue South Senatorial District.
The group described the attacks on communities in Idoma land as a sustained campaign of violence that has lasted for more than a decade.
They also termed the attacks as the “wanton slaughter, maiming and total annihilation” of the Idoma people by suspected armed herdsmen.
“With a high sense of responsibility and a bleeding heart, we are compelled to draw your attention, Your Excellency, to the wanton slaughter, maiming and total annihilation of our people, the good people of Idoma land in Benue South Senatorial District of Benue State by bloodthirsty herdsmen, a barbarism that has lasted over a decade unhindered,” the group stated.
Idoma UK Community urges Benue Govt to hunt down perpetrators
Similarly, the Idoma Community United Kingdom, ICUK, has called on the Benue State Government to work with security agencies to identify, apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the recent deadly attacks on communities in Otukpo and Ohimini local government areas of the state.
The call followed an emergency meeting of the diaspora group held on Sunday in response to the attacks, which claimed several lives and left many residents displaced.
In a communiqué signed by the President of ICUK, Chief Dr. Williams Obande, the community strongly condemned what it described as the brutal killings of innocent Idoma people and urged the government to ensure those behind the attacks are brought to justice.
“We strongly condemn the brutal killings of innocent Idoma people and call on the Benue State Government to work closely with security agencies to identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous crimes,” the communiqué read.
Speaking to DAILY POST, one of the protesters at the Och’Idoma palace, Ojima Inalegwu revealed that 16 people were killed in Otukpo Nobi, including her sister and two children.
“I am in great pain. As I speak to you now, I’m drenched in tears. I lost my only sister and her two children.
“The question I have been asking is, ‘When will all these end?’ It appears the Federal and state governments have left us to our fate. It’s quite unfortunate,” she lamented.
Another teary protester, Anebi Ogwu, recounted that a three-year-old infant’s head was shattered while on the back of his fleeing mother, and a seven-year-old who was sweeping the front of the local church around 5am was gunned down, just as the clan head of Ai-Ochaikpigwu, Ebegidi Ukwenya, almost 90 years old, was shot on his arm and stomach.
“Before the attack, one Fulani young man boldly made a viral video, threatening that they were coming to attack the Idoma nation. Instead of the government taking pro-active measures, it did not.
“Maybe it’s because this thing has not happened to any of these top government officials, that’s why they did not feel it,” he said.
Another native simply identified as Olotu blasted all the Local Government chairmen of the Benue South over their ‘non-challant attitude’ towards the tragic attacks that are almost becoming a routine in the Idoma nation.
He said, “Remember when the Benue MACBAN president was murdered. All the Local Government chairmen were running helter-skelter to television and radio houses, condemning the act.
“I’m not justifying the killing of the man. But now that scores of Idoma sons and daughters are being gruesomely killed in cold blood, they have all gone to their shells. Shame on them,” he said.
Residents of Wasagu community in Kebbi State have raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity following separate bandit attacks that claimed the life of an elderly farmer and left another abducted within 24 hours.
The latest incident occurred on Tuesday evening when armed bandits reportedly shot the farmer while he was working on his farmland.
According to local sources, the victim was rushed to the General Hospital, Wasagu, where he was confirmed dead by medical personnel.
The killing came barely 24 hours after another farmer was reportedly abducted by bandits on Monday while working on a farm near Wasagu town.
The renewed attacks have heightened fears among residents, who said farming, the main source of livelihood in the community, has become increasingly dangerous as bandits continue to operate around farmlands and neighbouring communities during the peak of the farming season.
Residents also expressed concern over what they described as the slow implementation of security measures promised by the Kebbi State Government following previous attacks in the area.
They recalled that during a visit by a high-powered delegation led by the Deputy Governor, the state government pledged to deploy additional security personnel, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and establish a Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base, FOB, in Wasagu to strengthen security.
However, residents said the promised interventions are yet to materialise, alleging that killings and kidnappings have continued unabated.
They also lamented what they described as the limited response from most elected representatives, noting that Senator Garba Musa Maidoki has remained one of the few public officials to consistently raise security concerns affecting Kebbi South.
The residents appealed to both the Kebbi State Government and the Federal Government to urgently reinforce security in the area, fulfil earlier commitments, and take decisive steps to protect lives, restore confidence, and enable farmers to return safely to their farmlands.
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