Displaying items by tag: Boko Haram

On Wednesday the Nigerian army said it had arrested 963 persons suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists during an operation between 4 and 9 January. Commander Lucky Irabor said, ‘On 3 January four women and thirteen children were apprehended by vigilantes and were later handed over to our troops. Preliminary investigation revealed that the women were wives of Boko Haram terrorists who fled from Sambisa forest as a result of our operations. All suspects are now in our custody undergoing investigation. On 5 January, following a tip-off, troops arrested four Boko Haram suspects at Shuwari village. Also on 5 January, 119 Nigerian Internal Displacement Persons (IDPs) were handed over to Nigerian troops at Banki by the Cameroonian forces. On 9 January, a surrendered Boko Haram member was identified as a male sympathiser and spy in Monguno area.’

A day of mourning has been declared for the victims of killings in Kaduna, which is to be observed on Sunday, 8 January, 2017. This is following a massacre that occurred on the evening on Monday, 26 December, 2016, in the Sanga Local Government Area of the state. The Secretary General of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Musa Asake, made the call for a special prayer for the victims, reported to be 38 in number. ‘In view of the present predicament, the president of CAN has directed that Sunday, 8 January, be declared a national day of mourning by all Christians. We are to pray fervently for our southern Kaduna brothers and sisters who are victims of these wanton killings and also for the peace of our dear country, Nigeria.’ Asake thinks the presidency is not doing anything substantial in response to the mass killing of innocent people. ‘While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for waging war against the Boko Haram fundamentalists since his assumption of office, his silence in the ongoing genocide in the last few weeks speaks volumes over the perceived official endorsement of the dastardly and ungodly acts. The security operatives in the area appear to be turning blind eyes to the killings.’