Sunday 10 March 2013


52 Boko Haram Members, 2 Soldiers Die In Fresh Offensive

Details of the five hours gun battle between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and suspected members of the Boko Haram sect on Friday came yesterday from the military authorities.
Soon after President Goodluck Jonathan left Maiduguri on Friday, the state capital after a one-day official visit, bombs exploded in Budum area and other parts of the metropolis. Many residents were feared killed in the serial blasts.
In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Sunday yesterday morning, JTF spokesman, Lt-Col. Sagir Musa, said based on intelligence report, a series of operations were conducted by the task force in the last 10 days from in Borno State.
“The latest was the one conducted at Bulabulin, Bayern Quarters and Jajeri in Maiduguri metropolis between 3pm -8 pm yesterday (Friday, 8th February, 2011. During these operations under the period stated, there were exchange of fire that led to the death of 52 Boko Haram terrorists including 10 commanders of the sect. Seventy terrorists were also arrested. In the period under review, the JTF lost two personnel, three were wounded and no civilian casualty was recorded. The under-listed weapons, ammunition, uniforms and other items were recovered in yesterday (Friday’s)operation,” Musa said.
He listed the weapons recovered from the terrorists as t 3 anti-aircraft guns, 10 rocket propelled grenade tubes, 3 general purpose machine guns, 17 AK-47 rifles, 3 G-3 rifles, 1 pistol (Lama), 20 RPG bombs, 12 RPG chargers, 1x 36 hand held grenade, 1 teargas rifle, 33 AK 47 magazines, 11 FN magazines, 3 G3 magazines, 11,068 assorted ammunitions, 2 technical vehicles with mounted anti-aircraft stands, 1 box of weapons cleaning kit, 4 swords and 2 knives, 5 walking talkies, 4 VHF hand held sets, 1 Multilinksrouter, assorted uniforms and kits.
Musa thanked members of the public particularly “our moles in the Boko Haram’s camp for giving us the information that assisted in the successes so far recorded. Thus, members of the public are reminded to continue to give credible and timely information to security agencies to combat insecurity through the following hot lines that are operational 24/7:08064174066, 07065464012 and 08154429346.”
Meanwhile, Hon. Ibrahim AdamuTudunDoki,who is the Sokoto State coordinator of the Joint Action Forum on Fuel Subsidy Protest and a member of the Movement in Defence of Injustice against Humanity, has appealed to President Jonathan to review his position not to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram group because they were “ghosts.”
He said they werenot ghosts because they appear in the open and have avenue of channelling information to the public.
Doki further said that, “We were told that the federal government has started negotiating with the Boko Haram only but the president’s position has put a lie to it. The government cannot tell us that these people are ghosts because if they were dialoguing, it would be wrong for the president to declarethe Boko Haram boys as ghosts and deny them amnesty.”
In Niger State, President Jonathan’s rejection of amnesty for Boko Haram has been greeted with mixed reactions.
Some leaders interviewed by LEADERSHIP Sunday on the matter, who would not want their namesin print believed that the president’s decision was right while otherssaid if the federal government granted amnesty the terrorists, the actionmight force to surrender their arms.
An Islamic scholar said that the decision of the president was not right but might be in the interest of the country unknown to ordinary people.
A prominent politician said that the president did not know how to take critical decision to create a good image for him.

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