 |
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
 Posted: 16-10-2012 23:34 Post subject: |
 |
|
|
The cult appears to be moving to a policy of sustained urban warfare. But they won't sustain it for long without mass support.
| Quote: | Nigeria's Maiduguri shaken by 'Boko Haram' blasts
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19958107
Lt Col Sagir Musa said four Boko Haram militants were arrested overnight
The loud explosions that have rocked Nigeria's northern city of Maiduguri were orchestrated by the militant group Boko Haram, an army spokesman has said.
Lt Col Sagir Musa told the BBC the multiple attacks targeted locations used by the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) in the city, the Islamists' base.
He said 24 militants had been killed but denied reports that civilians or soldiers had died.
Witnesses say a primary school and a radio tower were set ablaze.
Last month the group, which wants to impose Sharia across Nigeria, attacked mobile phone masts across the north of the country - accusing mobile phone companies of helping security agencies to monitor its members.
Earlier in October witnesses said soldiers shot dead up to 30 civilians after a bomb attack on an army patrol in Maiduguri - accusations the army denied.
'Lockdown'
Lt Col Musa said the explosions were caused by rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices.
"This is not the first time that Boko Haram [has] used rocket-propelled grenades," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"The JTF recovered many assorted arms and ammunition," he said.
City residents say the latest trouble began on Monday afternoon when gunmen robbed a market.
There are also reports that a gunman shot dead a traffic warden in the city close to a military checkpoint.
Explosions were then heard, starting at around 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) - some residents say there were up to 15 blasts, the last one the loudest which shook the city.
Reports said soldiers sealed off nearly every street in the city centre when the attacks began and continued after dark.
Some residents were unable to get home overnight.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura in northern Nigeria says journalists face difficulties confirming casualties when covering such attacks as the authorities always try to downplay the situation.
In the incident earlier this month, soldiers in Maiduguri reportedly opened fire on a busy street after a bomb attack killed an army officer.
Shops and homes were also torched, witnesses said.
The army denied killing civilians although correspondents say it offered contradictory explanations about what had happened.
Attacks in central and northern Nigeria blamed on Boko Haram have killed some 1,400 people since 2010. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 21-10-2012 01:40 Post subject: |
|
|
|
BH commander caught in Senators house.
| Quote: | Nigeria army arrests 'Boko Haram commander'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20018670
Violence in Potiskum has reached an unprecedented level in recent days
The Nigerian army says it has arrested a senior commander of Boko Haram, as attacks by suspected members of the Islamist group continue.
Shuaibu Muhammed Bama was detained at the home of a serving senator in the city of Maiduguri, the army said.
The senator - who has not been named - denies the army's claim, which has fuelled suspicions that some politicians are helping the militants.
It comes as several people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack.
Gunmen stormed the home of a retired head of customs in the town of Potiskum, taking him away with his son and then shooting them both.
Potiskum has witnessed days of gunfire and bombings and several targeted killings in recent days.
'Discrediting government'
Shuaibu Muhammed Bama was arrested in Maiduguri earlier this week, the army said.
A military spokesman said that he was suspected of organising recent attacks in the region.
The army's claim that Mr Bama was held in a senator's house has once again fuelled the debate on whether politicians are helping the Islamist group, the BBC's Nigeria correspondent Will Ross reports.
Last year, another senator, also from Borno state, was arrested and charged over links to Boko Haram.
The senator denied any wrongdoing and was later released on bail.
However, analysts suggest that some politicians in northern Nigeria are prepared to side with the militants in order to discredit the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the south of the country, our correspondent adds.
Nigeria is roughly divided between a largely Muslim north, and the south, where Christianity and traditional religions dominate.
Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and impose Sharia law across Nigeria.
Attacks in central and northern Nigeria blamed on the group have killed some 1,400 people since 2010.
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 04-11-2012 02:00 Post subject: |
|
|
|
Now the army is carrying out atrocities.
| Quote: | Nigerian 'youths executed' in Boko Haram stronghold
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20178356
Dozens of young men have been shot dead in Nigeria by the military in Maiduguri, residents in the north-eastern city have told the BBC.
An imam told the BBC about 11 youths from his street alone were killed, including four of his own sons.
The alleged extrajudicial executions happened as Amnesty International accused the security forces of abuses in its crackdown on Islamist militants.
A military spokesman in Maiduguri said he was not aware of the incident.
But Lt Col Sagir Musa told the BBC investigations would be made.
Maiduguri is the stronghold of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which is fighting to impose Islamic law across Nigeria.
Hundreds of people in northern and central Nigeria have been killed in attacks blamed on the group over the last two years.
On Friday, retired General Mohammed Shuwa - key to crushing Biafran separatists during the brutal three-civil war in the 1960s - was shot by gunmen in his home in Maiduguri.
No-one has claimed responsibility for his killing, but Boko Haram is known for targeted assassinations of those they suspect oppose their views and work with the authorities.
Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday that the security forces have carried out widespread abuses in their campaign against the militants, killing, torturing and burning the houses of innocent civilians. Allegations denied by the military.
'Bodies in mortuary'
Malam Aji Mustapha, an imam in Maiduguri, said after morning prayers on Thursday soldiers took him and his children to an open field where many people had already been taken.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
In my street alone, about 11 youths were shot dead and no-one has given us an explanation about what they did”
Malam Aji Mustapha
Imam in Maiduguri
He told the BBC's Newsday programme that they were told to lie on the ground.
People were called forward for a screening process - the young men were checked against photos on a computer database and some of them were separated.
He said that they were ordered to look away and then he heard gunshots.
"They killed four of my children in front of me. They took their bodies to the mortuary of the general hospital," he said.
When he went to collect the bodies later, he saw the bodies of 48 youths, the imam said.
"In my street alone, about 11 youths were shot dead and no-one has given us an explanation about what they did."
The BBC Hausa Service has spoken to other residents in the city who had similar stories about house-to-house searches across the city - and those rounded up taken to the field for screening.
One man told the BBC he saw a dozen corpses at the general hospital. He identified one of them as a friend with whom he played football.
In response to the Amnesty International accusations, Nigeria's Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the government would never condone human rights abuses, but it should be remembered that the army was trying to curb "terrorist" acts.
"I think you need to look at the circumstances. When the UK was battling terrorism... the US, they had Guantanamo Bay.... All countries, when the security of their citizens is at stake, they try to use all the tools at their disposal," she said.
Ms Okonjo-Iweala added that she objected to suggestions that the security forces acted in a "heavy-handed" way.
"Everyday our security forces are putting their lives on the line to fight this issue [of violence by Boko Haram]." |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 17-11-2012 21:07 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria Boko Haram commander Ibn Saleh Ibrahim 'killed'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20357575
Boko Haram has staged numerous bombings across northern Nigeria in recent months
Nigeria's military has killed a top commander of militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, an army spokesman has said.
Ibn Saleh Ibrahim was killed in an exchange of fire with six of his lieutenants, the spokesman added.
An unknown number of civilians are said to have been killed in the crossfire, says a BBC reporter in Nigeria.
Boko Haram, which has killed hundreds of people since 2009, has not commented on Mr Ibrahim's reported death.
The group's founding leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed by security forces in July 2009.
'War hero'
Boko Haram is now said to be led by Abubakar Shekau.
Army spokesman Lt Col Sagir Musa told the BBC that Mr Ibrahim was "very close" to Mr Shekau and had a reputation of being "invincible".
"Yesterday [Thursday], we learned he was in town and we were able to track him in a special operation," he said.
"There was an exchange of fire and in the process he was killed with six of his lieutenants."
There has been no independent confirmation of Mr Ibrahim's role in Boko Haram.
Lt Col Musa said Mr Ibrahim had been responsible for last month's assassination of retired General Mohammed Shuwa following an order from Mr Shekau.
Gen Shuwa was shot dead at his home in Maiduguri - no group has said it carried out the attack.
He is regarded by the Nigerian military as a war hero, and played a key role in crushing Biafran separatists during Nigeria's brutal civil war in the 1960s.
In a statement, Lt Col Musa said the operation in Maiduguri, supported by armoured personnel carriers and helicopters, was on-going.
Weapons and explosive devices have been recovered, he added.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura in the northern city of Kaduna says residents in Maiduguri told him that the security forces have sealed off four areas within the city - Ngarnam, Bulabulin, Bayan Quarters and Flatari.
This has made it impossible for people to move in and out of the areas, though some managed to flee on Thursday when fighting broke out, he adds.
Military helicopters were circling the suspected Boko Haram strongholds, but no shooting was heard on Friday, our reporter quotes residents as saying.
Residents also told our reporter that during Thursday's clashes, civilians, including women and children, were killed after being caught in the crossfire.
The number of casualties is not known.
Earlier this month, rights group Amnesty International accused Nigeria's security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.
The group is campaigning to impose Islamic law across Nigeria.
It has carried out a wave of bombings and assassinations since 2009. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 19-11-2012 13:13 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria's Boko Haram battle: Army rejects 'killing' video
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20393010
The man pleaded for his life before apparently being shot
Nigeria's military has dismissed as fake a video said to show a soldier shooting dead a captive at close range in the northern city of Maiduguri.
A soldier who said he filmed the killing two weeks ago passed the recording to the Reuters news agency.
Nigeria's security forces have repeatedly been accused of summary executions while fighting the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram.
The BBC has not been able to verify the video's authenticity.
BBC Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says the video shows a man being pushed to the ground by a soldier, kicked in the head and then shot dead.
Next to him are at least four corpses, apparently of people who were also killed by soldiers.
An army spokesman said he had not seen the grainy video.
However, he believed it was staged and it was impossible for Nigerians soldiers to carry out such killings.
Earlier this month, rights group Amnesty International accused Nigeria's security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.
Chief of defence staff Admiral Ola Ibrahim described Amnesty's report as highly subjective but said the accusations were being investigated.
"We have rules of engagement. A few of our men who have violated some of these rules are on trial," he told the BBC last week.
"The information technology and present-day capacity to manipulate even pictures and use it to your advantage is part of the kind of warfare that we are acutely aware of."
Boko Haram is campaigning to impose Islamic law across Nigeria.
It has carried out a wave of bombings and assassinations in northern and central Nigeria since 2009.
Maiduguri is one of the group's strongholds. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 25-11-2012 16:50 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria blasts: Eleven dead at Kaduna barracks church
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20486998
Two suicide bombs have hit a church inside a military barracks in Kaduna state in northern Nigeria, killing 11 people and injuring 30, officials say.
A military spokesman told the BBC two vehicles were driven into the barracks in Jaji in what he described as "surprising and an embarrassment".
It is not clear who was responsible for the attack.
But the army suspects Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has recently targeted churches in the state.
The group is fighting to overthrow the government and impose an extreme form of Sharia, or Islamic law.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that while Christians and churches are frequently targeted, this incident looks more like a direct attack on the military.
On Friday, Nigeria's military offered a reward of 50m naira ($317,000; £197,709) for help in tracking down suspected Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, and 10m each for other suspected leaders of the group.
'Curious worshippers'
The military said a bus entered the barracks and was driven into the wall of the church where it exploded.
Ten minutes later, a car blew up outside the church.
"The first blast caused no casualties and curious worshippers gathered around the scene looking at the debris... and that was when the second blast happened," the military spokesman said.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing bodies at the scene, and people being carried away on stretchers.
At least 50 people were killed in bombings in Kaduna in June and the reprisals that followed.
And almost a month ago seven people died in a suicide bombing at a Roman Catholic church in the state.
Kaduna is on the dividing line between Nigeria's mainly Christian south and the north, which has a large Muslim majority. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 26-11-2012 21:34 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria gunmen attack Abuja Sars police HQ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20493739
Two police officers have been killed when a "large number of gunmen" attacked a Nigerian police base in the capital, Abuja, enabling five suspected robbers to escape, police say.
A police statement said the attack was repelled but that 30 detainees escaped, 25 of whom were recaptured.
Suspected robbers and militants from the Boko Haram Islamist group are often held at the police base.
No group has said it carried out the attack
Boko Haram wants to establish Islamic law in Nigeria and has killed hundreds of people this year, mostly in the mainly Muslim north.
The attack on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) headquarters in Abuja comes a day after a double suicide bombing killed 11 people in a church inside a military barracks in Kaduna state, north of the capital.
BBC Nigeria correspondent Will Ross says the high-level security breaches are embarrassing for the government.
Many Nigerians are still shocked by Sunday's bombing, wondering how the attackers could have entered the barracks, which houses Nigeria's elite military training centre, without some inside help, he adds.
The Sars base is near several government buildings and security is normally extremely tight in the area.
Heavily guarded
One Abuja resident said he heard gunfire for about half an hour in the early hours of Monday morning.
The suspects escaped during the confusion of the attack, the police statement said.
None of those who fled were held on terror-related charges, while two of the attackers were arrested, it said.
It also stressed that no explosive devices were used during the attack.
An AFP journalist at the Sars headquarters says there are no visible signs of damage to the building, which is heavily guarded with two armoured vehicles outside.
It is where suspects are held when they are first transferred to the capital.
While most Boko Haram attacks are carried out in the north, it has previously targeted Abuja.
Last year, a suicide bomber from the group attacked the main police headquarters in the capital killing six people.
The militants have also previously attacked prisons and freed hundreds of suspected Boko Haram members. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 03-12-2012 14:17 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Borno attacks: Nigeria 'militants' kill Christians
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20576217
Suspected Islamist fighters have killed 10 Christians in an overnight machete and gun attack in Borno state in north-east Nigeria.
Later, gunmen attacked government targets and churches near the border with Cameroon, killing five policemen.
It is not yet clear who was behind the attacks.
But the army suspects the Islamist Boko Haram group, which often targets security forces, government officials or Christians it views as infidels.
Late on Saturday night, residents say a group of men went from house to house in a largely Christian area of the remote village of Chibok, before slitting the throats of 10 people.
"Suspected Boko Haram came at night and set people's houses on fire before killing their victims," Nuhu Clark, a former councillor of the village who escaped the attack, told Reuters news agency. He said he counted 10 bodies.
Porous border
On Sunday, residents of Gamboru Ngala near the border with Cameroon said gunmen killed five policemen as they attacked a police station, immigrations and customs offices, as well as at least one church.
A police spokesman said it had been very difficult to obtain information as some of the mobile phone masts had previously been destroyed by Boko Haram.
Boko Haram is not behind all the violence in northern and central Nigeria, says the BBC's Will Ross in Lagos, and armed groups are known to operate near the porous border with Cameroon.
But it is clear that the police and army are unable to protect people against widespread and frequent attacks, adds our correspondent.
Human rights groups say that more than 3,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram since 2010.
The group is fighting to overthrow the government and impose an extreme form of Sharia, or Islamic law. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 03-01-2013 15:02 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria attack: Song police station burnt down
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20897659
Four people have been killed when a police station and local government office were destroyed by gunmen in north-eastern Nigeria, police say.
The attacks came in the town of Song, near the border with Cameroon.
A policeman, a soldier, a civilian and his grandchild were killed, the Adamawa state police spokesman told the BBC.
He did not blame any group but militants from the Boko Haram Islamist group have staged frequent attacks in northern Nigeria.
They have often targeted Adamawa state but this is believed to be the first time Song has been attacked.
Local residents say some of those who died were burnt to death.
Police spokesman Mohammed Ibrahim told BBC Hausa that extra security forces had been sent to the area.
He said there had been no arrests.
Last week, there was a similar attack in Maiha, also in Adamawa state.
Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency - a group seeking to impose Islamic law on the country - has claimed some 3,000 lives in recent years, human rights groups say. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 14-01-2013 12:46 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria 'arrests Boko Haram militant'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21011340
The Nigerian military says it has arrested a leader of the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram.
Mohammed Zangina was detained in the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of the north-eastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday afternoon, a statement said.
Mr Zangina, also known as Mallam Abdullahi and Alhaji Musa, was planning "deadly attacks" against civilians and security personnel there, it added.
Boki Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
The group has admitted being behind a number of attacks against churches and other establishments since 2009. More than 600 people were killed last year year in attacks blamed on it.
The military statement said Mr Zangina was leader of Boko Haram in the "North Central part of Nigeria and co-ordinator of most of the suicide attacks and bombings in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Jos and Potiskum".
He was also a key member of the group's Shura Committee, and a 25m naira ($159,000) reward had been offered for his capture, it added. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 20-01-2013 15:56 Post subject: |
|
|
|
BH attack a Muslim leader whike Nigeria send troops to Mali.
| Quote: | Nigeria: Gunmen attack Kano emir's convoy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21103322
The emir is revered in Nigeria - he met President Goodluck Jonathan after bombs in Kano a year ago
Nigeria gunmen have attacked the convoy of the prominent religious leader, the Emir of Kano.
The emir survived, but his driver and two guards were killed.
No-one has admitted the attack, but suspicion is bound to fall on the militant group Boko Haram, which has previously killed Muslim clerics.
The emir is highly revered by Muslims and the attacks have caused shock in northern Nigeria, says the BBC's Lagos correspondent, Will Ross.
Men on motorbikes and in a car opened fire on the emir's convoy as he was returning from a ceremony at a mosque.
"There was an unfortunate incident today. The emir's convoy was attacked by unknown gunmen as he was returning from Koranic graduation ceremony in Kano city, Kano state governor Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso told AFP news agency.
"Three people in his convoy were killed but the Emir is unhurt," he said.
Boko Haram gunmen have killed Muslim clerics before, including those who have spoken out against the group's campaign of violence, says our correspondent.
Emir al-Haji Ado Bayero - who is in his 80s - has been on the throne for almost 50 years and has been careful not to openly denounce the activities of the Islamist militants, he says.
Over the past two years, violence in northern Nigeria has escalated.
Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
The group has admitted being behind a number of attacks against churches and other establishments since 2009.
More than 600 people were killed last year in attacks blamed on it.
Human rights groups say that more than 3,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram since 2010.
Analysis
Will Ross
BBC News, Lagos
While Boko Haram has carried out many attacks, it is also clear that some of the attacks have been carried out by bandits with no link to the Islamist sect.
Analysts suggest the violence is political rather than religious at times.
In trying to crush the Islamist insurgency the army has often been accused of being extremely heavy-handed.
Nigeria has now started sending troops to Mali where they are to join a French led force fighting the largely Islamist forces in control of the north of the country. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 22-01-2013 20:51 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigeria Islamists suspected of deadly attack in Damboa
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21152122
Suspected Islamists have killed at least 12 people in the town of Damboa in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, residents and local officials say.
The attack occurred late on Monday. Eyewitnesses say the gunmen apparently targeted hunters selling bush meat.
Strict Muslims are forbidden to eat bush meat from animals such as monkeys and pigs.
The militant group Boko Haram, which is fighting to create an Islamic state, has staged many attacks in Borno state.
More than 600 people were killed last year in attacks blamed on the group across the country, Boko Haram was founded in the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri, in 2002. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 23-01-2013 14:02 Post subject: |
|
|
|
Update. Maybe there will be a backlash against BH similar to wghat occurred in Mali.
| Quote: | Boko Haram militants suspected of deadly attacks in Nigeria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21152122
Suspected Islamists have been blamed for the deaths of at least 23 people in separate attacks in north-eastern Nigeria.
Witnesses say gunmen apparently targeted hunters selling bush meat in Damboa on Monday, killing 18 people.
Another five people died on Tuesday when a group of men playing draughts was attacked in Kano.
The militant group Boko Haram, which is fighting to create an Islamic state, has staged many attacks in Nigeria.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010. Last year alone, the group was linked to more than 600 deaths.
On Monday, gunmen opened fire at a market in Damboa in Borno state, targeting hunters selling meat from animals such as monkeys and pigs, local government official Abba Ahmed told journalists.
Strict Muslims are forbidden to eat this type of bush meat.
"Gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram came to the town market and shot dead 13 local hunters on the spot while five others died from their injuries at the hospital," the official said.
Damboa is located near the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri, the stronghold of Boko Haram. The militant group was founded in the city in 2002.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of a deadly attack in Kano, the main city in northern Nigeria, 500km (310 miles) west of Damboa.
Gunmen riding on motorbikes opened fire on people playing an outdoor board game, police and witnesses say.
Gambling is also strictly forbidden under Islamic law. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 24-01-2013 14:01 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Nigerian militants suspected of Maiduguri beheadings
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21162787
Suspected militant Islamists have beheaded five people in Nigeria's north-eastern city of Maiduguri, a resident has told the BBC.
The men were attacked during raids on three homes overnight, he said in an account confirmed by a local reporter.
However, the military told the BBC only three people had been killed.
At least 23 others have been killed in separate attacks in the north this week blamed on militants wanting to impose Islamic law on Nigeria.
The insurgency was launched by Boko Haram in Maiduguri in 2009, but a second militant group, Ansaru, emerged last year.
Last month, suspected militants slit the throats of at least 15 Christians near Maiduguri.
In the latest attack, the assailants first beheaded a father and son at their home, before beheading two other men at their residence and a fifth person at another house in Maiduguri, said a resident, who spoke to the BBC Hausa service on condition of anonymity.
It is unclear who carried out the attacks or what their motives were, but there are strong suspicions that Boko Haram was involved, the resident said.
Hunters killed
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Two gunmen lost their lives and a soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire”
Lt-Col Sagir Musa
Army spokesman
A Maiduguri-based journalist confirmed the resident's account to the BBC.
But army spokesman Lt-Col Sagir Musa said suspected gunmen killed three people during the attack.
The joint task force - made up of soldiers and policemen - rushed to the scene when it was alerted, he said.
"It cordoned off the area, arrested three suspects and recovered one assault rifle with ten rounds of ammunition," Lt-Col Musa said.
"Two gunmen lost their lives and a soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire."
On Monday, gunmen apparently targeted hunters selling bush meat in Damboa in north-east Nigeria, killing 18 people, witnesses said.
Another five people died on Tuesday when a group of men playing draughts was attacked in Kano.
No group has said it is responsible for the attacks.
Strict Muslims believe it is forbidden to eat animals such as monkeys or to play games that could influence people to take up gambling.
These attacks followed an attempt on the life of the second most important Muslim leader in Nigeria, the Emir of Kano, whose convoy came under fire on Sunday. He survived but several of his guards were killed
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010.
Last year alone, the group was linked to more than 600 deaths.
Ansaru announced its existence last June.
In December, it said it had kidnapped French national Francis Colump in the northern Katsina state. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 02-02-2013 13:20 Post subject: |
|
|
|
| Quote: | Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria raids 'kill 17 militants'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21299327
Nigeria's military said it has killed 17 insurgents in an attack on two training camps belonging to the Boko Haram Islamist group.
One soldier was also killed in the firefight that broke out after they moved in on the camps, backed by helicopter gunships, the military said.
Spokesman Lt Col Sagir Musa said the "fortified" camps were in a forest and a game reserve in Borno State.
Boko Haram is seeking to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.
The group has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010.
The military "conducted two special operations supported by Nigerian Airforce helicopter gunship[s] to dislodge Boko Haram training camps" in the Ruwa forest and the Sambisa Game Reserve, Lt Col Musa said in a statement.
"The camp was properly... fortified and had training facilities, an armoury, accommodation, a drug store, kitchen, vehicle holding area, latrine and water points," he said.
Boko Haram has not yet commented on the incident.
The group was formed in Maiduguri, capital of the north-eastern Borno State, in 2002. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
