Kills ‘over 100 militants’
Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary says in a statement broadcast on national radio that the Cameroonian army has killed more than 100 Boko Haram fighters seeking to infiltrate the town of Fotokol on the northern tip of the country. The town is separated from the Boko Haram-held Nigerian border town of Gamboru Ngala only by a bridge. In what he describes as a ‘severe setback’ to the Nigeria-based militant group, he says Boko Haram fired two shells into Fotokol around 1 p.m. (0800 EDT):
There were no casualties reported on the Cameroonian side after the attack. Our defence forces responded vigorously with mortar fire aimed at the positions held by units of the Boko Haram terrorist group that was behind the attack. The Cameroonian response resulted in over 100 deaths among the aggressors.
Nigeria free of Ebola
The WHO says 42 days have passed since the last case tested negative. Coun try director Rui Gama Vaz:
The outbreak in Nigeria has been contained
Baga massacre
The group carries out series of mass killings in Nigerian town of Baga and surrounding areas. Over 2,000 people are killed. Muhammad Abba Gava, a civilian defense group spokesman:
The human carnage perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists in Baga was enormous. No one could attend to the corpses and even the seriously injured ones who may have died by now.
Elected
Gen Buhari beats incumbent Jonathan by more than 2.5 million votes, to become the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.
Girls and women rescued
Nigeria’s military says it is moving 200 girls and 93 women from a northeastern forest where they were rescued from Boko Haram extremists. The army says many are traumatized and that military will fly in medical and intelligence teams to establish their psychological and physical health. They started evacuating them from the Sambisa Forest but would not say to where. Military operations continue in the forest, while troops destroy four Boko Haram camps. Sources say Boko Haram used some of the women as armed human shields, a first line of defense who fired at troops.
Sworn in
Buhari is sworn in as Nigerian president in front of cheering crowds with a 21-gun salute.
I, Muhammadu Buhari, do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the federal republic of Nigeria,That, as president of the federal republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability and in accordance with the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and the law.
13-year-old suicide bomber killed
A girl aged about 13 is killed when explosives strapped to her body goes off near a major mosque in northern Nigeria’s largest city Kano. No one else is caught up in the blast. Police:
She blew up killing herself. Nobody else was hurt in the incident, It’s very likely the mosque was her target, but the explosives went off prematurely.
First beheading video
Boko Haram releases its first video of a beheading. The ten minute-long video begins with exchange machine gun fire and heavy mortar fire against Nigerian troops. It shows group members standing next to the corpses of scorched Nigerian troops – and showing off their security badges to the camera. The video ends with the murder of a captured African Union soldier. The man kneels in front of three masked Boko Haram members – two of whom point AK47s at his head. The video then cuts to reveal his decapitated body lying motionless on the floor.
We announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to West Africa. Our caliph has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa.
Dismisses officials
President Buhari dismisses all of his country’s top military officials, announcing the elevation of Maj. Gen. Buratai, currently the head of the multinational anti-Boko Haram force to army chief of staff.
Suicide bombing
An elderly woman and a ten-year-old girl are identified as being behind the blasts at a screening area for Eid prayers in Damaturu, just as prayers get underway to mark the end of the month-long Ramadan fast. Four persons die in the first explosion and seven people are injured, while five people lose their lives in the second explosion and 11 are wounded. Official:
Troops and security agencies responded immediately. The situation is under control. Both Yobe State Governor and the Chief of Army Staff, sympathise with and urged the people to stay calm and be security conscious.
Vows to recover crude oil funds
Buhari alleges that 250,000 barrels of crude are being stolen every day, with the profits going into individual bank accounts. He tells an audience at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington that the United States and other countries are helping us to trace such accounts now.
We will ask that such accounts be frozen and prosecute the persons. The amount involved is mind-boggling. Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them.
Rejects legalization
Buhari informs United States lawmakers that Nigeria cannot shift its anti-gay stance. Speaking at the joint session of U.S. Senate and House Committees on Foreign Affairs he says sodomy is against Nigeria’s law and abhorrent to its culture. The president’s special adviser:
The issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday, PMB was pointblank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture. Talks shifted to another matter once PMB emphatically stated Nigeria’s stand on same sex marriage. The issue was not pushed,
Claims Leahy law aids Boko Haram
Buhari says the US Leahy Law, which prohibits the US Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights, aids Boko Haram. He says that the blanket application of the Leahy Law by the US on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against the Nigerian Armed forces denies the country access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war against the insurgents.
In the face of abduction of innocent school girls from their hostels, indiscriminate bombings of civilians in markets and places of worship, our forces have remained largely impotent because they do not possess the appropriate weapons and technology, which they could have had, had the so-called human rights violations not been an obstacle. Unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the Leahy law amendment by the US government has aided and abetted the Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes. I believe this is not the spirit of the Leahy Laws. I know the American people cannot support any group engaged in these crimes.
Leader absent from video
Boko Haram releases a new video in Nigeria, with leader Shekau again failing to appear in it. His continued absence increases speculation that Shekau is in deep hiding, or has been killed.. In the eight-minute video, an unidentified young man speaks in the name of the Islamic State in West Africa calling on people to be patient:
We are still present everywhere we had been before.
The man speaks in the regional Hausa language, with subtitles in Arabic and English. The video shows the militants attacking a security checkpoint, seizing weapons, and slitting the throat of a man dressed in a police uniform.
US considers lifting Leahy Law
Congressman Issa tells military authorities in the Nigerian capital Abuja that the US is considering whether to relax or completely lift the ban to improve Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.
This is because of the trust in the new regime which has begun the process of ensuring that the military’s professionalism in the battle field is made in a way that we all can be confident that the rule of law is followed. Following this development, we have begun the process of lifting restrictions under the Leahy Law but the vast majority of the support US provides will be given regardless of the restrictions.
Backs oil clean up plan
Buhari says he’s accelerating plans for one of the world’s largest oil cleanups following 50 years of spillage at operations in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta. He approves the composition of a governing council and board of trustees to oversee the restoration plan. A group of ‘stakeholders’ will release as much as $10 million within 30 days of formally creating a trust fund to manage financial contributions, according to an e-mailed statement from the office of the presidency. The UN says the recovery would be the world’s ‘most wide-ranging and long-term oil cleanup’ lasting three decades and it will take an initial capital injection of $1 billion. The two organizations that will oversee the oil clean up will have representatives from the petroleum and environment ministries, the United Nations and the state-run oil company, according to the statement from Buhari’s office.
Report: Some members want dialogue
The Centre for Crisis Communication says some elements of Boko Haram have reached out to the centre to facilitate dialogue with the federal government to end the insurgency in the country. The Center says that while the option of dialogue with the group is a hard sell, the window opened recently by President Buhari on the possibility of dialogue with genuine members of the terrorist group rekindled the hope for dialogue.
However the founder of Future Prowess Islamic Foundation, which takes care of hundreds of children, including those that lost their parents as a result of the Boko Haram crisis says several mistakes were made in the past and urged the government to trade softly.
We had phantom offers of dialogue in the past that did not yield any positive result and we must not complicate the issue any further. Government and our security forces must not give room for scammers. The real Boko Haram terrorists are in the hinterland; the way they operate is different. Yes, some members or foot soldiers of the Boko Haram may offer themselves available for dialogue but do they have the capacity to make any impact? Do they have the outreach to stop the mayhem we are experiencing? Do they have the ware withal to tell their members to lay down their arms? The answer is no. Our security agents must use their knowledge of intelligence to verify the identity of those that make the recent offer so that resources would not be wasted for a fruitless exercise.
Lawmaker urges Boko Haram negotiation
A member of the House of Representatives urges Buhari to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.
However, if it is about the Chibok girls, I support negotiating with Boko Haram. Life is precious. Anything that will bring the girls back is in order. Outside that, we should not negotiate with them. By the way who are we negotiating with? They have no agenda; nothing! They say they are anti book, yet they kill uneducated farmers. They say they are muslims, yet they kill Rasheeds and Ibrahims innocently selling goods at markets in the North East. Meanwhile, with Buhari who has deep background in military and security, I believe we will soon end them (Boko Haram). We also have to block corruption in the military.
Orders airspace takeover
President Buhari orders the takeover of the security of Nigeria’s airspace over the Gulf of Guinea from Ghana, the first time in 70 years that the country will be managing its airspace.
The Ministry of Aviation says the country’s airspace is safe and had just recorded a score of over 90 percent by the International Civil Aviation:
We have a directive by the president to start the process of securing the management of Nigerian airspace over the Gulf of Guinea, which Ghana has been maintaining since 1945 and there is a move on the ground by Togo and Republic of Benin to take over the management of their own airspace from Ghana.
Buhari also directs the Ministry of Aviation to expedite action on the setting up of a new national carrier. Four state-of-the-art terminals are currently being constructed in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu with a loan from China, and will be ready by the first quarter of 2016.
Seven killed, four arrested
At least seven people are killed in attacks on Malari and three other neighbouring village in a remote area of Borno State by suspected Boko Haram members. A member of youth vigilante group says the insurgents started with Malari and proceeded to the three other villages, shooting on sight.
Casualties were minimal because people fled as soon as they heard about the Malari attack. That is why the casualty figure is seven, our men counted the corpses when they went to evacuate the dead ones after the Monday attacks.
A local politician from the area, tells the state governor during a visit to the area that nearly 1,000 people were displaced by the attacks. Four suspected members of the terror group are arrested by members of the youth vigilante group in a raid on the suspected hideouts of the insurgents after an earlier attack.
All four suspects who are locals of Malari village were disowned and exposed by their families on returning to the village. We arrested two of them today after their father handed them over to us, then they led us into the bush where two others hid themselves.
Upon interrogation, one of the suspects confessed their affiliation with the group. The suspects are paraded before the state governor. The governor, who recently returned from a visit with Buhari to the United States and neighbouring Cameroon, assures the villagers that his recent trip would soon yield positive results and that destroyed homes would be rebuilt.