The apex northern socio-cultural organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and the Northern Elders Forum yesterday cautioned the federal government about the proscription of Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad known as Boko Haram and Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, saying that there is the need for the government to take cognizance of the citizens’ fundamental rights in exercising the gazetted Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013.
ACF’s spokesman Anthony Sani, in his reaction, said: “The proscription of Boko Haram and Ansarul may appear to be the right course of action, but we do not know how the strategy of ‘stick and carrot’ would be effected with an illegal organisation.
“Maybe the federal government has a way of going about it now that the religious sect has been banned.”
For his part, the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Ango Abdullahi, said: “We don’t know the content of the proscription as regards the Boko Haram and Ansarul.
“Boko Haram, to my understanding, is not an organization that has been in existence under the Nigerian laws. You proscribe an organisation when it is recognised or registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as an organisation … It was founded as an organisation offending the laws of Nigeria. This is the basis one can say that such organisation could be proscribed.
“But, outside that, one begins to hope that there will not be infringement on freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of propagating religious beliefs and many rights that are enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.”
He stressed further: “I hope that none of these freedoms will be touched because if they touch them there is a clear infringement on the right of the citizens. And the citizens will go to court to challenge the violation of their rights.
“Our concern is that these organisations are not in any law book, not in Corporate Affairs. Government initially said they didn’t know the group. So you only proscribed what is in existence under the law.
“What I thought government should do is to concentrate on what they are doing and to see in what way these people can emerge and engage in discussion and dialogue so that these crises could come to an end.
“Our concern is that our rights as citizens will not in any way be breached.
“Everybody was happy when the committee on peace and dialogue was set up, and then soon after there was a declaration of state of emergency. The people you said they should come and talk with you — how will they come out when there is a state of emergency? How do you expect them to come out? The proscription, again, is undermining the work of the committee; the committee cannot make progress after this proscription.”
JTF uncovers more caches of arms in Kano
But the last may not have been heard about the discovery of arms and ammunitions from the hideout of elements suspected to be terrorists with links to the deadly Hezbollah, as security operatives in Kano yesterday made new discoveries.
The weapons were uncovered at No. 3 Gaya Road, Bompai area in Kano metropolis, where a bunker stocked with Hezbollah armoury was fished out recently leading to the arrest of three Lebanese nationals.
In a statement made available to our correspondent and signed by the spokesman of 3 Brigade Nigerian Army, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, said that further search on the bungalow led to another astonishing discovery of dangerous weapons buried under a wardrobe.
Iweha said: “After painstaking search of the whole premises, the search team uncovered an underground bunker in the master bedroom where a large quantity of assorted weapons of different types and calibre and ammunition which were properly wrapped was recovered.
“On further search of the property, a cooler was recovered buried under the wardrobe which had in it 80 indicators, 5 PPK pistols, 334 rds of 7.62mm special, 9 magazines, 4 pistol silencers, 18 36 hand grenades caps, 4 explosive fuses and 2 explosive devices.
“You may recall that on 28 May 2013, a combined team of the DSS and 3 Brigade Nigerian Army conducted a thorough search of a house located at No. 3 Gaya Road off Bompai Road Kano, belonging to one Abdul Hassan Taher Fadlalla, a Lebanese national who is currently out of the country.
“We continue to count on the support and cooperation of the good people of Kano in the effective discharge of our duties while we assure you of our utmost commitment in ensuring that peace and an atmosphere suitable for business continue to prevail.”
Emergency Rule: Special Force arrests 49 insurgents in Yobe
The Special Force that is enforcing the state of emergency in the northeastern part of the country has apprehended 49 suspected Boko Haram terrorists in various locations in Yobe State following a tip-off by locals in some communities.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Defence Headquarters in a statement issued and signed by its spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, in Abuja.
“The arrests which were made during cordon-and-search operation also witnessed the recovery of various weapons including AK 47 rifles, locally made pistols and ammunition by the troops combing the vicinities of towns such as Rugan Fulani, Arikime, Afghanistan and Ngandu villages,” the DHQ stated.
This was disclosed to the Defence Headquarters Operation Assessment Team in Damaturu during the weekend. The team led by Air Commodore BE Inyang was also told that all the camps of the terrorists in the area had been dislodged as some of the insurgents fled towards Niger Republic.
The team was also informed that some of the insurgents had turned to armed robbery and assassinations of members of rival groups.
“The DHQ team was also informed of a trend whereby some particular crimes have now taken the place of terrorism as the criminals now resort to brigandage, robbery and attempted assassination of business rivals.”
The military authorities however assured law-abiding citizens of adequate security as arrangements have been made towards that.
“All law-abiding Nigerians were however assured of the safety of their life and property as troops of the Special Forces comprising various security agencies including the police anti-bomb squads are working round the clock to nip the negative trend in the bud. Citizens were further encouraged to continue to volunteer information on the activities of any terrorists in order to help troops rid the state of insurgents.”
Meanwhile, a key terrorist who specializes in recruiting young men into the fold has been apprehended by troops in Maiduguri following a tip-off. The same individual who also watches over the insurgents’ armoury was arrested in one of the cordon-and-search operations by the Special Forces.
The DHQ also disclosed that another group of five insurgents, all Nigeriens, were arrested when troops stormed their hideout at Mallam Fatori as they attempted to escape in two Toyota Cruiser jeeps.
“Troops continue to patrol the notorious Sambisa forest and are also cordoning the Alou forest and Gwoza hills. More abandoned vehicles, weapons and other items are being recovered in the camps of the insurgents. Among the recent finds are rifles, double-barrel guns, various charms and amulets, machine guns as well as pairs of camouflage uniforms, bows and quiver, and assorted rifle magazines. Others are handsets, walkie-talkie, car number plates and some food items. Abandoned vehicles recovered include a Golf car, a Honda, Customs pickup van, Honda (2003 Model) and a Volkswagen Monte Carlo”.
In a related development, police stations are now being reportedly reopened in some parts of Borno State. At Kirenowa, detachments of police anti-terrorist unit have been deployed to complement security in the area.
Meanwhile, a team of local and foreign journalists have commenced a tour of the operational areas of the Joint Task Force. The tour organised by the Defence Headquarters is to ensure that the media have a first-hand information on the situation in the operational areas.
Senate says ban on Boko Haram, Ansaru belated, backs US $7m bounty on Shekau
Senate spokesman Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Tuesday proscription of Nigeria’s extremist Islamic sect Boko Haram and its reported offshoot, Ansaru, was coming a “little late”.
Abaribe, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, also backed the United States government’s placement of a $7 million bounty on Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram, on Monday.
Jonathan had, in the proscription of Boko Haram, authorized the gazetting of an order declaring the group’s activities illegal and acts of terrorism.
The order which has been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention) (Proscription Order) Notice 2013 affects both Boko Haram (Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad) and another group, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (as amended).
Senator Abaribe in a media chat yesterday disclosed that the Senate will support the federal government’s effort to restore peace to restive areas.
Abaribe: “The Senate supports the efforts of the government in curbing the rising rate of insecurity in the country. The ban of Boko Haram and Ansaru is coming a little late. We support the federal government on this. This will in no way affect the amnesty programme which is for those who have denounced terrorism.”
On the $7 million bounty on Boko Haram leader, Abaribe said: “Terrorism is global in nature and the United States has the right to combat what it feels is against its interest and they have the right by placing a price on anybody’s head that is acting against their interest.
Court remands owner of Amigo supermarket, 3 others In SSS custody
A chief magistrate court in Karu District, Abuja, has remanded in the SSS custody four suspects who were alleged to have owned large boxes of arms and ammunition discovered in Kano State recently.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the suspects — Mustapha Reda Darwish Fawaz, Talal Roda, Abdulla Tahini and Hussain Nurudeen Kossdi — were taken to the court by the SSS operatives in order to secure the court order to detain the suspects pending their proper arraignment.
The court consequently adjourned till June 19, 2013, for proper arraignment.
Security operatives had on Thursday last week discovered a home in Kano where Lebanese nationals had stored weapons intended to attack Israeli and Western targets in Nigeria.
5 feared killed on Zamfara-Katsina border
Five persons were allegedly killed in the early hours of yesterday in an exchange of fire between cattle and sheep rustlers and the Dumburun communities on the border between Zamfara and Katsina states .
Confirming the incident, the state commissioner of police, Mr Akilla Usman Gwary, told LEADERSHIP that the fight erupted following the attack by the cattle and sheep rustlers who carted way a number of animals belonging to Bastari community of Katsina State.
He said the communities later organized a search mission in the forest hideouts of the criminals to recover their animals, but, in the process, the armed cattle rustlers opened fire on the search team and killed five and immediately retreated into the deep forest.
He denied the speculation that the number of casualties was over 40, saying that it was not possible for a tragedy of such magnitude to happen without the divisional officer knowing.
US issues fresh travel alert on Nigeria
The United States has issued a fresh travel alert on Nigeria, warning its citizens not to travel to Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states because of the emergency rule in the states.
President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14 declared a state of emergency in the three states to restore public order, safety and security due to the spate of terrorist activities in the area.
But an updated statement released by the US State Department dated June 3 said “the ability of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria to provide assistance to its citizens in those states remains severely limited’’.
It said the department had continued to recommend that citizens avoid all but essential travels to some states in the country due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies and other armed attacks.
The statement listed the states as Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Zamfara.
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