Israel approves new Jerusalem settler homes

Israeli authorities have given preliminary approval to build 200 new illegal settler homes in east Jerusalem, in a move that threatened to push Israelis and Palestinians deeper into conflict after weeks of unrest over the city’s holiest sites.

The announcement on Wednesday came hours before US Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to arrive in neighbouring Jordan on a mission aimed in part at restoring calm.

Brachie Sprung, a spokeswoman at the mayor’s office, said city officials approved 200 settlement homes in the Ramot area. Sprung said it was just a preliminary stage of the planning process, meaning construction would be years away.

She also said city officials approved an additional 174 homes for construction in an Arab neighbourhood.

Much of the recent violence stemmed from tensions surrounding Jerusalem’s hilltop complex that is revered by Muslims and Jews. The collapse of US-brokered peace talks, Israel’s war last summer in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, and continued Israeli settlement construction in east Jerusalem have added to the distrust.

About 200,000 Jewish Israelis live in settlement areas like Ramot that ring east Jerusalem to help cement Israeli control.

The Israeli announcement came before Kerry’s scheduled meeting in Jordan with King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the situation in Jerusalem. There was no immediate plan for Kerry to travel to Israel.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Washington was “deeply concerned” by the decision.

“These decisions to expand construction have the potential to exacerbate this difficult situation on the ground, and they will not contribute to efforts to reduce the tension,” she added.

Under a longstanding arrangement, Jordan holds custodial rights over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, including the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

It is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most sacred place in Judaism. Jews are permitted to visit, but prayer by non-Muslims is banned.

Courtesy; Punch Newspaper.

Iraqi PM fires top military commanders

Iraq’s prime minister has dismissed several top military commanders in a move seen as his boldest since he came to office in September.
Haider al-Abadi’s decision, aimed at boosting the morale of an army battling armed groups, came following a probe into claims of corruption, prompted by military defeats that enabled fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) to seize large expanses of the country.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said that 36 high-level officers in total were affected by the move: 26 were being reassigned and 10 forced to retire.
A senior officer at the country’s Defence Ministry told al-Jazeera that Abadi “wanted to send a message to the troops on the frontline that they were fighting for Iraqi unity, and that this was a signal fot the end of any sectarian values within Iraq’s armed forces.”
The officer asked not to be named as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
Iraq, which has been struggling for over a decade with violence and deep sectarian strife, has been facing near-daily explosions as well as an armed group that has captured a third of the oil-rich country.
Many analysts say the security and sectarian problems were compounded by former premier Nouri al-Maliki, who was accused by the country’s Sunni minority of favouring Shias and facilitating ISIL’s territorial gains as it faced weak resistance from Sunni tribes.
“It’s a a big morale boost for all the troops.,” Al Jazeera’s Khan said.
“They see their prime minister is serious about making changes, about handling allegations of corruption and about dealing with misconduct.”
Government forces, backed by air strikes carred out by a US-led coalition, are fighting against ISIL which has captured a third of the country.
In the northern city of Beiji, the army and backed by Shia fighters are jointly battling the Sunni armed group after they succeeded in pushing the group’s fighters out of the town centre.
The removal of those commanders, whose names have not yet been announced, was broadly welcomed across the political spectrum, as well as the Defence Ministry.
Hamed al-Mutlaq, a Sunni politician, said that “making these changes is positive and will in turn give more strength to the security apparatus, because a change is needed every now and then. There is a need for fresh blood.”
Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

Afghan leader makes historic Pakistan visit

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has arrived for his first state visit to neighbouring Pakistan, seeking to improve ties that are crucial to his hopes of reviving Taliban peace talks.

Ghani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are expected to attend a cricket match between the two countries in Islamabad on Saturday, officials said, in a public demonstration of better relations despite fraught cross-border tensions.
Both nations accuse each other of allowing armed fighters to shelter in the border regions and launch attacks that threaten regional stability.

But diplomats say that Ghani’s presidency, which started in September, presents a major opportunity at a time when US-led NATO troops are withdrawing from the fight against the Taliban.

“Both sides are very interested in seizing the opportunity presented by the political transition,” US ambassador in Islamabad Richard Olson said this week.

“There is quite genuinely a basis for a new relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both sides are aware of this historical moment and making efforts to seize it.”
Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the hardline Taliban regime that ruled Kabul from 1996 until 2001 when it was deposed by a US-led international military coalition.
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai routinely accused Pakistan of continuing to fuel the Taliban insurgency to destabilise his country, a charge Islamabad denies.
The long-standing tensions between the two countries were highlighted last week when a US Pentagon report said Pakistan continues to use “proxy forces” to destabilise Afghanistan.
Ghani, who emerged as president after a long dispute over fraud-mired elections, has said that seeking peace is his first priority after decades of conflict in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, which dismissed the Afghan election as a US plot, has often said it will fight on until all foreign troops have left Afghanistan.
About 12,500 US-led troops will stay on into next year on a NATO training and support mission.
Karzai also pursued peace talks with the insurgents, but preliminary efforts collapsed last year.
Pakistan has been battling Islamist groups in its semi-autonomous tribal belt since 2004, and the army launched a major offensive in the north-west border area in June.
Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

Senate grills Army chief over losses to B’Haram

Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah

Members of the Senate Committee on Defence engaged grilled the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, on Thursday over the increasing rate of insurgency in the North-East.

Trouble started when the senators asked the Army chief to tell them the stage of the ongoing Boko Haram war but Minimah refused, insisting that he would not discuss military operational matters in the presence of journalists.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, George Sekibo informed the Army chief that the agenda of the parley was important because politicians were busy scheming for the 2015 elections, while the insurgents were on the other hand having a field day, especially in the North-East.

He noted that Nigerians were becoming impatient and irritated, not only with the military but also with the government and those representing them at various levels.

He said, “I believe that we are trying our best but is our best the best we can offer? What is happening? It is becoming increasingly difficult to explain to Nigerians. We want to be told what is happening. The insurgents are having a field day.

“We are aware that they (government) are releasing your funds to you because you have not complained. We also approved $1bn for the President to purchase arms and ammunition to fight Boko Haram. We are aware that your budget is being released to you. If you have difficulties, you should tell us.

“The spate of insurgency, the way and manner the insurgents are taking over areas, is getting worrisome. We want to know what is happening. We also want to know the issue of the reported cease fire.

“We want to know whether there was actually any ceasefire. We want to know whether there was a dialogue, the stage of the dialogue, if any, because few days after the announcement of the ceasefire, the insurgents struck and have continued to strike.

Sekibo then invited Minimah to explain himself over the issues he had highlighted.

Minimah, after taking a long breath, said, “I came to interface with the Senate Committee on Defence. Can the press leave us please? This is because operational matters are never discussed on the pages of newspapers.

However, Sekibo insisted that Minimah should just reassure Nigerians that the military was on top of the security situation in the affected areas but the Army chief insisted that he would not discuss security matters in the presence journalists.

A member of the committee, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, intervened by reminding Minimah that the press remained an important stakeholder in the fight against insurgency.

Ojudu noted that Nigerians could only get to know how the security agencies were prosecuting the fight against insurgency.

Notwithstanding the arguments of the committee members,   Minimah stood his ground.

Another member of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, also attempted to persuade Minimah to reassure Nigerians on what the military was doing to win the war against insurgency but Minimah refused to comply.

The lawmakers reluctantly asked the journalists to leave the venue of the meeting with Sekibo promising to brief the press after the meeting.

After about two and half hours of the meeting, Sekibo said, “You (reporters) were here with us when we started at about 1pm. Now, it is about two and half hours. We have deliberated on the security issues affecting our country and the Chief of Army Staff has also responded on all the issues that were raised before him.

“The Chief of Army Staff said the army had a setback in Bassa which resulted in loss of territories up to Mubi, which according to him, was painful.

“Very soon, we will reclaim those territories and indeed other territories that the insurgents have taken.

“I want to continue to rekindle the confidence of Nigerians, and particularly, the ordinary Nigerians who have suffered the pain of this insurgency that the Nigeria Army will continue to do its best and strive to win this war and reclaim the lost territories.”

Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

Presidency: APC Reps push for Tambuwal

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

Some members of the All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives have launched a powerful drive for the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, to emerge as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

Investigations by The PUNCH on Thursday revealed that the members took it upon themselves to purchase the APC presidential nomination form for Tambuwal, who recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the nation’s main opposition party.

Attempts by the APC to pick a presidential candidate by consensus had failed after talks between the stakeholders reportedly collapsed on Wednesday.

The contest was initially between a former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd); a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.

But, The PUNCH learnt that the “entry” of Tambuwal into the race had further compounded the situation in the APC.

Investigations showed that the lawmakers had reasoned that Tambuwal was a “poor speaker,” who would not afford the N27m the APC fixed as the cost of the form and had therefore opted to buy it for him.

The chairman of a very influential committee in the House and an associate of the speaker, confided in The PUNCH in Abuja on Thursday that the APC lawmakers agreed to foot the bill for the speaker’s nomination form.

He said, “Yes, I can confirm to you that the process is on. You know, he is one of the poorest speakers. He has no financial dealings and cannot raise the money.”

Asked how much each member contributed to the project, the source replied that “it was by voluntary contribution.”

Tambuwal could not be reached as of press time, but his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Imam Imam, did not deny his boss’s presidential interest.

He claimed that some “associates” of the speaker notified him on Thursday morning (yesterday) that they had bought the form for him.

Imam stated, “Earlier today(Thursday), some friends and political associates of the speaker notified him that they had bought the presidential nomination form for him.”

He did not give details of the associates and friends.

When contacted, the leader of the APC caucus, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed   that there was indeed a presidential nomination form in the hands of Tambuwal.

He explained that the form was procured   by lawmakers, who had put Tambuwal under “tremendous pressure” to run for the Presidency.

He added that apart from the lawmakers,   “there are other associates too who want the speaker to vie for the Presidency.”

However, Gbajabiamila clarified that he could not   confirm whether   the speaker would   run or not.

“I don’t know if he has accepted, but I know that members put him under tremendous pressure and they bought the form for him”, he stated.

When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,

said, “As of this moment, Rt. Hon. Tambuwal, has not obtained a form.”

Tambuwal has had a lengthy romance with the opposition since he became speaker on June 6, 2011 before he finally defected to the APC on October 28.

Initially, he was touted to be the preferred presidential candidate of the APC.

However, the entry of Buhari, Atiku and Kwankwaso into the race, slowed down his interest.

An option ‘B’ that was canvassed shortly before his defection was that he would vie for the governorship seat in Sokoto State next year.

Further investigation showed that some of the factors considered by the legislators   pushing for Tambuwal included age, liberality, financial muscle of fellow legislators and their political following. A competent source within the APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the party was looking forward to a candidate that would appeal to the younger generation of voters across the country.

The source said, “The majority of those who are going to vote in the general election next year have never voted before. They don’t know the political myths that some of us know.

“Tambuwal is seen as less controversial and ‘stainless’. He was more of APC than the PDP from day one of his speakership. He wants to be governor but thee legislators want him to be president.

“With the powerful lobby, the leadership of the party might have no choice but to support Tambuwal because the financial strength of the legislators must be put into consideration.

“If each of the legislators donates N10m, that is a lot of money. Younger elements in the House want Tambuwal. The leadership of the party cannot totally wish away the demand of the lawmakers.”

Another source   said that the South-West would determine the aspirant that would pick the party’s presidential ticket.

He said, “The aspirants will share the votes in the North because they are all from the North, where they have their bases. It is only the South-West that would provide block votes for any aspirant that the South-West supports. It is who Asiwaju Bola Tinubu tells the party to support in the South-West that we shall support. Other zones of the country are contesting. It is only the South-West that is not contesting. So, the South-West is the beautiful bride.”

Meanwhile, the APC and the All Progressive Grand Alliance has condemned the   distribution of the permanent voter cards and the ongoing voter registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The leaders of the party in Lagos State said they suspected foul play in the way the exercise had been carried out.

The Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, said , “Every four years, INEC knows that there would be elections. After finishing an election, they ought to be planning the next one.

“We have looked at it and we are asking: is it lack of personnel? Is it lack of fund? Is it lack of capacity? Or what is it that they cannot do a normal job the normal way. They said they registered 6.4 million voters in 2011 and it went down by 1.4 million and they have not given any explanation that does not hold water. You still have people who have turned 18, who need to vote next year.

“This is happening in all APC states: Edo, Rivers, Ogun states and so on. We are still asking: what happens to 1.4million voters whose names are missing from the register? They have not given any acceptable explanation for that reduction.”

Igbokwe said the APC suspected that the flawed voter registration process might be part of the alleged plan by the PDP to rig elections in 2015.

He said, “You can start rigging election from the source. All you need to do is to remove some names especially in the APC stronghold. It may not be the problem with Chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega. It may be the staff of INEC that may be doing this. They can yank off some names from the computer and sell it to the opposition. That is our fear.

“We don’t control INEC; we don’t control the Police; we don’t control the Army. INEC is still being paid by the Federal Government. So it is a branch of the Federal Government. It is an agency of the Federal Government. It is not independent. The only way we can solve this problem is to go back to Uwais report.”

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of APGA, Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, also condemned the exercise, saying   they suspected foul play.

Umeh-Nzekwe said, “This issue of voter registration is no longer new to Nigeria. I don’t know why it has become an issue, that it cannot be done. It is the same Jega who gave us hope in 2010, when he was appointed as INEC chairman. Four years is enough for a professor of political science to know that the voter registration is the root of any democratic set-up.

“Voting will commence in about two months. After registration, you have about 30 days to display the voter register for people to verify and crosscheck. We in APGA are asking Jega not to allow sentiments to divert his attention from the main issue. This is the dying minutes of the game and they are giving excuse.”

Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

Tougher times ahead, says Okonjo-Iweala

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday said the country would this month begin to feel the impact of the falling global oil prices, which started in June.

Consequently, she said the country needed to brace for tougher times ahead by reviewing its expenditures and building economic buffers through budgets that would be based on modest oil prices.

According to her, sound macroeconomic management is crucial to Nigeria at this time, while also emphasising the need to plug all revenue leakages.

The minister spoke in Lagos at the Africa Financial Summit organised by the Institute of International Finance and Access Bank Plc.

“We have not seen the impact of the falling oil prices in Nigeria; it will start this month. We have to drive the non-oil revenue base to be able to weather the storm that is coming,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

She, however, said Nigeria was not alone in the coming economic storm, pointing out that a large number of African countries that relied on commodity export as the mainstay of their economies would also be affected by the global fall in the prices of such commodities.

The minister said the global fall in the prices of export commodities such as gold, iron ore and agricultural produce such as cocoa, cotton and coffee was bound to affect most African economies, which relied on commodity export as the major source of revenue.

Quoting from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Okonjo-Iweala said the ratio of export commodity to total merchandise was very high in a large number of African countries.

According to her, it is 60 per cent in South Africa; 89 per cent in Zambia and Ghana; 96 per cent in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and 83 per cent in Nigeria.

She said based on the 2013 data, 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s merchandise exports went to regions that were currently facing slowdown.

Ten per cent of commodity exports from the sub-Saharan Africa go to the US; 26.5 per cent to Europe; three per cent to Japan; 21 per cent to China; and three per cent to Brazil, according to the minister.

Consequently, Okonjo-Iweala said there was an urgent need for Nigeria and other African countries to explore other means of shoring up their revenues in the face of the falling prices of export commodities.

She said borrowing to fund annual budgets would not be a better option for most African countries.

“I strongly urge other African countries to look into other directions. We need to build our economic buffers. Of course, there will be pressure to borrow in the face of falling commodity prices, but we cannot afford to borrow. There is a need to drive domestic resource mobilisation,” the minister added.

Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

Soldiers, hunters recapture Mubi

Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh
| credits: http://www.nigeriancurrent.com/

A combined team of local hunters, civilian JTF and the Nigerian soldiers on Wednesday night launched a fierce battle against Boko Haram insurgents and recaptured Mubi and its environ, which had earlier fell into the hands of the sect.

Reports from Mubi also indicated that five Nigerian Armoured Personnel Carriers, seized by the dreaded Islamists in the area, were recovered when the insurgents fled the town.

A source in Mubi indicated that there were jubilation as people were seen trooping out to show solidarity with the local hunters and the civilian JTF.

No fewer than 100 Boko Haram members were said to have been either killed or injured by the hunters.

The source further disclosed that the 234 Army Battalion as well as other security formations in the area, which fell into the hands of the insurgents, had been recovered and the soldiers were seen trooping in and out of the barracks and taking strategic positions.

Our correspondent learnt that all the flags hoisted by the insurgents in some government quarters were destroyed and replaced by the Nigerian flags while the Emir’s palace converted to the sect’s “Madinatul Islam” has now been taken over by the Nigerian team.

Other sources said the development had given the people hope that the insurgents would be completely chased out of Mubi, Michika, and Madagali. All these council areas had fallen into the hands of insurgents.

Adamawa State Governor Bala James Ngillari said in Yola on Thursday that the insurgents had been flushed out of Mubi. He said the government thanked those who risked their lives to confront the insurgents.

“This is time for all of us to rejoice as the success recorded in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents is the handwork of God,” he said.

Courtesy: Punch Newspaper.

We won’t sell fighter helicopters to Nigeria, US insists

US State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki
| credits: www.abc.net.au

The United States has defended its refusal to sell cobra helicopters to Nigeria, saying the Federal Government is free to buy fighter jets from any other country.

“Nigeria has purchased helicopters that originated in countries other than the US and nothing in our decision prevents Nigeria from obtaining weapons and equipment from other sources,” its State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said on Wednesday.

Psaki was responding to questions from journalists on the allegations by the   Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, that Washington declined to sell lethal arms to Nigeria.

Adefuye had also told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that Washington was not doing enough to assist Nigeria in combating the Boko Haram insurgency in North-East zone of the country.

He said, “The U.S. government has up till today refused to grant Nigeria’s request to purchase lethal equipment that would have brought down the terrorists within a short time on the basis of the allegations that Nigeria’s defence forces have been violating human rights of Boko Haram suspects when captured or arrested.

“We find it difficult to understand how and why, in spite of the U.S. presence in Nigeria, with their sophisticated military technology, Boko Haram should be expanding and becoming more deadly.”

But Psaki said that the US refused to sell the helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about the ability of the military to use and maintain them.

The cobra is a combat aircraft with the ability to climb at the rate of 8.2metres per second. It is equipped with a 20 mm M197 3-barrelled Gatling cannon in the A/A49E-7 turret (750 rounds ammo capacity).

Psaki said there were ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations, adding that these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

The State Department spokeswoman added, “Earlier this year, we denied the transfer of some cobra attack helicopters to Nigeria due to concerns about Nigeria’s ability to use and maintain this type of helicopter in its effort against Boko Haram and ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations. We shared those concerns with Nigeria before this decision and subsequent to it.

“We’ll continue to look for ways to deepen our cooperation with Nigeria to help it acquire the systems and skills needed to restore peace and security. But obviously, we’ve provided a great deal of assistance over the past several months.”

Psaki said Washington would not have raised concerns on human rights abuses by the Nigerian military “if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were warranted.”

She assured the Nigerian government that the US   was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military.

Urging the Federal Government to investigate allegations of abuses by the military, Psaki stated that the US valued its long standing relationship with Nigeria.

She said that Washington had been offering various forms of assistance to Nigeria, including sharing intelligence with its armed forces .

Psaki said, “Let me just lay out the facts of our assistance: Over the past six months, the United States has started sharing intelligence with Nigeria, began training a new army battalion and held numerous high-level discussions with Nigerian authorities on additional measures to best address the Boko Haram threat.

“We have also provided and approved sales of military equipment to its armed forces. These decisions are made, of course, after careful scrutiny to ensure they conform with the US law.”

Our correspondents could not get the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, to speak on the issue as calls to his mobile telephone did not connect.

Also, Olukolade did not respond to a text message sent to him.

When contacted, the Director, Communications Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ogbole Ahmedu-Ode, said, “I am in transit right now and I am hearing about this from you for the first time, I can’t comment on it. You may ask the Defence Headquarters.’’

Courtesy: Punch Newspaper

UBA Commits $1 Million to Ebola Fight

UBA Commits $1 Million to Ebola Fight

 Tony Elumelu,

• Elumelu urges corporate Africa to take up the challenge
Paul Obi in Abuja

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc board Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has announced the donation of $1 million to assist the fight against Ebola currently ravaging three West African countries where UBA does business: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

The gift will be distributed through the UBA Foundation, UBA’s corporate social responsibility arm, and shared equally among the three affected West African countries.

The remaining $100,000 is to be contributed to the African Union Support Mission to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA), initiated by the African Union Chair, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

“Africa is our home and our destiny - and Africans need to place themselves at the forefront of the campaign to overcome this tragedy.  This donation is an affirmation of our unshakeable commitment to the continent - and a message that Africa can triumph over this terrible affliction.

“I would also take this opportunity to commend our courageous UBA Africa staff, in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone who have kept every branch and ATM open throughout this testing time.
“They have demonstrated our corporate value of resilience and commitment that the business and progress of Africa must and should go on,” said Elumelu.

“Our money will be directed immediately to strengthening capacity in the fight against the further spread of the disease,” he further stated. “Our hope is that this donation will act as a catalyst for other African corporates to play their part.”

In August, The Tony Elumelu Foundation donated $600,000 to the same cause, making unrestricted grants to the Ebola response institutions designated by the Presidents of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.

Acknowledging the donation by the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said: “While we have mobilised our national resources as best as we can, they are still inadequate to respond to an epidemic of this scale; we appreciate friends of Liberia, like you, who have come to our assistance in our national moment of need.”

This important precedent of African-funded support comes as West African and global development leaders have recently appealed for an increased effort to contain the epidemic. The United Nations estimates that at least 5,000 international medical, training and support personnel are needed in the three countries over the coming months.

“I want to commend the chairperson of the African Union, Dr. Dlamini Zuma and Strive Masiyiwa, for presiding over a very successful AU meeting with the private sector to mobilise financial contributions and business solutions, to facilitate a robust African response to Ebola.

“I am also very proud of my colleagues in the African private sector for demonstrating that we can rise to the occasion and help fund and support the AU deployment of healthcare workers to care for our fellow Africans, and I urge more African businesses to step up to the plate with more pledges,” added Elumelu.

With operations in 19 African countries, including the three countries currently battling Ebola, UBA provides financial services to Africans and Africa-related businesses globally and across Africa.
UBA branches have remained open to attend to customers’ banking needs, with not a single UBA business office or ATM closing in Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia.

Military: Boko Haram Using Child Soldiers, Women as Human Shields

Military: Boko Haram Using Child Soldiers, Women as Human Shields

Nigerian military

• UN, US, others condemn Yobe school bombing
•Soldiers flee as sect overruns Maiha in Adamawa
Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Daji Sani in Yola with agency report

The Nigerian military has expressed concern over the use of women as human shields as well as children as child soldiers by Boko Haram militants in their quest to weaken military operations.

A top security source in the North-east disclosed that the terrorists recruit, rape and kill some of the young captives who are reluctant to join them in their dastardly acts.

In most cases, children and teenagers are forced to be in the frontline in the battle against Nigerian troops through ambushes and suicide bombing.

There are established cases of women and children getting involved in terrorists’ acts like the recent bombing in schools, said the source.
“On several occasions, the Nigerian military has captured small children who were forced to take up arms against the state with some of them behaving abnormally due to indoctrination and inducement through the use of hard drugs.

“We are being cautious in abiding by the rules of engagement even when we are aware that the militants recruit children for spying on us and pushing them to engage in hostilities against innocent citizens and the troops.

“Most of the children, especially teenagers were recruited through abduction, kidnapping and enticement with money after which they undergo brainwashing and combat training. Those that are unwilling to cooperate are punished or summarily executed,” the security source revealed.

Other reliable sources suggested that insurgents have relied on the knowledge that Nigerian troops have a responsibility to observe strict rules of engagement and also avoid a situation whereby patriotic citizens caught in the middle of conflict will lose their lives.

“We have lost our men in the battlefield while we tried to avoid shooting children and teenagers who are forced to confront us. How do you expect us to arrest a child with a gun? Do we accord such an armed underage combatant with the status of a child deserving of protection under the rules of engagement?

“It may become inevitable that some collateral damages may be recorded if we get the order especially because Boko Haram elements are using civilians as human shields to continue to gain undue advantage in the current battle in the North-east.

“However, as much as troops are determined to avoid collateral damage, it has become inevitable to be decisive with armed underage combatants and female suicide bombers with the situation degenerating by the day.

“The military will no longer tolerate a situation where insurgents use human shields to gain undue advantage, especially now that majority of Nigerians have demanded that a full scale war be declared by government in response to Boko Haram,” the source declared.

International Community Condemns School Bombing

But as the military contends with the spectre of women and child soldiers in its war against the insurgents, more condemnations poured in yesterday over the suicide bombing of a government secondary school in Potiskum, Yobe State, resulting in the death of scores of students.
A statement issued by the US Embassy in Abuja condemned the incessant attacks on defenceless civilians in the North-east this past week.

The statement cited recent attacks on Potiskum in Yobe, Nafada in Gombe, Malam Fatori in Borno and Azare in Bauchi State.
The embassy said: “While the final numbers are not known, scores of persons have been killed or injured in these attacks.
“The US offers its sincere sympathy to the injured and to the families of the murdered.

“We urge the government of Nigeria to investigate these and other attacks to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
It reiterated US’ commitment to support the people of northern Nigeria in their struggle to stop the abhorrent actions of Boko Haram and associated terrorist groups.

In New York, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, also condemned the bomb attack on Potiskum.
Ban extended his sincere condolences to the families of the bereaved and to the government and people of Nigeria.
A statement issued by the body said: “The UN secretary-general is outraged by the frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country.

“The UN scribe demands an immediate cessation to these abominable crimes.”
Ban stressed the need to bring the perpetrators to justice through a process respectful of Nigeria’s human rights obligations. He also appealed for adequate security measures for civilians.

“The UN secretary-general reiterates his firm conviction that no objective justifies wanton violence against civilians,” the statement added.
Also, a statement by UNICEF warned that repeated and relentless attacks on children and schools were attacks on the future of Nigeria.
It expressed concern that Nigeria already had the largest number of children out of school in the world and the attacks on schools would exacerbate the situation.

“We call on those with the responsibility and power to bring the perpetrators of this cruel act to justice, and to uphold their responsibilities to protect children,” UNICEF said in the statement.

Yobe Closes All Schools

Owing to the latest attack on the Potiskum school, the Yobe State Government said yesterday that it had closed down all public and private schools in the state. On Monday, the state government only ordered the closure of schools in Potiskum.
The attack had claimed 48 lives and injured 79 others.

The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Muhammad Lamin, said in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu yesterday that the closure was with immediate effect.

Lamin said government decided to close the schools to enable it adopt more security measures to guarantee the safety of students, teachers and the school environment across the state.

Boko Haram Overruns Maiha

However, despite the global condemnation and couter-terrorism efforts by the military, the marauding sect continued its attacks on communities in the North-east, the latest being the capture of Maiha town, the headquarters of Maiha Local Government Area in Adamawa State, on Monday night.

According to a security source, the insurgents were spotted hovering around the area at about 5 pm on Monday, adding that nobody anticipated any attack, as he alleged that the insurgents had been to Maiha to preach and persuade the people to support their struggle.
He said the insurgents used the Potiskum bombing that led to the death of at least 47 students to divert attention.
“When the authorities' attention was diverted, the insurgents struck in Mahia at night, leading to the killing of some residents who had remained in the community despite the Mubi attack,” the security source said.

According to him, even before Mahia was overrun by the Boko Haram insurgents, it had been rendered a ghost town, as commercial and social activities had been paralysed as a result of the mass exodus of people from the town. Maiha is 20 kilometres from Mubi which was captured by the sect two weeks ago.

A fleeing resident of Mahia, who spoke to THISDAY on the phone, said nobody anticipated that the insurgents would attack the town, adding that the insurgents had previously asked them not to run away, promising to provide them with security and a better life instead.
He said the killings and destruction orchestrated by the insurgents in Mahia violated the promise they made to the people.
“Why will you kill somebody you want to govern; their act violates the preaching that they would give the people a better government,” he said.

Another fleeing resident, who identified himself as Usman, said soldiers detailed to the area fled on seeing the large numbers of insurgents who stormed the town, adding that he assisted some of them out of Maiha.
“The fleeing soldiers asked us to help them to escape from the area to safer places", Usman said

He said after the attack, many of the insurgents returned to Mubi, while a few were left behind.
However, travellers who passed through Maiha yesterday said they did not encounter the insurgents.