Presidency Accuses London Telegraph Of Promoting Dangerous Boko Haram Religious Concept
The Nigerian Presidency has accused the London Telegraph of helping Boko Haram insurgents to promote the dangerous religious concept under which they have waged relentless war against the constituted authorities.
The Presidency, in a statement, referred particularly to the the an article in the paper, titled: “Children Face Death by Starvation in Northern Nigeria” of July 30th July, 2016) which repeated a claim from an earlier piece titled: “Nigeria Using UK Aid to Persecute President’s Political Foes” of 12th April, 2016) – that Nigeria is diverting UK aid monies away from defeating the Islamist terror group Boko Haram towards those the newspaper identifies as political opponents of the Administration and said: “this is as incorrect as it is unhelpful.”
The statement which was issued by the senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the suggestion by the newspaper that Buhari government is deepening Muslim-Christian division is not only untrue, “but plays into the hands of Boko Haram who wish to divide Nigerians along religious lines. Fighting this group is key priority of President Buhari’s Administration. Indeed the international community has widely acknowledged his determination to defeat terrorism in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad Basin.”
The Presidency took exception to the claim by the Telegraph articles that the Buhari Administration is targeting Christians and the opposition, saying: “these are without foundation.
“Since assuming office, President Buhari has treated all Nigerians without bias for ethnicity or religion – as the composition of his cabinet and the policies and programmes of his Administration demonstrate.”
It made it clear that the government of the United Kingdom had not been giving development aid to the Nigerian administration for use in military operations against Boko Haram as the paper claimed. “Where British military support – such as intelligence – is provided, it is precisely and only, given for operations directly against Boko Haram. Similarly, the Nigerian Government is in no position to divert aid monies used for emergency relief for refugees or IDP camps for any other purpose, as these are dispensed directly by DFID, USAID, the United Nations, the International Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and many other organizations – with which we enjoy excellent relations.
“The humanitarian situation in these camps is real. The Administration remains deeply concerned about the medical, health and nutrition challenges and we are doing everything with the limited resources we have at our disposal to improve the situation. However, the blame for the plight of refugees lies with Boko Haram. They are its cause, not the Nigerian Government.
“In the light of ongoing efforts, we regret the recent attack on the UN humanitarian convoy in the Northeastern region and are encouraged by the world body’s determination to continue rendering assistance to the displaced victims. That the attack was repelled by Nigerian troops escorting the convoy shows precisely how the Government and humanitarian agencies are working together.”
The Presidency said that there is nothing to gain by the Telegraph attempting to mould public opinion against the facts on the ground, even as it invited The Telegraph to visit Nigeria, “to witness first hand not only the challenges we face, but the Administration’s determination to confront them.” [myad]
Nigerian Government has deployed medical teams from the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigerian Airforce to assist in support mission for nutrition emergency response to those in the Internally Displaced Persons’ Camps in the Northeast that has been devastated by Boko Haram insurgents
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has announced the possibility of closing down sub standard maritime training institutions across the country.
Nigeria’s Federal Government has extended the deadline for the submission of applications for the N-Power online jobs and training for 600,000 young Nigerians to the end of August. applications has been extended till the end of August
A Nigerian journalist, Simon Ateba, who was arrested and detained by the Cameroonian authorities at the Minawao camp on 28 August 2015, having been accused of being a spy for Boko Haram, has called for the immediate release of a colleague, Mr. Ahmed Abba, who was similarly arrested and is now over one year in detention.
Gov. Samuel Ortom And Security Debacle, By Joseph Orjime
The perennial clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farming communities have persisted in Benue state, and some parts of the country.
But it has assumed a new dimension with the recent sacking of communities, large scale killings, and wanton destruction of properties and invasion of farmlands. Particularly worrisome is the fact that many farmers in Benue state (the food basket of the nation), can no longer carry out their usual farming activities due to hostilities visited on them by these marauding herdsmen. They have not only embarked on a killing spree, but also the maiming and raping of women in these communities.
On the 10th of February this year, several villages in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue state were razed and hundreds, including women, children, and the elderly were reportedly massacred by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Former Senate president David Mark who represents the area in the senate, had described the massive killings as genocide. Bitter criticism trailed this high scale massacre with calls from several quarters to end the crisis.
Till date, no word has been heard from the president and commander in chief of the Armed forces, Muhammadu Buhari, either condemning or promising action on the matter. Governor Samuel Ortom himself, being the chief security officer of the state, took so long to visit the affected area, or even comment on the Incident. Thousands of displaced Agatu people currently reside in IDP camps in their home state.
The same trend of killings have continued unabated, in the previous months, in several villages in Logo, Ukum and Kwande Local Government Areas of Benue state, coupled with the destruction of farmlands, razing of houses and displacement of locals, by suspected Fulani herdsmen and their mercenaries.
The rate at which this crime of killing the defenceless local farmers is perpetrated is so alarming that the situation can only be described as a mission for extinction and replacement. The predominantly farming people of Benue have come to believe that there is a deliberate push by the marauding herdsmen and their sponsors, to forcefully take over their ancestral lands for grazing purposes.
When recently, the social media went viral with the number of casualties of a recent attack put at 81,the governor of Benue state, Dr. Samuel Ortom hurried to the office of the minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau, and later to the media, where he copiously denied the claim, asserting that it was an overblown figure. The Benue state police command had also earlier denied the casualty figure of 81, putting it rather at 23.
What is most disturbing in the scenario however, is not the purported exaggeration of the victims. Whether it was 23 people or even 3 that were killed in the state, they were Nigerian citizens, who are supposed to be protected by the law, that were hacked to death, with no arrest made whatsoever.
It is laughable for a state governor who took oath to protect the lives of his people, to treat the security of the same people with such a slight. It should be seen as a total failure of leadership for a chief security officer of a state to watch helplessly while the people, who took pains to vote him into power, are being slaughtered on a regular basis.
Earlier this year, when the same murderous herdsmen invaded Ukpabi Nimbo in Uzo – Uwani LGA of Enugu state, the governor, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, alongside other relevant stakeholders spoke up vehemently against the carnage. This step compelled President Buhari, for the very first time, to direct the security agencies to ‘go after’ the herdsmen, even if it was in pretense. Several outcries regarding security negligence and alleged police complicity eventually led to the redeployment of the commissioner of police, Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu.
Since then, the monster has not reared its ugly head again.
The questions a well-meaning Nigerian would want answered are: what moves has the Benue state police boss made to stem the tide of the herdsmen onslaught? What efforts have the legislators representing the people of Logo, Ukum and Kwande Federal and state constituencies made to stop the killings? What is the governor Dr Samuel Ortom doing to secure the lives and properties of the defenceless Benue farmers whose farmlands are ravaged by the activities of herdsmen, and who can’t go to the farm any more for fear of being killed? Whether he will continue to fold his arms and watch aloof while his people are being massacred daily in their scores still remains one question begging for answer.
__Joseph Orjime writes from Abuja Nigeria[myad]