Ex-Defence Chief Indicts GEJ, Ihejirika, PDP In Boko Haram Terror Crisis

The immediate past Chief of Defense, Alex Badeh has in his recent outpouring confession, indicted the former People's Democratic Party, PDP, his immediate predecessors in the army and former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the deadly success of Boko Haram's terror campaign against Nigeria that led to over 100,000 dead and maimed and millions displaced with property and livelihood losses running into billions of dollars in the northeast and Nigeria as a wh***.

The former military chief said, "Over the years, the military was neglected and under-equipped to ensure the survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it."

The past 16 years through which Nigeria made a killing in oil sale profits, come directly under the scope of Badeh's pointed accusation. The question is, where is the money or the equipment budgeted for this purpose and how does the PDP and over-compensated Senate account for this missing funds/equipment?

The United States had similarly requested a probe of Jonathan's four year military chief, Azubuike Ihejirika for allegedly usurping billions meant for kitting the Nigerian army. [See: US Wants Ihejirika's Sudden Billions Probed]

In the five years from 2009-2014, Nigeria's defense department gulped a stunning $33 billion USD! And in spite of this quite comfortable sum of money budgeted, Alex Badeh submitted that the Army was "neglected and ill-equipped!" So where is our money?

It is recollected that towards the end of Jonathan's tenure, realizing his defeat was imminent and desperately desirous to at last attempt to put a halt on Boko Haram in the hope of increasing his odds at the Presidential polls, former President Goodluck Jonathan in a last minute ditch, borrowed $1 billion to use to arm the army for the infamous 6-week pre-election war.

Nigerians are now looking at former chief Ihejirika and former Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed forces, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to come and defend themselves in view of Badeh's strong allegations: where is the billions of dollars worth of equipment or where is the money?

PDP stalwart and former President Ibrahim Babangida is also expected to account for under-equipping of the Nigerian army as well as the Olusegun Obasanjo past administration which ruled Nigeria from 1999-2007 and also enjoyed a comfortable oil surplus.

Further: Badeh's confessions vindicate the several hundred Nigerian troops sacked or sentenced to death. Because troops are not expected to be altruistic and suicidal if they are sent to combat a deadly army while "under-equipped" as Alex Badeh described their situation.

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Nigerian military arrests Boko Haram commander, rescues 178 people

The Nigerian military announced on Sunday that it has arrested a Boko Haram commander.

The army said the culprit was arrested in an operation by troops of 7 division along Aulari in Bama axis of Borno State. The insurgent leader, the military said, is currently undergoing investigation.

The “offensive operation” that led to the capture of the terrorist was done in collaboration with troops of 21 Brigade and elements of 151 Task Force Battalion of 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, spokesperson of the division, Tukur Gusau, said in a statement.

Mr. Gusau said during the operation, 178 people – 101 children, 67 women and 10 men- were rescued.

“Also, three Boko Haram flags were recovered while five motor cycles were burnt by the troops,” Mr. Gusau said.

He said that the troops successfully cleared terrorist camps in Fadan, Shuwarin, Wulari, Ngoro Dauye, Jidori, Alikashiri, Kalzamari-Shuwa and Kalzamari-Kanuri amongst many others.

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OPERATION NO MERCY: Nigerian Troops Move To Capture Sambisa

While the battles rage in Chibok and Gwoza, a large number of soldiers were seen in Maiduguri yesterday moving towards the dreaded Sambisa forest, the fortress of the terrorist Boko Haram sect in Borno State, thus signaling the commencement of an operation, which military sources said was aimed at recovering the forest from the insurgents.

The push for Sambisa forest started early in the morning with hundreds of soldiers seen on Damboa Road, Maiduguri, in several military trucks driving military equipment towards the forest which has been a no go area for sometime now.

Although no military personnel was ready to give information on the deployment which held traffic up for hours within the Maiduguri metropolis, the looks of the soldiers showed that they were battle ready.

Checks revealed that following the Mubi debacle, the military had vowed to adopt more aggressive but tactical and effective approach to strike back at the heart of the terrorists.

A top intelligence source disclosed that the Mubi attack was a total shock to the military, especially as they lost many soldiers including some respected officers with others fatally wounded in the incident.

“The first priority was to liberate Mubi because of its strategic nature and its symbolic importance as the town of the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh. Consequently, our next target is Sambisa forest to strike back at those boys. You know we lost some officers and others were injured including a Lieutenant-Colonel. So, we have mobilised our air and ground forces for an attack. Air crafts have been mobilised and we are ready to dislodge them from their enclave”, the source said.

The source lamented that the constant intervention from the political class and as well as barrage of criticisms from Amnesty International and other human rights groups affected military operations, citing how the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika was maligned for his aggressive approach, which was effective.

“The moment you are suspected and later confirmed of being a terrorist or their sponsors, you are gone. The moment you are aiding and abetting terrorism or found with weapons, you are gone within 12-24 hours because the military are being provoked.

“We no longer care about what the Amnesty international or politicians say. You cannot harbour criminals/terrorists that harm the country and expect the military to spare you”, the source said early this week.

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#BringBackOurGirls: Boko Haram Overruns Town of Chibok Again

The Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram attacked and seized the town where it kidnapped more than 200 girls in April, officials said Friday. The militant group returned to Chibok and launched a deadly assault to overrun the town on Thursday night, Borno State Senator Ahmed Zanna told NBC News. The kidnap of the girls sparked a global campaign centered around the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, but attempts to rescue them have proved fruitless.

Boko Haram has already overrun swaths of Nigeria's northeast and conducted countless attacks and kidnappings in its bid to establish an Islamic state. In addition to seizing Chibok, the militants also attacked and overran the towns of Hong and Gombi in neighboring Adamawa state on Thursday, Zanna said by telephone. "There were many killings but it is impossible to say how many at this stage," he said. The attacks were first reported in the Nigerian press and by the AFP news agency.

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