Friday 30 December 2016

French National Captured By Troops In Boko Haram Camp Is A Military Mechanic

The mysterious white man captured by Nigerian soldiers during last week’s storming of Boko Haram’s headquarters in the Sambisa Forest is a Frenchman and he specializes in repairing and unlocking armored personnel vehicles and other fighting equipment, Daily Trust learnt from authoritative military sources yesterday. The white man’s identity is being concealed by the Federal Government and military authorities for diplomatic reasons, the sources also said.
Defense Headquarters has been silent on the development since the news broke last Friday, shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari announced that   Boko Haram’s last stronghold in the Sambisa forest, Borno State had been overrun by troops. Soldiers who took part in the operation told our correspondent yesterday that a white man was actually arrested in the Sambisa forest and that he has been providing “credible information” to military authorities. A source said, “He was arrested along the Bama axis of the Sambisa forest and agreed to give vital information provided he would be spared. I learnt that he is from France but authorities do not want to make his real identity known for diplomatic reasons…They  don’t want to jeopardize the success recorded.” Although some sources only said the captured white man is “from Western Europe,” Daily Trust learnt that he is actually a Frenchman. All Nigeria’s neighbours in the North East, namely Cameroon, Niger Republic and Chad are French speaking. 
The French embassy in Nigeria did not respond to email and text message sent to it for comment yesterday.
 
How top officers led Sambisa offensive 
The one month long military offensive that led to the capture of Sambisa Forest last Thursday was led by “the best hands” in the Nigerian Army and Air Force, sources close to the operation told Daily Trust yesterday. Before the renewed offensive to reclaim the dreaded forest where Boko Haram fighters held sway since 2013, officers between the ranks of Lieutenants, Captains and Majors normally led operations, sources said. This time around, more senior officers led the operation on all fronts during the final onslaught. It was gathered that the officers, besides various trainings they obtained at home, have been trained abroad and had participated in serious military operations.
The 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi) vast Sambisa Forest had been the nightmare of the Nigerian security forces, including their foreign allies, who provided various security reports over the years. It was gathered that some of the fighting troops were mobilized with light rocket propelled grenades [RPGs], weapons they did not use previously.  The light RPGs, according to one of our sources, could be carried on by soldiers on their shoulders for long distances because of their light weight and were used against far flung targets.
“With the exception of one major of the Nigerian Army, all the commanding officers that led the 4,200 troops into the Sambisa Forest are of the rank of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel,” a soldier who participated in the operation said. He said “the Bama axis was led by a Colonel who viciously decimated many Boko Haram fighters. Together with his troops, he captured Alafa 1, 11 and 111 in the Sambisa Forest and freed over 1,000 people. He also captured nearly 500 suspects, mostly men who are being interrogated for having links with the Boko Haram.” 
According to him, “some of the suspects are claiming that they were forcefully conscripted into the violent group while others have admitted that they belong to the group.” Another source said the Konduga/Aulari axis of the Sambisa Forest was captured by a daring army Major. “This Major is one of the heroes in the Nigerian Army. He was very close to the late Lieutenant Colonel Abu Ali of blessed memory. He knows the Sambisa Forest very well and was therefore directed to approach the forest through the infamous Gate One,”the source said. He added, “The Ngurosoye axis of the Sambisa Forest was led by a Lieutenant Colonel who is also a fearless and versatile officer. His 151 Battalion is known as Blocking Force. His troops recovered many AK47 rifles of fleeing Boko Haram insurgents and they also freed many women and children.” 
The real operation
Sources said during the planning to re-take Sambisa Forest, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Tukur Buratai frequented Maiduguri almost on daily basis. “Sometimes he passed the night there (in Maiduguri) and sometimes he went back to Abuja. He personally commanded the general operation,” an officer who craved for anonymity said. He said radar with monitors was mounted at the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army and everything, including troop movement; logistics, ground operation and aerial reconnaissance both day and night were closely monitored with precision. 
He said, “The close monitoring from Maiduguri helped a great deal in reducing mistakes. This gave the troops the confidence to relentlessly march on during operations. The fact that the mine detectors deployed to the Sambisa forest also demobilized all the bombs planted by the insurgents gave our troops added impetus. The mine detectors normally detonated most of the IEDs with ease and also cleared the terrain for armoured vehicles to move freely.” 
The source that added some Boko Haram commanders and foot soldiers who were arrested long ago and “de-radicalized” were also imbedded in the operation. “The repentant insurgents, some members of the civilian JTF and local vigilantes know the Sambisa Forest very well, far better than the maps we used in the operation and therefore, they assisted greatly in helping us to locate hideouts. Also, sophisticated fighter jets and drones that have capacity to monitor things as far as away as 600 meters were deployed to the Sambisa forest and worked day and night,” he said.
The fall of ‘Camp Zero’
A military officer told our correspondent that this was not the first time attempt made to capture “Camp Zero” in Sambisa Forest where the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau used as his hide out on different occasions. “This is the second time Camp Zero is taken. The first was during the JTF (Joint Task Force) in June 2013 before it (JTF) was disbanded and the area was lost completely,” the officer said.
He said despite the success recorded, there is worry among the military high command because some of the things expected to be recovered at the building were not found. “It is likely they (Boko Haram) are somewhere because they moved away with their equipment and prized possessions, including the Chibok girls in possession of Shekau group,” he said.
He said there were other dreaded cells that have been deserted by the Boko Haram terrorists, such as the ones in Kareto and Gudumbali at the height of offensive last year and another one in Kukawa which was reclaimed this year. It was learnt that while some of the Chibok girls and other captives are with the Shekau camp, many of them are with the Mamman Nur faction, led by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, son of the group’s late Mohammed Yusuf. They are suspected to be held in cells in northern Borno State.
“Camp Zero has for a long time been an objective for our troops but it is not the end of Sambisa in the true sense of the crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have been trained in the art of war, so it is likely they moved away for tactical reasons,” he said. The source said the COAS, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole as well as the GOCs of the army’s 3, 7 and 8 Divisions and other key Army Headquarters officers held a marathon meeting on December 24 and continued meeting yesterday on the operations in the North East. “They had a break on the 25th because of Christmas and they went to open the roads from Maiduguri to Damasak and to Baga. Their main concern in the meeting is the disappearance of Boko Haram leaders with their equipment and lack of trace of the Chibok girls,” the officer said. Sources said beside the equipment found there, Boko Haram fighters had raided many workshops and laboratories in schools around the Sambisa Forest in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and had fabricated fighting equipment and chemicals with the facilities they carted away. 
There is controversy as to how Camp Zero actually looked like. While some soldiers that participated in the operation said it has two underground buildings and tunnels as well as hardware and equipment for the training of the disbanded National Guards, some officers told our correspondent that the place was actually inherited from the Sambisa Game Reserve.
“The National Guard were to train there but were never there. A team went to inspect the place in the 80s but the movement and training did not hold. The solid structure there belonged to the forest management authority,” he said.

Year in review: Notable deaths of 2016


By Simon Ejembi

Majority of Nigerians made it through the emotional roller coaster that is 2016, but many fell along the way.
Here are some notable deaths that rocked us during the year:
James Ocholi (November 26, 1960 – March 6, 2016)
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, James Ocholi, died in a road crash along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on March 6, 2016. His wife, Blessing, and son, Joshua, also lost their lives in the crash.

Maj. Gen. Yushau Abubakar
The Chief of Training and Operation of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Yushau Abubakar, lost his life in a road accident along the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road on March 8, 2016.
Felix Ibru (December 7, 1935 – March 12, 2016)
The first elected governor of Delta State, Felix Ibru, passed away on March 12, 2016 at the age of 80.
Tunji Braithwaite (1933 – 2016)
Lawyer, activist, politician and elder statesman, Tunji Braithwaite passed on at a hospital in Lagos on March 28, 2016. He was 82.
Oba Erediauwa of Benin (1923 – 2016)
On Friday, April 29, 2016, the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, announced that the Oba of Benin Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolopkolo Erediauwa, h‎as passed on. The Oba, who succeeded his father, Oba Akenzua II, on March 23, 1979 as the 38th Oba of Benin Kingdom, reigned for 37 years.
Giwa FC goalkeeper Timothy Okere
Timothy Okere, one of Giwa Football Club’s goalkeepers died after a prolonged spinal cord-related ailment in Jos on May 4.

Henrietta Kosoko (May 30, 1964 – June 6, 2016)
Nollywood actress, filmmaker, and wife of veteran actor Jide Kosoko, Henrietta, died on Monday, June 6, 2016 after a long battle with diabetes.
Stephen Keshi (January 23, 1962 – June 7, 2016)
Former Super Eagles captain and coach, Stephen Keshi, died suddenly in Benin City, Edo State on June 7 after suffering a heart attack. The Nigerian football legend was 54.
Amodu Shaibu (April 18, 1958 – June 10, 2016)
Former Super Eagles coach and Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amodu Shuaibu, died in his sleep in Benin City, Edo State on June 10, 2016.
His death, which came just three days after that of his close friend, Stephen Keshi, shocked the football community in Nigeria and beyond.
OJB Jezreel (July 4, 1966 – June 14, 2016)
Nigerian music producer and singer, Babatunde Okungbowa, popularly known as OJB Jezreel, died in Lagos on June 14 as a result of kidney failure.
Niki Tobi (July 14, 1940 – June 16, 2016)
A former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Niki Tobi, died in Abuja on Thursday, June 16, 2016 less than a month to his 76th birthday.
Elechi Amadi (May 12, 1934 – June 29, 2016)
Popular Nigerian author, Capt. Elechi Amadi, who wrote famous books like The Concubine, Isiburu, Sunset in Biafra, and Peppersoup and The Road to Ibadan, died aged 82 in Port Harcourt on June 29 – about a week after he became ill.
Ojo Maduekwe (May 6, 1945 – June 29, 2016)
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees, Ojo Maduekwe, died aged 71 in Abuja on June 29, 2016.
Bukky Ajayi (February 2, 1934 – July 6, 2016)
The iconic Nollywood actress died in Lagos on July 6, 2016 at the age of 82 with tributes pouring in from the many Nigerians who grew up watching her as well as those who worked with her.
Shettima Ali-Mongonu (1926 – 2016)
A former Minister of Mines, Power and Petroleum, and President of OPEC, Shettima Ali-Monguno, died on Friday, July 8, 2016 in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Rep Adewale Elijah-Oluwatayo (1951 – 2016)
The representative of the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Adewale Elijah-Oluwatayo, died suddenly in Abuja on July 20, 2016. He was 65.
Oba Michael Sonariwo (1936 – 2016)
The Akarigbo of Remoland and Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas, Oba Michael Sonariwo, joined his ancestors on July 24, 2016 aged 80 at a hospital in the United Kingdom.
Michael Ibru (December 25, 1930 – September 6, 2016)
The Head of the Ibru Organisation, and Otota of Agbarha-Otor kingdom, Michael Ibru, died at the age of 85 on September 6 at a hospital in the United States after a long illness.
Etim Inyang (December 25, 1931 – September 26, 2016)
Former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Etim Inyang 
Etim Inyang, Nigeria’s 6th Inspector General of Police (1984 – 1986) died at a hospital in Lagos on September 26, 2016.
Chris Jeyibo
The Chairman of Koga Entertainment, owner of Koga Studio, Chris Jeyibo, was killed in the wee hours of October 7 when his Range Rover ran into a stationary truck in the Magodo axis of Lagos.
Lt.-Col. Muhammad Ali (August 15, 1980 – November 4, 2016)
One of the Nigerian Army’s bravest and gallant officers, the Commanding Officer of 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, Lt.-Col. Muhammad Ali was killed in a Boko Haram Ambush on November 4, 2016. Even the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, could not hold back tears after he died.
Olaniwun Ajayi (April 8, 1925 – November 4, 2016) 
Solicitor and Advocate, Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Afenifere chieftain, Olaniwun Ajayi passed away on November 4 at 91.
Ibrahim Dasuki (December 31, 1923 – November 14, 2016)
The 18th Sultan of Sokoto, who was on the throne from November 2, 1988 to April 22, 1996 when he was deposed by Gen. Sani Abacha, died after a protracted illness on November 14 aged 92.
Rasheed Gbadamosi (December 7, 1943 – November 16, 2016)
A former Minister of National Planning, industrialist, art collector and writer, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, died on November 16, 2016 at the age of 72.
Fred Agbaje
Human rights lawyer, Fred Agbaje, died from an undisclosed ailment in London on November 26, 2016.
Bola Kuforiji-Olubi (September 28,1936 – December 3, 2016)
A former banker and minister of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, passed away aged 80 on December 3, 2016.
Rahma Haruna
The Kano State born girl without limbs and who was moved about in a washbasin died on December 25 at the age of 19 years after a brief illness at her Lahadin Makole’s home, Warawa Local Government Area of Kano.
Chief Francis Okpozo
A Second Republic Senator and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Francis Okpozo, died at the age of 84 in Delta State on December 26, 2016 after a brief illness.