Niger police arrest 5 suspected Boko Haram members

Boko-Haram leaders

Niger Republic has arrested five people near the Nigerian border suspected of belonging to the militant Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram, Niger security officials said on Tuesday.

The group has been blamed for more than 1,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2010. Observers said the suspects are using Niger as a transit route to link up with other militant groups like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, now controlling Northern Mali.

“State Security Police arrested the five suspected Boko Haram members who entered Niger on Sunday through the Zinder region. They have been transferred to Niamey for further questioning,” a security official said, asking not to be named told Reuters.

Another security official said Niger had tightened security along its border with Nigeria as the country intensifies its fight against the militant group, which wants to carve out an Islamic state in Northern Nigeria.

Nigeria’s military had announced the death of 35 members of Boko Haram and arrested several during an overnight gun battle in Damaturu, capital of North Eastern Yobe state which borders Niger.

Fawehinmi to Jonathan: Show competence or resign





Mohammed Fawehinmi

LAGOS—Mohammed Fawehinmi Chambers has condemned what it called President Goodluck Jonathan’s poor handling of the Boko Haram menace, challenging him to either show his com petence by terminating Boko Haram within one month and start developing the nation properly, or comply with the Boko Haram request to resign.

In a statement by Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi, the chambers also asked the President to sack allegedly uncommitted ministers.

The chambers also called on the National Assembly to shun partisan politics and put national interest at heart in the impeachment threat against the President, adding that the purported suggestive increase of five years for every elected or appointed political leader is the most absurd suggestion that ever came alive in the nation’s polity and that this had shown that the ruling party had no plan for the country.

He said: “I read with uncontrollable laughter the insult meted out to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What a shame! The docile nature of the President has allowed such an insignificant group of nuisances popularly known as Boko Haram to insult him, thereby insulting the whole nation, by asking him to resign.

“The President has disgraced this country enough, he must either show his competence and willingness to work by terminating Boko Haram within one month and start developing the nation properly, or comply with the Boko Haram requests.

“Those who are not willing to work and are interested in their previous domains in foreign countries should go, and be replaced immediately with people who are interested in working for Nigeria.  These include Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of  the Economy; Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mrs. Diezani Allison-Maduke, Minister of Petroleum and Resources; and  Prof. Bart Nnaji- Minister of Power.

 

Gunmen haul explosives at police post, killing many in Gombe

Mohammed Abubakar, IG of Police

KANO (AFP) – Gunmen suspected to be members of Islamist Boko Haram sect late Wednesday launched simultaneous attacks on two police posts in the northern city of Gombe killing a number of people, residents said.

The attackers, who came around 8.30 pm (1930 GMT), threw explosives at a police post in central Gombe and opened fire on the policemen, a resident said.

An unspecified number of people were killed in the attack, Ibrahim Aliyu told AFP.

“They threw explosives and opened fire on the police post in central Gombe. Some of the policemen were inside while others were outside. The explosions were followed by gunfire. There was a shootout between the gunmen and policemen which lasted till 10 pm (2100 GMT),” Aliyu said.

“From a distance, I could see lifeless bodies being loaded into police ambulances,” he said, without being able to give a precise death toll because it was dark.

In the second attack, a resident in Bagadaza district on the outskirts of Gombe, Auwal Nasiru, said from his house he heard a loud explosion coming from a nearby police post.

“There were a lot of gunshots lasting for more than an hour. I cannot say if anybody was hurt or killed in the attack,” he said.

There is no official confirmation of the attacks.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen had in late February launched coordinated gun attacks on Gombe prison and a nearby police station during which 14 people, including policemen, were killed.

The police station was burnt down in the attack.

Insecurity: Mixed reactions trail Obasanjo, IBB warnings

Olusegun Obasanjo ask for peace

Mixed reactions ranging from commendation to criticism, yesterday, trailed Sunday’s joint declaration of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida on the state of insecurity in the country.

While regional groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum and Afenifere welcomed the intervention of the two elderstatesmen, the intervention received  thumbs down from Ohanaeze which flayed the duo for failing to take heed during their separate stewardships of the country.

The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in its reaction dismissed the intervention as nothing new even as it affirmed that its national leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, himself a former Head of State, would not team up with the former rulers in their campaign.

The CPC spokesman, Engr. Rotimi Fashekin told our source yesterday that Buhari had already categorized the Boko Haram insurgency as a variant of three forms with the political variant, allegedly embedded within the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Former President Obasanjo and former military President Ibrahim Babangida had in an unprecedented joint statement on Sunday appealed for peace in the country and suggested a strategic engagement with community stakeholders towards resolving the crisis.

Dialogue is the answer — ACF

Welcoming the joint plea of the former rulers, the ACF spokesman, Anthony Sani said: “What we have said is that there is no where in the world where force has ever worked on terrorism. We gave examples of Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and we have given example of Somalia and we came back home and said Yar`Adua used force in 2009.

“It was against that experience that we said let us try talking to them and we have been very consistent on that. We don’t want to give it a northern or religious colouration.

We support their idea — Afenifere

Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoronti while welcoming the intervention said: “It is a bit late as we had expected it before now. We were all waiting for that because they had to speak. I had once said the leaders who were supposed to speak have not done so because the Boko Haram is a menace and we cannot just look on and watch. I am sure that people will respect their views and halt these dastardly things.”

They are hypocritical —  Ohanaeze

Ohanaeze Ndigbo on its part described the effort of the two former leaders as largely hypocritical, saying that the dialogue they are canvassing was never allowed during their respective tenures.

Engr. Ralph Ndigwe, National Publicity Secretary of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation told our source: “There is nothing special about Obasanjo and Babangida calling for national dialogue or constructive engagement.

“When Obasanjo was in government for eight years, people were clamouring for national conference. Odi people reacted, they went and finished the whole village, ransacked every where and killed everybody because they killed one soldier. Today, he is out of government and talking about dialogue. Babangida did the same thing.

“Babangida and Obasanjo are senior members of the Council of States let them go to the Council of State and ask the council to call for dialogue; they don’t have to continue to deceive us through all these paper talks”.

The CPC also demurred, saying that there was nothing new in the joint statement from the two former leaders.

It said: “These people have not said anything new, except we want to be economical with the truth. Quite a number of people have said it in the past ”

Insisting that the situation demands a political solution, he said the CPC national leader would not join the refrain of the two men, saying that Buhari was a marked man by his critics who would twist anything he says to suit their political tunes.

“The unfortunate thing is that there are many people who are waiting to hear what Gen. Buhari says and use it for cheap political points and that is why the man has often refrained  from making statements because he knows that we are not dealing with sincere people but we are dealing with very dishonest people, the party said.”

“Buhari is not like one of the normal Nigerian people that are ready to lie through their teeth. Buhari has never believed that getting political power is a do-or-die affair. He behaves in true service to the Nigerian people.”

Affirming that Buhari would not join the chorus of the two former leaders, he said:
“You don’t need to expect a statement from him because he has said Boko Haram is in three parts, Boko Haram is in three variants and one of the variants is the political variant which the Jonathan government represents.

He also said there is the original Boko Haram formed by Yusuf and that original Boko Haram is disgruntled and is seeking its pound of flesh from the Nigerian state for killing its leader extra-judicially and then you have the criminal Boko Haram that is involved in all sorts of criminal activities.”

Retired General Babangida also appeals for peace.

Eight killed as gunmen open fire on worshippers

Mohammed Abubakar

KANO (AFP) – A gun battle near a mosque in the northern city of Kano and two other shootings left at least eight people dead on Sunday in the latest violence to hit the area, authorities said.

It was not clear who was behind the attacks in the city of Kano, the largest in the mainly Muslim north, but they resembled similar incidents in the past blamed on Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The deadliest occurred on Sunday night when gunmen opened fire in an area around a mosque while Muslims were observing Ramadan prayers and where a police team was already deployed to protect worshippers, a senior police official said.

Police and the attackers exchanged fire and one of the assailants was killed when his own explosive device went off.

Three other gunmen were shot dead by police, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The rest fled, abandoning their car and three motorcycles they came with,” the official said, adding that it was not clear whether police or the mosque was the target of the initial attack.

Earlier in the day, gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the car of a Nigerian air force officer, killing the driver and an aide, while two other people were killed in a nearby neighbourhood, authorities said.

“A car of one of our officers came under attack this morning,” Air Commodore Sani Ahmed said.

“The officer’s driver and his orderly were travelling out of town, but as they reached an area called Yan-Lemo, two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the car, killing the two personnel.”

The officer was not in the car at the time, he said.

In a similar incident earlier in the day, two gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead two people outside their house in a nearby neighourhood, said police spokesman Rilwanu Dutse.

A police source said the victims were from the mainly Christian Igbo ethnic group.

Boko Haram has carried out scores of bombings and shootings in their insurgency in the north of Africa’s most populous nation that has left hundreds dead.

Empower police to deal with Boko Haram – Buhari

Buhari, wants the Nigerian Police empowered

Presidential Candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 elections, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has asked the Federal Government to empower the police to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency.

Buhari spoke on the sidelines of the presentation of a book titled, ‘How I governed Anambra State: Stewardship & Accountability’ in Abuja, on Thursday.

The book was written by a former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

Also at this event, an All Nigeria Peoples Party stalwart, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezife, said Nigeria and Nigerians had become unpopular because “we have killed our conscience.”

Buhari said, “The bombings have subsided. It’s up to the law enforcement agents. This is probably the problem of the police. You know, they (Police and SSS) have to secure the country. Constitutionally it’s their job

“Boko Haram as I said, I would rather that the police should be empowered.

Gunmen kill four, set police station ablaze in Borno

Mohammed Abubakar, Inspector General, Nigerian Police Force

MAIDUGURI — FOUR people were killed while several others were injured when gunmen, suspected to be members of the Jamatul ahlis Sunnah lid Daawa wal Jihad aka Boko Haram, attacked a police station in Gubio, the headquarters of  Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.

A resident, Mallam Usman Gubio, said the attackers also burnt down a police station and the local government secretariat.

According to him, “many people ran away from their houses and took refuge in safer places. We have never experienced such in this local government, but I do not know if any civilian was killed. However, I saw about four corpses of police officers being conveyed in a vehicle. Security is now beefed up around the local government and we also learnt that the police have made some arrests.”

Gubio said when they heard gun shots, they all rushed into their houses and locked the doors but later they had to leave their houses when some of their relatives asked them to leave the area, as it was no longer safe.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Commissioner Bala Hassan said “two policemen and one civilian were killed in the attack in Gubio local government.”

The Commissioner of Police did not give further clarification as his phone went off after he confirmed the killings.

When newsmen contacted spokesman of the Joint Task Force, JTF, Operation Restore Order in Borno, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, he said the situation in Gubio was purely a police affair.

Why I sacked Azazi – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

 President Goodluck Jonathan, on June 24, 2012, evening stated the reason for the sack of his erstwhile National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi, saying it was to conform with the changing tactics of the Boko Haram insurgency.

He also vowed that the Islamist sect would not bring his government to its knees as he pledged last night to change the face and structure of the administration to combat what he described as the varying strategies of the insurgent group.

Speaking during a presidential media chat, President Jonathan gave reasons why he removed Gen. Andrew Azazi as the National Security Adviser, NSA; why he traveled to Brazil last Tuesday despite the carnage in Kaduna and Yobe states and the administration’s response to the recent scandal involving the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy management.

For the first time President Jonathan also opened the lid on the differences between him and former President Umaru Yar‘adua on the public declaration of assets, noting that no one can blackmail him to now disclose his assets just as he affirmed that he would not dabble into speculations of his ambition concerning the 2015 presidential election. He, nevertheless, revealed that he would not reveal his plans until next year.

The live media chat was anchored by  Ohi Alegbe with  Tribune Editor, Edward Dickson; Ishak Modibo Kawu, Vanguard columnist and Maupe Ogun of Channels as panellists.

Giving reasons for the recent sack of Azazi as NSA and Dr. Haliru Bello as Minister of Defence, he said that the security challenges faced by the administration has overtime evolved through various stages and forms necessitating changes in the administration to combat the growing insurgency.

Jonathan said his decision to change his National Security Adviser is to conform with the changing tactics of the Boko Haram sect.

According to him: “if you study the evolution of Boko Haram, they are changing their tactics every day, so you also have to change your staff and personnel to beat their styles.”

Why I traveled to Brazil — Jonathan

Responding to public criticism on his travel to Brazil despite the troubles in Kaduna and Yobe, he said the government would not allow the threats from the Islamic militant group to cripple the machinery of government.

“It would have sent a negative signal to the international community, and the Boko Haram sect would have been seen to have achieved their aim of strangulating the government.

“The aim of terrorists all over the world is to strangulate government and ensure that government does not function. If they know I did not travel because of their activities, they would rejoice. If I do not travel because of Boko Haram activities, why should foreigners want to travel to Nigeria? My inability to travel would send a negative signal to the international community,” he added.

He thus vowed that the activities of the sect would not stop government functionaries from moving around or from doing their work, adding that it is committed to ensuring that all the arms of government keep faith with their various international commitments.

“Boko Haram can not bring us to our knees, this government must keep faith with our international business allies, notwithstanding the threat of the sect. We must do all in our powers to stop them and we must stop them.”

Boko Haram aiming to destabilize my government

Jonathan further stated that the aim of the Boko Haram sect is to destabilize the government, saying that the various attacks on churches are aimed at instigating religious violence.

He also alleged that if Christians do not retaliate, the sect would adopt a change of strategy by attacking mosques, in a bid to achieve their aim. However, he promised that his government will surely bring the Boko Haram menace to an end.

“Boko Haram aims to destabilize the government. By attacking the churches, they hope that Christians will retaliate against the Muslims.  If the Christians fail to retaliate, the same sect will start attacking mosques, hoping the Muslims will attack the Christians.”

He said that the government is ready to dialogue with the sect, but that the only problem was that the sect is faceless  and the government cannot dialogue with a faceless body or group.

Asset Declaration

For the first time the President responded to critics on his failure to publicly declare his assets as he did when he was Vice-President.  He explained that while he was Vice-President he disagreed with former President Yar‘adua on the principle of public declaration of assets saying that it was an unnecessary step. Describing it as an anomalous action, Jonathan said that he told the late President that they should not start something that they could not control saying that they could not as well compel all other senior officials of government to follow their action.

He, however, confessed that he had to declare his assets publicly then because he was under President Yar‘adua, but affirmed that no one can now compel or intimidate him to do so, saying that would not “improve the economy, would not stop the Boko Haram menace and would not advance governance in any way.”

“When I was Vice President, I declared my assets, because the President then did. In any case, between the time when I was Vice President and President was just a few months, so what would I have acquired within that short time?”

He however, stated that he has nothing to hide and could even decide to declare tomorrow, if he so wishes.

Speaking on the fight against corruption, he defended the government’s decision to sack the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, saying: “When I give people work and assignment, I give them time and the latitude to do the job. It is when they are not performing that I take action. Everybody likes the new boss, Lamorde, people like his mode of operation and I do too.”

He, however, noted the procedural difficulties in bringing corrupt persons to book. “To arrange a case file to prosecute corrupt criminals is difficult and it would be wrong to convict an innocent person. It is better for nine criminals to go scot-free than to convict one innocent person.”

He urged the public to allow both Lamorde and the Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC to do their job.

Fuel subsidy probe

On the fuel subsidy probe scandal in the House of Representatives, he said the reference to patrons of the PDP as being  behind the scandal was uncalled for.

“The PDP has a board of trustees and since the fuel subsidy probe report was made known, no PDP member was indicted in that report. So the claims that PDP was indicted are wrong. All the noise that the President is part of the Farouk sting operation is wrong. Yes, I have heard about the Farouk issue and the matter is being investigated by relevant agencies. As a president I don’t have  time for that. Femi Otedola is a business man, why would I be involved in the sting operation?

“The questions on Farouk are questions you have to take up with the SSS. One thing I discovered is that criticising Jonathan and Jonathan’s administration is a serious business among Nigerians. People don’t know that I initiated the subsidy probe before the Senate and the House of Representatives started it.

“Just yesterday I read a story in Punch Newspapers and I have directed the EFCC to start investigating Nigeria’s accounts in the United States following the newspaper report.”

The President also asked Nigerians to give him time to fix the country’s epileptic power situation.

He disclosed that some power transformers to address the issue were already on ground but regretted the absence of some needed infrastructure.

“Some of the basic things needed before the importation of more transformers were not put in place. For example, the pipelines that would bring gas to the turbines have not been put in place. Where the transmission lines would pass are not ready also. However, with time we would get over it.“The gas Nigeria is depending upon belongs to multinational companies and they have invested heavily on it. It takes time to address this issue with the multinational companies, with time it would be addressed. Periodically, the Minister of Power will brief the country on this issue.”

Increase in PHCN Tariff

On the increase in electricity tariff, he said: “Nigerians have been paying tariffs before now. What we did was to adjust the tariff for Nigerians to pay more. Those with low income will pay less than what they were paying before now, while higher income consumers will pay more.

“If we can generate electricity freely and distribute it freely without it affecting our economy we would have done so.”

On the time frame for steady power supply, he said the government is working to improve the power situation in the country, adding however, that the government cannot give a specific time frame.”

The President also spoke on his administration’s efforts to revive the railways saying that his government should be praised for what it has done.

2015 Presidency

Asked on his plans for the 2015 elections, the President said that it was quite early to make a declaration saying that he would not allow himself to be distracted on the issue. Pressed on the issue, the President said he would not make his public intention until two years into the lifespan of his administration.

“When you ask me about 2015, I will say that it is not proper for any president given our circumstances. If I say so, whether left or right, people will misinterpret it.

“We have just spent one year. If I say I am running, the polity will be overheated. Allow us at least the next two years before we start talking about 2015.

“I said so during one of our PDP meetings that we should concentrate now and forget about 2015 debate. If we start campaigning now, we will end up campaigning for the next four years.”

UNILAG

Defending the process in renaming the University of Lagos after the late democracy icon, Moshood Abiola, he said that there is no law compelling him to send a proposal to the National Assembly before declaring the name change. “In establishing a university, the university is set up first, before it is sent to the National Assembly to ratify. In name change, we have to declare the new name before sending it to the National Assembly.

“There is no law that says that we must first of all consult with the National Assembly or the Senate of the University before coming up with the new name.”

Boko Haram invades Damaturu Prison, frees 40 prisoners

Police spokesperson, Mr Frank Mba, confirmed the incident

Damaturu— Suspected members of the Jam’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram,on June 24, 2012, staged a daring attack on the Damaturu prison on Gashua Road, and set free 40 of their members who were being detained.

A fleeing inmate was said to have been killed while a prison warder was injured during the attack.

Police spokesperson, Mr Frank Mba, who confirmed the incident, said unknown gunmen staged a jailbreak yesterday in Damaturu and freed about 40 inmates, adding that  a prison warder was injured and that one fleeing inmate was killed in a gunfight.

In another development, spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Abu Qaqa, has said the sect was not responsible for bomb that was found in a mosque in Kano, on Friday.

Qaqa in a statement, yesterday, said: “In respect of what we heard in the media yesterday (Friday) that some people attempted to detonate a bomb in a Juma’at mosque in Kano, this movement Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad hereby dissociates itself from this act.

“We are fully aware of this kind of conspiracy by the SSS, following a similar pattern of their counterparts in other countries to tarnish the image and reputation of Islamic fighters, they will not succeed, God’s willing.

“Everyone knows that we are waging Jihad to restore the supremacy of Islam, which is why we are labelled ‘Muslim fundamentalists’,  how on earth can we then attempt to destroy a Muslim place of worship. This is, therefore, a conspiracy by those that are averse to the enthronement of an Islamic state, and they will not succeed by God’s grace.”

 

U.S. places Boko Haram leaders on terror list, troops arrest kingpin

Barack Obama American President

‘Six bombers got N7,500 each for church attack’

MASS arrest and parade of suspects, who confessed to one role or the other in the current insurgency in the North, were among the feats recorded by security forces yesterday.

The confession of the suspects came as the United States (U.S.) government yesterday joined Nigeria’s crackdown on suspected terrorists by placing some leaders of the Boko Haram sect on its terror list.

Although the Barack Obama administration did not outrightly declare Boko Haram a Foreign Terror Group (FTO), in a statement issued yesterday by the State Department, the U.S. named those affected by the action as the leaders of the group, Abubakar Shekau, 43, Abubakar Adam Kambar, 35, and Khalid al-Barnawi, 35.

Among those arrested by the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday in Damaturu, Yobe State, was a kingpin of the group, identified as Habib Bama.

He was alleged to be the mastermind of the bombing of a church in Madalla, near Abuja. Bama was arrested in the early hours of yesterday in the state capital.

The Yobe State Commander of JTF, Col. Dahiru Abdulsalam, told reporters that Bama’s arrest was due to a tip-off from some residents in Damaturu and Potiskum.

He said: “Our men and other intelligence agents in the state in the early hours of Thursday (yesterday) arrested Habib Bama.

He was picked up from a location in Damaturu metropolis while attempting to escape this morning.”

He urged the residents to continue to co-operate with the JTF, Police and other security operatives in their effort to restore peace in Yobe.

The confession of the suspects of the bombing of churches in Biu, Borno State, depicted the horrible situation in Nigeria and the bestiality of man.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, just released from prison then, may have adequately captured the present scenario in his 386-page book: This Animal Called Man.

The title of the book suggested a demeaning of the human person, but as some foot soldiers used in the bombing of the Biu churches made their confessions, it was clear the title was very apt.

It was a shell-shock time for journalists covering the parade of the suspects as they opened up on their escapades. A suspected kingpin of the terror group, Magaji Bala, told reporters that he paid a paltry sum of N7,500 to each of the six suspects to attack one of the churches and kill an undisclosed number of worshippers in the town, located 187 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Bala said: “I gave each of the six suspects N7,500 to facilitate and execute the attack on one of the churches at 9.35 a.m.”

He told reporters that he belonged to the Boko Haram sect in Biu and that the suspects were butchers in the town. Bala said they were arrested in their respective houses at 2.30 p.m. after they launched the attack.

Spokesman of JTF, Lt.-Col. Sagri Musa, said the task-force was still quizzing other suspects linked with the incident, adding that they were picked up from various locations following information provided by residents on their profession and residences in Biu.

Another suspect, Ibrahim Mohammed Babangida, said: “Magaji Bala came to me at my meat shop and asked me to assist him in executing the activities of our association (Boko Haram sect) at an undisclosed church. He gave me N7,500 cash and left without giving me further instructions on how to assist him.”

The others were Alhassan Inuwa, Nuhu Zakari, Dahiru Sa’adu, Mohammed Nurah and Mohammed Sani.

Sagir alerted residents on the use of stolen or snatched vehicles by terrorists for suicide car-bombings and attacks.

He said: “Information recently available to the JTF in Maiduguri indicated that there have been desperate moves by Boko Haram to steal/snatch vehicles to be used for terrorists’ activities by implanting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in vehicles and or through suicide car-bombing.” He warned that such vehicles if used for terrorism acts would lead to their owners being treated as collaborators and accomplices.

The three Boko Haram members on the U.S. terror list will now be subjected to America’s search and military action.

The U.S. said Shekau, Kambar and al-Barnawi are now “specially designated global terrorists under section 1(b) of Executive Order  (EO) 13224.”

The three-paragraph statement concluded that “the designation under EO, that is executive order 13224, blocks all of Shekau’s, Kambar’s and al-Barnawi’s property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits American persons from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of these individuals. These designations demonstrate the United States’ resolve in diminishing the capacity of Boko Haram to execute violent attacks. The Department of State took these actions in consultation with the Departments of Justice and Treasury.”

It said Shekau “is the most visible leader of the Nigeria-based militant group, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, commonly referred to as Boko Haram. Khalid al-Barnawi and Abubakar Adam Kambar have ties to Boko Haram and have close links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation.”

The U.S. said: “Under Shekau’s leadership, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in northern Nigeria, its primary area of operation. In the last 18 months, Boko Haram or associated militants have killed more than 1,000 people. Boko Haram is credited with the August 26, 2011 attack on the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja that killed at least 23 people and wounded scores more. Boko Haram also claimed responsibility for the December 25, 2011 attack on the Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla that killed at least 35 and wounded dozens more. Boko Haram’s deadliest violence occurred on January 20, 2012 in Kano, with a series of attacks that killed more than 180 people. Boko Haram‘s victims have been overwhelmingly civilians.”

Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, told our source that the Federal Government had been informed of the action.

Adefuye, who expressed sadness over the development, said he would continue Nigeria’s campaign in the U.S. government circles, both at the Congress and at the White House to subvert plans to designate a group from Nigeria as terrorists because of the implications for all Nigerians, especially when they travel.

He said:  “I am heading out to Congress and the White House this morning (yesterday)” to avert plans to bring the entire country under the designation and expressed hopes that based on the warm relationships between the embassy and the U.S. government, such clampdown could be stalled.”

But the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr. Lateef Adegbite, has asked the U.S. not to list Boko Haram as a terrorist group because of the grave implication of such classification.

Adegbite said Nigeria should be given more time to dialogue with the group and reintegrate its members into the larger society.

The terror attacks, he stated, were “a total challenge and war against all Nigerians,” adding that “it is beyond religion and against the people of this country.”

He said Nigerians must ensure that the attacks by the terror group does not degenerate into turning the nation into another Afghanistan, Somalia and Mali.

Adegbite told journalists after a meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo that the government was doing its best, as the perpetrators of the terror attacks “are faceless people.”

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), South-East zone, has condemned the killing of Christians in the North by terrorists.

After a meeting in Enugu yesterday, the NUJ urged the government to adopt proactive measures to stem the tide.

In a statement issued at the end of the meeting signed by the Vice President (Zone C), Mr. Chris Isiguzo and Zonal Secretary, Monic Okechukwu, the union frowned at the deplorable condition of federal roads in the zone and called on the government to address the situation.

Also, leaders of former militants in the Niger Delta have appealed to the government to deal decisively with the Boko Haram insurgency before reprisal attacks become a trend.

In a statement issued after a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, they feared that with the pattern the insurgency had taken, after President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, similar attacks on the new government possibly will be initiated by aggrieved regions.

“The Federal Government must forcefully stop this strange and dangerous ominous trend in our polity. We recall how the Nigerian government deployed armed troops in the Niger Delta, which decimated Odi, Ayakoromo, Gbaramatu Kingdom and other communities in its alleged bid to combat militancy. It is however strange to note that the government has treated the Boko Haram insurgency with kid gloves,” the statement added.