Five Million March in Nigerian Protests

On 10 February, militant Islamists killed at least 30 people and abducted women and children in Auno town on a major highway in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria.

M. Buhari’s government has repeatedly said that the militants have been defeated, but the attempted genocide against Nigerian Christians have continued for over a decade.

Meanwhile, on February 2, five million people took part in marches across Nigeria to protest the murder of Pastor Lawan Andimi by Boko Haram, and the failure of the Buhari government to halt the violent attacks against Christians by Islamist extremists.

Pastor Andimi was a local chairman of CAN in Adamawa State. He was kidnapped on 2 January and murdered by Boko Haram on 20 January.

On the same day as Pastor Andimi’s murder, the terrorist group released video footage of its murder of kidnapped student Ropvil Dalep. In Plateau State, at least 32 Christians were killed in January during attacks by Fulani extremists on two villages.

In 2019 the Islamic extremists expanded their terrorist attacks to Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso a series of attacks began on 28 April in Silgadji, when gunman rounded up a pastor, his son and four of his congregation and demanded they deny their Christian faith and convert to Islam. After refusing they were executed one-by-one. Six were then killed at a church on 12 May and four at a Christian parade on 13 May. Four were then murdered at another church on 26 May. The fifth and sixth reported attacks took place on 9 and 10 June in which 29 were butchered by Islamist extremists.

Burkina Faso is part of a five-nation regional force against extremism, known as the G5 Sahel. Islamic extremist violence has increased in Burkina Faso's north and east near its Mali border. Hundreds have been killed in the attacks thousands have fled.

Islamic terrorists attacked the Christian village of Kalau in the North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 6 March 2019. They attempted to infiltrate the village under the guise of being security agents, but some village youth warned the villagers. The militants shot the village leader’s guard dogs and then opened fire, killing six Christians, including three women and a child.

The attack was launched by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group that attempted the overthrow the Ugandan government in the 90’s, seeking to replace it with an Islamic regime. The group has ties to other terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda. They are responsible for thousands of deaths throughout Uganda and eastern DRC.

For a partial list of attacks by Boko Haram from 2011 to the present, see this post.

Related reading: Boko Haram Targets Christians, Police, and Aid Workers; Islamic Terrorists Target African Christians; Boko Haram Terrorist Attacks (2011-2020)

Boko Haram Targets Christians, Police, and Aid Workers

This screen shot appeared on Islamic State’s Amaq news site. It shows Godfrey Ali Shikagham (left) and Lawrence Duna Dacighir before their execution.

Boko Haram is one of the most violent terrorist groups in the world, killing an estimated 35,000 civilians in the past ten years.

Recently, Boko Haram murdered two Christian aid workers in Nigeria, releasing video of the killings on its website. The Christian workers were executed with gunshots from behind.

In a letter to the United Nations secretary general, a Nigerian attorney said the murders were an instance of "ethnic cleansing."

In reality, the targets of Boko Haram have consistently been unarmed Christians, police, and aid workers.

In February 2020, Islamic terrorists burned 30 people as they slept in their cars. The women and children were abducted. 

On 5 June 5 2022 terrorists murdered more than 50 people who gathered to worship on Pentecost Sunday at St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state.

Related reading: Terrorists Target African Christians; Islamic Militants Attack Village in the Congo; Boko Haram Slaughters Christians in Nigeria; Boko Haram Murders Nine Polio Workers

Terrorists Target African Christians

Women from a Christian village in Cameroon recover after having their ears chopped off by members of Boko Haram in July 2019. (Photo: Open Doors)

For the past 18 years Islamic terrorism has been directed against African Christians in an attempt to eliminate Christianity and to force conversions to Islam. Nigeria has experienced the most attacks on Christians. Nigeria’s conflict with Boko Haram has resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 civilians and a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Approximately 2.1 million people have been displaced by the conflict while 7 million need humanitarian assistance. The crisis is likely to expand as Boko Haram broadens its ruthless attacks.

In December 2008 more than 360 victims of brutal ethic and religious clashes in Nigerian central city of Jos were given a mass burial by federal government. The clashes between Christians and Muslims began when results of the disputed local government elections were being announced by election officials. The clashes left over 4,000 displaced and facing starvation.

From the office of the Anglican Archbishop of Jos.

"We are just relying on God. Things are quieter but this thing does not seem to be over. There are unfinished agendas. There have been miraculous escapes. We are documenting what has happened. Two Anglican pastors have lost their houses but escaped with their lives. Other pastors from other churches have been killed and a number of churches have been destroyed.

The number of displaced people in the camps was nearly 26,000. But there will also be many hundreds being cared for by families and friends. There have been mass burials because the corpses have to be removed. One pastor said he had never seen anything like this. It has surpassed what happened in 2001. There are mercenaries who have been drafted in with machetes and guns.

The government have admitted that this must have been pre-planned because the violence began before the election results were announced."

It has been confirmed that Islamic terrorists planned an attack of Jos Christians. Archbishop Kwashi reported on 29 November 2008: "The reports from those I have sent out to collect information are that the Muslims are attacking and burning this morning. It looks well co-ordinated. They are well armed with AK 47 and pump machine guns. This morning they have been at Dogonduste. Quite a number of Christian homes have been burnt. We do not know how many have been killed. The local government has underestimated the vehemence of the militants. At the moment this is all restricted to Jos City.

This year (2019) the terror has spread to Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso a series of attacks began on 28 April in Silgadji, when gunman rounded up a pastor, his son and four of his congregation and demanded they deny their Christian faith and convert to Islam. After refusing they were executed one-by-one. Six were then killed at a church on 12 May and four at a Christian parade on 13 May. Four were then murdered at another church on 26 May. The fifth and sixth reported attacks took place on 9 and 10 June in which 29 were butchered by Islamist extremists.

Burkina Faso is part of a five-nation regional force against extremism, known as the G5 Sahel. Islamic extremist violence has increased in Burkina Faso's north and east near its Mali border. Hundreds have been killed in the attacks thousands have fled.

Islamic terrorists attacked the Christian village of Kalau in the North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 6 March 2019. They attempted to infiltrate the village under the guise of being security agents, but some village youth warned the villagers. The militants shot the village leader’s guard dogs and then opened fire, killing six Christians, including three women and a child.

The attack was launched by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group that attempted the overthrow the Ugandan government in the 90’s, seeking to replace it with an Islamic regime. The group has ties to other terrorist groups such as al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda. They are responsible for thousands of deaths throughout Uganda and eastern DRC.

Related reading: Terrorists Murder 50+ at Catholic Church in Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday; Boko Haram Spreads Terror; Islamic Militants Attack Village in the Congo; Boko Haram Slaughters Christians in Nigeria; Muslim Terrorists Burn 30 as They Slept in Their Cars

Boko Haram Terrorism Spreads

Women from a Christian village in Cameroon recover after having their ears chopped off by members of Boko Haram in July 2019. (Photo: Open Doors)

Nigeria’s decade-long conflict with Boko Haram has resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 civilians and a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Approximately 2.1 million people have been displaced by the conflict while 7 million need humanitarian assistance. The crisis is likely to expand as Boko Haram broadens its ruthless attacks.

Boko Haram terrorists stormed the Christian village of Kalagari in northern Cameroon on July 29, taking eight women hostage and cutting off their ears before releasing them. The women are being treated for their injuries but Open Doors UK said it was not clear whether all of the abducted women had been released.

The militant group has been attacking Christian communities in Nigeria for the last decade and has now spread its violent ideology into Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

2011
Boko Haram was responsible for attacks that killed more than 425 people, including police officers, soldiers, community leaders, politicians, Islamic clerics, Christian pastors, and church members. The attacks on November 4 resulted in the highest death toll in a single day since Boko Haram began its campaign of violence in Nigeria in July 2009.

2012

Boko Haram was was responsible for hundreds of deaths in attacks in Maiduguri on government buildings, markets, schools, media houses and churches, including church bombings that sparked a new wave of sectarian violence in late June 2012. The violence killed about 100 people between the bombings and the fights.

2013

Boko Haram murdered three North Korean medical doctors, beheading one, in Yobe State. Boko Haram also murdered nine female polio workers in Kano.

2014

Boko Haram murdered a Christian pastor and a Muslin cleric who were traveling together. They were ambushed in Zaria. In Feb. 2014 Boko Haram slaughtered 43 students in a Christian school in Buni Yadi.

The 300 schoolgirls abducted by Bolo Haram from the village of Chibok in 2014 are still missing.The names of some of the girls are listed here. Six years later, 112 girls are still missing.

2015

Boko Haram militants razed the town of Baga in north-east Nigeria and attacked surrounding areas. Bodies lay strewn on Baga's streets. At least 2,000 people were killed. Boko Haram now controls 70% of Borno State, which is the worst-affected by the insurgency.

In March, soldiers from Niger and Chad who liberated the Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram discovered the bodies of at least 70 people, many with their throats slit, scattered under a bridge.

In June Boko Haram lauched attacks on the villages of Debiro Hawul and Debiro Bi in Borno state, killing at least 40 persons.

In a separate attack, a 12-year old female suicide bomber killed at least 35 people in a mosquein the town of Gujba in Yobe State.

2016

In Feb. Boko Haram killed at lest 65 people in Dalori in Kaduna State. A suicide bomber infiltrated the group that was hiding.

The same month Boko Haram gunmen in pickups stormed the villages of Yakshari and Kachifa in Damboa district, slaughtering at least 30 villagers, in two separate attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning.

2017

Boko Haram militants kidnapped about 40 young adults, women and children, and killed 18 in the town of Banki in Borno State, on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. Boko Haram is blamed for the murders of about 400 people between April and September 2017 in the Lake Chad area. 

In 2107, Boko Haram launched 90 armed assaults and 59 suicide attacks.

2018

In June, Boko Haram attacked and killed 9 soldiers and wounded two others in Gajiram, headquarters of the local government of Nganzai in northeastern Nigeria.

In July, Boko Haram swarmed the 81 Division Task Force Brigade in Jilli in Yobe State. Three Nigerian Army officers and 28 soldiers were killed.

Boko Haram began targeting soldiers. In October, Boko Haram attacked and killed 15 soldiers near the Niger Border and around the Lake Chad.

In November, gunmen overran a Nigerian army battalion at Metele Village in Guzamala Local government in Borno State killing 100 soldiers.

2019

In July, Boko Haram attacked a funeral procession, killing at least 60 people and injuring 11.

Earlier in the month Boko Haram attacked soldiers near the village of Damboa, killing five. Another 14 soldiers and two civilians were also wounded.

2020
On 20 January, Pastor Lawan Andimi was murdered by Boko Haram. This launched a protest march of five million people.

On the same day Pastor Andimi was murdered, the terrorist group released video footage of its murder of kidnapped student Ropvil Dalep.

On 10 February, Boko Haram killed at least 30 people and abducted women and children in Auno town on a major highway in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria.

In March, Boko Haram killed at least 6 soldiers in Banki.

In May, Boko Haram killed 20 Muslims in an attack on villagers in Maiduguri.

In June, Boko Haram murdered 81 in the nomadic community of Faduma Kolomdi in northern Borno. The terrorists stole at least 100 head of cattle.

In July, Boko Haram posted a video of the execution of 3 Christians ad 2 Muslims in Borno.


Related reading: Timeline of Boko Haram Terrorist Attacks; "Boko Haram Beyond the Headlines" (Report of Combating Terrorism Group at West Point); Boko Haram Murders Nine Polio Workers

Retreating Boko Haram Executed 70+

Chadian soldiers patrol in Fotokol in Cameroon, on the border with Nigeria,
on their way to Gamboru, on February 3, 2015

DAMASAK, NIGERIA: Soldiers from Niger and Chad who liberated the Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram militants have discovered the bodies of at least 70 people, many with their throats slit, scattered under a bridge, a Reuters witness said.

In what appeared to be an execution site for the Islamist group, the bodies were strewn beneath the concrete bridge on one of the main roads leading out of the town. At least one had its head completely severed.
Read the article here.


Related reading: Chad's President Hunting Boko Haram Leader;  Boko Haram Leader, “Abubakar Shekau” Reportedly In Nigerian Government Custody; Boko Haram Militants Kill their "Wives"

Chad's President Hunting Abubakar Shekau

President Idriss Deby

Chadian President Idriss Deby on Wednesday vowed to “wipe out” Boko Haram and called on the group’s chief Abubakar Shekau to give himself up, warning that he knew where the militant leader was hiding.

“It is in Abubakar Shekau’s interest to surrender, we know where he is. If he refuses to give himself up, he will suffer the same fate as his comrades,” Deby said at a press conference with his visiting Niger counterpart.

Deby said Shekau had fled the strategic northeast Nigerian town of Dikwa after Boko Haram fighters were chased out of the town by Chadian troops in fierce clashes last month.

The Chadian army at the time said two of its soldiers and 117 Boko Haram Islamists were killed in the fighting around Dikwa in Nigeria’s Borno state on February 17.

Read more here.

On March 8, 2015, Chad and Niger announced a joint campaign against Boko Haram.

Related: Boko Haram Leader, “Abubakar Shekau” Reportedly In Nigerian Government Custody

African Values Are Not For Sale

Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo

“African values are not on sale,” the new Chairman of Communications for the African bishops has said.

But Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Oyo, Nigeria, is convinced they are under threat from what Pope Francis has called an “ideological colonization” that is seeking to destroy the family.

It's so bad, he says, that the United States has made clear it will not help Nigeria fight the Boko Haram terror group unless the country modify its laws regarding homosexuality, family planning and birth-control.

Read it all here.

Related reading: Abduction of Coptic Women; Boko Haram Slaughters 43 Christian School Children; Boko Haram Murders Christian Pastor and Muslim Cleric; Nigerian Speaks on Boko Haram; Boko Haram Butchers Christian Factory Workers; Boko Haram Murders 9 Polio Workers; North Korean Doctors Murdered by Boko Haram; Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Pressure; Boko Haram to Christians: Convert or Die

Names of Abducted Nigerian Girls

Here are the names of some of 180 Nigerian girls who have been abducted by Boko Haram and who are being sold for about $12.50. They were kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Nigeria on April 14th by Boko Haram (evil men). Although 276 girls are reported missing, we only have 180 names.

 

Deborah ​Abge, Awa ​Abge, Hauwa ​Yirma, Asabe ​Manu, Mwa ​Malam Pogu, Patiant ​Dzakwa, Saraya ​Mal Stover

Mary ​Dauda, Gloria ​Mainta, Hanatu ​Ishaku Gloria ​Dama, Tabitha ​Pogu, Maifa ​Dama, Ruth ​Kollo, Esther ​Usman

Awa ​James, Anthonia Yahonna, Kume ​Mutah, Aisha ​Ezekial, Nguba ​Buba, Kwanta ​Simon, Kummai ​Aboku, Esther ​Markus

Hana ​Stephen, Rifkatu ​Amos, Rebecca ​Mallum, Blessing ​Abana, Ladi ​Wadai, Tabitha ​Hyelampa, Ruth ​Ngladar, Safiya ​Abdu, Na’omi ​Yahonna, Solomi ​Titus, Rhoda ​John, Rebecca ​Kabu, Christy ​Yahi, Rebecca ​Luka 

Laraba ​John, Saratu ​Markus, Mary ​Usman, Debora ​Yahonna, Naomi ​Zakaria, Hanatu ​Musa, Hauwa ​Tella, Juliana ​Yakubu, Suzana ​Yakubu, Saraya ​Paul, Jummai ​Paul, Mary ​Sule, Jummai ​John, Yanke ​Shittima, Muli ​Waligam

Fatima ​Tabji, Eli ​Joseph, Saratu ​Emmanuel, Deborah Peter, Rahila ​Bitrus, Luggwa ​Sanda, Kauna ​Lalai, Lydia ​Emmar, Laraba ​Maman 

Hauwa ​Isuwa, Confort ​Habila, Hauwa ​Abdu, Hauwa ​Balti, Yana ​Joshua, Laraba ​Paul, Saraya ​Amos, Glory ​Yaga, Na’omi ​Bitrus, Godiya ​Bitrus, Awa ​Bitrus, Na’omi ​Luka, Maryamu Lawan, Tabitha ​Silas, Mary ​Yahona, Ladi ​Joel

Rejoice ​Sanki, Luggwa ​Samuel, Comfort ​Amos, Saraya ​Samuel, Sicker ​Abdul, Talata ​Daniel, Rejoice ​Musa, Deborah ​Abari, Salomi ​Pogu

Mary ​Amor, Ruth ​Joshua, Esther ​John, Esther ​Ayuba, Maryamu Yakubu, Zara ​Ishaku, Maryamu Wavi, Lydia ​Habila, Laraba ​Yahonna, Na’omi ​Bitrus, Rahila ​Yahanna, Ruth ​Lawan, Ladi ​Paul, Mary ​Paul, Esther ​Joshua, Helen ​Musa

Margret Watsai, Deborah Jafaru, Filo ​Dauda, Febi ​Haruna, Ruth ​Ishaku, Racheal Nkeki, Rifkatu Soloman, Mairama Yahaya, Saratu ​Dauda, Jinkai ​Yama, Margret Shettima, Yana ​Yidau, Grace ​Paul, Amina ​Ali, Palmata Musa

Awagana Musa, Pindar ​Nuhu, Yana ​Pogu, Saraya ​Musa, Hauwa ​Joseph, Hauwa ​Kwakwi, Hauwa ​Musa, Maryamu Musa, Maimuna Usman, Rebeca Joseph, Liyatu ​Habitu, Rifkatu Yakubu, Naomi ​Philimon, Deborah Abbas

Ladi ​Ibrahim, Asabe ​Ali, Maryamu Bulama, Ruth ​Amos, Mary ​Ali, Abigail Bukar, Deborah Amos, Saraya ​Yanga, Kauna ​Luka, Christiana Bitrus, Yana ​Bukar, Hauwa ​Peter, Hadiza ​Yakubu, Lydia ​Simon, Ruth ​Bitrus, Mary ​Yakubu 

Lugwa ​Mutah, Muwa ​Daniel, Hanatu ​Nuhu, Monica Enoch, Margret Yama, Docas ​Yakubu, Rhoda ​Peter, Rifkatu Galang, Saratu ​Ayuba 

Naomi ​Adamu, Hauwa ​Ishaya, Rahap ​Ibrahim, Deborah Soloman, Hauwa ​Mutah, Hauwa ​Takai, Serah ​Samuel, Aishatu Musa, Aishatu Grema

Hauwa ​Nkeki, Hamsatu Abubakar, Mairama Abubakar, Hauwa ​Wule, Ihyi ​Abdu, Hasana Adamu, Rakiya ​Kwamtah, Halima ​Gamba, Aisha ​Lawan, Kabu ​Malla, Yayi ​Abana, Falta ​Lawan, and Kwadugu Manu

Pray for these and the others whose names we don't yet know. Half of the members of my Anglican parish are Nigerians and we prayed for these captives and for the nation of Nigeria on Sunday.


Eleven More abducted

According to local sources, a group of heavily armed men stormed the village of Warabe, near Gwoza town in Borno state, on the night of Sunday, May 4. They opened fire in the village before taking away eight girls between ages 12 and 15. News reports said the attackers then invaded a village five kilometres away, and abducted three more girls.

On Monday, Boko Haram, which has waged a five-year violent campaign to impose Islamic law across Nigeria, claimed responsibility for the abduction of the students attending school in Chibok.

“I have kidnapped the girls. I will sell them on the market in the name of Allah,” said a man reputed to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in a 57-minute video, obtained by the Agence France Presse news agency.

"I'll sell them as slaves in the name of Allah. There is a market where they sell human beings,’’ said the man on the video.

"I said that Western education must stop. Girls must leave school and get married,” the man said. “I would give a 12-year-old girl in marriage; I would give in marriage even a 9-year-old girl.”

Read more here.

Related reading:  Abduction of Coptic Women; Boko Haram Slaughters 43 Christian School Children

Boko Haram Slaughters 43 Christian School Children

Source: Daily Mail

Suspected Islamic militants killed 43 students in a pre-dawn attack Tuesday on a northeast Nigerian college, survivors said.

The terrorists, thought to be from Boko Haram, set a locked hostel on fire, before shooting and slitting the throats of those who tried to climb out the windows. Some were burned alive.

Adamu Garba said he and other teachers who ran away through the bush estimate 40 students died in the assault that began around 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Federal Government College at Buni Yadi.

Boko Haram have been responsible for a number of terrorist attacks in the north of Nigera as they increasingly target civilians.

It is a co-ed school about 45 miles south of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, and difficult to communicate with because extremists last year destroyed the cell phone tower there.

Garba, who teaches at a secondary school attached to the college, said the attackers first set ablaze the college administrative block, then moved to the hostels, where they locked students in and started firebombing the buildings.

At one hostel, he said: 'Students were trying to climb out of the windows and they were slaughtered like sheep by the terrorists who slit their throats. Others who ran were gunned down.'

He said students who could not escape were burned alive.

The attackers also reportedly hurled explosives into student residential buildings, sprayed gunfire into rooms and hacked a number students to death.

Related reading: Boko Haram Murders Christian Pastor and Muslim Cleric; Nigerian Speaks on Boko Haram; Boko Haram Butchers Christian Factory Workers; Boko Haram Murders 9 Polio Workers; North Korean Doctors Murdered by Boko Haram; Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Pressure; Boko Haram to Christians: Convert or Die

Boko Haram Murders Christian Pastor and Muslin Cleric

KANO (Nigeria): Nigeria’s Boko Haram was suspected on Sunday of killing a Muslim cleric who had criticised the extremist group, and of shooting dead a Christian preacher, in the latest violence to hit northern Nigeria.

The deaths came after seven people were killed by a roadside bomb in a border area of the remote northeast, which has seen mounting militant activity in recent months.

The first attack happened when unidentified gunmen shot at Muslim cleric Adam Albani’s car at about 10.30pm on Saturday in Zaria, as he drove home from teaching a theology class.

Local resident Mohammed Usman said the gunmen appeared to have dragged the cleric from the car and shot him at close range. “We kept hearing gunshots very close to our homes and later we heard the sound of a car retreating and when we later came to the scene we found Sheikh Albani lying outside the car with lots of bullet holes on him,” he added.

“He was still alive but his wife and a child she was holding in the front seat were already dead while the rest of the children sitting in the back seat were unharmed.”

Albani’s brother Kaburu Adam said the cleric, who had criticised the group and given his support to the Nigerian military campaign against them, died shortly after he was admitted to hospital.

Separately, gunmen killed a pastor in an attack on a church in Sabon Garin Yambdula, in the Madagali area of Adamawa state late on Friday. Ten people tried to repel the attack with hunting rifles, said Madagali local government chairman Maina Ularamu.

The attackers made off with four cows and also killed two goats, said Ularamu, who declined to say whether Boko Haram fighters were responsible. But the attack came after 26 people, most of them worshippers, were killed in a Roman Catholic church in Waga Chakawa, also in Madagali, last Sunday.

“All we know is that the gunmen were not soldiers, although they were dressed in military uniform, because some of them wore bathroom slippers instead of boots,” he said. Others had their faces covered, he added.

Zaria, a predominantly Muslim city with a reputation as a centre for Islamic and Western scholarship, has not been known as a major hotbed of militant activity.

Source: Pakistan Dawn

Related reading:  Nigerian Speaks on Boko Haram; Boko Haram Butchers Christian Factory Workers; Boko Haram Murders 9 Polio Workers; North Korean Doctors Murdered by Boko Haram; Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Pressure; Boko Haram to Christians: Convert or Die

Nigerian Bishop speaks on Boko Haram

Fascinating and informative interview.

http://www.anglican.tv/content/gafcon-ii-interview-ben-kwashi

Boko Haram Butchers Christian Factory Workers

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN has urged the authorities to probe the gruesome killing of 13 factory workers identified as Christians at Sheka, Sharada Phase 111 in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano, by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members.

Although CAN has started its own probe of the killings, it wants the police to unravel what really happened.

Reports said terrorists stormed the residence of the factory workers at the weekend and killed all the men except, sparing the women and children..

“The occupants of that compound are mostly factory workers, and they are Christians. The gun men who came in taxi asked if they were not observing the evening Muslim prayers; and when they confirmed their victims were Christians, they started killing them sparing only the female and children.

“After the attack, I counted at least, 13 dead bodies murdered in gruesome manner. Security agencies later came and evacuated them, while the very few of them who survived the attack fled the area and vowed never to return,” said a resident of the area.

Bishop Ransom Bello, CAN chairman in Kano has been in a very bad mood, not only because of the killings but what he described as the non-challant attitude of Kano state government over the incident.

Bello who is also the General Overseer of Calvary Life Assembly said he has handed over the matter to CAN’s national leadership, adding that with what is happening, it has become obvious that Christians are no longer safe in Kano.

“Reports of the attack reaching us disclosed that on that fateful Saturday at about 7 p.m, Muslim faithful were conducting their prayer close to the affected compound occupied by Christian families, when two taxi cabs stopped in front of the compound and the occupants, who all concealed their arms dashed into the complex and demanded to know why the residents were not part of the 7 p.m. Muslim prayer.

“They responded by telling the visitors they were Christians and so could not be part of the Muslim gathering. At that point, they separated the men from their wives and children and shot them dead on the spot after ordering the women and children into their homes. The 13th victim, who hid in a dark alley in the compound, surrendered himself, following threats by the gunmen to visit the same fate on the women and children if any man was found shielded,” Bello recounted.

“We are pained over the silence of the relevant authorities in the state, including the government on such a high profile murder. Even though we believe it is the handiwork of extremists, who do not see the reason why the Muslim North should accommodate Christians. We are really worried that nobody from the government has deemed it right to console the family of those that were killed,” Bello lamented.

He added that, “government should show more concern, like it has always done when Muslims are affected; I have not seen that in the case of Christians—that 13 Christians were killed in one straight attack and nothing is heard from the government reflects selective justice because we are aware of compensation paid to Muslim families in situations of this nature.”

Kano state Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura confirmed the incident, saying that a special investigative team has already been dispatched to fish out the killers of the 13 men.

Daura who described the incident as unfortunate, embarrassing and barbaric, urged Kano residents to cooperate with security agencies by giving useful information on crime, terrorist activities and strange movement within their areas.

From here.

Related reading: Boko Haram Murders 9 Polio Workers;  North Korean Doctors Murdered by Boko Haram; Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Nigeria Tolerates Persecution of Christians

Boko Haram Murders 9 Polio Workers

At least nine women who were vaccinating children against polio have been shot dead in northern Nigeria by gunmen suspected of belonging to a radical Islamist sect.

The killings drew comparisons with a series of incidents in Pakistan last December where five female polio vaccinators were gunned down, apparently by Islamist militants. It also signalled a fresh wave of hostility towards immunisation drives in Nigeria, where some clerics have claimed the vaccines are part of a western plot to sterilise young girls and eliminate the Muslim population.

The attacks took place in Kano, the biggest city in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, where families generally feel more comfortable allowing women inside their homes than men.

On Friday morning gunmen arrived by motor tricycle and opened fire in the Hotoro Hayi neighbourhood, killing at least eight female vaccinators, witnesses told Associated Press. Four people were killed in a second attack, in the Unguwa Uku neighbourhood, according to witnesses.

Read it all here.

Related reading: Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Boko Haram to Christians: Convert of Die; Boko Haram Killing Nigerian Christians; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram

N. Korean Doctors Murdered by Boko Haram

Assailants in north-eastern Nigeria have killed three North Korean doctors, beheading one of the physicians, in the latest attack on health workers in a nation under assault by a radical Islamic sect, officials said on Sunday.

The deaths on Saturday night of the doctors in Potiskum, a town in Yobe state, comes after gunmen killed at least nine women administering polio vaccines in Kano, the major city of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north.

The two attacks raise questions over whether an extremist, sect Boko Haram, has picked a new soft target in its guerrilla campaign of shootings and bombings across the country. The sect has carried out a number of attacks in Yobe in the past 18 months.

The attackers apparently attacked the North Korean doctors inside their home, said Dr Mohammed Mamman, chairman of the hospital managing board of Yobe state. The doctors had no security guards at their residence and typically travelled around via three-wheel taxis without a police escort, officials said.

By the time soldiers arrived at the house, they found the doctors' wives cowering in a flowerbed outside their home. At the property, they found the corpses of the men, all bearing what appeared to be machete wounds.

Read it all here.

Related reading:  Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group; Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Presssure; Boko Haram Kills Polio Workers; Boko Haram to Christians: Convert of Die

Hey, US State Department, Boko Haram is a Terrorist Group

According to persecuted Christians charity, the Barnabas Fund, which co-sponsored the visit in August to Washington DC by Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the US State Department considers that 'Boko Haram is motivated by poverty and marginalization rather than by the religious motives that Boko Haram themselves have often declared' (Barnabasaid magazine - November/December 2012).

That view, Barnabas Fund believes, accounts for 'the reluctance of the US State Department to designate Boko Haram a foreign terrorist group', compounding 'fears that the attacks will not be effectively counteracted'.

Whilst there may be elements in the US State Department who buy that 'poverty and marginalization' line, the real reasons for Boko Haram escaping the FTO designation that it deserves are more complex. There are powerful vested interests in Nigeria itself that do want the FTO label on a group within their country. Wealthy Nigerians travelling to the US do not wish to be subject to the inconvenience of a more rigorous entry regime.


Read it all here.

Related reading:  Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram; Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Attack

Nigerian Muslims Condemn Boko Haram

August 5th, 2012

NewsRescue- Nigerian Muslims, frustrated with the peril caused by the deviant Boko Haram terrorist cult, led by the ‘self infatuated’, psycho Abubakar Shekau, are increasingly publicly declaring their unambiguous condemnation of this terrorist sect that has made the lives of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria unbearable.

The latest to loudly join this group of fearless, vocal critics of the terror reigning group of miscreants is a most famous Islamic cleric, Sheik Abubakar Gumi.

From the pulpit of the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna this Friday, Sheik Gumi declared in clear, blunt and un-minced terms, that those killing innocent Muslims and Christians, men, women and children will never see the gates of heaven, unless they repented for their sins.

In similar pattern, in June this year, MuslimsAgainstTerror.com, a highly vocal Muslim group, prepared and distributed official statements and press documents declaring the unreserved condemnation of Boko Haram terrorist activity, and inviting upon Nigerian clerics to be fearless in the condemnation of these criminals, hiding in the midst of good people. MuslimsAgainstTerror.com went ahead to call for Muslims to defend Churches of their Christian brethren, by forming human shields if necessary.

See: Communiqué: Fear None Save Allah. Defend Islam, Defend People, Defend Churches, Defend Nation

With the shabby and criminal embedded security services and politicians serving the Nation, Nigerians are literally on their own in dealing with this threat, and such proactive steps come with their risks, however, Sheik Gumi in his Ramadan sermon, called upon all Muslims and Muslim leaders to make similar loud, Islamic declarations against these deviants, and as encouraged by the Muslim group, fear none but their Lord, Allah.

Sheik Gumi

According to SaharaReporters, a Kano-based Islamic scholar told them that he would not be surprised if some extreme elements tried to attack Mr. Gumi. He stated that the sheik was right “in making it clear that all those carrying out suicide bombings and killing people are not real Muslims, but misguided heretics who have completely deviated from Islam.” The scholar praised the sheik for “preaching that there is no justification for those using bombs to kill fellow Muslims and non-Muslims with whom there should be neighborly trust.”

Mr. Gumi’s sermon against the incessant violence in Nigeria is widely seen as a direct reproach to Boko Haram militants who frequently claim credit for deadly explosive attacks. The source who attends Sheik Gumi’s mosque said Muslims all over Nigeria should be proud that the cleric has affirmed that any suicide bomber who kills innocent people “will not see God.”

“Sheik Gumi kept repeating that there is no way those doing [these killings] will make heaven, without repenting to Allah.”

Mr. Gumi also challenged other Muslim clerics and teachers to boldly preach against killings and other acts of violence that threaten to tarnish the image of Islam.

The Kano-based scholar urged Muslims in the country to pay heed to other messages from the courageous cleric in Kaduna. “If other clerics become like Sheik Gumi, we will soon overcome the situation we are facing.”

In his sermons, Sheik Gumi has charged all Muslims to stand up, and save their religion from present challenges. The cleric also condemned today’s suicide bombing attack that targeted the Emir of Fika.

Sheik Gumi has called on those mounting the attacks to renounce violence, and suggested that they be granted the same kind of amnesty extended to Niger Delta militants.

The cleric, who has a reputation for fearlessness, is the son of the late famous Sheik Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. He is based in Saudi Arabia where he lives with his family.

Muslims Under Attack

With the increased condemnation and cooperation with Nigeria’s security services, leading to an effective clamp down on Boko Haram terrorists in North Nigeria, Muslim leaders have increasingly been victims of deadly terror attacks.

From the NewsRescue report this Friday, Friday – Friday Boko Attacks: Emir of Fika, Yobe, Barely Escapes Suicide Bomber; Orderly Blown in Attack:

The Attack on the Emir of yesterday is the second similar attack on Muslim leaders in northern Nigeria, post Friday prayers in recent weeks. Friday prayer attacks have become as rampant as Church bombings were weeks earlier.

 Last week, in Kano, an attack after Friday prayers left several officers dead, as well as the Boko Haram armed terrorists. See: Nigeria: Eight Killed as Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen Attack Mosque in Kano During Ramadan Prayers

And on June 13th, Boko Haram terrorist youth almost took the life of the Emir of Borno, and the state deputy Governor in a Friday Jummah attack. Boko Killed Brother, Now Try To Kill Shehu of Borno, Dep Gov. After Friday Prayers: 5 Die; it will be recalled that Boko killed the Emir’s youngest brother a year earlier.

Also last Thursday in Kaduna,a suicide bomber was blown to death by his own bomb, after Kaduna youth caught him on mission to kill the district head, Abduwahab Aliyu in Mahuta, Kaduna outskirts.

According to an eyewitnesses, Bala Abubakar, “the incident happened at about 10pm on Thursday when some suspicious persons entered the village and some residents started questioning them and discovered that they were armed.

“The youth were able to disarm one of them who admitted that they were on a mission to kill the village head, for allegedly exposing their members.

“The other suspects escaped and it was when the people were pursuing them that a bomb exploded on the one who had been apprehended and he died instantly.”

Source:  NewsRescue

Maiduguri Buckles Under Boko Haram Attacks

Heather Murdock



ABUJA — Nigeria’s new National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki says he is optimistic that a cease-fire between the government and the militant group known as Boko Haram could offer some relief to the embattled northern Nigerian city Maiduguri within the next few weeks. Some residents and local leaders say the fighting has crushed the city’s economy and forced many people to flee their homes.

Ibrahim used to live in a neighborhood next door to the mosque that was the home of the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram before it was demolished and the area became a war zone.

Residents of his neighborhood are literally caught in the crossfire, he says, with constant gunfire and bomb blasts.

His neighborhood is mostly abandoned and those that haven’t left mostly stay inside with their doors locked. “We feel that we have no other option if we want to stay alive than to leave the area, that’s why we fled,” said Ibrahim.

After three years of battle between security forces and the militants, local leaders say Maiduguri is almost on its knees. Bulama Mali Gubio is the secretary of Borno State Elders Forum. He says nowadays, many people in Maiduguri can no longer safely leave their homes long enough to pray in neighborhood mosques.

"Our markets and other places of business are no more," said Gubio. "Many people can no longer access schools for their children. All the things we held dear to our culture, tradition and pride are gone."

Gubio does not call the group Boko Haram, but by the name the group calls itself: Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, or People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad.

​​He calls on both sides to lay down their weapons, and requests that security forces “drastically minimize” the presence of armed soldiers in communities. He asks militants to re-join society and promises their grievances will be addressed.

"We wish to appeal to you to consider the plight of your own people and consider bringing the situation under control. We appeal to you to lay down your arms, come back home, reintegrate yourselves," said Gubio.

On Friday, Nigeria’s new National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, a northerner, visited Maiduguri to work with local leaders in hopes of ending the security crisis that has plagued Nigeria since Boko Haram began violent operations in 2009.

Boko Haram has been blamed for hundreds of deaths this year alone from attacks on government buildings, markets, schools, media houses and churches, including church bombings that sparked a new wave of sectarian violence in late June. The violence killed about 100 people between the bombings and the fights.

In a televised conference June 24, President Goodluck Jonathan said Boko Haram’s goal was to destabilize the government by inciting religious violence. He called for renewed dialogue, if the group is willing to present a public “face.”

So far, the group's communication with the public and with journalists has come almost entirely through phone calls and e-mail.

Boko Haram says its goals are to establish Islamic law and to free imprisoned members. The group has claimed ties to other clandestine militant organizations like al-Qaida.

Abdulkareem Haruna contributed to this report from Maiduguri.