A large number of terrorists have drowned in the Lake Chad as they fled the heavy bombardment by Nigerian Air force heralding the advance of Nigerian troops on mission to flush them out of Baga, the Nigerian defence headquarters has said.
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This interpretation of of the recent terrorists attack on Baga is quite valid. You will recall that Military has maintained all through that the troops never engaged in any massacre in Baga as some activists and the Media alleged in 2013. We have been insisting that such viciousness and barbarism were more typical of the terrorists’ pattern of operation than the action of the troops.
Unfortunately however some interest groups and terrorist sympathizers for whom it is more convenient continued to misinform the world, have kept attributing the evil to Nigerian troops. The attack on the town by the blood hounds and their activities since January 3rd, 2015 should convince well meaning people all over the world that Boko Haram is the evil all must collaborate to end rather than vilifying those working to check them.
Those who have found it more convenient to insist on labeling the Nigerian Military with allegations of human rights abuse using Baga as a reference should note this development. Let us hope this will encourage them to begin placing blames where they belong. The priority of all our military action in this campaign has been the protection of our civilian population.
– See more at: http://defenceinfo.mil.ng/on-us-amnesty-internationals-description-of-terrorists-attack-on-baga-as-deadliest/#sthash.QpqrliZJ.dpuf
Troops are patrolling the general area of Gumsuri in search of terrorists who were said to have attacked the community last weekend. Although it has been confirmed that some people were killed by the terrorists during the attack, efforts are ongoing to verify the reported abductions from credible sources in the community in view of claims by unidentified sources being quoted in some foreign media.
Some of the villagers who fled during the attack have started returning to the village. Normal life has also returned to the area. The surveillance and patrol of the area by air and land forces has been stepped up to secure the general area. Troops have been ordered to sustain an aggressive patrol over the area and the surrounding communities in order to ensure that terrorists do not have any freedom of action in the area while the counter-terrorism campaign continues.
The 4th Meeting of the Ministers of Defence, Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Security/ Intelligence of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) Member Countries and Republic Of Benin was held from 24th to 26th November 2014 at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting was organized as a follow up action to previous meetings held on security challenges facing countries in the LCBC over the past couple of months. The theme of this 4th meeting was “Assessment of the Security Situation and the Joint Measures Taken to Fight Terrorism in the Sub-region”.
In attendance were the Ministers of Defence, Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) and Heads of Security and Intelligence from member countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Nigeria along with their technical experts. The Republic of Benin also attended the meeting on invitation. Other attendees include the Executive Secretary of the LCBC, Engr. Sanusi Imran Abdulahi and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence Nigeria, Mr. Aliyu Ismail among others. Some observers like representatives of the UN, UNOWA and UNOCA were also present at the meeting.
In his opening speech, the Honourable Minister of Defence Nigeria, represented by the CDS, Armed Forces Nigeria, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, CFR, stated that the global security threat is becoming high and an extension of this threat has been felt in the region through the dastardly acts of the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) group. He maintained that the activities of this sect have led to instability and underdevelopment in member states and have continued to cause untold hardship on the citizens. He mentioned that the 4th meeting was to enable delegates evaluate the implementation of the tasks that were agreed to in the previous meetings of the LCBC as well as consider recent developments as a result of the BHT aggression.
The Executive Secretary of the LCBC, in his remarks, informed members that the meeting was organized to provide another opportunity to finalize plans on collective measures in the on-going war against terrorism. Meanwhile, he requested members to continue to operate within the existing arrangement as best as possible.
The Technical Experts of member countries of the LCBC and Benin at plenary session deliberated on a wide range of issues. The objective was to appraise the effort of member states to implement the strategies adopted for the ongoing fight against all forms of terrorism especially the menace of the BHT in the sub region. This discussion focused on; Evaluation of the Security Situation, Evaluation of Joint Measures to Counter Terrorism and Challenges of Mobilizing the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The meeting resolved to conduct its affairs in line with international best practices as established by the UN and AU.
The discussions and resolutions reached during the conference were held in a very convivial atmosphere. Finally, the 5th Meeting of the Ministers of Defence, Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Security/Intelligence Services of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Member Countries and Benin would be held at N’djamena at a date to be determined later.
Done in Abuja, Nigeria this 25th day of November 2014, in English and French, both versions being authentic.
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