ATIKU URGES NIGERIANS TO UNITE AGAINST BOKO HARAM

May 09, 2014 18:02

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Atiku

Abuja, May 9, 2014 (NAN) Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for unity among all Nigerians in the fight against insurgency in the country.

In a statement in Abuja on Friday, Abubakar said that all citizens must unite to stamp out the evil that bedevilled the country.

`` At a moment like this, we can no longer afford anything but a united commitment to stamping out a great evil that threatens the very existence of the only place we call home.

``We must make it easy for the world to see Nigeria as a country that cares for all its citizens, regardless of their age, gender, religion, ethnic group or economic class.

``We must make it clear that under no circumstances should any person, group of persons, or organisation ever be permitted to prey on the children of Nigeria, or any other country.’’

He said all Nigerians must be encouraged and see it as their responsibility to contact the authorities immediately they noticed a crime was about to be committed and give all support to our security agencies

``We must make it easy for the innocent population of the affected areas to see the Nigerian military and authorities as friends, not enemies.

``We must make it easy for our soldiers to be loyal and committed to this great and difficult task ahead of them.''

Abubakar welcomed government’s decision to accept assistance from our foreign friends to tackle the menace of Boko Haram and thanked those countries who offered to help.

He said nobody should be allowed to play politics with the crisis and Nigerians must be seen to stand united in this fight

``We must make it difficult for anyone to play politics with this crisis. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth the bloodshed and the destruction we have come to associate with this campaign of terror. Not party affiliations, not the 2015 elections,’’ he said. (NAN)

COMMITTEE SAYS KIDNAPPED SCHOOLGIRLS WILL SOON BE FREED

May 14, 2014 17:36

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Chibok

Abuja, May 14, 2014(NAN) The Presidential Fact-Finding Committee on the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls has expressed hope that the missing students will soon be found and re-united with their families.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Spokesman of the committee, Mr Kingsley Osadolor, on Wednesday after closed door meetings between the committee and some heads of security agencies.

The statement said the committee met separately with the Minister of Defence, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Inspector-General of Police.

It said the defence minister, retired Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau, described as unfortunate the mass kidnap of the schoolgirls and decried the advent of Boko Haram.

''The minister, however, pledged the support of the ministry to the realisation of the committee's objectives.

``He also made useful suggestions, for which the committee chairman expressed gratitude,’’ the statement said.

It said the chairman of the committee, retired Gen. Ibrahim Sabo, restated the borderless nature of terrorism, stressing that the NIA had crucial role in the fight against terror.

The statement that said Sabo also stressed the need to get the support of the country’s neighbouring countries in the effort to free the abducted girls.

It quoted the Director-General of NIA, Mr Ayo Oke, as saying that the incident (abduction) has awakened a new sense of humanity and collective pain in all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.

It said the Oke had briefed the committee extensively on the measures taken so far by the agency in the joint intelligence and security efforts to locate the kidnapped girls and free them.

"We will not know peace until these girls are found, we must agree as a people that this is the time to end the menace of Boko Haram,’’ the statement quoted Oke as saying.

At the session with the Police, the statement said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, explained the circumstances of the abduction and the immediate steps taken by the police.

It said that the I-G informed the committee of the ongoing investigations and the pursuit of leads that might assist in freeing the schoolgirls. (NAN)

CHIBOK GIRLS: ISRAEL OFFERS TO DEPLOY ANTI-TERRORISM EXPERTS

May 11, 2014 19:56

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Deployment

Abuja, May 11, 2014 (NAN) Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday offered to send a team of Israeli counter-terrorism experts to assist in the ongoing search and rescue of the abducted school girls in Chibok, Borno.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, announced this in a statement in Abuja.

Abati said that Netanyahu made the offer in a telephone conversation with President Goodluck Jonathan.

He said that the prime minister conveyed his country’s sympathy and solidarity with Nigeria over the incidence.

Abati said that Netanyahu expressed Israel’s total condemnation of the mass abductions and said that the team of experts from his country would soon arrive in Nigeria.

Netanyahu, according to Abati, says that the Israeli experts will work in collaboration with teams from the United States and Britain who are already in the country and their Nigerian counterparts to intensify the search for the girls.

Abati said that Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s willingness to give the government all possible support and assistance to overcome terrorism and insecurity.

He said that the president welcomed the offer by Netanyahu and briefed him on actions already being taken by Nigeria’s armed forces and security agencies to locate and rescue the girls.

Abati said President Jonathan added that Nigeria would be pleased to have Israel’s globally-acknowledged anti-terrorism expertise deployed to support its ongoing operations.

He said President Jonathan expressed optimism that with the entire international community deploying its considerable military and intelligence-gathering skills and assets in support of Nigeria’s efforts, success would soon be achieved.(NAN) ROT/IA

Nigeria kidnap: David Cameron joins 'Bring Back Our Girls' campaign

Prime Minister David Cameron has promised Britain "will do what we can" to help find more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.

He made the comments as he held a sign bearing the "#Bring Back Our Girls" slogan on the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

Mr Cameron is the latest high-profile supporter of the social media campaign after US First Lady Michelle Obama was pictured with a similar poster.

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has claimed the abductions.

During the programme, fellow guest Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent, handed Mr Cameron the sign and asked if he would like to join the campaign.

Taking it from her, he replied: "Happily."

Mr Cameron later tweeted: "Proud to support #BringBackOurGirls."

'Immensely complicated'

He told the BBC One programme: "I rang the Nigerian president to offer anything that would be helpful and we agreed to send out a team that includes some counter-terrorism and intelligence experts to work alongside the bigger American team that's going out there.

"We stand ready to do anything more that the Nigerians would want."

He said it was unlikely Nigeria would ask for British troops to help but added: "I said to President Jonathan where we can help, please ask, and we will see what we can do."

New Zealand in support of the 276 Nigerian school girls who were abducted last month.

Rallies have been held around New Zealand in support of the 276 Nigerian school girls who were abducted last month.

They came as the Nigerian government agreed to start negotiating with the terrorist group behind the kidnappings.

When 270 high school girls take to the street, you notice - and that's exactly what Wellington Girls' College students who protested in the city today wanted.

"We've tried to get 270 and I've asked the girls to make signs about the 270 because we want to make a point, a statement that you can't miss 270 girls who've gone missing," says pupil Dawape Giwa-Isekeije.

The Year 13 student organised the march to Parliament - with the same number of girls as those kidnapped last month in Nigeria.

"These are our sisters and these are our girls and we can't stand for something like this to happen anywhere in the world and as young girls in our world, in our society and the privileges that we have we must stand up for other people," she says.

They were not the only ones marching as people also took to the streets in Auckland and Christchurch.

Another march was held in Wellington - which joined with the school girls at parliament.

Despite the miserable Wellington weather, several hundred people have shown up and for many of them this is a cause which hits close to home.

One of them was Giwa-Isekeije's mother - she wants the New Zealand Government to do more.

"I have a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old and I go to bed every night wondering what the parents of these 276 children must go through not knowing where their children are," she says.

The New Zealand Government has condemned the actions of militant group Boko Haram but is unlikely to provide support to the Nigerian government.

"The Government is deeply concerned by the actions of Boko Haram. It is one of the reasons the Government actually listed Boko Haram as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Suppression Act," Prime Minister John Key said yesterday.

At Dunedin's Columba College girls started a campaign on social media and held a white ribbon day.

"What we're trying to do is raise awareness and show support. We going by the [idea] that awareness creates change and we want to Nigerian Government to know that the whole world is watching and supporting," says pupil Caitlin Addison.

The Nigerian government now says it will consider negotiating with Boko Haram.

It has been confirmed all of the girls in one video released on Sunday have been identified as those who were kidnapped.

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