The towns include New Marte, Hausari, Krenoa, Wulgo and Chikun Ngulalo, thus making the areas safe.
The military authorities also said that about 120 terrorists were arrested in Maiduguri during the burial of one of their commanders who died in an encounter with the soldiers the previous day.
Director, Defence Information, Brig.- Gen. Chris Olukolade, said the arrested insurgents have been taken into custody of the Joint Task Force, JTF, where they are being effectively interrogated
The development came even as the forces were said to have uncovered shallow graves suspected to have been those of slain terrorists. The Defence Headquarters in Abuja also stated yesterday that advancing troops “observed a few shallow graves believed to be those of members of the terrorist groups.”
Brig- Gen. Olukolade said terrorists fleeing towards Chad and Niger Republic were being contained following intense encounters with the Multi-National Joint Task Force in various locations towards the border.
“The Special Forces have now secured the environs of New Marte, Hausari, Krenoa, Wulgo and Chikun Ngulalo after destroying all the terrorists camps located in the vicinity of these localities.
“The troops are already interacting with the locals and citizens assuring them of their safety and freedom from the activities of insurgents,” Olukolade said. The Defence Headquarters, however, took exception to the use of photographs of purported battle areas by some media houses, describing the origin of such pictures as questionable. Olukolade said the claim that some Nigerians in the areas were fleeing to neighbouring countries was doubtful.
He said: “The Defence Headquarters has observed the use of photographs purportedly taken in the areas covered by the operations and wishes to state that the photographs are questionable as they do not reflect any related reality of the social or geographical environment.
“This also makes the story that claim to depict of Nigerians fleeing to Niger Republic and other countries doubtful. “The media are advised to always strive to associate stories with accurate pictures in order to avoid misleading the public.”
On the increased participation of the military in internal security arrangement, the Defence Headquarters, however, reiterated its resolve to improve civil-military relations in the country. It stated this yesterday at the commencement of a three-day seminar at the Command Officers Mess, Abuja, in collaboration with the United States of America.
The seminar is aimed at formulating efficient strategies for deepening civil-military relations and counter-terrorism efforts in Nigeria. Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, said at the seminar that the theme; “Civil-military in a democracy: Synergising all potential for enhanced national security” was very timely because of the current security challenges.
Represented by the Chief of Communications, DHQ, Air Vice- Marshal S. O Smith, the CDS said the seminar would help to boost public confidence in the military and enhance relations with the civil populace, especially with its current involvement in internal security operations. “The military seeks cooperation from civilians in all their operations.
The modus operandi often brings about friction but the military will do its best to improve the relations. “Thousands of military personnel were deployed to different parts of the country for internal security management.
More troops were deployed to North-East region to suppress insurgents, following the proclamation of state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The challenge is to develop civil-military model relative to Nigeria. This seminar will in the end bring out a strong model,” he said. Director, Civil-Military Relations, DHQ, Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim, noted that the seminar would help to dispel the misconception about military operations and create deeper understanding between the military and the civilian population.
He said: “There have been misconceptions on military operations.
We are going to clear the misconceptions and assure people that the military is theirs and working to protect them.”
Director-General, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, said the “recent and unfolding realities reveal an increasing need for robust civil-military relations in combating threats to our territorial integrity as a nation. “As profound and skillful as our military intelligence is, it could be greatly impaired if the civilian populace do not cooperate with it.”
Borno, Yobe relax curfew, urge public to pray for peace
Following the relative peace witnessed in some parts of Borno and Yobe states, JTF has relaxed the curfew imposed to ease the hardship being faced by the people. A statement signed by the JTF spokesman, Lt.- Col. Sagir Musa, and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri said: “The 24- hour curfew earlier imposed in Gamboru-Customs Area, Mari Kuwait Area of University of Maiduguri, Bakin Kogi Area, Kasuwan Shanu-Kofar Biyu Area have been relaxed from 6p.m. to 7a.m.”
Other areas where the curfew has been relaxed include Ruwan Zafi-Customs Area, 202 Housing Estate, Bama Road, 303 Housing Estate, and Dikwa Low- Cost Housing Estate.
Also affected are Simari- Zannari-Kwanan Yobe Area, 505 Abba Gana Terab Housing Estate, Muna Garage Road, Chad Basin, Baga Road Federal Low- Cost Area, Bolori, Jajeri and Umamari Area. Sagir, however, urged the public to cooperate with the security agencies in discharging their duties aimed at ridding the state of terrorists.
In a related development, the Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Press Affairs and Information, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, said that following the relative peace in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, and its environs, the curfew had now been relaxed from 6p.m. to 6a.m.
He said in a statement: “In view of the need to sustain the relative peace that all parts of the state currently enjoy, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has approved an adjustment of the hours during, which public movement is restricted around the state.”
The statement added that restriction on movement now starts from 6p.m. to 6a.m. daily throughout the state from Monday, May 20, 2013.
ECOWAS Parliament backs emergency rule
The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has commended the emergency rule declared in three states of the North- East by the Federal Government.
Speaker of the Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, made the position of the legislative body public at the closing of its 2013 First Ordinary Session in Abuja yesterday. Ekweremadu said: “We support the Nigerian Government in taking every necessary and legitimate measure to contain terrorism in the country.
“We believe that Nigeria is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in the sub-region and she must, as a matter of fact, wage a successful war against terrorism in her territory to be able to assist in fighting terrorism and insurgency in other parts of West Africa.”
The Speaker also called for greater security cooperation between the ECOWAS and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, to contain all forms of insurgency and terrorism in their member states.
Ekweremadu added: “Because these are transnational crimes, a Summit of Heads of State and Government of both sub-regional communities has become imperative to appraise the security situations and build better synergy in combating our common enemies.”
The Speaker said that unless collaborative measures were taken by both sub-regions to secure their common borders, terrorists and insurgents could elude security agencies by slipping into neighbouring countries when the heat is turned on them, but only to return to their dastardly acts when it is conducive again.
“The two blocks must work together and simultaneously, to smoke the insurgents out and make sure they have no safe harbours in the whole of both West and Central Africa.”
The lawmaker stressed that the parliament remained opposed to “every form of forceful take-over of government, impunity, militancy, terrorism, and insurgency in the sub-region.”
Why border communities are safe havens for terrorists -Mark Senate President David Mark has attributed the influx of mercenaries, terrorists and other armed groups into the nation’s border communities to the bad conditions prevalent in these communities.
Mark said the situation was worsened by the dearth of basic amenities such as good schools, hospitals, markets and water, making the inhabitants of these communities to cross over to neighbouring communities easily. Mark said this while declaring open a public hearing on a bill for an amendment to the Border Communities Development Agency (Establishment etc.) Act cap B10 LFN 2004 (SB), 2013 at the National Assembly yesterday.
He said that the amendment bill would enable the agency to function adequately and efficiently and to improve the lives of the people of the border communities. Mark also blamed the spate of human trafficking in border communities to the inability of government to meet the social needs of the inhabitants of the communities.
Sponsor of the bill, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, noted that a decade after the Border Communities Development became an Act and four years after the pioneer governing board of the agency was inaugurated, the condition of Nigerians in the border communities had not improved as envisaged, due partly to poor funding of the agency. He said that a look at the budget of the agency revealed a declining trend over the years.
According to the lawmaker: “This is a very sad paradox, an anomaly, an oddity given the threat that the situation of some of these border communities constitute today to the continued existence of our country Nigeria as a united country.”
Lanlehin, therefore, proposed that one per cent of the ecological fund should be accruable to the Border States and 0.5 per cent of statutory allocation of the border states should be made available to fund the border communities development agency.
Okonjo-Iweala re-assures on state of economy
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday assured Nigerians and the international community that the fundamentals of the Nigerian economy remain strong in spite of the current security challenges the country is contending with.
Giving the assurance during a conference call in her office involving 112 analysts and investment experts from across the world, the minister pointed out that with economic growth at 6.5 per cent in Q1 2013, inflation down to single digit, fiscal deficit at only 1.8 per cent of GDP and foreign reserves standing at $48bn, amongst other positive indices as well as government working very hard on many projects that would impact positively on the populace, the outlook of the economy remained very bright.
Responding to questions during the forum organised by Standard Chartered Bank from renowned analyst, Razia Khan, on the implications of the state of emergency declared last week by President Jonathan in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states for the nation’s economy, the minister explained that the government of President Jonathan is taking decisive action to secure communities in the North-East affected by the activities of Boko Haram.
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