How Nigerian Soldiers Demanded Bribes from My Abductors - Sambissa Forest Returnee

A Business Man from Bornu state has revealed that Nigerian Soldiers demanded and collected bribes from Boko Haram insurgents who abducted him and locked in their car boot on their way to Sambissa forest. 

Speaking recently during a #BringBackOurGirls march to Nigeria's seat of power, Aso rock where the campaigners were received by a Presidential delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius and about eight Ministers, the businessman who has since joined the #BringBackOurGirls campaign in Abuja after his escape from his abductors in Sambissa forest,  declared that he was ready to face the consequences of his allegation including dying as his experience in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents has made him to reach the conclusion that "there is no security in Nigeria".

Chibok Abduction: Nigerian Military Arrests Boko Haram Spymaster

Babuji Ya'ari

A terrorists’ intelligence cell headed by a businessman who participated actively in the abduction of School Girls in Chibok has been busted by troops.   The man, Babuji Ya’ari who is also a member of the Youth Vigilante Group popularly known as Civilian JTF which he uses as cover while remaining an active terrorist, also spearheaded the murder of the Emir of Gwoza.  His main role in the group is to spy and gather information for the terrorists group.

According to a release signed by Major General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Nigerian Defence Information, Babuji has been coordinating several deadly attacks in Maiduguri since 2011, including the daring attacks on Customs and military locations as well as the planting of IEDs in several locations in the town.

 

The arrest of the businessman who is known to deal in tricycles has also yielded some vital information and facilitated the arrest of other members of the terrorists’ intelligence cell who are women.  One of them, Hafsat Bako had earlier escaped to Gombe State to avoid suspicion but was tracked and arrested.  

May God Visit Nigeria, Father of Abducted Sisters Appreciates Nigerians

The Girls on their return home

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE FAMILY OF ENGR. SAMSON OPALUWAH ON THE ABDUCTION OF THEIR TWO DAUGHTERS

I, on behalf of my wife, children and the entire Opaluwah family, wishes to express our profound gratitude to God for his grace in bringing back our lovely children, Ejura (24) and Unekwu (19) Opaluwah from captivity. On the 8^th of June 2014, I was robbed together with my family and our two daughters were abducted. 

This incidence took us through a very harrowing experience that is beyond imagination. With the help of the Almighty God and the goodwill of men and women all over the world who prayed, fasted and held vigils ceaselessly, our daughters were released in the morning of Tuesday, 17^th June 2014 unhurt and unharmed.

I therefore wish to express our appreciation to all, especially to the Nigerian Security Agencies, who have helped in one way or the other to bring this nightmare to an end.

Particularly, our sincere gratitude must be made to the following people and organisations:

PACJA Launches Media Academy for Climate Change

The ACCER Awards Finalists Academy (TAAFA) in session

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has launched Media academy for African Journalists reporting on Climate Change and environmental issues dubbed "The ACCER Awards Finalists Academy (TAAFA).

The launch of the academy took place at Milele Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The first bunch of TAAFA fellows are the 21 African Journalists who have been shortlisted from 309 entries received from across Africa. The Secretary General for PACJA Mithika Mwenda, said that as part of the recommendations of the 2013 Judging Panel, they have redesigned the training and capacity building programmes to ensure that it does not end as an event but as a continuous process that will ensure that they truly build the capacity of journalists in Africa as well as keeping them glued to the climate change and environmental reporting.

Opaluwah Sisters Released After 9 Days in Abduction

Ejura & Unekwu with their Dad on their return

The two Opaluwah sisters, Ejura and Unekwu, who were kidnapped by gunmen from their residence in Karmo, Abuja, last week, have been released.

The girls were said to have been abandoned by their captors at a location from where they found their way home on Tuesday the 17th of June 2014.

It was not however clear if the family paid the N150m ransom that was demanded by their captors or not. Security sources said they were released by their abductors following the pressure placed on them by security agencies.

The two sisters who are 23 and 19 years respectively, were kidnapped in the evening of Sunday, June 8. 

DAY 8: Ejura & Unekwu Opaluwah Still Under Abduction

Unekwu & Ejura Opaluwah

Today, the 16th of June 2014 marks the 8th day of the forceful abduction of the Opaluwah sisters, #Ejura&Unekwu from their Abuja home by gun men. #BringBackOurGirls

Hope For Chibok Girls' Return Dims Further

It's been two months since terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 Nigerian school girls in the country's unstable north. 

Despite new aerial patrols from U.S. drones, no progress has been made in locating them. This past week, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said said some of the girls may never return home. And ordinary Nigerians are accusing are accusing the Nigerian government of trying to stifle their pleas to keep the situation top of mind. 

In an op-ed on Project Syndicate, former British PM Gordon Brown goes a step further, discussing discussing the gruesome reason for why the campaign may have already been lost:

...it is likely that in the month since Boko Haram released a video of the girls a video of the girls flanked by gunmen, the girls have been split into groups of 40-50. If one group is rescued by force, the others will be murdered, creating a serious tactical dilemma for the Nigerian government’s special forces.

And, as the world’s attention shifts to other global trouble spots, such as Iraq, intense international scrutiny is giving way to what seems like silent acceptance of the girls’ fate. The fight to maintain global support has become an uphill one for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, despite his direct appeal to the whole world for help in securing the girls’ release.

A Times of India report says says the Nigerian government has now turned to the Sri Lankan government for advice in counteracting the movement, given the latter's experience defeating the Tamil Tigers. That campaign resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties. So it seems like whatever , the price for doing so may be extreme.