06 Aug 2013
Members of Boko Haram
•35 killed in troops, sect clashes in Borno
•Akinyemi: Plan of terrorists is to cause the country’s disintegration
By Michael Olugbode and Ibrahim Shuaibu, with agency reports
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Fatou Bensouda, has said after preliminary investigation, she is of the view that the acts attributed to terrorist Boko Haram sect are likely crimes against humanity.
Her statement Monday coincided with the revelation that no fewer than 35 people were killed and several others injured in Borno State during attempts by members of the terrorist Boko Haram sect to take over security and military installations in the state.
A statement by the spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the suspected terrorists attacked two towns, Bama and Malam Fatori, where they attempted to take over security and military outfits in the areas.
Also, a former Foreign Affairs Minister and member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Reconciliation in the North, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has said in carrying out its incessant attacks on innocent people, the game plan of the Islamist group is to ignite ethnic clashes and cause pandemonium that may eventually lead to the country’s disintegration.
The Associated Press (AP) quoted Bensouda as stating that the acts carried out by Boko Haram included murder and persecution.
But she will only move to a full-fledged investigation after further studies and depending on whether Nigerian authorities prosecute “those who appear to bear the greatest responsibility.”
Her report issued in The Hague was based on evidence gathered through December 2012.
During the attacks on Bama and Malam Fatori, the insurgents were said to have lost 32 men, while an undisclosed number of the fundamentalists were injured.
Two soldiers and a policeman were also reportedly killed in the clashes between security agents and the insurgents.
Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Sunday attacked a police base in Bama, a town close to the Camerounian border that has been hit frequently by violence in recent months.
“Troops have successfully repelled Boko Haram terrorist attacks on a police base in Bama on 4 August,” Musa said.
He said one policeman and 17 members of Boko Haram were killed during the fighting, while two soldiers were injured.
Boko Haram members also attacked a military base in the town of Malam Fatori, triggering a gun battle that left two soldiers and 15 of its members dead, Musa said.
He added that during the Bama incident, “troops recovered the following items: four Toyota Hilux vehicles, 10 AK 47 rifles, two G3 rifles, 10 X 40 mm bombs, three RPG tubes, 85 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, an improvised explosive device, three motorcycles, 10 AK47 rifle magazines and a G3 magazine, among others”.
Musa, who said the situation in both towns had been brought under control, urged the public to continue to assist the security agencies with timely and credible information to flush out the terrorists.
Since Boko Haram insurgents were displaced from their Sambisa forest reserve camp and within the state capital, Maiduguri, they have invaded many local government areas of the state, including Kukawa, Abadam, Biu, Kaga, Damboa, Mafa and Marte, where there is less security presence relative to Maiduguri.
In response to the menace of the terrorists, civilian vigilantes have sprung up to help Nigerian forces identify and arrest Boko Haram members but there are concerns among some North-east residents and security experts that the spread of vigilantes could further lead to a breakdown of law and order.
Five people died in clashes on Sunday between two such vigilante groups over the control of the town of Biu in Borno State, witness Suleiman Barka told Reuters by phone.
In the meantime, Akinyemi, has said in carrying out its incessant attacks on innocent people, the game plan of the Islamists group is to ignite ethnic clashes and cause pandemonium that may eventually lead to the country’s disintegration.
Akinyemi, who led a federal government delegation to Kano to condole with the victims of the multiple bomb blasts in Sabongari last week, which led to the death of over 20 people, said the government was concerned about the irreplaceable loss of souls and property.
“The people who were doing the bombings here and there are hoping that you will rise and fight your neghbour. That you would rise and fight people of another religion. But if you have reacted in that way, you could have allowed them (Boko Haram) to succeed,” he said.
He informed the audience that if the government and security forces are allowed to do their jobs, “then we are succeeding and they are failing, and our prayer is we will succeed; we will defeat the terrorism.”
Akinyemi noted that the government could not win the war against terror alone, stating: “You are the eyes and ears of the government, so try to furnish the security operatives with all the necessary information that will help in exposing these enemies’ game plan to cause havoc, disunity and pandemonium across the country, the country belongs to all of us.”
Responding, the Eze Ndigbo of Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe, told the delegation that Sabongari is a mini-Nigeria, noting that the sad incident of last Monday affected non-indigenes which comprises Igbos, Yorubas, Efiks, Junkuns, Igbiras, and other tribes from the southern part of the country.
He said save for the prompt intervention of community leaders, the attacks could have resulted in serious bloodletting as youths in the area who lost loved ones wanted to go on the rampage.
“We are calling on the federal government to as a matter of urgency find a way of finding a lasting solution to incessant attacks on Sabongari area which is predominantly inhabited by non-indigenes,” he said.
Source: thisdaylive
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