How Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Burutai escapes death during Boko Haram Attack

*Buratai recalls with sadness how the combatants gave their life for his during a Boko Haram surprise attack

*The zones remaining to be conquered are just the peripheral that lies along the border between Cameroon and Nigeria

The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai has remembered how close he was to the dead during an ambush laid by Boko Haram terrorists.

According to the The Nation, Buratai recollects with sadness the attack that almost cost the country its military head and how the incidents took the lives of some gallant soldiers that fought to safeguard him.

Buratai narrated: “I was with them and my convoy was ambushed by Boko Haram. Instead of withdrawing back to Maiduguri, I said, ‘No! We are in this together, I can’t go back. We must all go together to clear the ambush.

"So I advanced with them and that was how we cleared the ambush. If the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) does not turn back, who would turn and run from such an ambush? I advanced with the troops and it paid off.

“Unfortunately, we lost two soldiers; one of them was an officer. One other soldier, a Brigadier-General, got wounded in the attack.”

Talking about the success rate of the war with Boko Haram in the last two years, the army General said: “The situation before we came in. Buratai says he it is sad to remember those that gave their lives for him.

“We came at a time when truly the challenge of the insurgency was very high. It was at its peak. There is no gainsaying that some progress had been made before we came in.

“But the progress that was made before we came in was being overtaken by the virtual resurgence of Boko Haram terrorist group.

“At the time we came, there were only four local governments that were not under the Boko Haram terrorist group’s control out of about 27 local governments in Borno. Same in Yobe state; two local governments were still under Boko Haram’s influence. That was the situation we met when we came in July 2015.

“As at today, those two local governments in Yobe state have been reclaimed from Boko Haram. And in Borno, all the 23 LGAs that were under the influence and control of Boko Haram have been liberated and they’ve been effectively put under the control of the elected government.

“The areas that are remaining are just the peripheral that lies along the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. And Chad and Niger borders as well. No single local government isunder the control of Boko Haram. To me, this is a major achievement and source of fulfilment.”

Source.

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Boko Haram releases new video rant against Presidnet Buhari and other Nigerian officers

Abubakar Shekau's section of Boko Haram has released another video clip against President Muhammadu Buhari and other government officers.

The short film also revealed some villagers being whipped for various offences.

Tellforceblog understands that the transgressions for which they were being flogged were based on custody of hard substance, alcohol in the settlements most likely under their governance in Sambisa and environs, northeastern Nigeria.

Also read: Boko Haram Releases New VIDEO

The video only showed a preacher talking wide about the Nigerian government. He was fenced by gunmen and some people who were supposed to be villagers held hostage.

SaharaReporters reported that the new video clip was released solely to a popular freelance reporter.

Also read: Video: Boko Haram releases new video, gruesomely killed alleged government spies

Recall that this will be the third video since March 13, 2017, when the extremist group released a video which was produced in Hausa and Arabic, and which comprised series of footage showing government officials, Islamic priests and world leaders plus a footage of President Muhammad Buhari, the current and former president of the US, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and several European leaders.

The second video was released in last week and showed Boko Haram's hostilities in Cameroon.

Also read: Boko Haram Releases New VIDEO

Watch the Video below:

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Suicide bombing has drastically reduce in Borno, others - Chief of Army staff

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has said that suicide bombing in Borno State and its North Eastern counterparts have been drastically reduced by the army.

 Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai

According to the Army Chief, the army has identified a major location of the suicide bombers and demolished it.

Buratai said this in an interview during the weekend.

He said: “By and large, I tell you suicide bombing has been reduced drastically. In the last three days, there has been no Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attack or suicide attacks and this, we hope it will continue.

“They may decide to come but we are able to take out one key area that we are even suspecting, our troops were able to clear them in conjunction with other security agencies.

“I won’t say at this stage that we have been able to make breakthroughs in respect of suicide bombing, but we have made substantial progress and we hope it will be sustained.”

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Boko Haram Releases New VIDEO

Boko Haram militants have released a video taunting the Cameroonian Special Forces and bragging that it has not been crushed.

This is a continuation of a story covered on Saturday, April 1 about Boko Haram militants insulting President Paul Biya of Cameroon and his security strengths.

In this new video released by Sahara Reporters, the extremist group could be seen taking part in a fatal shootout with security agents in a woods suspected to be within Nigeria.

The Nigerian armed force has kept on insisting that the group has been vanquished aside from pockets of brutal assaults yet Boko Haram maintains they are still as operational as ever before.

Watch the video below:

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Boko Haram abducts 22 girls, women in Borno

AFP Friday reported that the extremist group, Boko Haram Islamists have abducted 22 girls and women in two different raids in north-eastern part of Nigeria, according to residents and vigilantes.

During the first attack on Thursday, March 30, the terrorist group raided the village of Pulka close to border with Cameroon where they abducted 18 girls.

According to a leader from Pulka community, he told AFP via phone that: "Boko Haram fighters from Mamman Nur camp arrived in pickup vans around 6:00 am and seized 14 young girls aged 17 and below while residents fled into the bush.

"They picked four other girls who were fleeing the raid they came across in the bush outside the village."

The community leader prefer anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

According to the authority, the assailants were faithful to the group headed by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, the child of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf.

Barnawi was named a year ago by the Islamic State gathering to supplant pioneer Abubakar Shekau, who had pledged allegiance to the Middle East jihadist group in 2015.


Another person living in the community also confirmed the occurence of the raid and said the girls were likely to end up as wives of the fighters.

The resident stated that: “They didn’t harm anyone during the raid and they made no attempt to shoot people running away from the village."

The second attack took place outside the village of Dumba, close to Lake Chad, the jihadists murdered a herdsman who had made effort to escape after failing to pay protection money, said an anti-Boko Haram militia, Adamu Ahmed.

“When the Boko Haram gunmen came for the money they realised he had left with everything and they decided to go after him on their motorcycles,” Ahmed stated.
“They caught up with him near Dumba where they slaughtered him and shot dead 50 of his cattle.

“They took four women from the man’s family and the rest of the herd,” he added.

Report said the promotion of Barnawi had exposed divisions in the group, as Shekau had been criticised by some of his cohorts for mass killings and suicide attacks against civilians.

Barnawi and his right-hand man Mamman Nur, who some of them see as the real leader, had assure residents in areas within their control would not be harmed as long as they refuse to cooperate with Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram.

However, in the past few weeks, the Islamist extremists have intensified raids in areas near Lake Chad, stealing food from residents and robbing them of valuables.

They have also slain several civilians they accused of cooperating with the Nigerian troops.

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