Badeh To Troops: Flush Out Boko Haram Before Saturday Poll Our Correspondents — Oct 8, 2014 | 6 Comments As the people of Adamawa State fret over Saturday’s by-election for the state governorship, the chief of defence staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh has ordered the troops to flush out the terrorists rampaging the state to ensure that the election holds in every local government. Adamawa is one of the three states where the terrorists have been killing, maiming and destroying life and property. The other two states are Borno and Yobe. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the by-election for next Saturday to replace the impeached former governor the state, Murtala Nyako, but the terrorists have had a stronghold in some of the major town, a factor that constitutes a threat to the election. However, the military leadership has assured INEC that the poll would be held without any hitches. Military sources have attributed the recent successes recorded by the troops in Adamawa State to the order given by the defence chief, Air Chief Marshal Badeh, to the chief of army staff (COAS) Lt-Gen Kenneth Minimah and chief of air staff (CAS) Air Marshal Adesola Amosu to flush out all terrorist from the state before the weekend to allow INEC to conduct a violence-free election. ‘‘It is true our troops have been doing a yeoman’s job in the northeast, especially in Adamawa State. Kudos should be given to the CDS who asked the COAS and CAS to intensify actions to ensure the coming governorship poll holds in Adamawa and the order also covers the other two states because of the February election. “This is why you see our troops killing those terrorists in hundreds daily. They are many, that is true, but they cannot withstand our fire power. The air troops and the ground troops are synergizing and that is the result of the successes that you see. The two chiefs are always on the move to ensure continuing success of the troops. You cannot know whether CAS and COAS are operating in Abuja or from Yola/Maiduguri axis,” a source disclosed. Corroborating him, another security source said there is an ongoing battle in the areas that the terrorists used to operate and many of them are being killed while many are also surrendering to the troops. “The battle that liberated Michika and Gulak and other communities in that axis was a fierce one because those criminals did not want to give up, but when they saw the firepower both from the air and on the ground, they fled and our troops pursued them. The good news is (that) the war against the terrorists is almost over, God willing.” Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold a grand rally for the Saturday’s poll today in Yola, the state capital, and all the chieftains of the party from every state of the federation are expected to be there. Adamawa is the home state of a leading presidential aspirant of the party, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s national vice chairman, North East, Engineer B. D. Lawal. Both are expected to lead the party in the quest to reclaim the state. Although the party belonged to the PDP until the defection of the then governor, Nyako, to the APC after the controversial PDP convention held in Abuja, the PDP regained the state through his impeachment. “Adamawa State is a stronghold of the APC; they used an illegal process called impeachment to steal the state from us and, this weekend, our people are ready to free the state from the PDP. I can assure you that we are getting the state back. APC belongs to Adamawa and Adamawa belongs to APC,” Lawal told our correspondent yesterday. Insurgency: Adamawa Guber Election Will Hold As Scheduled- INEC The fierce battle between the military and insurgents in some parts of Adamawa State will not derail Saturday’s governorship by-election in Adamawa State, INEC said yesterday. However, there are strong indications that elections might not be held in two local government areas, Madagali and Michika, where troops are trying to remove Boko Haram insurgents who had held sway here in the last few weeks. On Monday, the military said about 71 members of the sect were killed. Alongside Madagali and Michika, INEC last week identified 11 other local government areas as vulnerable to “constant state of fear, insurgency, thuggery, violence and ballot box snatching.” INEC specifically mentioned Maha, Mubi North and South local government areas are being adversely affected by the activities of the sect. However, the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, is already in Yola, the state capital, to assess the situation. But responding to an inquiry by LEADERSHIP whether or not the election will continue as planned in the face of insecurity, Jega’s chief press secretary, Kayode Idowu, who is also in Yola, said “as we speak now, no area is exempt from the election, which will hold as scheduled.” Responding to a question over whether election will hold in Madagali and Michika, he said: “I can’t confirm whether or not elections will be postponed in the two local governments yet, but anywhere security is not guaranteed, we will not endanger voters. We will not have elections anywhere it is not practicable to have elections in accordance with the constitution and the law.” On whether cancellation of elections in the two local governments will affect the results, he said: “Anything can affect the result of the election, but we cannot determine that until after the election; the constitution is clear on this.” Meanwhile, seven political parties and their candidates have been cleared to participate in the election, while a total of 1.5 million registered voters are expected to cast their votes in 2,609 polling units in the state. The commission is expected to move sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the election to the state before Friday. Thousands of refugees stranded at Yola Govt House …as relief materials were diverted to PDP secretariat Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Adamawa State are going through hell as some of the relief material sent by the federal government through the Special Presidential Committee on Relief have allegedly been diverting them to individuals and organizations in the state. Two trailer loads of relief materials meant for the IDPs were diverted to the PDP secretariat, sparking a protest with the IDPs telling the acting governor that the materials had been cornered by individuals. Investigation has unravelled that the relief materials were shared to unions, individuals and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members contrary to the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan who had warned that the items should be strictly given to the affected persons. Meanwhile, the IDPs from Michika and Madagali who were invited to attend a meeting with acting Governor Umaru Fintiri said they were left stranded and hungry for many hours at Government House, Yola. The acting governor hails from Madagali local government which was seized for close to a month by insurgents who killed many residents and displaced thousands others. Ahead of the Saturday by-election, the acting governor had asked all the displaced people from Michika and Madagali to assemble at the Government House for a meeting. About 10,000 of the IDPs, including the aged, children and women all converged on Government House thinking that part of the relief materials would be shared to them only for them to observe that the meeting was a political gimmick to woo them to vote for the ruling party in Saturday’s gubernatorial by election. Most of them expressed dismay at the lackadaisical attitude of the government which deemed it fit to keep them throughout the day without food, water or transport fare to go back home only to be told to go and vote on election day. While delivering his speech during the occasion, the acting governor was heckled when he mentioned that the relief materials had been shared among the IDPs. They were said to have told the acting governor that they had received nothing as relief materials, and that they did not have confidence in the committee set up to distribute the materials. Some of the angry IDPs tried to gain access to the council chambers but were prevented by stern-looking security operatives. An IDP who complained that he was left stranded despite walking long hours to the Government House wondered what would happen when the acting governor became the substantive governor if he could treat like this. Boko Haram: Omeri Appeals To Sponsors To Surrender The coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, has appealed to sponsors and agents of the Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism in the country to see the wisdom of abandoning the fight against citizens by immediately surrendering to the security forces. In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Omeri asked them to follow the example of others in Konduga. “They should know that this war can never be won by them,” he said while reinforcing government greater interest in the rescue of all persons and communities that are being traumatized by the insurgency. Omeri assured Nigerians that concerted efforts are being marshalled to ensure a return to normalcy in the affected communities. He also commended Nigerians for their steadfast support and cooperation with the security forces which had helped to ensure the successes so far recorded in the campaign to defeat terrorism and end insurgency in the country. “Although there was intense fighting in parts of Adamawa, especially in Michika and Bazza, among other areas, it must be noted that the military action in the north east to flush out insurgents is going on according to operational plans, and the security forces have been recording tremendous gains in recent weeks. “As part of the security measures, we continue to enjoin Nigerians to report suspicious persons and movements to nearby security agencies or simply send sms to 112 , a security code meant to pass information to the security forces” he said.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:09:30 +0000