Multinational Task Force, 28 Nations Unite To Fight Boko Haram

This week, military chiefs from Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, and Benin are reportedly meeting in Chad to put the finishing touches on their ground and air assault against Boko Haram, which is slated to start in earnest next month, according to various reports.


For the Multinational Joint Task Force, 3,500 soldiers will come from Nigeria and Chad, while 750 will come from Cameroon and Niger, and Benin will come in with the smallest contribution at 250.
Already, the force has made major gains in recent weeks, with their recapturing of a number of key towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria.

Military officials hope that the nearly 9,000-strong force will be enough to permanently stamp out Boko Haram.

Special forces training in Chad.

The United States, Europe Chip In
As unsuspecting cities and nations have been targeted by militants worldwide, both the United States and Europe have become increasingly committed to joining in on the fight against terrorism.

[The joint task force] will also have the behind the scenes support of France, the former colonial power of all those helping Nigeria.

The US has also promised to provide communication equipment and intelligence.

This is much needed across the vast and arid Sahel where surveillance is difficult along porous borders.

In addition, CNN reports that special forces units from 28 nations, including Belgium and Britain, are currently training the respective special forces units of the task force in Chad to give them an upper hand in fighting the insurgents.

For example, soldiers are learning how to respond to vehicle ambushes and pick up wounded soldiers.

Source: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/special-forces-training-boko-haram#

Kenya Now Ranked 4th Largest Economy in Africa

After rebasing their economy — as Nigeria did earlier this year — Kenya’s economy is 25 percent larger than previously thought, making it the fourth largest economy in Africa, according to the BBC.

Calculations on Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) were previously based on data from 2001.
However, the country’s economic output from 2013 came to 4.76 trillion shillings or $53.1 billion. rather than the 3.8 trillion shillings that was initially calculated, according to the Minister of  Devolution and Planning Anne Waiguru.

In addition, Kenya grew 5.7 percent last year as opposed to 4.7 percent.
The two sectors that weren’t considered in previous economic data were communications and property. These sectors helped elevate Kenya’s classification from a low-income country to middle-class.
The BBC reports:

“According to the World Bank middle economies are those with a GDP per capita of more than $1,045 but less than $12,746.”

Of Kenya’s new positioning, Economist Razia Khan of Standard Charter Bank said he wasn’t surprised by the numbers, “[The recalculation confirmed] what we had previously suspected.
“The economy has demonstrated good momentum and has been growing faster than the official data indicated all along. It fits with much of the anecdotal evidence available to us – still-robust business confidence and healthy private sector credit growth.”

Now one of the biggest economies on the continent, only Nigeria, South Africa, and Angola have larger economies.

In April, Nigeria became the largest economy of Africa, after economists were finally able to consider its uberly popular Nollywood, telecommunications, and oil industries. Previously, it had been 24 years since Africa’s most-populous nation had properly been assessed. The rebasing made Nigeria the 26th largest economy in the world.

Read more from: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/kenya-economy

The Battle Has Begun: A Farmer Drags Buhari to Court Over Certificate

A farmer from Abia State, Mr. Sergin Onuka Ibe‎ has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, begging it not to allow Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, to contest the March 28 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

‎The plaintiff, through his lawyer Mr. U.O. Ukairo,‎ prayed the court to invoke its original powers and compel ‎Buhari to not only withdraw from the presidential race, but to equally stop parading himself as a bonafide candidate for the poll.


He contended that the 1st defendant (Buhari), is not legally fit to vie for presidency in view of the pendency of a perjury charge against him.


The plaintiff maintained that Buhari violated the provision of section 31 of the Electoral Act by lying on oath about his educational qualifications.


He told the court that a personal investigation he conducted revealed that Buhari lacks the basic educational qualifications, adding that the information the 1st defendant supplied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his Form CF001, were false.

‎

Aside Buhari and the APC, INEC was also joined as a defendant in the suit marked FHC/UM/C9/13/15.


Meantime, Justice Ademola Adeniyi has ordered the service of the court processes on Buhari at his official residence at 4A and B Sultan Lane, Off Sultan Road in Kaduna.

‎

The Judge said the defendant could as well serve the Originating Summons on the 1st defendant via substituted means, to wit; publishing same in any national daily.


The case was subsequently adjourned to March 26 for hearing.


Specifically, the plaintiff is among other things, praying the court to make ‎a “declaration that the information contained in Form CF001 the 1st defendant supplied on oath to the 3rd defendant in accordance with section 31 of the Electoral Act, are false.


“An order that upon ‎determining the falsity of the above depositions that the 1st defendant is thereby disqualified from contesting the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015, on the platform of the 2nd defendant.


“An ord‎er directing the 3rd defendant (INEC) to remove the name of the 1st defendant as a candidate in the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015.


As well as, “An order directing that any votes accredited to the 1st defendant at the election shall be null and void, he being disqualified ab-initio as a candidate in the election.

‎

In a 14 paragraphed statement of claim, the plaintiff, told the court that he is a citizen from Amaekpu-Ohafia in Abia State and is a farmer/politician.


He said he was formerly ‎elected as a Councilor ‎that represented Isiama ward in Okasia Local Government Area of Abia State and a registered voter who is entitled to vote in the forthcoming general elections.


He averred that, “The first defendant in order to be eligible to contest the presidential election submitted to the 3rd defendant an affidavit which is by the nomenclature of the 3rd defendant, known as Form CF001.


“Th‎e said Form CF001 contains, on oath, the personal particulars of the 1st defendant.


“The 3rd defendant in accordance with electoral procedure published the said particulars of the 1st defendant in Umuahia, Abia State, being one of the constituencies of the 1st defendant.


“The plaintiff inspected the said Form CF001 and has reasonable grounds to believe that the following information are false:


“‎(1) All my academic qualification document as filled in my presidential form, ApC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary military board as at the time of this affidavit. (2) WASC-1961‎.


“The particulars and or facts upon which the plaintiff founded the reasonable grounds are: 1) The Nigerian Army like other organisations do not keep certificates of serving or retired Soldiers, but copies only, a fact known to the 1st defendant as a past military Head of State of Nigeria.

“(2) Accordingly ‎the “academic qualifications documents or some or one of them do not exist.


“(3) the defendant knowing that he does not have “WASC-61″ academic qualifications resorted to lying on oath, failed to attach any certificate.


“(4) There is a presumption against unnatural events to the effect that where a person claims that his certificates are with the office that ‎regulated his previous services, it is probable that no such certificate is in existence.


“(5) There is no office known under any law at all as “The Secretary Military Board”, a fact known or ought to be known by the 1st defendant, a retired General of the Nigerian Army.

‎

”(6) Arising from above, the plaintiff has no place at which he could verify the deposition of the 1st defendant.



“The plaintiff is “a person” under section 31(5) of the Electoral Act and accordingly has the requisite locus standi to file this suit.

“The plaintiff upon inspecting the said Form CF001 applied to the 3rd defendant for a copy of it at its office at Umuahia but the 3rd defendant refused to give any copy to the plaintiff but directed the plaintiff to submit the application to its Abuja office.


“The plaintiff in obedience to the directive of the 3rd defendant at its Umuahia office submitted another application at the Abuja office of the 3rd defendant. (a copy of the lett‎er is hereby pleaded and will be relied upon at the trial) .


“Regrettably, the 3rd defendant has continued to refuse to give a copy of the said Form CF001 to the plaintiff for which reason the plaintiff went to the notice board of the 3rd defendant and took photographs of the Form CF001 with a digital Samsung Tablet which the plaintiff will be relied upon at the trial.


“The plaintiff has demanded that the 1st defendant withdraws from the presidential election but he continues to parade himself as a candidate”

Source: http://chat212.blogspot.com

Buhari Goes Global: Campaigns in London

Buhari campaign hits London... Cometh the Hour, Cometh Buhari

When the history books come to be written about Nigeria’s 2015 elections, think tank The Royal Institute for International Affairs (better known as ‘Chatham House’) will have played host to some of the most riveting episodes of the drama. A month ago the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki trailed the idea that the elections would be postponed; yesterday it was the turn of presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari to set out his stall. For Nigerians in London, this is likely the closest we will get to a flavour of the electoral campaign itself.

Appealing directly to the west to maintain its support for the Nigerian constitution and electoral process, Buhari obliquely acknowledged the error of his ways in his previous overthrowing of an elected government; arguing that democratic norms, still fragile on the continent, need consolidating. In a year in which Zimbabwe’s president-for-life, Robert Mugabe became chairman of the African Union, Buhari said the prospect of Nigeria holding free and fair presidential elections would consolidate continental democracy more than anything else. But he stopped short of offering an apology for his time as military ruler, insisting only that he was a ruler and not a dictator.

Be that as it may, many of those opposed to his bid for power have seized on this record to argue he is part of the old military elite that should never seek to rule Nigeria again. On this count, Buhari pointed to his three failed bids for the presidency, and the long legal battles that followed his losses, as evidence of his commitment not only to electoral politics, but entrenching democratic norms in Nigeria. The former soldier, often praised for his ascetic lifestyle, was also at pains to characterize himself as a true convert to multi-party democracy.

Whether that is enough to swing the electorate in his favour remains to be seen. What is evident is that Buhari’s team have been doing some solid policy work. During his roughly 40 minute speech, he referenced 19th century British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli’s concept of two nations in one, lambasting Jonathan for cultivating an economy for a privileged few to enjoy, while most live in poverty.

But the most striking thing about the speech were the points of policy Buhari promised – perhaps an influence of the Democratic Alliance tradition brought by his political ally Senator Bola Tinubu, and his policy chief, Kayode Fayemi. Buhari said that if elected his government would create a public works programme to tackle youth unemployment; provide free school meals, and lay the foundation for welfare provision in the country. These would be paid for by tackling corruption in the public administration.

The centrepiece of his speech was an attack on the Jonathan administration’s handling of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. Calling the government’s failure “an act of will” rather than circumstance, Buhari insisted that if elected president Nigeria would “once again be a guarantor of regional stability”.

His detractors disagree. Outside, a voluble pro-PDP crowd was displaced by a larger one of APC supporters, but not entirely. One demonstrator I spoke to was vehemently opposed to Buhari contesting, insisting that Boko Haram was a political invention to aid Buhari’s election as president. An audience question in a similar vein was dismissed by Buhari as “ill-informed”.

Ill-informed or not, such suspicions contributed to the febrile atmosphere outside Chatham House – and indeed on the ground in Nigeria. Buhari’s reputation for incorruptibility, which is perhaps the strongest basis for his popularity, also generates perhaps the greatest fear among many who have benefited from the largesse of the Nigerian state. His administration, Buhari insists, will draw a clean slate, after which all public administration will be expected to be free from graft.

Demonstrating a good command of facts, and addressing concerns about both his age and the insinuations that he intends to impose Sharia law on Nigeria, Buhari struck me as a charming, well-informed and down-to-earth candidate, comfortable in the role of leader. While he made a statement reassuring people that his leadership and tackling of corruption would not be a witch hunt, it remains unclear whether the leap of faith he is asking Nigerians to make is achievable.

Read more from: http://chat212.blogspot.com/2015/02/buhari-campaign-hits-london-cometh-hour.html

Things to Consider Before Buying a Laptop

Laptops, also known as notebooks, are versatile, portable, come in a range of sizes and boast different levels of features. So, how do you find the laptop that's right for your needs? Just follow our buying guide on notebook computers.

Consider The Size Of Your Laptop

How often are you likely to be carrying your laptop? Are you after a notebook to play games and run graphics-intensive programs like photo editing software? Generally speaking, laptops with more features are less portable.

• Lightweight and ultra-portable notebooks are a great option for people like students who need to carry them everywhere, as they range from under 2kg up to 4kg
• Midsize and desktop-replacement laptops offer more features and are better suited to gaming and graphics-intensive programs like video and photo editing. They range from around 3kg to 5kg

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Brain Speed – The Faster, The Better

Processors are often referred to as the "brains" of a laptop because they determine how fast your computer functions. The speed of the processor is measured in GHz (gigahertz). It's always safest to go with the fastest you can afford.

The Grunt

RAM (Random Access Memory) helps your processor perform tasks by acting as a temporary storage point.

• In short, the more RAM you have, the more programs you can keep open at once, and the faster your computer will go
• Our laptops range between 2GB and 16GB of RAM
• A graphics (or video) card acts as a separate processor for rendering the images on the screen
• Graphics cards draw on their own RAM, so the computer's performance is not impeded
• This is important for graphics-intensive programs, such as games and movies

Store It In The Hard Drive

The hard drive is where your computer stores your files. Storage capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB)

• The more GB, the more files you can fit. If you want to store large files like high-quality photos, movies or music you should aim for a range between 500GB and 3TB
• A laptop used solely for Internet, email and minimal image storage should get away with 250GB or less

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How Long Does The Battery Last?

Typical laptop battery life is between three to five hours. If you're travelling and away from a power source for extended periods of time, then consider laptop computers with a battery life of over five hours.

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Connecting Your Laptop To Other Devices

Consider the devices that you want to connect your laptop to. Multiple USB ports are necessities for iPods, digital cameras and external hard drives; also look for FireWire ports.

• For connecting to monitors and projectors, look for a VGA connection at minimum. Aim for a DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort as well
• Integrated wireless networking (Wi-Fi) will allow you to connect to a range of different networks without needing any wires or cords

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Consider These "Usability" Factors

• Laptops usually come with a pointing stick or a touch pad instead of a mouse. Make sure that you're comfortable using them
• Also check that the layout and size of the keyboard is easy to use, and that the screen size suits your needs 
• If you're planning on working outside, check that there is a matte screen option to reduce glare

If you are switching from PC to Apple, or vice versa, it's important to note that Apple products have different shortcuts and a different look and feel to using them. However, making the switch either way is quite easy.

Match Your Lifestyle

Home and Business: Surf the net, work on multiple documents, watch movies, and manage your family photos and music.

• Size: Look for a portable laptop under 4kg
• Memory: Aim for the most memory you can, upwards of 250GB
• Connectivity: Multiple USB ports, Wi-Fi, Firewire and a DVI or HDMI

Students and Travellers: Store your photos, music and videos, surf the Net and work on graphics-intensive programs, like photo editing.

• Size: Choose an ultra-portable notebook under 2kg
• Grunt: Look for a processor of at least 2GHz and 2GB RAM
• Screen: Look for a matte screen to reduce glare when outdoors

Gamers: You'll need a fast, powerful machine to play your favourite games wherever you are in the world.

• Size: Choose a larger screen, like a 15.6-inch one
• Graphics: Add a separate graphics card with at least 1GB RAM
• Connectivity: HDMI, multiple USB, eSATA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

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Simple Laptop Choices

Size: Smaller laptops are easier to carry around. Do you need a big screen?
Battery life: How long will you and your notebook be away from a power source?
Storage: Notebooks with bigger hard drives can store more files, including photos and video.

Extras:
Connect it: What devices (cameras etc) do you want to connect? How many ports will you need to connect them all at once?
Graphics cards: A must-do upgrade for gamers and those editing photos.

Check out here for your best purchases: http://bamboonaija.com?aff=37

Source: http://bamboonaija.com/blogs/buying-guides/18187775-buying-guide-laptops?

 

3 dead, sheriff and deputy wounded in Ga. incident

ABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities say the suspect in the shooting of Habersham County's sheriff and a deputy is dead.

According to Georgia State Patrol, Sheriff Joey Terrell and a deputy identified as William Zigan responded to a domestic call in Clarkesville on Sunday. They found a woman — identified as the suspect's ex-wife — dead in a garage and an armed man on the scene. Both Terrell and Zigan were shot by the suspect, who fled.
The suspect, identified as former Gainesville city police officer Anthony Giaquinta, 41, apparently crashed his vehicle near the house. He then apparently headed back to the property.

Around 11:20 p.m., police found the body of the suspect, and another man near the back of the home. It's not yet clear the circumstances behind their deaths.

The sheriff and deputy were transported to local hospitals for treatment, and were said to be responding well.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation.

Source:http://www.usatoday.com

12 Money- Making Online Facts You Must Know

I know you might have stumbled on websites or blogs that claim they can show you how to make thousands of dollars a day and retire in a month or probably have received emails where the sender claimed to have made thousands of dollars by working only for a couple of hours. Interesting...right?  

Well, all these are just popular tricks to deceive you in believing making money online is easy. Those sites that boast that you can get rich over night are not telling you the whole truth and if you fall for the bogus claims, you might end up frustrated in your quest for making money online.

Now let me make something clear to you… the truth is that online business is real but it takes time to build a way to make money online. You can make residual income online just like I do but there are some facts you must know, which are highlighted below:


1. With a computer, Internet access and a phone, it's possible to earn a living and make money from home, on the internet.

2. Starting an online business requires a very low start-up capital. You just need ideas, personal computer, internet access and some softwares installed on your computer. Although, you can start from Cyber-Cafes.

3. People who work from home are not necessarily involved in scams or illegal business. There are plenty of legal ways to earn money from home.

4. Nothing like overnight wealth on the internet. Working online does not make a lot of money for most people, but over time it is certainly possible to make a strong full-time income.

5. It takes a lot of serious hard work to make money online, and a lot of the work you need to do is learning about the process. You reap what you sow.

6. It is not compulsory you know html, programming, graphic design etc before you can start making money online. You can find someone else that can do any of those things for you. Fiverr.com/jideogunsanya is an example of one of the sites where you can get your job done at very cheap price.

7. You just have to sell something, be it a product (physical/digital) or services for you to make money online. If you don't sell something or render a service, then what will people be paying you for if they are to send money into your account or send cheques to you?

8. You will need to set your own schedule and rely on your own motivation and will-power to succeed in making money online.

9. Internet businesses run 24/7. Your website or blog where you will be making money online will always be available for people to access anytime anyday unless you have issues with your server.

10. You can work once and keep earning on the internet eg. You can create an information product which will keep earning you money for life.

11. Not everybody can make money online. There is no guarantee you will succeed just as there is no guarantee that you will make money if you invest in any business offline.

12. You do not have to be jerk of all trades to make money online. In fact, if you try to do everything people are doing to make money online, you might end up in confusion, which might lead to failure. Hence, pick a model and focus on it. For example, I am focusing on creating content (info marketing, blogging) despite knowing that I can also make money trading forex online, buying/selling stocks online etc

I believe this article should be an eye opener for you if you just want to get started in making money online. Remember, if you stumble on anything that sounds too good to be true, just RUN. There is no magic on the internet. You have to work in other to be making cool money online like I do.

Read more from: this article

Amaechi’s Aide Kidnapped As Gunmen Disrupt APC Rally Again

Unknown gunmen yesterday disrupted a campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kanani 1 community in Khana local government area of Rivers State and kidnapped an aide to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and chieftain of the party in the community, Mr Fred Ndigbara.
Ndigbara, who is from Kanani 1 community, is a staff of the State Council of Arts and Culture, and on secondment to the Press Unit of the Government House, Port Harcourt.
The disruption of the APC rally at Kanani 1 community and the kidnapping of the governor’s aide, came barely four days after unknown gunmen attacked the party governorship campaign rally at Okrika, headquarters of Okrika local government area of the state, killing one policeman, and injuring scores of other people.

LEADERSHIP gathered that Ndigbara’s abductors stormed the venue of the rally in a Toyota vehicle and forced him into a waiting car before driving away to an unknown destination.
Although details of the ugly incident were sketchy as at press time, an eyewitness said the incident occurred when the organisers of the rally were setting up the podium and public address system.
When contacted, the police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the incident, saying that the police had intensified efforts to rescue him safely and apprehend the suspects.

Speaking on the events in Rivers State, the deputy national chairman of the PDP said “the crisis in Rivers State is Amaechi. He shut down the court and the gate is locked. He shut down the State Assembly and the gate is locked and he is now the sole administrator and maximum leader. Salaries are not paid as at when due, monies are taken away from the state to sponsor Buhari; our jet now is owned by Buhari.”

Source: Leadership Newspaper

ISIS atrocity in Libya demonstrates its growing reach in North Africa

(CNN)ISIS is under pressure in parts of Iraq and battling a variety of adversaries in Syria, but it's metastasizing at warp speed elsewhere, most dangerously in Egypt and Libya.

It also has support in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And the leader of the group ravaging northern Nigeria, Boko Haram, has expressed his admiration of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The savage killing of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya -- all of them dressed in ISIS' trademark orange prison garb -- is another indication of ISIS' ability to take advantage of collapsed or collapsing states and of its growing presence in North Africa. Most significantly, the atrocity took place in Sirte, a long way from ISIS' first stronghold around Derna in the east of the country. 

ISIS' presence in Sirte, a town of 50,000, has been growing. The Egyptians were abducted in November, and more recently, the extremists strengthened their presence by taking over government buildings and a radio station.

In Libya since autumn

ISIS first announced itself in Libya in October. Amateur video showed a large crowd of militants in Derna affiliated with the Shura Council for the Youth of Islam chanting their allegiance to al-Baghdadi. Sources told CNN at the time that ISIS had up to 800 fighters in the area as well as training facilities in the nearby Green Mountains. They were bolstered by the return from Syria and Iraq of up to 300 Libyan jihadists.

A short while later, al-Baghdadi recognized three Libyan "provinces": Barqa (in the east), Tripolitania (west) and Fezzan (south) as being part of the "caliphate."

Since then, ISIS has stepped up its presence across Libya. Late last month, a suicide bombing and gun attack on a hotel in the capital, Tripoli, killed 10 people, including an American. The attack was swiftly claimed by Wilayat al-Tarabulus, ISIS' name for the province. Politicians in Tripoli disputed the claim.

ISIS has also been active in southern Libya, attacking a Libyan army checkpoint in Sokhna in January and killing 16 people.

While a growing presence, the Libyan affiliate is some ways from being able to mimic ISIS in Syria and Iraq, with its bureaucracy and governing structure. Geoff Porter of North Africa Risk Consulting says that "even in the jihadi stronghold of Derna, (ISIS) does not rule independent of a broader coalition of like-minded, but ultimately distinct groups."

"While ISIS may prove to be an enduring terrorist threat in Libya, it is very unlikely to be able to develop to the point where it controls a meaningful amount of territory," Porter says.

But as in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has launched an effective social media campaign in Libya. It has also made a concerted effort to attract seasoned fighters from other groups, such as Ansar al Sharia.

ISIS Libyan affiliate has also started to exercise some forms of social control in areas where it is strong. "The group has publicized hisba activities such as burning cigarette cartons; destroying water pipes used for smoking; demolishing "polytheistic" statues and shrines," says Andrew Engel of the Washington Institute.

'A threat to international peace'

 

Hours after the Egyptian air force carried out retaliatory airstrikes Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned that "leaving the situation as it is in Libya without a firm intervention to curtail these terrorist organizations would be a threat to international peace and security."

The Italian government has suggested an international peacekeeping presence in Libya. Italy is acutely aware that it's the jumping-off point for a growing flow of migrants and a base camp for terrorism, just hours across the Mediterranean. 

Bernardino Leon, U.N. envoy to Libya, has floated the idea of international monitors when a peace agreement between rival factions is hammered out. But "when" seems a long way off, despite the beginning of talks between rival factions in Geneva. And U.S. and European officials fear that putting boots on the ground would be a bug light to ISIS supporters.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Leon admitted that "terrorism is becoming a problem beyond the east [of Libya.] It is growing into the west and now the south, and from the west they might go to Tunisia and Algeria."

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/16/africa/isis-libya-north-africa/index.html

Young girl suicide bomber kills five, Nineteen injured in the blast

Young girl suicide bomber kills five, Nineteen injured in Nigeria

A girl thought to be as young as seven-years-old on Sunday killed herself and five others in a suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria as President Goodluck Jonathan conceded his government had underrated the capacity of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

The attack on a market in the city of Potiskum is the latest in a string of suicide strikes in which children have been used.

Previous attacks have been blamed on Boko Haram.

Nineteen people were injured in the blast in Yobe state's commercial capital, a local vigilante leader told Chat212. "So far, five people were killed with the girl while 19 others have been taken to hospital for injuries," Buba Lawan said.

A hospital source speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the dead and the wounded count.

The bombing highlights the severe security challenges facing Nigeria in the run up to March 28 presidential and parliamentary elections.

During a swing through neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Sunday urged Nigeria to entirely commit itself to battling Boko Haram.

"It is necessary that there be full commitment from Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram," he told reporters during a press conference in Niger's capital, Niamey.

On Saturday in the Chadian capital N'Djamena, Fabius visited a coordination cell set up on a French military base between Cameroon, Chad, Niger and France.

Paris has promised to increase intelligence-sharing and other assistance to the armies of Nigeria and its three neighbours, which banded together to battle Boko Haram after the extremists expanded their campaign of across the region's borders.

Source: http://chat212.blogspot.com/2015/02/young-girl-suicide-bomber-kills-five.html?

Nigerian Stephen Keshi on shortlist for Burkina Faso job

Former Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is in the running to become Burkina Faso's coach after being named in a three-man shortlist for the post.

The Burkina Faso Football Federation (FBF) is also considering ex-Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac and ex-Gabon and Niger coach Gernot Rohr.

"German Rohr, Serbian Rajevac and Nigerian Keshi have been selected by the Commission," read an FBF statement.

"The FBF plans to name the successful candidate within three weeks."

Burkina Faso are looking for a successor to the Belgian Paul Put, who left the post after a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Equatorial Guinea.

Runners-up in the 2013 finals in South Africa, the Stallions crashed out in the group stage of this year's tournament, which was won by Ivory Coast.

Keshi is currently without a role, having been unable to agree a new deal with Nigeria following the failure to qualify for this year's Nations Cup.

The 53-year-old is hoping his previous successes with Nigeria, winning the 2013 Nations Cup title and reaching the second round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will help him clinch the post.

Rajevac steered Ghana to the final of the 2010 African Cup of Nations and the last eight of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Rohr took Gabon to the quarter-finals of the 2012 Nations Cup on home soil and also managed Niger at the 2013 edition but failed to get them out of the group stage.

Read more from: Sports Africa

Barack Obama says US 'at war with those perverting Islam'

US President Barack Obama says the US is "not at war with Islam - we are at war with the people who have perverted Islam".

He was speaking to representatives from 60 nations attending a three-day event on extremism that follows attacks in Denmark and France.

Mr Obama said the world had to confront the ideologies that radicalise people.

He said those heading groups like Islamic State and al-Qaeda were not religious leaders but terrorists.

Mr Obama said associating Islamic State or al-Qaeda with Islam would be buying into the propaganda of those groups, challenging critics who have questioned him for not describing recent attacks as the work of "Islamic radicals".

Mr Obama has asked Congress formally to authorise military force against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The US and its partners have carried out air strikes against the group since last year.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31523213

More Than 300 Boko Haram Militants Killed In Monguno

The Nigerian military claimed February 18 that over 300 Boko Haram insurgents were killed in Monguno, Borno State.

Monguno was seized January 25 and recaptured earlier this week, together with Marte and other communities.

In this period African allies also claimed gains in the counter-terrorism operations. Cameroon said they had killed 80 terrorists and arrested 1,000. Niger said that 160 people with links to Boko Haram had been arrested since February 6.

Vanguard reports that today the details of Monguno operation have been made public as defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said:

“Over 300 terrorists were killed while a few were also captured.”

This followed, however, similar statements about Boko Haram casualties from Niger, Chad and Cameroon, involved in joint forces fighting insurgents.

In his recent interview Olukolade commended the efforts of the Multi National Joint Task Force saying that due to better coordinated efforts they had been recording improved results in the operations.

Source: http://chat212.blogspot.com/2015/02/more-than-300-boko-haram-militants.html

Boko Haram's New Hideout: Escapee Reveals Details: Who Shall Go After Them?

Some of Boko Haram insurgents are reportedly living inside the cave of a huge rock In Adamawa state, popularly known as “Bekin Dose” situated between Michika and Madagali close to Sambisa forest.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by one of the women abducted by the insurgents from Grata village in Michika local government area of the state, Mrs Hannatu Zira.

According to ThisDay report, Zira said while in the custody of her abductors inside the cave, she noticed members of the sect always rush into the cave when there was any serious hit on them.

She said: “It is a very big cave which can conewntain more than three thousand persons. What the insurgents do was to rush into the cave whenever there is any serious attack on them.

“If you are a stranger you will not know that there is a cave like that, unless the military bombard the rock completely or smoke them out of the cave for the sake of other women and children still in their custody”

Zira, who is already taking refuge in one of her relatives’ house in Yola, the state capital explained that one of the sympathetic members of the dreaded sect helped her escape.

She thanked God for her escape while also praying for God to deliver other women abducted with her on the same day by the insurgents during their recent onslaught on some Adamawa villages.

She stated that some women and children were still languishing in the custody of the insurgents, who she described as inhuman and merciless.

“You need to be there to see how wicked these people are, they are inhuman and merciless when they want to commit any ad hoc on a person. If you don’t cooperate with them they will slaughter you straight away,” she said.

According to her the insurgents fed them at least twice daily, adding that they were only denied food and beaten as punishment when they committed minor offences. “Death is the penalty for major offences, especially if you are caught trying to escape or trying to divulge useful information to the military,” she said.

She therefore called on the government to make efforts to rescue those still in captivity from the hands of the insurgents.

She also urged the military to extend its recent bombardment on Sambisa forest to Bekin Dose.

It is widely suspected that the Sambisa forest, located not far from the Borno state capital is the home for Boko Haram insurgents. There have been speculations that the Chibok girls abducted by the sect were taken to this forest.

Reports surfaced last week that Nigerian troops had finally invaded Boko Haram’s notorious hideout in Sambisa Forest as a part of actions to suppress the terrorists.

Read more from: http://chat212.blogspot.com

A Brief History of Religious Tension in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Antecedents

 Early religious conflict in Nigeria

Religious conflict in Nigeria goes as far back as 1953. The Igbo massacre of 1966 in the North that followed the counter-coup of the same year had as a dual cause the Igbo officers' coup and pre-existing (sectarian) tensions between the Igbos and the local Muslims. This was a major factor in the Biafran secession and the resulting civil war.

Maitatsine

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a major Islamic uprising led by Maitatsine (Mohammed Marwa) and his followers, Yan Tatsine that led to several thousand deaths. After Maitatsine's death in 1980, the movement continued some five years more.

In the same decade the erstwhile military ruler of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Babangida enrolled Nigeria in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. This was a move which aggravated religious tensions in the country, particularly among the Christian community. In response, some in the Muslim community pointed out that certain other African member states have smaller proportions of Muslims, as well as Nigeria's diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Establishment of Sharia

Since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999, Sharia has been instituted as a main body of civil and criminal law in 9 Muslim-majority and in some parts of 3 Muslim-plurality states, when then-Zamfara State governor Ahmad Rufai Sani began the push for the institution of Sharia at the state level of government. This was followed by controversy as to the would-be legal status of the non-Muslims in the Sharia system. A spate of Muslim-Christian riots soon emerged.

In the primarily Islamic northern states of Nigeria, a variety of Muslim groups and populations exist, who favour the nationwide introduction of Sharia Law. The demands of these populations have been at least partially upheld by the Nigerian Federal Government in 12 states, firstly in Zamfara State in 1999. The implementation has been widely attributed as being due to the insistence of Zamfara State governor Ahmad Rufai Sani. 

The death sentences of Amina Lawal and Safiya Hussaini attracted international attention to what many saw as the harsh regime of these laws. These sentences were later overturned; the first execution was carried out in 2002. 

Blasphemy and apostasy

Twelve out of Nigeria's thirty-six states have Sunni Islam as the dominant religion. In 1999, those states chose to have Sharia courts as well as Customary courts. A Sharia court may treat blasphemy as deserving of several punishments up to, and including, execution. In many predominantly Muslim states, conversion from Islam to another religion is illegal and often a capital offence. 

Demographic balance

According to a Nigerian study on demographics and religion, Muslims make up 50.5% of the population. Muslims mainly live in the north of the country; the majority of the Nigerian Muslims are Sunnis. Christians are the second-largest religious group and make up 48.2% of the population. They predominate in the central and southern part of the country. 

For reasons of avoiding political controversy, questions of religion were forgone in the 2006 Nigerian census.

The Begging Issue

We all foresaw what was coming; but refused to do anything- hypocrisy and ignorance playing their part. Unfortunately enough, the daring consequence of our sheer negligence and myopia is the birth of the monster, Boko Haram.

Read more from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/