Group Wants U.S to List Boko Haram as Terror Organisation

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An anti-terror coalition of Nigerians at home and in diaspora, Nigerians Unite Against Boko Haram (NUABH) has launched a campaign to prevail on the United States government to list the Boko Haram group as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

The campaign has so far gathered signatures from more than 70 Nigerian professionals, students, and business people at home and diaspora communities from over 16 different countries.

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Gunmen Kill another UNIPORT Student, girlfriend and Ex-Corps Member

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Two weeks after four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) were killed by a mob in Omuokiri, Aluu, tragedy struck in another host community of the institution as unknown gunmen killed another student of the school, his girlfriend and an ex-member of the National Youth Service Corps.

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Nigeria: Nine Pilgrims Die in Saudi Arabia

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Makkah — Head of the National Hajj Commission in Medina, Dr Bello Tambuwal, yesterday said that the number of Nigerian pilgrims who have died in the holy land has increased to nine.

Tambuwal, in a telephone chat with our correspondent said the pilgrims were from Kebbi, Kano, Katsina and Bauchi states. He said apart from the Bauchi pilgrim who died after falling from a high rise building, the others died from illnesses.

He added that to ensure that medical services are available to the pilgrims, the Nigerian mission is operating two clinics in Medina, and that they render 24 hour service. He said the commission is working with the medical teams of state pilgrims' boards to ensure that priority attention is given to the health needs of pilgrims.

In another development, the director of traffic in the holy city, Brig. Mishaal Al-Maghrabi, announced earlier that old minibuses will be prevented from transporting pilgrims due to the vehicles' unreliability. He then set up a tripartite committee to monitor the minibuses and prevent them from roaming the streets of Makkah.

our correspondent observed that a number of minibus drivers have refused to withdraw their vehicles from the streets despite the announcement. To protest the decision, the drivers blocked the Hajj street for more than three hours, and it took security agents to bring the situation under control.

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Suspect Accuses Policeman of Joining in the Lynch of Aluu Four

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More revelations are emerging on how four University of Port Harcourt undergraduates were killed as a suspect in custody, David Ugbaje, Tuesday accused a policeman of participating in the lynching of the deceased.

He said the policeman joined the mob in the killing of the four students at Omuokiri, Aluu, in Rivers State on October 5.

Also yesterday, the police announced that they had arrested the fleeing principal suspect in the murder, Lucky, alias Bright, who raised the false alarm that labelled the students as armed robbers, which prompted the rage of the mob.

Lucky was said to owe one of the victims some money and they had gone on a debt-recovery mission, when he accused the deceased of trying to rob him.

Ugbaje told journalists Tuesday in Port Harcourt, when the police paraded him and 12 other suspects for their alleged involvement in the crime, that one of the policemen who met them when the mob was beating the students joined them in beating the victims.

He explained that it was after the policeman had partaken in the beating that he requested that the students be handed over to them, a request which the mob refused.

As Ugbaje narrated, "along the line, two policemen came around. One of the policemen was pleading that the boys be left alone, but the other one even joined us in beating the boys. After beating the boys, the policemen now said let the boys be handed over to them. The crowd said no: We no go gree. The policemen now told us that whatever this will result to, they (the crowd) will bear the consequences."

Ugbaje's narrative tallied with the eyewitness account of Miss Ibisobia Elkanah, an elder sister of one of the victims, Tekenah Friday Elkanah. Ibisobia said the police were not repelled by the mob as claimed by them (police), but that one of the policemen suggested that the victims be burnt alive.

"The police van came, went into the mob and they were talking to them (youths). The people kept quiet as the police were making statements. I heard them laughing. You know, they were happy. They kept quiet again. The police talked and they laughed again. The next was for me to see three policemen coming out of the mob, boarded their van. And, one of the said 'burn them alive'. I must confess, I was gripped with fear," she said.

But the police's storyline has been that they were chased back by the murderous mob, forcing them to call for reinforcement from the Joint Task Force (JTF). However, men of the JTF did not come until several hours after the students had been killed and burnt.

The police had earlier announced the arrest of 21 suspects in connection with the crime, including the traditional ruler of the community.

Those paraded included the traditional ruler of Omokiri village, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, Lawal Segun, Lucky Orji, Cynthia Chinwo, Ekpe Daniel, George Nwadei, Gabriel Oche and Ozioma Abajuo.

Others were Chigozie Evans Samuel, Endurance Edet, Uwem Sampson Akpabio, David Chinasa Ugbaje and Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (alias Kapoon).

However, while the police allowed journalists to interview Ugbaje, Amadi and Segun, other suspects, especially Welewa, were shielded from the press.

Briefing journalists, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Indabawa, said the police arrested two additional suspects, Amadi and Ugbaje, at about 3pm on Monday.

He said the police were forced to parade the suspects because of the enormity of the crime and the interest the crime had generated.

"It is not the philosophy of the Inspector General of Police to parade suspects. Nonetheless, the gruesome manner in which the crime was committed, coupled with the direct and glaring involvement of some of these suspects and the interest generated by the heinous crime left the police with no option than to parade them," he said.

The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, had ordered a full investigation into the crime.

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Nigeria: Bloodbath As Tiv, Fulani Clash in Benue

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Benue — No fewer than 30 persons were feared dead in a fresh clash between Fulani herdsmen and native Tiv farmers in Yogbo, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. This came as the Joint Task Force, JTF, confirmed, yesterday, that 24 sect members were killed in Monday's spate of explosions and shootings in Maiduguri.

Majority of those killed in the bloodbath that erupted Sunday morning in Yogbo were women and children who could not escape before the herdsmen invaded the embattled community.

The renewed crisis also left several farmlands and yields in ruins while houses and huts worth several millions of Naira were also destroyed by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

Vanguard gathered from fleeing residents of the community who had taken refuge in Makurdi town that the arms wielding herdsmen attacked Yogbo, a community that is less than 15 minutes drive from Makurdi town, at about 7am on Sunday when most residents had gone to church.

According to one John Usher who said he escaped with his wife and three children from the sudden attack, "we never envisaged any attack on that day, because we have been living in peace with one another for sometime now.

"We were surprised when the Fulanis suddenly attacked us, slaughtering over 30 women and children who were at home when many families had gone to church; we heard screams of women and children being murdered by the Fulanis who quickly disappeared after carrying out the dastardly attack".

He added: "Given the timing of this latest attack on Tiv farmers, it has become worrisome that anytime a year is coming to an end, these ugly incidents always occur, leading to the spilling of blood and the wanton destruction of property and farm yields of Tiv farmers by the invading Fulani herdsmen. It is just unfortunate".

Meanwhile, at press time, hundreds of indigenous Tiv farmers were seen fleeing to Makurdi town, while some were heading to Gbajimba from the troubled community while security operatives were also seen patrolling parts of the town.

When contacted, the Benue state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Daniel Ezeala confirmed that men of the command have been deployed to the troubled spot to forestall further bloodbath in the area.

Vanguard recalls that attacks on Tiv communities by the herdsmen had, in the last few years, led to deaths of hundreds of persons especially in the border communities between Benue and Nasarawa states.

Efforts by both Benue and Nasarawa state governments and the Sultan of Sokoto to find lasting solution to the crisis have yielded little or no results in the last few months.

Recently, the governors of Benue and Nasarawa states also signed a peace accord at Yelwata, a border town between the two states to end the incessant bloodbath.

24 suspected terrorists, 2 others killed in Maiduguri multiple blasts

Meanwhile, 24 suspected terrorists have been confirmed killed in last Monday's clash with members of the JTF in Gwange, Zannari and Gomari Costain areas of Maiduguri, while two others believed to be members of the JTF were killed by the terrorists.

But the Task Force in Borno State said, yesterday, that no member of JTF or civilian was killed during the encounter, insisting that about 24 suspected Boko Haram fighters were killed in different parts of Maiduguri metropolis.

A statement signed by the JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, yesterday, said the Boko Haram sect members attacked JTF locations in Zannari ward and Lagos Street along Gwange general area on Monday night where rocket propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices were used by the insurgents.

According to the statement: "The terrorists used civilian homes as launching areas for the attacks at different times of the night of Monday, October 15, 2012. All the attacks were repelled; 24 Boko Haram terrorists were killed".

The JTF spokesman claimed that no civilian casualty was recorded but added that a soldier was wounded during the attack.

He said: "One RPG purpose machine gun, 7 AK 47 riffles, 1 FNC riffle, 24 assorted empty magazines, 950 assorted ammunition, two pistols, large quantity of assorted Improvised Explosives Device (IED) materials and several bows, arrows and cutlasses were recovered from the attackers.

The atmosphere in Maiduguri has been normalized since the early hours of Tuesday(yesterday) as people are going about their normal businesses." Musa warned residents to desist from allowing their homes to be used as launching pads for attacks on troops and civilians, saying such action would be dealt with appropriately.

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Mubi massacre: At least 60 students were killed – Female survivor

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The brutal killing of some students of Federal Polytechnic a fortnight ago in Mubi, Adamawa State has once again been brought to the fore as a student of the polytechnic gives a detailed account on what transpired. Miss Stella James, a survivor of the October 1 attack had argued that contrary to the total of 40 announced as the casualty figure, over 62 people were said to have lost their lives in the massacre.

Although the official casualty figure from the horror was put at 40, one of the survivors of the attack on students, Miss Serah James, has disputed the claim saying that no fewer than 62 students were killed by the gunmen who invaded the hostel.

James, who said she was afraid to go back to Mubi because she was still being haunted by the horror   of the massacre recalled that prior to the attack, the town was on curfew because soldiers were conducting a house-to-house search for arms.

This she said the students thought they were safe until the mayhem of that Monday.

She said, “Before the attack, the town was under curfew for about 72 hours and we were relaxed that at least with the presence of soldiers we were safe. They were searching for arms and in any house where they discovered such, they would arrest the occupants.

“Then the mayhem started in the early hours of Monday. They went to the hostel where some students were living off campus and started calling the names of the students one by one and shooting them as they were identified. They killed mostly those with Christian names.”

“The whole neighbourhood was jolted and horrified by the boom of gunshots that shattered the silence of the night.”

Speaking further, James said, “On the first day, 40 people were killed and another 22 died the following day either from the gunshots or out of fright.”

According to her, the students’ union election on September 29 was not the reason for the attack as speculated.

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