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Islamic Caliphate: Boko Haram expand territory, seize more towns in Northern Nigeria

The radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram on Sunday continued its expansionist drive by overrunning Michika and Uba in Adamawa State.

The capture of the two communities brings to 13, the number of communities now controlled by the sect in the North East. The others are Gwoza, Buni Yadi, Gamboru Ngala, Damboa, Marte, Bama, Bara, Banki, Gulak, Dikwa and Madagali.



News of the capture of Michika and Uba coincided with lamentation on Sunday by the Secretary to the Borno State Government, Amb. Baba Jidda, that most parts of Borno State had been taken over by Boko Haram.

A security source revealed that the sect which took over Gulak on Friday night, moved from there to Uba.

He added that when the soldiers on guard saw the insurgents arriving in over 50 pick -up vans and hundreds of motorcycles, they retreated because they were outnumbered.

The source also said that the arms and ammunition in possession of the insurgents were superior to those held by the soldiers.

The insurgents, it was learnt, moved from Uba to Michika, which is the hometown of a former Lagos State military administrator and Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship aspirant, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.)

It was gathered on Sunday that they also headed for Mubi, the host community to the Adamawa State University.

A source, who confided in one of correspondents, said that the military later deployed fighter jets and helicopters in the areas to chase out the insurgents .

He added that eight trucks carrying some troops were sighted going to the troubled areas.

It was further gathered that the Adamawa State Acting Governor, Alhaji Adamu Fintiri, on learning that many of the residents of the troubled communities were fleeing, dispatched six luxury buses to move them to Yola.

Our source said that the insurgents, who were firing into the air, were advising the people not to flee because they had only come to engage the military in gun battle.

He said, “The Boko Haram members are now in Uba and Michika, the headquarters of Michika Local Government Area.

“The insurgents who were moving in over 50 hillux vans and hundreds of motorcycles, were wielding assorted weapons.

“When they started advancing from Madagali to Uba, the soldiers who were in Uba withdrew to Michika and they(insurgents) headed for Michika and Mubi.

“There was no shootout between them and the soldiers even though eight trucks carrying troops were sighted on the road leading to those communities. Air Force fighter jets were also said to have pursued them.

“Several people fled the communities to avoid being killed by insurgents.”

One of the residents of Michika, who is now taking refuge in Hong, Joseph Kwaya, said, “We left the town based on the instruction of the military. As I am talking to you, majority of the people in the area have left out of fear.

“The situation is very bad and we pray God to intervene and bring an end to the activities of Boko Haram.”

It was not only the people of Michika, Mubi and Uba that fled, their neighbours in Bazza and Marraban also took to their heels on learning that the insurgents were advancing.

A source,who did not want his name in print, said many people from Uba and Marraban Mubi were also seen trekking long distances to find vehicles that could take them to Hong and Yola.

A resident of Hong, Ibrahim Danjil, said, “Our town is now full of people who fled from Uba, Michika, Madagali and Bazza.”

Efforts to contact the Chief Press Secretary to the Acting Governor, Solomon Kumangar, for comments proved abortive.

One of our correspondents also made repeated efforts to get the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, to comment on the increasing activities of insurgents in Adamawa State without success.

Boko Haram: Bodies litter Bama town

Bodies remain littered on the streets of a northern Nigerian town two days after it was seized by militant Islamists, a lawmaker has told the BBC.



Boko Haram fighters were patrolling the streets of Bama, preventing people from burying the dead, Ahmed Zanna said.

On Wednesday, the state government denied the town had fallen.

Officials said about 26,000 people had been displaced by fighting in Bama, a key town in the battle for control of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state.

Earlier this week, the Nigeria Security Network (NSN) think-tank said the group had made “lightning territorial gains” in recent months, raising fears that the country could disintegrate like Syria and Iraq, where the Islamic State (IS) rebel group has declared a caliphate.

Boko Haram has also said it has set up a caliphate in the areas it controls – it is not clear if the two groups are allied.

Mr. Zanna, a senator in Borno, said the humanitarian situation in Bama was “terrible” and there had been a “lot of killings” in the town.

“So many bodies litter the streets, and people are not allowed to even go and bury the dead ones. So the situation is getting worse and worse,” Mr Zanna told the BBC’s Newsday programme after speaking to a resident who fled the town.

Boko Haram has captured a string of towns in northern-eastern Nigeria in recent months, fuelling concern that it could advance towards the main city, Maiduguri.

Mr Zanna said it would be “catastrophic” if Boko Haram launched an assault on Maiduguri, which has a population of more than two million.

“I’m begging the government to send more troops and armoury to Maiduguri,” he said.

“Boko Haram do come overwhelmingly because they recruited en masse in the villages [in Borno state],” he added.

REVEALED: Boko Haram, Civilian JTF forcefully recruiting children

An international network of human rights and humanitarian organisations, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, has called on the Federal Government and the United Nations to investigate recruitment and abuse of children in the North-East by both Boko Haram insurgents and self-defence militia known as Civillian Joint Task Force.



According to the report of the group’s investigation into the Boko Haram insurgency released on Thursday, both warring parties in North-East have subjected boys and girls to forced recruitment, detention, attacks at school, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.

It noted that the gravity and scale of these violations “warrant urgent action from the Nigerian Government, United Nations, and other child protection actors.”

The 64-page report, entitled “Who Will Care for Us? Grave Violations against Children in Northeastern Nigeria,” detailed grave violations by some parties to the conflict since December 2012 and provided recommendations on how to better protect children.

One of Watchlist’s researchers, Janine Morna, said, “While the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, Borno State, has shed some light on how children are affected by the conflict in the North-East, most abuses are still poorly documented, understood, and addressed by key actors. Children as young as 13 are being recruited by both sides of the conflict and have nowhere to turn.”

Though the study considered the activities of all the actors in the ongoing conflict in the North-East, it noted that of particular concern is the forced recruitment of children for spying and assistance during armed attacks by Boko Haram, and the Civilian JTF, which was formed in mid-2013 in Borno State

Austrian player banned for 70 matches for headbutting referee

An Austrian footballer has been handed a record 70-match ban for headbutting a referee during a fifth division match, the Tyrolean Football Federation confirmed on Thursday.

“The 70-match suspension is without precedent to our knowledge but it seems proportional given the gravity of the offence,” said federation spokesman Horst Scherl.


The incident occurred last Saturday during a match between SK Rum and SPG Innsbruck West in the Tyrol region of western Austria.

SK Rum midfielder Ismail Gundüz headbutted the referee as he was about to receive a second yellow card after 86 minutes while his team were trailing 3-2.

“The referee had to be hospitalised, his lip exploded, and the match was interrupted,” said Scherl.
“The disciplinary commission decided on a 70-match suspension, all parties, with the exception of the player, who disputes the facts, agreeing the intentional aspect of the gesture,” he continued.

The 26-year-old player was also suspended by his club who were fined 257 euros ($332).

“We researched and the heaviest sanction that we found was 46 matches, in Bavaria. But the sanction could have been heavier: according to our statutes, a player could get up to 108 matches,” added Scherl.

I did not commit adultery - Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

The founder of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has denied the allegation of adultery in the divorce suit between him and his wife, Anita.


His counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), described the allegation as “wicked and malicious”, saying it was intended to bring his person and the church “to public opprobrium and ridicule.”

Pinheiro, in a statement yesterday said the adultery allegation “currently circulating in the media is nothing but a complete distortion of facts in the pending proceedings in the United Kingdom.”

The statement advised media establishments to verify the authenticity of their stories before publication, saying unless they desist from making such further publications, they would take appropriate legal actions against them to protect Oyakhilome’s reputation and that of the church.

The statement titled: “In the matter of malicious falsehood against Rev. Chris Oyakhilome and the Christ Embassy Church” said: “The attention of our client, Rev. Chris Oyakhilome and the church, the Christ Embassy, has been drawn to the wave of false, malicious and fabricated stories being published in the print and electronic media about his person, the church and a matrimonial cause between him and his wife.

“Our client is seriously concerned that under the guise of reporting a divorce proceeding involving him, publishers resorted to an unjustified and malicious attack on his reputation for reasons not unconnected with the respective publishers’ selfish motives of prospect of materials and financial advantage attendant to the wide circulation their distorted and fabricated stories would enjoy.

“The publishers decided to fabricate facts including (but not limited) to allegation of adultery against our client, with the wicked and malicious intention of bringing his person and the church to public opprobrium and ridicule.

“It is our client’s instructions to inform the public and particularly warn the concerned media houses that the news or story circulating in the media is nothing but a complete distortion of the facts in the pending proceedings in the United Kingdom, to the knowledge of the publishers.

Let them come, we are ready to confront Boko Haram – Maiduguri youths boast

Thousands of youths thronged to the streets in Maiduguri on Thursday to protest the siege of the Boko Haram sect on Borno state and express their willingness to go after the terrorist group.


The youths who initially assembled at the popular Ramat Square Ground at the centre of the town to launch their protest against the insurgents who had laid siege on the state since 2009, moved to the streets of the troubled state capital.

From the peaceful protest on the streets, they ended at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Ibn-Garbai Elkanemi seeking his blessings which they claimed would ensure success in their confrontation with the terrorists.

The youth said they have resolved to enter Sambisa and other hideouts of the terrorists to hunt them down and bring an end to the on-going crisis.

At the palace of the prominent ruler, the Shehu tasked the protesting youths mainly members of the youth vigilante group, popularly known as ‘Civilian JTF’ to always abide by the rule of law in the course of discharging their civic responsibilities.

It would be recalled that in the last three weeks, some towns including Damboa, Gamboru Ngala, Bama and Banki were attacked by the terrorist group with some either captured or destroyed with many civilians killed and several thousands of people displaced.

Addressing over 10,000 civilian JTF members, local hunters, retired soldiers and other paramilitary men who took to the streets at his palace, the Shehu of Borno commended the effort of the civilian JTF in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, and appealed to them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies while discharging their duties.

He said, with the emergence of the Civilian JTF, it has really assisted in dislodging the sect out of Maiduguri and its environs, and therefore called on other places to set up their own Civilian JTF/youth volunteers to fight terrorism.

“I want to to thank you for this visit and the effort you are collectively and voluntarily doing in order to fight Boko Haram who are bent in, not only destroying our social and economic structures, but also killing innocent lives of our citizenry. I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties to your fatherland. In anything you are doing, you must make sure that you consult all other security agencies so that you work hand-in-hand to end terrorism that have been destroying us as a nation.” the Shehu pleaded.

The state Coordinator of Civilian JTF, Mallam Abba Aji Kalli, in an interview with Journalists said, they were at the Shehu’s palace to seek for his blessings and fatherly advice, as the group have vowed to go after insurgents even if they are not well armed, they are optimistic that with their sticks (Gora in Hausa) and other local arms they will raid all terrorists hideouts and kill them if given permission by the federal government.

Aji Kalli also said, the Civilian JTF are now more motivated with the support and assurance they received from retired military men, local hunters and other patriotic citizens who have expressed their willingness to join the group to end the madness perpetrated by boko haram terrorists in the north east.

They expressed their dismay over President Goodluck Jonathan for not supporting Civilian JTF by sacrificing their blood/lives in the fight against insurgency.

Kalli however noted that the group which is non-political, non-religious, will not be deterred as it is determined to work with the military to end insurgency in the region

EBOLA: Rivers buries remains of late doctor in P’Harcourt

The Rivers State Government said on Thursday that the remains of the late Dr. Iyke Enemuo, who died of the Ebola Virus Disease, had been buried in Port Harcourt according to the requirement of the World Health Organisation.


Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, said this while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt. He explained that Enemuo had been buried on Wednesday alongside the woman that shared the same hospital ward with him.

The woman and Enemuo’s younger sister, Chinyere, who recently tested positive to the Ebola virus, had been on admission at the Ebola Isolation Unit in the Emohua Local Government Area.

Parker said, “Dr. Enemuo has been interred; the woman that died has been interred. It is not a ceremony; it was done according to WHO protocols. They were interred yesterday in Port Harcourt.

“I told you the last time that none of the bodies would leave Port Harcourt and the Ministry of Health and WHO have arranged and they have been interred according to WHO protocol.”

Parker dismissed speculations that wife of the late Enemuo had died. “She is stable and in fact, doing well,” the commissioner said.

He stated that the Ebola virus exported into Rivers by Olu-Ibukun Koye, a Nigerian protocol officer with the Economic Community of West African States, was being effectively managed by the state government.

The commissioner specifically said that about 98 percent of people suspected to have had contact with the late Enemuo had been covered.

Disclosing that another woman was admitted at the isolation centre at Oduoha in the Emeoha Local Government Area, Parker said the result of the test conducted on her would be out Thursday afternoon.

He said, “Everything is going on smoothly and fine. We have achieved 98 percent coverage of contacts. The patients we have at the treatment centre are doing well.

“The last time, I told you that there was a positive patient there. There is one other suspect there; it is what we call a probable patient and we are waiting for the test result to come up.”

“Unfortunately, we lost a patient here at the treatment centre. She is the lady that was at the Good Heart Hospital with Dr. Enemuo. We cannot say she died as a result of complications of Ebola.

“Don’t forget that there was a reason she went to that hospital; she was a cardiac patient and she went into what we call cardiogenic shock. Her condition was complicated by Ebola. We regret to say that and we also state that it also underscores why we were saying that people should come to the hospital early.”

He, however, confirmed that only four cases had been proven to be positive to the Ebola virus in Rivers State. He listed as Enemou; his wife; his younger sister and the deceased woman who was admitted at the same hospital with the late doctor.

EBOLA: 400 people monitored in Port Harcourt,

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Projector, Dr. Abdulsalami Nasidi, has said that the health ministry is monitoring about 400 people in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for signs of Ebola after they came in contact with a Port Harcourt doctor who died of the disease but hid the fact that he had been exposed.


Nasidi, who said this on Thursday in Geneva, noted that there was a sense of “hopelessness” due to the lack of proven drugs or vaccines to treat Ebola that had infected 18 people in the country.

In an interview with Reuters, he said that more isolation wards were being opened in the oil industry hub but voiced confidence that there would not be “many cases” there.

After having contact with an Ebola patient and before his own death on August 22, the Port Harcourt doctor, Iyke Enemuo, carried on treating patients and met scores of friends, relatives and medics, leaving about 60 of them at high risk of infection.

The doctor’s wife, who is also a physician, and a patient in the same hospital had been infected with Ebola.

“Everything about this doctor was in secrecy, he violated our public health laws by treating a patient with a highly pathogenic agent who revealed to him that he had contact with Ebola and didn’t want to be treated in Lagos because he might be put in isolation.

“He treated him in secrecy outside hospital premises. When he became ill he did not reveal to his colleagues that he had contact with someone who contracted Ebola. He was taken to General Hospital, a public hospital that sees everybody.

“That is the only case that effectively escaped our surveillance network. We are paying now for it,” Nasidi said.

He spoke on the sidelines of a two-day World Health Organisation experts meeting aimed at speeding development of Ebola drugs and vaccines.

“People are living in a state of hopelessness seeing the disease has no cure and no vaccine but has great potential to spread,” Nasidi said.

Nasidi said the Port Harcourt doctor was visited by friends and family in hospital, including some who “laid hands” on him.

“As we are talking now, we have more than 380 of such contacts in our dragnet,” he said. Those at high risk are being quarantined, and some 500 volunteers and health care workers are checking on all exposed people twice a day,” he said.

A 28-bed isolation ward for Ebola patients has opened in Port Harcourt, which is home to many expatriate workers in major international oil companies, but authorities did not forecast many more cases, Nasidi said.

He said most of the exposed contacts were near the end of the 21-incubation period for the disease, which starts with fever and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea.

“So we are monitoring and are sure we shan’t miss out on any contacts that come out with infection that could be transmitted. A contact, who has no symptoms doesn’t transmit even if he has the virus. So this is why we are hopeful,” he said.

How to tell when a Nigerian girl is not into you

You just met that fine Naija babe, and you have been bombarding her with calls trying to meet up has been difficult?

Or you are still wondering if she is the one or not?

To save guys the trouble and girls, the nuisance, here are seven tell-tale signs that help guys know when to back off  .

1. She ignores your calls: This is the number one bummer. This was the first answer I was given by most ladies. You think because she gave you her number when you asked for it means she likes you or would pick up your calls. Think again! If all the time you call, she never picks up, maybe you should consider looking for another babe.

2. She gives you the I’ll-call-you-back flip-off: This is very common. If she tells you each time you call her, “Tunde I’m so sorry, I am in the middle of something. I would call you back in five minutes” and then doesn’t, she probably never will. So, don’t wait around for it.

3. She’s always busy/”posting” you: Okay, now you have her number and she eventually picks up. Then the moment you ask to see her, she tells you a million and one things she has to do: “My brother is sick, I have to stay home with him.” “I already have plans to hang out with my girlfriends. We’ll see tomorrow.” Trust me, she is probably home watching a Vin Diesel movie and eating popcorn. If this consistently happens, this is a sign. Brother, move on!

4. She says she has a boyfriend: Sometimes, this is false, guys. She may not actually be dating anyone and would just tell you this, so you can get off her back. Some even go as far as saying they are gay. Although this doesn’t stop some determined guys. For these guys, keep on chasing, God is in control of the situation.

5. She is materialistic: I found this answer rather hilarious. One of the ladies I interviewed said, “Its very easy, just demand loads of things from him, he would run away”. Today, it is her hair, tomorrow, it’s a car. Guys, a little expo, she might not actually be this kind of person. She just does not care about you and wants to discard you. So Romeo, look for your Juliet somewhere else.

6. She prefers dates in public places: This is another sign. Every time you keep asking her out on dates or ask her to have dinner at your house, she looks for ways to shy away. She does not want to be trapped in an uncomfortable position where it would only be the two of you. No matter how hard you try, she would avoid intimate lunches or dinners. She might even bring her friend along. We all know guys hate this.

7. Friendzone: I had to save the best for last. This is very common among the ladies. You like this girl so much and next thing you know, she introduces you as her friend, or even tells you things like, “Tolu, I value our friendship and don’t want to lose you as a good friend”. Mister, I’m sorry to say, but you have been “friend zoned”. This one dey pain!

Most guys like to ignore these signs because they feel she is just playing hard to get. Sometimes guys, this is not the case. She is just not that into you.