Sources: Terrorists ask troops to vacate Plateau community ahead of planned attack

A company of soldiers was recently deployed to the area, following reported attacks on the villagers by gunmen. 

The troops, working under the army’s operation Safe Haven (OPSH), had in the past two months stopped the attackers from invading the villagers.

Insiders knowledgeable about the operation told TheCable that the attackers had written to the villages, asking them to inform the troops to leave their location as they planned to attack the community. 

“We strategically put our troops in a border area between the village and the mountains from which their attackers come from,” one of the sources said. 

“Many times, they have tried to jump on the village but they were stopped by the troops in heavy crossfires. In the past one month, we’ve had gunfights with them and lost two of our soldiers. 

“Just a few days ago, the villagers brought a note from the attackers, asking the troops to leave that location so that they could attack. In fact, they threatened that if our soldiers didn’t leave, they would be the first to be attacked.” 

Military sources said the development had already been communicated to the operation’s headquarters.

TheCable understands that part of what was sought from the headquarters is a reinforcement to avoid a situation where troops are overwhelmed when the attackers strike. 

‘WE TRIED BROKERING PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUE’

Some army commanders in the area were said to have earlier attempted to broker peace between the attackers and the villagers, TheCable was informed. 

One of the leaders of the attackers, sources said, was invited for a dialogue when some farmers were killed on their farmlands. 

“Because they can’t enter into the village and launch an attack, as soldiers won’t allow them, they now wait for some farmers to enter their farmland and from there they go to attack them,” a source explained. 

“It could be difficult to ask soldiers to now follow each villager to the farm, so we thought we could broker peace through dialogue with those guys.

“We made a call through, and an agreement was reached that they won’t attack the villagers again. Then at least, we had about three weeks gone and there was no attack on any farmer. 

“It was shocking to see their latest threat, but our troops are on standby and we won’t allow them to take over that village.” 

Onyema Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, was not immediately available to comment on the development.

[TheCable]

Impeachment of Plateau Speaker, a Sham, Unconstitutional and Undemocratic: HURIWA Says

Foremost pro-democracy and Not-for-profit organisation-Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria-HURIWA has described as illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic the shabby impeachment of the Honorable Speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly, Honorable Ayuba Abok by 8 out of the 24 members of the Assembly. The Group said the early morning show of shameless in Jos Plateau State can be equated to a sham marriage which in law is null and void. HURIWA said the removal of the speaker who had championed the need for the Ethnic Christians who are the bonafide owners of Plateau State to be protected from persisted Fulani terrorists and genocides,  shows that the Plateau State Governor Mr. Simon Lanlong is a puppet of the Sokoto caliphate. 

In a statement jointly signed by its National coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and National media affairs officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the group said the impeachment exercise that took place at the Plateau Assembly complex on Thursday morning is a mere display of political witch hunt against the speaker who has been very effective in checkmating the failures of the Governor Simon Lalong led administration in the state. Besides the Rights group said allowing the kangaroo impeachment to stand will portray Plateau State’s political class as people with medieval mindsets who lack the genuine interests of their people at heart just as the Rights group asked the Speaker deposed illegally to rush to the Court of competent jurisdiction to get the charade overturned or alternatively he can run a parallel state house of Assembly representing the majority of the State’s constituencies. 

The Human rights crusader further alleged that the impeachment is not unconnected with the recent ultimatum given to the governor by the hitherto vibrant and pro-people Parliament  following incessant killings of helpless and defenseless citizens in the state with Bassa local government being the worst hit.

HURIWA said since it has become very obvious that the governor has failed to address the issues of insecurity in the state and the only option left for him to survive inevitable impeachment is to illegally orchestrate a sham impeachment of the speaker of the Assembly.

The group, making reference to a publication by the News Agency of Nigeria where it was alleged that the 8 members gained access to the assemble chamber at 6am to carry out their illegality condemned the act and called on the Plateau Assembly to reverse the impeachment and follow democratically allowed procedures. The Rights group said the National Assembly can as well take over the control of the parliamentary activities for Plateau State if the illegal impeachment is not overturned on time. 

HURIWA also berated the militarization of the assembly complex, saying it is against the tenet of democracy to militarize a constitutional democratic assembly just as HURIWA said the action of the minority is in conflict with Section 92(c) of the Constitution specifying that a speaker can only be removed from office by a resolution of House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-third majority of the members of the House. “Are these politicians in Jos so mathematically incapable of knowing that 8 is not the two third majority in a House of 24 legislators?”

Boko Haram Terrorists relocate bomb makers to Kaduna

The leadership of the Boko Haram sect loyal to the Bakoura Buduma camps has relocated their bomb fabricators to a forest in Southern Kaduna State, PRNigeria has learnt.

The bomb makers, known as Amaliyyahs by the Sect authorities, were recently deployed to Rijana, Igabi, and Chikun town in the Southern Province of Kaduna.

Internal sources say the two Boko Haram groups may take advantage of the mountainous forest as hideouts.

In a related development, the ISIS Shura Council, have planned to visit the West African Wilaya of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), PRNigeria was told by credible intelligence sources.

The visit, it was learnt, was on the instruction of ISIS Leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as part of the group’s effort of reorganizing its global structure.

The source told PRNigeria that the purpose of the ISIS trip was also to provide training, funding as well as to deploy more mercenaries to fight in sub-Saharan Africa after losing a lot of it terrorist fighters.

“They are also to join forces with ISWAP to eliminate terrorists of the Bakoura Faction of Boko Haram,” they said.

[PRNigeria]

JUST IN: Plateau Assembly Speaker Impeached

The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Nuhu Abok, has been impeached by eight members of the legislative arm of the government.

The member representing Pengana Constituency, Yakubu Sanda, was named as the new Speaker.

He was removed in the early hours of Thursday by the lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who were escorted into the chambers amidst tight security.

Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were, however, prevented from entering the Assembly complex.

[Channels TV]