Arrest Ali Modu Sheriff, meet our other demands, and we will cease fire – Boko Haram

Members of the dreaded Jama’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad group also known as Boko Haram seem to have added a new demand to their list. The group have said they are now willing to seize fire and stop all atrocities being perpetrated by their group and work against other existing groups if the State and Federal Government will truly heed to their demands.

The acclaimed spokesman of the group, Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulazeez, who doubles as the second-in-command (Amir) to their leader Imam Abubakar Shekau revealed this in a tele-conference with journalists in Maiduguri on Thursday, stating that if the state and the federal government want the group to cease fire completely, then former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, must be arrested and prosecuted according to the law of the land.

He also said that apart from the arrest of Senator Ali Sheriff, government should compensate the group and rebuild their places of worship which were destroyed during 2009 uprising.

Abu Abdulazeez further stressed that, all their members who were arrested and are under the custody of security agencies must be released with immediate effect, and all their wives who were displaced following the crises as well as their children must be rehabilitated into the society to create room for a fruitful dialogue with the Federal Government.

JTF Announce The Capture Of Boko Haram Commander In Top National Politician’s House

Nigeria’s security forces appear to be gaining grounds in the fight against militancy in the northern part of the country as they announced the capture of a top commander of Boko Haram during a raid on the home of a high-level national politician in Maiduguri.

Lt. Col Sagir Musa, spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF) said in a terse statement sent to media this evening, that Shuaibu Mohammed Bama had been picked up and is in custody. However he declined to name the national politician.

Islamist sect Boko Haram has its strongest base in Maiduguri.

The official statement said: “The JTF have been successful in their ongoing anti-terror operations. A high-profile Boko Haram commander, one Shuaibu Mohammed Bama, who has been on the list of wanted terrorists, was arrested by task force troops in a serving politician’s house. He is in the custody of the JTF and assisting in the investigation and has since made startling revelations.”

Although Sagir did not state the relationship between the captured commander and late Habibu Bama, who was killed in Damaturu, and the name of the serving Nigerian lawmaker, sources said the suspect was arrested in a high brow area in Maiduguri axis of Borno State.

Another source said that crack security team have been trailing Bama, from Kano to Kaduna and finally Maiduguri where he was barbed on Thursday in Cordon and Search Operation style, that have armed to teeth combat soldiers who were well position to repel any counter from the Boko Haram’s sect.

Nigerians should put religious differences aside and embrace peace – Sultan of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto, has urged Nigerians to put the unity of the country first in their endeavors, setting aside their religious differences and living together in peace.The sultan made this clear when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State at Governor’s Lodge, Uyo. The sultan had been attending the third Unity Conference of the South-South and South-East Muslim UMMAH in Uyo and he stressed that unity and peace are panacea for the development of the country.According to him, “The conference is an important one. Whether we are Christians or Muslims, we must live in peace with one another in whatever part of the country we find ourselves. If we are united, we would contribute better to the development of the country. So, we must put aside our differences and embrace peace and unity.’’

 As a spiritual head of Muslims in the country, it is hoped that the Sultan of Sokoto can help restore peace to the troubled parts of the country, especially the North, using his highly respected position. Meanwhile, it seems that the government is making considerable progress in their fight against the dreaded Boko Haram sect, the group behind most of the crises rocking the northern parts of the country.