Goodluck Jonathan's govt was swindled off millions of dollars by 'Boko Haram' fradusters- Adesina

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity matter, Mr. Femi Adesina, in an interview on Radio Continental 102.3 FM said the former administration was swindled off of millions of dollars by those masquerading to be leaders of Boko Haram when former Pres. Jonathan's administration tried to secure the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

He said:

"We need to know a little bit of what happened behind the scenes, between the last government and some people masquerading as the leadership of Boko Haram who wanted to get the Chibok girls released".

"They actually turned it into a franchise, it became a commercial thing and they got money, possibly in millions of dollars, only for government to discover it had been swindled. They kept saying they could get the girls released , they could interface with Boko Haram and they went smiling to the bank with all that money, and nothing happened".

"So you should understand why this government is being careful and the President has said the genuineness of the leadership of Boko Haram must be determined before any negotiation takes place".

3032 soldiers reject deployment to fight Boko Haram

The soldiers who were pardoned last year for various offences during the fight against Boko Haram, have all been posted to the North East to fight Boko Haram. All 3,032 of the soldiers rejected the posting adding that they were never really pardoned and re-integrated into the Army, rather, re-sentenced to fight with Boko Haram and endanger their lives.

The soldiers also claimed that they have been subjected to unimaginable ill treatment after their pardon. They also said that since they have been kicked out of the barracks they have not been paid for seven months hence have been living from hand to mouth.

The Commandant of NASI, Major General Kassim Aldulkareem, informed them that they have been assigned new riffles and should be ready for deployment to the fronts on 11 January, 2016.

However, the soldiers complained that they have not been fully re-instated into the Nigerian Army, because attempts by them to report to their units were rejected at their bases since they haven't been given their re-instatement letters.

It was gathered that, they cried, “We are not going! Give us re-instatement letters! You are sentencing us back to war,” among others. According to sources, the Commandant hurriedly left when the soldiers were becoming uncontrollable.
One of the soldiers who spoke to some newsmen said:

“Look at me; I have put in about 28 years of my life serving this country. I have seen action in Liberia; I have been to Rwanda, Sudan and even served overseas and we the Nigerian troops did very well and were decorated in some occasions.

“But, our experience in fighting to save our motherland is too sad a story for the outside world to know. We are not cowards. We held on for over four months facing Boko Haram.

“I just want to say that after the Army dismissed about 5,000 of us, 3032 of us were pardoned last August. Since that time, the Army Authority has treated us like prisoners of wars.

“We were told to assemble in Jaji on August 17, which we did. Then on August 19, the General Officer Commander, GOC, of 1st Infantry Division, Maj. Gen Adeniyi Oyebade gathered us and without prior noticed moved us to Nigerian Army training Centre, NATRAC, Kontogora. Some of us found ourselves there in bathroom slippers. We were just taken straight to the place. Then, without any additional clothes or uniform, we were subjected to what was clear punishment, not training for another three weeks.

“Still in the clothes we came, we were again relocated to 333 artillery Barracks, Njetilo, Maiduguri. We got nothing but constant insults as cowards. We were there without uniforms no arms. They just left us there and we were abused and told to assemble at every two hours through these days for another three weeks.

“In Jaji, we went through another round of punishment, not training. Yet, we were not given any letter to show that we are still serving soldiers.

“So when the Commandant came and said we were going back to the North East, without clearing our status, we felt we have been punished enough.” he said.

Vanguard 

Three Child suicide bombers Kill six in Borno

 

Nigeria’s army says that three child suicide bombers set off explosions that killed six others and injured at least 24 people.
Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said Monday that the three were between the ages of 10 and 15 years old.
He said they attacked at a security checkpoint on Sunday in Benisheikh, a town in Borno State.
Usman says the army on Sunday killed at least 12 Boko Haram fighters in an operation in the same state. He said they raided two camps in the operation.
Boko Haram’s 6-year-old Islamic uprising has killed an estimated 20,000 people and driven 2.3 million from their homes, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.