The Nigerian Air Force has formally inducted into service the two new Mi-35M attack helicopters, out of 12 ordered from Russian Helicopters in September 2015.  The two aircraft were introduced into service during the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF’s) 53rd anniversary celebrations on 22 April in Makurdi. The ceremony was attended by Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, and Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammad Dan-Ali, who represented President and Commander -in-Chief Muhammadu Buhari.

The induction of the helicopters will enhance NAF’s operational effectiveness and capability in the fight against insurgency and other forms of criminalities in the country, the NAF said in a statement. The modern Mi-35M attack helicopter has night capabilities in comparison to the earlier version and also has higher performance, more endurance and it is fitted with glass cockpit to enhance situational awareness during operations.

Dan-Ali said successes recorded so far against Boko Haram were made possible through training and acquisition of platforms and equipment for the Armed Forces and other security agencies. “Training and the recent acquisition of brand new platforms and other supporting equipment for our armed forces including other security agencies were also intensified. This was in practical fulfilment of my promise to re-professionalise and adequately equip our military so they could effectively discharge their constitutional responsibilities. The successes recorded so far have restored our pride and honour in the comity of nations. I urge you to consolidate on the gains of air power towards sustaining the peace and stability we have attained so far,” he said.

Abubakar said the Mi-35Ms will “significantly boost the effectiveness and combat capability of the Nigerian Air Force, especially in the counter insurgency operations in the northeast. The president has also approved the acquisition of additional platforms which will soon be delivered to the Nigerian Air Force. Within the last 20 months or so the president’s support has helped to reposition the Nigerian Air Force into a professional and disciplined air force capable of timely employment of air power, in response to our national security challenges.”

During the NAF day celebration Abubakar also presented a ceremonial colour to the newly established Special Operations Command (SOC) and celebrated the awarding of pilot wings to six NAF pilots. Two of the pilots were trained at King Hussain Air College in Jordan and four at the International Helicopter Flying School in Enugu.

The previous day the NAF test fired locally made 30 mm rockets developed by its Research and Development team. They were fired from a vehicle during the Weapons Meet at Kwenev Air Range. F-7Ni fighters fired rockets and cannon during the demonstration as well. Other aircraft that took part included A109 helicopters, L-39ZA and Alpha Jet trainers.

In his speech on 22 April Abubakar highlighted the active participation of the NAF in various peacekeeping operations especially the recent Operation Restore Democarcy in Gambia which saw NAF as the only air force undertake a combat deployment to Gambia.

Other activities during the closing ceremony were aerial and static displays of various NAF platforms and hardware as well as a colourful ceremonial parade. L-39ZAs fitted with rocket pods and cannon were displayed, as well as the indigenous Gulma unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The Nigerian Air Force is expecting to take delivery of the remaining 12 Mi-35Ms by the end of 2018. The first two arrived in Nigeria in December 2016. The Mi-35M is powered by two Klimov VK-2500 turbo-shaft engines. It has an updated navigation and avionics suite which features multi-function coloured displays and target sighting systems, including a thermal imager and laser rangefinder. Apart from the attack role, the Mi-35M can be used for landing or transporting up to 8 fully-equipped soldiers.

Source: Defenseweb

Nigerians on Friday marked three years since the mass abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls by Boko Haram extremists amid anger that government efforts to negotiate their freedom appear to have stalled. Activists were expected to rally in the capital, Abuja, and commercial hub Lagos to urge President Muhammadu Buhari’s government to do more to free the nearly 200 schoolgirls who remain captive.

Nigeria in October announced the release of 21 of the Chibok schoolgirls after negotiations with the extremist group, and it said another group of 83 girls would be released “very soon.” No one has been freed since then. The government this week said negotiations have “gone quite far” but face challenges. It refused to give details, citing security reasons. The failure of Nigeria’s former government to free the girls sparked a global Bring Back Our Girls movement and was a factor in Buhari’s 2015 election win over former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The schoolgirls from Chibok village are among thousands of people abducted by the Nigeria-based Boko Haram as it continues to threaten parts of the northeast and has spread into neighboring countries. The Chibok abduction is not even the largest. Nigerian officials refuse to acknowledge the abduction of more than 500 children from the northeastern town of Damasak in November 2014, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last month. Nigerian officials have not responded to requests by The Associated Press for information.

Buhari late last year announced that Boko Haram had been “crushed,” but it continues to carry out deadly suicide bombings, often strapping them to young women. Children have been used to carry out 27 attacks in the first three months of this year, already nearing last year’s total of 30, the UN children’s agency said this week.

On Wednesday, Nigerian security officials said they had thwarted plans by Daesh-linked Boko Haram members to attack the embassies of the United States and Britain, along with “other Western interests” in the capital. One faction of Boko Haram is allied with Daesh.

Nigeria’s military in the past year has rescued thousands of Boko Haram captives while liberating towns and villages from the group’s control, but many have been detained as possible Boko Haram suspects. Boko Haram’s seven-year uprising has killed more than 20,000 people and driven 2.6 million from their homes, with millions facing starvation because of the disruption in markets and agriculture.

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A bloody clash between the army and police in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Yobe State on Wednesday left one soldier and three police dead, a security source told AFP. The police confirmed the fracas in the state capital of Damaturu, but did not say if there were casualties. “The Nigeria police force is abreast of the unfortunate incident that occurred in the early hours of today 12th April, 2017 in Damaturu between the personnel of the force and that of the Nigerian army,” police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.

He said an investigation had been launched to determine “the causes of the incident and deal with the situation appropriately to prevent such occurrence in the future.” The army authorities were not immediately available for comment. A security officer, who did not want to be named, told AFP trouble began on Tuesday when an army officer in a mufti (civilian dress) ran into a convoy of the head of the police mobile unit in Damaturu.

“The army officer was beaten up by the police for his action. This morning, soldiers stormed the police station and took away the head of the mobile unit to their military base,” he said. He said the soldiers’ action angered some police officers who invaded the army base to free their boss. “There was a shootout in which a soldier and a policeman were killed on the spot while two policemen who were injured later died of their wounds,” he said. Yobe and two other states — Borno and Adamawa — in the northeast are the worst-hit in the eight-year Boko Haram militancy in Nigeria.

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Militants in Nigeria have killed six people, including an army captain, four policemen and a civilian, in the country’s most populous city of Lagos. Nigerian police said the fatalities occurred early on Sunday when the gunmen raided a community in Ikorodu area of Lagos and kidnapped residents after looting their homes and shops.

“Around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, the police received a distress call that a group of militants and kidnappers had entered Owutu-Ishawo in Ikorodu through the thick swampy forest surrounding the area,” said Lagos police spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole.

“They were reported to have kidnapped some residents. In response, the police and the army immediately mobilized personnel to the area where the kidnapped victims were rescued,” he added. The spokesman noted that Nigeria’s police had launched a search operation in the surrounding area to find the attackers. Hard economic conditions in Nigeria and high inflation rate have severely impacted the lives of people in the African country.

In a separate incident in Nigeria, two female bombers detonated their explosives near a university campus in the country’s northeastern state of Borno early on Monday, but the explosion left no casualties. A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the bombers had blown up their suicide vests close to the perimeter fence of the University of Maiduguri at around 04:00 a.m. (0300 GMT).

No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. The Monday bombing attack, the second such incident in Maiduguri in less than a week, came two days after two other female bombers detonated their explosives at a mosque in Jiddari Polo district in Maiduguri, injuring four people.

Maiduguri, the capital and the largest city of Borno State, has been the epicenter of Boko Haram’s seven-year militancy aimed at toppling the central government in Nigeria. Borno has taken the brunt of Boko Haram’s acts of terror, which started in 2009. The group has recently regained momentum after it was nearly obliterated months ago by a joint military force made up of Nigerian government forces and troops from neighboring countries.

Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly active in Syria and Iraq. The United Nations has warned that areas affected by Boko Haram faced a humanitarian crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced over 2.7 million others from their homes.

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The Boko Haram terrorist group has attacked and set a military base in northeastern Nigeria on fire, raising fears of a reemergence of the Daesh-linked outfit. Armed men from a Boko Haram faction on Thursday staged an attack on the military base in the Wajirko Village, 150 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

“The gunmen arrived in pickups and engaged soldiers in the base just outside the village in a heavy shootout,” a local resident Bukar Maduye told media. “The soldiers were outgunned and forced to withdraw from the base and allowed the gunmen, who were from Mamman Nur faction, to take over the base, which they looted and set on fire,” he said.

A member of a vigilante group, which is assisting the military in its battle against Boko Haram terrorists, confirmed the incident, adding that the soldiers at the base had moved to another military base 40 kilometers away. “There were no reports of casualties from either side but the base was completely burnt by the Boko Haram terrorists and the soldiers fled,” said Mustapha Karimbe. On Wednesday, Boko Haram militants attacked Abbati, a farming community outside Maiduguri, where they killed seven men and stole 360 heads of livestock.

In recent weeks, the Takfiri militants have intensified their attacks in areas near Lake Chad, stealing food from residents after raiding their farms. They have also killed several civilians they accused of cooperating with the military.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 with a pledge to eradicate Boko Haram, claims to have prevailed over Boko Haram’s militancy; however, frequent deadly attacks in the West African country indicate otherwise. In its fight against Boko Haram, the Nigerian military is being assisted by troops from neighboring countries such as Chad and Cameroon.

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Yaounde, Abuja and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have signed a tripartite agreement for the voluntary repatriation of Nigerian refugees settled in Cameroon. The agreement signed in Yaoundé concerns the 84,325 Nigerian refugees who have fled the exactions of the Islamist sect Boko Haram. These refugees are currently living in the Far-North region of Cameroon. Of these, 60,895 are settled in the camp located at Minawao, created on 2 July 2013. A recent profiling by the organization in charge of migration, registered some 20 416 other refugees, who live with foster families.  The High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are thousands of other Nigerians who fled the Boko Haram violence but due to insecurity could not be registered.

Two UN surveys carried out between April and September 2016 among refugees at the Minawao camp on return intentions revealed that 70 per cent of the 9,300 sampled wanted to return to their areas of origin, as soon as the situation permits. Only 27% want to stay in Cameroon. The two sides agreed to provide clear and precise information on the situation of their return areas, particularly in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa (Northeastern Nigeria).

Cameroonian authorities say, it is not a forced repatriation, “the Government of Cameroon will continue to ensure the protection of Nigerian refugees on its territory and will spare no effort to help those who wish return to Nigeria in accordance with international agreements, “said René Emmanuel Sadi, the Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

We gathered that Abuja was pleased with the agreement, “Nigeria is pleased to be part of this agreement by stressing the importance of working together to bring about a lasting solution to the situation of refugees, who are our fellow citizens . As a government, we will remain committed to ensuring  a conducive atmosphere to facilitate the return of our fellow citizens in safety and dignity and in accordance with the principles of international protection, “said Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazu, the Nigerian Minister of the Interior.

For his part, the High Commissioner’s Special Representative, Kouassi Lazare Etien, said he was satisfied with the agreement. He further pointed out that the agreement reveals a real desire of Cameroon and Nigeria to find a durable solution for refugees who are willing to return safely and in dignity with the support of the UN.

Chi Prudence Asong

Hundreds of Nigerians have taken to the streets in the country’s most populous city of Lagos to protest against the government’s handling of the West African country’s economic crisis. Some 500 angry protesters gathered from early morning at the National Stadium in the commercial capital to protest against the prevailing economic hardships, high cost of living and poor government handling of the economic crisis in the country.

The demonstrators, who marched through the streets to the rhythm of drums and trumpets, demanded solutions to the ongoing crippling recession. Protesters held placards and banners that read, “The unemployed are hungry and angry” and “I will not be silent.” They also chanted slogans such as “enough is enough.”

Elias Ozikpu, a student who attended the rally in Lagos, complained about skyrocketing prices. “Everything is very expensive today: the price of food, the price of gasoline has increased. We suffer but politicians do not care,” Ozikpu said, adding, “Two years ago we elected a new government because the previous one was corrupt but we don’t see any change, it’s even worse now.”

Meanwhile, in the administrative capital of Abuja, dozens of people also marched to the presidential villa in protest at President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies. The protest rallies took place despite warnings by the police not to assemble because of fears of a “breakdown of law and order with attendant loss of lives and property.” Responding to Monday’s rallies, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the protest was noted.

“We hear you loud and clear, those who are on the streets protesting the economic situation and even those who are not, but feel the pain of economic hardship,” Osinbajo said.

“We hear you loud and clear. You deserve a decent life and we are working night and day to make life easier.” Nigerians have been suffering after a fall in oil prices since mid-2014 slashed government revenue. The developments have pushed up inflation to more than 20 percent and weakened the naira currency.

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The United Nations World Food Programme has sounded the alarm for millions of people who are at risk of dying from starvation in the militant-infested northeastern region of Nigeria. The Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists are obstructing efforts to deliver food to the crisis-hit region, the WFP warned on Friday.

Ertharin Cousin, the WFP executive director, said there were areas unreachable to the UN agency. “The challenge is that there are areas in Borno state, in particular, that are still inaccessible, and we have no idea of the food security situation,” she said, adding that an estimated 4.4 million people needed food assistance in the northeast.

Even in parts of the northeast held and defended by the army, Boko Haram attacks were jeopardizing aid programs, Cousin said. Ending the insurgency will require a political as well as a military solution, said Cousin, adding, “Until we resolve those issues the humanitarian situation will not improve to a level that allows us to reach all of those in need.”

The government has told aid agencies it expects the conflict to end in six months, she said. “I am imploring the international community to continue to provide us with the support that is necessary,” said Cousin. The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.

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