•Sect committing war crimes, says ICC
Thirty-five people, including two soldiers and a
policeman, were killed in two clashes on
Sunday night between security forces and Boko
Haram insurgents in Borno State, it was learnt
yesterday.
Also yesterday, the International Criminal
Court (ICC) said Boko Haram activities
amounted to crimes against humanity.
A spokesman for the military’s Joint Task
Force, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said Boko Haram
launched two attacks — one against a police
base in Bama and the other against a
multinational Joint Task Force station in Malam
Fatori.
The military spokesman said the gun battle in
Bama led to the death of one policeman and
17 Boko Haram militants. Two soldiers were
wounded.
He said in a separate clash in Malam Fatori,
two soldiers and 15 militants died.
There was no independent confirmation of the
casualties.
Director of Defence Information Brig.-Gen.
Chris Olukolade, who confirmed clashes in two
places, said: “That figure of 30 deaths was not
confirmed but we had clashes in those two
places.”
A security source, who spoke in confidence last
night, insisted that the death toll was 20.
The source said: “What happened was that the
Boko Haram insurgents regrouped and invaded
a police station in Bama in order to take over
the place and turn it into a base.
“The Special Forces, however, resisted their
invasion, leading to the death of 10 people,
including two soldiers.
“The truth is that Bama is a notorious base of
the sect, with many cells. The locals have not
been able to assist the troops because they
know that the sect was well-entrenched in that
axis.
“The locals do not want to risk their lives
because of past incidents where many of them
were killed for serving as informants.
“As for Malanfatori, the sect members made
spirited efforts to overrun a military position
vital to their regrouping but the troops
engaged them in about 45 minutes battle.
“About 10 people, suspected to be Boko
Haram members, also died but there was no
casualty on the part of the Special Forces.
“There were injuries on both sides and the
greater part of Monday was spent to take
stock.”
Responding to a question, the source added:
“These incidents have reinforced our refusal to
restore GSM service in Borno State.
“A total cleansing of Borno State of insurgency
is vital to winning the war against Boko
Haram. The troops have been mandated not to
relax at all.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court said after a preliminary investigation she
believes that acts attributed to the Boko
Haram are likely crimes against humanity.
“Information available provides a reasonable
basis to believe that since July 2009 Boko
Haram has launched a widespread and
systematic attack that has resulted in the
killing of more than 1,200 Christian and
Muslim civilians in different locations
throughout Nigeria,” Fatou Bensouda wrote in
a report issued yesterday.
She said the potential crimes against humanity
include murder and persecution. But she said
she will only move to a full-fledged
investigation after further study and depending
on whether Nigerian authorities themselves are
willing and able to prosecute “those who
appear to bear the greatest responsibility.”
Her report was based on evidence gathered
through December 2012.
Nigeria declared a state of emergency on May
14 to fight an Islamic uprising by militants in
the northeast who want to impose Islamic law
across a country divided almost equally
between the predominantly Muslim north and
mainly Christian south.
Boko Haram’s centre of power is in the
northeast, but last month Nigeria’s army
arrested 42 suspected Islamic extremists in the
southwest states of Lagos and neighbouring
Ogun.
Bensouda noted that while that government
forces may also have violated human rights
while conducting operations against Boko
Haram, as of December 2012 there was no
evidence they were targeting civilians.
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