As Trump pledges sale of high-tech fighter jets to Nigeria
11/4/2017
LAGOS — To boost Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram insurgents and militants, the Donald Trump administration has pledged to sell high-tech fighter jets to Nigeria, despite concerns over alleged abuses committed by the nation’s security forces, according to United States officials. File Photo Congress is expected to receive formal notification within weeks, setting in motion a deal with Nigeria that the Obama administration had planned to approve at the very end of Barack Obama’s presidency. The arrangement will call for Nigeria to purchase up to 12 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft with sophisticated targeting gear for nearly $600 million, one of the officials said.
This is coming as residents, yesterday, fled Isawo and Yewa communities in Ikorodu area in droves, for fear of another attack from the kidnappers, and reprisal attacks by the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, whose member was set ablaze during the Sunday invasion. Some buildings and shops on Island Road, Olorunsosho Estate, First, Second and Third avenues were under lock when Vanguard visited, yesterday. Most of the occupants it was gathered, fled since Sunday, with some abandoning their vehicles. Those who summoned courage to stay back had anxiety written boldly on their faces. Some of the community leaders were however seen deliberating on the next step to take to ensure their safety.
It was also learnt that Captain Mohammed, the army officer killed during the kidnappers’ invasion of Yewa community in Isawo area of Ikorodu, Lagos, died while trying to rescue the Divisional Police Officer, DPO during the attack, on Sunday, Vanguard has gathered. Rampaging kidnappers besieged the community in the early hours of Sunday, leaving six persons including an Army Captain, four policemen, a landlord and a member of the OPC dead and abducted some residents. Army Capt killed while rescuing late DPO A police sergeant, who escaped the attack narrated to Vanguard how the army captain and his colleagues were killed. He added that his DPO at Owutu Police Division, also sustained a bullet wound during the encounter.
The policeman who spoke with Vanguard at the command headquarters in Ikeja, disclosed that the army captain was killed while rescuing his DPO. He explained that the army captain was in an armoured vehicle when they were attacked but he came out to rescue the DPO when he was fired at randomly by the militants. According to the him “ the operation was led by our DPO and when we got to the spot in Oke-Ohe, we over-powered the militants and rescued the people they kidnapped. The army gave us support but, we spent a little time by the creeks to look for militants and when we were done and leaving the place, we didn’t know that the militants had gone in front and were waiting in ambush.
A police patrol van was in front and we drove in a convoy and the army with their bullet-proof vehicle was behind. When we ran into the ambush, all the people in front were killed and the DPO’s vehicle was under heavy attack, Captain Mohammed was in an armoured vehicle behind him and he saw that the DPO had been injured and he came out of his vehicle to rescue him. He was shot severally and he died on the spot,” he lamented ‘Late Mohammed may have been betrayed’ Some senior military officers deployed to the area lamented that Captain Mohammed may have been betrayed. A military source who spoke to Vanguard, yesterday, lamented that given the number of soldiers under the command of the Captain, the militants couldn’t have killed him easily without taking out a substantial number of his men.
The senior officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained that he once had a duty tour to the restive area and he believes that the militants wouldn’t have carried out a huge attack against security men in that area since it had been taken over by the military without insiders’ support. He called for a probe and urged the authorities to respond decisively and ensure that the militants pay for their crimes. Vanguard also gathered yesterday tha the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, has deployed a team of operatives to Lagos State to track down the militants.
Sources at Force Headquarters disclosed that operatives at the Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, Tactical Squad, have been deployed to Ikorodu to assist the Lagos and Ogun State Police Commands to bring the militants to their knees. OPC members plan revenge of colleague’s death Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that members of the OPC, whose colleague was set ablaze by the kidnappers have held several meetings on how to avenge the death of their colleague, identified simply as Osase. They were said to have listed names of some informants to the kidnappers who they alleged live in Ikorodu area. Yesterday, information filtered in that the OPC members would launch an attack on the informants, a major reason most residents were said to have abandoned their homes.
A resident, Suleiman Taofeek, told Vanguard: “I would have also ran away but I have nowhere to go because I was born and brought up in this community. Those who ran away did so because OPC people said they will avenge the death of their member, who was set ablaze by the militants. They are really angry and have been holding meetings on how to strike. ‘’The militants on the other hand have vowed to come back for us again. In fact, one of those freed by security agents said while they were being led to where the speedboats were, he overheard them saying they would ensure they waste all OPC members, who they claimed killed one of their leaders.
” Why residents are fleeing Inspite of the presence of Policemen and military officials in the area residents expressed fears that the suspected militants may return to the community. Although commercial and vehicular activities went on normally in neighbouring communities like Oke-Oko, Koonu, and Abule-Oba, residents of Yewa were still gripped with fear Alhaji Ayilara Awonuga said the Sunday attack may be as a result of the recent redeployments in the Nigerian Army. He said: ‘’What happened on Sunday is due to the recent redeployment in the Nigerian Army, for instance, Lt. Colonel Ogbobe was the Ikorodu head of the Nigerian Army who was used to the happenings around here but he was recently redeployed and the new person is yet to understand the terrain.
I strongly believe that the militants are aware and have seized the opportunity.” Another resident, Mr Okanlawon Aromire, said he may put up his two bed-room apartment for sale and relocate to a safer place. “Í lost a relation to the 2016 militants attacks in Elepete and I gladly relocated his family to Yewa so that I can properly look after them, not knowing that Yewa is unsafe. If the incident persists, I have no option than to put up the apartment for sale and relocate to a safer area because our lives are at a risk.” Another resident simply identified, as Mr Ola urged government to deploy men of the Nigerian Navy to the area.
“The Nigerian Navy is constantly in Majidun, Ikorodu and I believe the gesture should be repeated here,” he said. Kidnappers demand N3,000 for recharge card Besides, the kidnappers, yesterday, contacted some residents, demanding N3,000 airtime with which to make calls for negotiation of ransom on the release of an abducted resident. Another resident, Mr. Raheem Olanrewaju, told Vanguard that one of the residents was still missing. He said: “One of them (kidnappers) contacted a landlord today (yesterday) and demanded N3,000 recharge card to make some urgent calls. He instructed that the cards must be N1,000 or N1,500 each and not N200. But they did not tell us anything about ransom. They only said they would contact us after getting the card.
The person that received the call requested to speak with Oke but they refused.” Couple sustains bullet wounds Olarewaju further disclosed that a couple, Mr and Mrs Ojo were hit by the kidnappers’ bullets while escaping from their grips. According to him: “The whole community was on fire. Mr Ojo, his wife and their two year-old child were among those abducted but later freed by security agents. During the gun battle, some of the security men were ordered to lead the rescued residents to a safe place. But the militants fired at the residents and security men leading them away. In the process, a bullet brushed Mr Ojo’s hand. His wife and baby were injured.
Fortunately for them, they were among those that escaped. Most of the kidnappers were dressed in military camouflage.” Over 10 victims rescued – residents Vanguard gathered yesterday that in spite of casualties recorded by the security agents, they succeeded in rescuing over 10 persons abducted by the kidnappers. . But same could not be said of a resident whose identity was given as Chibuike Okeke, as he was ferried away in one of the kidnappers’ speed boats amidst sporadic gunshots. Call for Military Base The residents called on military authorities to establish a base within Ishawo, pointing out that it would deter kidnappers and other criminals from harassing them. Proffering an immediate solution to the issue at hand, Olanrewaju said “there should be permanent security patrols within and outside the creeks.
This was done immediately the creeks were bombarded and it put them at bay. “The Commissioner of Police and some senior Army officers visited here yesterday (Sunday ). They promised that there would be high presence of military/police patrol which was observed only on that day. Or can you see any of them around ? “At the moment, we have employed the services of local vigilante to ensure the safety of those of us remaining. As I speak, we have only 30 persons on my street, over 100 have fled. We want the Lagos State to act fast before we are wiped out .
It is not our fault that we built houses close to the creeks. We have been living peacefully until this reign of terror started “, he said. US attack planes Though President Donald Trump has made clear his intention to approve the sale of the aircraft, the US National Security Council is still working on the issue. Military sales to several other countries are also expected to be approved but are caught up in an ongoing White House review. Nigeria has been trying to buy the aircraft since 2015. The Nigerian air force has been accused of bombing civilian targets at least three times in recent years. In the worst incident, a fighter jet on January 17 repeatedly The Obama administration had intended to officially notify Congress the sale would go forward, but it was abruptly put on hold.
According to an individual who worked on the issue during Obama’s presidency, it was put on hold on a day a fighter jet of the Nigerian Air Force bombed a camp at Rann, near the border with Cameroon, where civilians had fled from Boko Haram in error. Between 100 and 236 civilians and aid workers were killed, according to official and community leaders’ counts. Days later, Trump was inaugurated. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said this past week that he supported the A-29 deal to Nigeria as well as the sale of U.S.-made fighter jets to Bahrain that had been stripped of human rights caveats imposed by the Obama administration.
Under Obama, the U.S. said Bahrain failed to make promised political and human rights reforms after its Sunni-ruled government crushed Arab Spring protests five years ago. “We need to deal with human rights issues, but not on weapons sales,” Corker said. The State Department said in a 2016 report that the Nigerian government has taken “few steps to investigate or prosecute officials who committed violations, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government, and impunity remained widespread at all levels of government.”
The A-29 sale would improve the U.S. relationship with Nigeria, Africa’s largest consumer market of 170 million people, the continent’s biggest economy and its second-largest oil producer. The aircraft deal also would satisfy Trump’s priorities to support nations fighting Islamic uprisings, boost U.S. manufacturing and create high-wage jobs at home. The A-29 aircraft, which allow pilots to pinpoint targets at night, are assembled in Jacksonville, Florida.
“It’s hard to argue that any country in Africa is more important than Nigeria for the geopolitical and other strategic interests of the U.S.,” said J. Peter Pham, vice president of the Atlantic Council in Washington and head of its Africa Centre. Once Congress is officially notified of the sale, lawmakers who want to derail it have 30 days to pass veto-proof legislation.
That’s a high hurdle given Corker’s support. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also said he backs the sale. “We’ve really got to try to do what we can to contain them,” McCain said of Boko Haram. In Trump’s first phone call with Buhari in February, he “assured the Nigerian president of U.S. readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism,” according to Buhari’s office. A February 15 White House statement that provided a summary of the call said “President Trump expressed support for the sale of aircraft from the United States to support Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram.”
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