Air Force jets, gunships to attack Boko Haram targets

The military swung into action yesterday, imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Adamawa State where soldiers patrolled the streets.
Military jets from the Nigeria Air Force 75 Strike Unit were flying very low around the state capital, Yola.
A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of 23 Brigade, Yola, Lt. Jaafaru Nuhu, announced the curfew.
He said: “Sequel to the presidential declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan, a 6pm to 6am curfew has been imposed on Adamawa State.
“All law-abiding citizens are advised to abide by the curfew,” the statement said.
The security situation has remained tense, with armed robbers striking super markets and other places in the city
In Borno State, a massive military operation to enforce Tuesday’s declaration of a state of emergency began yesterday.
More than 2,000 troops reportedly entered the state, where they launched an offensive, raiding a suspected Boko Haram hideout in a game reserve, according to military sources quoted by French News Agency AFP.
Military jets were deployed in all the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Reuters reported that two jets were seen arriving in Yola. Two other jets were deployed in Borno and Yobe.
Air Force spokesman Air Commodore Yusuf Anas confirmed to Reuters by telephone that “air assets”, including helicopter gunships as well as jets, had been sent in support of the extra troops being deployed for the operation. He declined to give further details.
The entire Nigerian military is involved in this operation, including the Air Force,” Defence spokesman Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade told AFP.
“Definitely, air strikes will be used when necessary,” he said.
A force of “several thousand” soldiers along with fighter jets and helicopter gunships have been deployed for the offensive in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, he added.
Telephone connections to Borno and Yobe were cut off yesterday, apparently due to the destruction of masts by the terrorists.
An Associated Press journalist in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, found cell-phone services unavailable since early Thursday morning on all the major mobile phone carriers. Mobile phone numbers belonging to government officials and military officials in Borno and Yobe states could not be reached.
 A military source who requested anonymity told AFP that operations had started in at least one area of Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency.
“Our men raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve” in northern Borno, early on Wednesday, he said. In January, the military stormed Boko Haram training facilities in the same area.
The source added that 2,000 troops had been deployed in Borno but declined to comment on the number of forces sent to Yobe and Adamawa.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru refused to discuss figures.
Residents in all three states have reported seeing an increased number of military personnel.
Zangina Kyarimi, who lives in the remote town of Marti in northern Borno towards the border with Chad, told AFP that “large military teams” arrived late Wednesday.
“I saw dozens of military vans and trucks accompanied by tanks,” he said by phone from the town, which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold.
“We are afraid of what might happen in the coming days. We are thinking of leaving,” he said.
The security forces on Thursday told banks to close in the town of Gashua in Yobe State, where suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked the police and a series of buildings on April 26, resident Musa Saminu said.
“Around 30 military vans passed through the town…They were heavily armed. Some of them went to the banks and asked them to close down as a precaution,” he told AFP.
Red Cross spokesman Nwakpa O. Nwakpa said the organisation was prepared to offer relief to civilians impacted by the military operation.
Soldiers have been accused of massive rights abuses in campaigns against Boko Haram, which may have amounted to crimes against humanity, according to Human Rights Watch.
The US State Department has warned that any “heavy-handed” tactics or disregard for human rights during the emergency operations could damage bilateral relations.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. government was deeply concerned about violence in northern Nigeria, saying its severity was such that it may spill across the borders.
“The declaration of states of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states reflects the worsening cycle of violence in northern Nigeria,” he said.
“We have made clear to the Nigerian government that its heavy-handed response to insecurity in northern Nigeria and the failure to address human rights violations will potentially affect our ability to provide security assistance going forward,” Ventrell added.
“All you’re doing is giving the military more powers than they had, but they were already far exceeding the powers … and violating human rights massively,” Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s deputy programme director, told Reuters by phone.
Human Rights Watch Nigeria researcher Eric Guttschuss said: “If the military continues its practice of targeting civilians, there is a risk of massive abuses during this offensive … the military’s tactics have helped fuel the spiraling violence.”
The Boko Haram conflict is estimated to have cost 3,600 lives since 2010, including killings by the security forces.

Culled from The Nation