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‘How Ex-Boko Haram Leader, Shekau, Fled Without Pregnant Wife’

Published

3 years ago

March 28, 2023

The Theater Commander, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Major General Ibrahim Sallau Ali, has narrated before the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, now the deceased leader of the Boko Haram terrorist sect, Abubakar Shekau, abandoned his wives and fled when Nigerian Armed Forces attacked his camp.

The top Army officer who appeared to testify before a panel the Commission constituted to investigate allegations of human rights violations against the Nigerian military, disclosed that one of the wives of the late terrorist leader that was left behind by her husband, was heavily pregnant.

He said the woman was subsequently handed over to government authorities that took care of her needs till she gave birth.

Major General Ali denied the allegation that women were maltreated by soldiers engaged in counter-terrorism operations in the North Eastern part of the country.

He described a report by an international media organization, Reuters, which accused the Nigerian Military of running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion program in the North East region of the country, as false and lacking in credibility.

It will be recalled that the report specifically alleged that the covert abortion program, which it said was backed by the government, had led to the illegal termination of at least 10, 000 pregnancies in the crisis torn states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, since 2013.

Irked by the report, the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Lucky Irabor, had on December 16, 2022, stormed the NHRC, asking it to investigate the allegation.

Following the request, the Commission constituted a seven-man probe panel which is chaired by a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdu Aboki.

Meanwhile, the Commission, in a statement it made available to newsmen through its Deputy Director, Public Relations and External Linkages, Hajiya Fatima Agwai Mohammed, revealed that Major Ali testified before the panel which sat in Maiduguri, on behalf of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

According to the statement, responding to questions by the general counsel to the panel, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna, Major General Ali, maintained that the illegal abortion report by the media outlet was “not just possible”.

He said the military was doing its best to restore peace and normalcy in the region.

Major General Ali said before he took over the counter-insurgency operations, terrorist hitherto controlled most things.

“Terrorists were in the city, going to various houses and we made sure we arrested them”, he added.

Continuing, the witness said: “When I came on board an officer was shot in the mouth inside Damaturu by the insurgents in an unsuccessful attempt to kill, but he escaped and later on, there was a Bomb blast because the enemy’s vehicle was laden with explosive device”.

He further narrated to the panel, how he was injured by the insurgents on two different occasions.

He said the insurgents who were initially living in the cities with their families, later relocated and occupied the bushes.

On how his team encountered the Boko Haram leader, Major General Ali said: “The military moved against them and neutralized those who wanted to kill us.

“When we attacked them at one point during a clearance operation, the leader, Abubakar Shekau escaped, leaving his wives and we arrested and brought them to the State government lodge.

“One of Shekau’s wives was pregnant at that time and I think she even delivered successfully and I never had the experience of clearance operations targeted at women and children.

“We don’t arrest the women in the cities but rather focus on the men that carried arms against the State”.

On the allegation of massive killing of children on the premise that they were fathered by Boko Haram insurgents, Major General Ali who was formerly the Deputy Director of Logistics at the Army Headquarters, said the military operated with a high sense of professionalism and utmost regard for human life.

He said the military medical facility in Damaturu was not equipped to do surgery, adding that women were often referred to the University of Maiduguri when the need arose.

Similarly, the Borno State Coordinator of Civil Joint Task Force (CJTF), Mr Abba Aji Kalli, in his oral evidence before the panel, said they usually assist the military to navigate through pathways in the communities since they were more familiar with the terrain as indigenes of the state.

According to him, the CJTF members took an oath to remain fair to every member of the public, irrespective of whether they were friendly with them or not.

The CJTF leader told the panel that the military is professionally minded in their operations both on and off the battlefield.

He, therefore, dismissed the report of alleged illegal abortions by the military as false and unfounded.
VANGUARD

Headline

Trump Warns Of More Strikes In Nigeria If Attacks On Christians Continue

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

US President Donald Trump has warned that he could authorise additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks against Christians continue, citing the security situation in the West African nation as a key concern.

In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump was asked whether the Christmas Day strikes in Sokoto State, which targeted Islamist militants, were intended as part of a broader campaign. “I’d love to make it a one-time strike. But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” he said.

Trump’s comments follow his 2025 designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” due to what he described as an “existential threat” to its Christian population. The remarks have drawn criticism from Nigerian officials, who insist that jihadist groups target people regardless of religion. “Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike” are affected, a government spokesperson said, rejecting claims that Christians are being singled out.

When pressed about reports that most victims of jihadist groups in Nigeria are Muslims, Trump responded, “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.” Nigeria, with a population exceeding 230 million, is roughly evenly divided between Christians in the south and Muslims in the north.

The December strikes targeted camps run by a jihadist group known as Lakurawa in Sokoto, a largely Muslim region near the border with Niger. Both the US and Nigerian authorities have linked the militants to Islamic State-affiliated groups in the Sahel, although the IS has not formally claimed any association with Lakurawa. Details of casualties from the strikes remain unclear, as neither government has provided official figures.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said the operation was a “joint effort” and emphasised that it was not motivated by religion. He confirmed that the strikes had the approval of President Bola Tinubu and included
participation by Nigerian armed forces. Addressing the timing of the strikes, Tuggar added that they were unrelated to Christmas, though Trump described them as a “Christmas present”.

Headline

Science Discovers Why Hungry, Broke Men Prefer Bigger Breasts

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

A scientific study has found that men who feel financially insecure or hungry are more likely to find larger female breasts attractive.

The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE and was conducted by psychologists Viren Swami and Martin J. Tovée.

The study examined whether breast size acts as a signal of fat reserves and access to resources, and whether men facing resource insecurity rate larger breast sizes as more attractive than men who feel economically secure.

Researchers carried out two separate studies across Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

In the first study, 266 men from three areas in Malaysia were assessed. The locations represented low, medium and high socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants were shown rotating computer-generated images of women with different breast sizes and asked to rate which they found most attractive.

The findings showed a clear socioeconomic pattern.

Men from low-income rural areas preferred larger breasts.

Men from middle-income towns preferred medium to large breasts.

Men from high-income urban areas preferred smaller to medium breasts.

PLOS ONE study showing how hunger and financial insecurity affect men’s breast size preferences
Cover page of a PLOS ONE study examining how resource insecurity influences men’s breast size preferences. Source: PLOS ONE

As stated in the study, “Men from relatively low socioeconomic sites rated larger breast sizes as more physically attractive than did participants in moderate socioeconomic sites, who in turn rated larger breast sizes as more attractive than individuals in a high socioeconomic site.”

The researchers noted that the lower a man’s financial security, the stronger his preference for larger breast size.

The second study focused on hunger rather than income.

In Britain, 124 male university students were divided into two groups. Sixty-six participants were classified as hungry, while 58 had recently eaten. Both groups viewed the same breast size images under identical conditions.

Hungry men consistently rated larger breasts as more attractive than men who were full.

According to the researchers, “Hungry men rated a significantly larger breast size as more physically attractive than did the satiated group. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that resource security impacts upon men’s attractiveness ratings based on women’s breast size.”

The researchers explained that these shifts suggest attraction is not fixed but responsive to immediate conditions.

They noted that men experiencing hunger or financial pressure may place greater value on physical traits that signal access to resources or stability.

The study added that temporary states such as hunger can shape attraction in the same way long-term economic conditions do, reinforcing the idea that social and environmental factors play a key role in how physical attractiveness is judged.

Headline

Man With Lengthy Criminal Record Shoots Nigerian To Death Inside Bus In Canada

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

A 40-year-old man with an extensive criminal history has been charged with first-degree murder after a Nigerian national was shot dead on a GO bus at the Yorkdale GO Bus Terminal in Toronto, marking the city’s first homicide of 2026.

Toronto Police, in a statement on their website, said officers were called to the terminal, near Yorkdale Road and Allen Road, at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, following reports of a shooting. Investigators allege that both the suspect and the victim boarded a GO bus at the terminal, where the suspect shot the victim before fleeing the scene on foot.

According to the statement, officers arrived to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound, but despite carrying out life-saving measures, the Nigerian was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was later identified as Osemwengie Irorere, a 46-year-old man from Nigeria, the Toronto police said in a later statement.

Local media reports noted that an eyewitness who was seated just behind the victim said the bus had been dark and crowded as passengers waited to depart when a single gunshot rang out.

“I assumed it was a popped tyre or something, but immediately after, a guy sitting in front of me got up, shoved his hands in his pocket and ran off the bus,” the witness said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.

“Right after, I stood up and I looked at the seat in front of me and I saw a guy, bleeding,” he added, saying he could smell smoke in the air after the shot was fired.

Police said the suspect was located and arrested a short time later near the Yorkdale subway station, and a firearm was recovered.

The accused has been identified as Tyrel Gibson, 40, of Toronto. He appeared at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Monday, January 5.

Court documents show that Gibson has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2000, with nearly two dozen charges. He has previously been convicted of offences including attempted murder and firearm-related crimes. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, using a firearm, possession of a firearm with ammunition and possession of an unauthorised firearm and was handed a lifetime weapons prohibition. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2017, although it remains unclear how much of that term he served.