Defence minister, military chiefs spend Christmas with troops

•Pledge to “effectively” end insurgency

Minister of Defence, Muhammad Dan-Ali, has assured soldiers fighting insurgency in the North East of government’s commitment to provide the needed logistics to expeditiously end insurgency in the country.

He gave the assurance in Damaturu at the weekend at a Christmas lunch organised for troops locked in battle with Boko Haram.

He acknowledged some of the challenges facing the operations and noted that most of the challenges were being addressed.

He also urged the troops to remain committed to the war against insurgency in the North East.

“While your welfare needs are being addressed, I urge you to continue to adhere to all the rules of engagement in your operations,” he said.

But he urged them to respect the rights of people in your host communities as “all your actions and inactions will be accounted for.”

Also speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, commended the troops for their sacrifices.

He said their contributions in the defeat of terrorism would not be forgotten in a hurry.

Olonisakin, however, urged the troops not to relent in their efforts to effectively end the insurgency.

He said: “we are gradually moving into 2016, therefore, we must not rest on our oars to win the war.

“As we move into 2016 I want to enjoin you to be more determined to reclaim all lost territories, that is the charge and demand on all of you as we enter the New Year.

“On our part we will do our best to ensure that all logistics and welfare required to prosecute the war to a logical conclusion were provided,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, said the visit of the defence minister would boost the morale of troops in the ongoing operation.

He noted that the situation in the troubled region has improved tremendously and attributed the feat to the sacrifices of the troops.

“The security situation has greatly improved and I want to congratulate the troops for a job well done.

“We are entering the New Year and I believe that we will start winding down to conclude the operation,’’ he said.

Yobe Deputy Governor Abubakar Aliyu confirmed that the security situation had indeed improved in the state.

He said unlike the previous festivities since the insurgency started, residents were able to celebrate the yuletide without fear of any attack from the insurgents.

The event, held at Army Headquarters Logistic Base in Damaturu, was attended distinguished guests who served the soldiers with various delicacies

The  Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadiq yesterday paid a similar morale boosting visit to troops in Yola,Adamawa where he enjoined men of the 5 Strike Group Battalion of the Air Force  have been enjoined not to relent in their fight against insurgency even during this festive period.

Air Marshall Sadiq commended the officers and men of the battalion for their efforts in curtailing terrorism in the north-east, especially in providing logistics support in the operations.

“The purpose of my visit to Yola is first and foremost to convey President Muhammadu Buhari’s greetings to our pilots and technicians who have been doing an excellent job in the north-east to deal with the internal security of insurgency problem we are having here in the north-east.

“The honourable Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff are in Damaturu, I was with them yesterday (Friday) in Maiduguri while they were with the troops in Damaturu, I am here (in Yola) to convey the greetings of Mr President to our pilots and technicians and to also have the opportunity to also celebrate the Christmas with them.

“In the past, you would   find the terrorists moving in 15, 20 Hilux vehicles attacking one village after the other. I’m sure you haven’t heard of that since the directive was given.

“The terrorists are now more or less suicide bombers because they can’t really move in large numbers to occupy our territory and kill our people.

“I think, to a large extent, we have substantially degraded their capacity and have been able to meet the deadline. What we are doing now, is just to improve what we have been able to achieve,” the Air Chief said.

Defence minister, military chiefs spend Christmas with troops

16 dead in Yobe multiple blasts

Sixteen people have died and 10 others injured in multiple explosions on Wednesday morning in Damaturu, Yobe State capital.

Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Musa Idi, confirmed the story to newsmen in Damaturu on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the explosions took place around Ministry of Housing quarters and Buhari Housing Estate in Damaturu.

NAN reports that normalcy had returned to the state capital as schools opened, while workers and other residents had resumed their normal business.

16 dead in Yobe multiple blasts

Pregnant woman, five others killed in Damaturu twin explosions

Six people, including two suspected suicide bombers, have died in two bomb explosions that occurred on Tuesday in Damaturu, Yobe State capital.

Abubakar Shekau

Yobe Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Toyin Gbadegeshin, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Gbadegeshin said three others were in critical condition, while 40 others, who sustained various degrees of injury, had been taken to hospitals in the area.

He said one of the explosions involving a female suicide bomber of about 12 years of age, happened at the entrance of the Damaturu main motor park.

“The girl detonated the explosive at the screening centre of the motor park gate, killing herself and four others, including a pregnant woman and a baby.

“The other explosive went off at about the same time with the first one at Pompomari, when a suspected male suicide bomber, sensing he will be apprehended, ran into a nearby bush and the explosive went off, killing him alone,” the police spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Director of Press to Yobe Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, described the incident as “sad and unfortunate.”

NAN reports that officials of the State Emergency Management Agency and hospital staff were providing emergency support to the victims.

Pregnant woman, five others killed in Damaturu twin explosions

Breaking: Suicide bomber kills seven in Yobe

A suicide bomber attack Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state and seven people have been reported dead on Tuesday morning.

Details later

Breaking: Suicide bomber kills seven in Yobe

Nigerian Army Confirmed 50 Dead In Damaturu Bomb Blast

The authorities of the Nigerian Army have confirmed that 50 people lost their lives in two bomb explosions that rocked Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, on Friday.

Bomb Scene

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Friday that 43 persons died in the first explosion which occurred at 7.40am and seven others in the second explosion.

Several other people were also said to have sustained different degrees of injuries from the two explosions.

It was stated that a ten year old girl and an elderly woman carried out the two attacks at the screening area for the Eid prayers in Damaturu.

The explosions occurred while the screening of intending worshippers for the early morning prayers was taking place at Layin Geange and ‘Phase 1 ‘ in front of the former Yobe State Secretariat, in Damaturu.

Usman said the situation was under control.

One of the residents, Musa Yusuf, who also spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, said “there is apprehension in Damaturu as I am talking to you, we are celebrating Sallah in fear with these explosions this morning.”

Yusuf said, “It is hard to ascertain the number of casualties now but the military and policemen are everywhere keeping watch on the town.”

Usman, who urged citizens to be calm and vigilant, said the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen Tukur Buratai, and the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geidam, sympathised with the families of the victims of the unfortunate incidents

He said, “The situation is under control. Both Yobe State Governor and the Chief of Army Staff sympathise with and urged the people to stay calm and be security conscious.

“No amount of terrorist act would deter our resolve to stamp out terrorism and insurgency.”

Nigerian Army Confirmed 50 Dead In Damaturu Bomb Blast

13 killed in Damaturu bomb blast - Medics

 

Thirteen people were killed in a triple attack in the northeastern Nigerian city of Damaturu on Friday, medics said.

Two people were killed in twin explosions that rocked the city before a third moments later near a mosque that left another 11 dead, the latest attacks in the region where Boko Haram Islamists are waging an insurgency.

“For now we have 13 dead bodies brought to the hospital,” a medical source who wished to remain anonymous told AFP.

 

13 killed in Damaturu bomb blast - Medics

Breaking: Unconfirmed scores dead as bomb explode in Yobe Mosque

By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News

A bomb has exploded at an unknown mosque in Yobe state on Friday.

The bomb went off killing unconfirmed number of worshipers at the Eid praying ground in Damaturu.

The details of the attack is still very sketchy.

Details to follow

 

 

Breaking: Unconfirmed scores dead as bomb explode in Yobe Mosque

Female suicide bomber kills 7, injures 26 in Yobe

No fewer than seven people were killed and 26 others injured on Saturday when a female suicide bomber detonated an Improvised Explosive Device at the entrance of the Damaturu Central Motor Park in Yobe.

Garba Fika, ​a ​Medical Director, Sani Abacha General Hospital, Damaturu​,​ gave the figure while briefing Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam about the condition of the victims on Saturday in Damaturu.

“We received a total of 33 victims of bomb blast that occurred an hour ago; all of them sustained various degree of injuries, out of which seven are dead, while seven are under a very critical condition,” he said.

“We might refer those under critical condition to the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru and Federal Medical Centre Azare in Bauchi State respectively.

“Already, the Yobe State government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with these health institutions, in case of emergency of this nature.”

The medical director, however, said that the victims with mild injuries were responding to treatment and would be discharged soon.

He assured the governor that the management of the hospital had mobilised all medical personnel needed to ensure that the victims received proper medical attention.

Mr. Fika called on the resident of Damaturu to donate blood in order to save the lives of the victims, stressing that they were in dire need of blood .

Responding, Mr. Gaidam condemned the incident , describing it as “very unfortunate”​.​

He commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died as a result of the incident.

The governor, who promised to settle the medical bills of all the victims, expressed optimism that insurgency would soon be a thing of the past in the country.

Mr. Gaidam advised people to be security conscious, report any suspicious movement around them, and cooperate with the security agents to enable them discharge their duties effectively.

As at the time of filing the report, the police ​wer​e yet to issue any statement on the incident.

Contacted on telephone for his comments , the Yobe Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Toyin Gbadageshan, said he was out of town, wh​ile​ the telephone lines of the Police Commissioner, were not going through.

(NAN)

Female suicide bomber kills 7, injures 26 in Yobe

Another Suicide bomber: Two blow selves up in Yobe

Four people were killed in the northeast Nigerian city of Potiskum on Sunday, when two female suicide bombers, one of them aged about 15, blew themselves up in a crowded market.

The blasts at the Kasuwar Jagwal mobile phone market in the commercial capital of Yobe State came just a day after a young girl thought to be aged only 10 killed 19 in Maiduguri, in neighbouring Borno State.

Also on Saturday, two people were killed when a car exploded outside a police station in Potiskum.

“We evacuated six bodies including those of the two female suicide bombers to the hospital. Twenty-one people were injured in the attacks.

A security source involved in the rescue operation told AFP of Sunday’s bombings: “One of the bombers looked 23 and the other 15.

“The first bomber — the 23 year-old — detonated her explosives just outside the entrance of the market, where volunteers were sweeping people going inside the market with metal detectors.

“The second bomber was terrified by the explosion and she tried to dash across the road but she also exploded.”

Both the security official and a nurse at the Potiskum General Hospital said six people were confirmed dead and 21 were injured.

Witness Ibrahim Dambam said the second blast went off as people fled the first.

Sunday is Potiskum’s market day and attracts traders and shoppers from all over Yobe State and beyond.

Panicked shoppers fled and traders abandoned their stalls at both the mobile phone market and the city’s main market, which is just next door.

– More female suicide bombers –

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on Boko Haram, which have increasingly used female suicide bombers since last June.

Some security analysts believe that older women may willingly become human bombs as they share the Islamists’ radical ideology or are out to avenge the death of loved ones at the hands of the military.

But the young ages of some of the bombers — such as the girl in Maiduguri — and the actions of the 15-year-old in Potiskum suggest that coercion is being used.

A civilian vigilante who witnessed the Maiduguri bombing said of the young bomber: “I doubt if she actually knew what was strapped to her body.”

Another eye-witness said it appeared that the bomb was remote-controlled, which chimes with testimony from other attacks across the wider north of Nigeria.

This weekend’s attacks are the latest in a spike in violence in northeast Nigeria, as elections for a new president and parliament approach next month.

On January 3, Boko Haram attacked the town of Baga in the north of Borno state in what is believed to be the worst atrocity in its six-year campaign that has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Potiskum itself has seen a spate of attacks by the Sunni Islam radicals, including one against a Shia procession last November which killed 15.

A week after that attack, at least 58 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up a city secondary school.

 

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Another Suicide bomber: Two blow selves up in Yobe

Damaturu calm after massive attack by Boko Haram

1

Boko Haram, Naija Center News

Nigeria troops on Friday evening repelled an attack by the Islamic terrorist clowns called Boko Haram around Damaturu after attempts to occupy parts of the town.

Abubakar Shekau

Boko Haram had launched massive attack from different directions of he town on Friday evening, but troops were promptly mobilized to repel the attack that lasted the night resulting in heavy casualty on the terrorists before the rest of them retreated.

According to the information posted on the military website, “weapons including IEDs and Rocket Propelled Grenades captured from the terrorists are being compiled while their dead as well as civilian are yet to be determined.”

The troop head quarter disclosed that the military were still chasing the fleeing terrorists, adding that 5 of the soldiers were injured in the attack and currently receiving medical attention in the military medical facility.

The military said the situation in Baga is being studied to determine the appropriate action that will restore law, order and normalcy to the community after the attack mounted by hundreds of heavily armed terrorists last weekend.

The headquarter received that Nigeria lost 14 of his gallant soldiers to the attack, while over 30 who were wounded are receiving medical attention, those declared mising are rejoining their unit in the ongoing reorganization for further operations.

Several of the terrorists died in the course of the attack and effort at repelling the assailant proved worthless, the military headquarter disclosed on Saturday..

“The Nigerian military has not given up on Baga and other localities where terrorists activities are now prevalent.  Appropriate plans, men and resources are presently being mobilized to address the situation.  The Nigerian component of the Multinational Joint Task Force which retreated from its Baga Headquarters last weekend and more of the troops are regrouping for necessary debrief and briefing for subsequent missions.

It is necessary to reassure Nigerians that the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies are capable of flushing out the terrorists from Baga and all parts of the nation’s territory where their activities are prevalent.  No portion of Nigeria’s territory has been or will be conceded to terrorists.

The use of all available resources within the armed forces will continue to be maximized to sustain the tempo of the counter terrorism campaign towards containing and eradicating terrorism in the nation’s territory.  The support and understanding of all partners and neighboring countries will however continue to be utilized where available and relevant in the conduct of the mission and in line with existing agreement and understanding.” It added.

 

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Viewed 1 times
Damaturu calm after massive attack by Boko Haram

Breaking: Soldiers kill 200 Boko Haram in Askira Uba, Borno

No fewer than 200 Boko Haram members were killed by troops at Askira Uba, a border town between Adamawa and Borno States on Saturday.

The insurgents, it was gathered, were trying to penetrate Damaturu, Adamawa State, through the town but were mowed down by the troops who were stationed in the area during a gun battle.

The terrorists had earlier attempted to storm Damaturu on Friday, but were repelled by the military, during an operation that lasted for several hours.

More details soon.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Breaking: Soldiers kill 200 Boko Haram in Askira Uba, Borno

Breaking: Heavy fighting continues in Damaturu

1

More than 12 hours after members of the terror sect, Boko Haram, launched a ferocious attack on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, military sources said fighting still raged on between the militants and federal troops.

It is still hazy, however, to ascertain the level of casualties, but scores of the terrorists, residents and some soldiers were said to have been killed in the attack, which started around 8pm on Friday.

A military source told our correspondent on the telephone on Saturday that heavy fighting continued throughout the night as the terrorists were well prepared for the battle but met a much more combat ready federal troops.

It was learnt that Damaturu residents remained indoors even at daybreak as gunshots still boomed and explosions could be heard in some parts of the state capital.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports claimed that more than 200 Boko Haram members might have been killed as they attempted to invade Adamawa State, using the Askira-Uba, a border town between Borno and Adamawa states, as a launch pad.

“They wanted to enter Adamawa through Askira-Uba, but ran into the waiting arms of the troops which killed about 200 of them,” the source, who craved anonymity, added.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Viewed 1 times
Breaking: Heavy fighting continues in Damaturu

Boko Haram: Over 150 killed in Damaturu attack - emergency services

More than 150 people, including 38 police, died in a Boko Haram raid on the northeast Nigerian city of Damaturu this week, police, a rescue official and a health worker told AFP on Wednesday.

Boko Haram killed in Bama

A senior rescue official and a medical source at the city’s Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital said 115 bodies were brought to the morgue after Monday’s attack, although it was not clear whether they were insurgents or civilians.

All 115 were in civilian clothing, but it was not certain whether they were all non-combatants, the sources said. Among the dead were two medical doctors, a staff member of the federal polytechnic in the Yobe state capital, and his two children.

Six soldiers were also killed, the sources added. Emmanuel Ojukwu, spokesman for Nigeria’s federal police, said: “Out of the police, we have 38 deaths.”

Most of the police killed were at the mobile police base in the Gujba Road area of the city, Ojukwu said, confirming eye-witness testimony from residents that the facility was attacked.

One local man, Umar Sada, said at the time that the gunmen, who began their attack at about 4:45 am (0345 GMT) on Monday, burnt down the police barracks.

The heavy loss of life came after an increase in mass casualty attacks blamed on the militants, who have been fighting since 2009 to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

Also on Monday, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at a market in the Borno state capital, Maidiguri — less than a week after two other women killed more than 45 at the same location.

Last Friday, two suicide bombers and gunmen killed at least 120 worshippers at the central mosque in the northern city of Kano, which has been repeatedly hit by Boko Haram attacks in the past.

Neither the military nor the state government in Yobe said they were in a position to comment on the casualty figures when contacted by AFP.

But civilian vigilantes operating in Damaturu claimed on Monday that more than 40 Boko Haram gunmen had been killed in the fighting.

The medical source said it was “likely” that most of the 115 were insurgents.

He added: “Rescue teams are still looking in the bush around the city for more bodies. It’s believed that people might have died from gunshot wounds while trying to flee.”

The senior rescue official said 78 people were injured. Of those 53 were treated and discharged.

 

Boko Haram: Over 150 killed in Damaturu attack - emergency services

Curfew Declared in Damaturu over attack by Boko Haram

By Michael Olugbode

As the military continues its clampdown on the insurgents who attacked Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, on Monday, the state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, has shut down the town.

Yobe State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam

The governor has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the town, while praising the military and security agencies for their gallantry in the battle against the insurgents, some of whom are still believed to be hiding in the capital town.

The curfew on Damaturu has made it impossible for people to travel outside Maiduguri, the capital of yet another troubled state, Borno, as the Yobe capital has remained the only route in and out of the birthplace of the deadly Islamic sect.

A statement by Mallam Abdullahi Bego, the Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information to the Yobe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, e-mailed to journalists covering the state on Tuesday, stated that the governor has approved the imposition of a 24-hour curfew in Damaturu, the State Capital.

The statement, which stated that the curfew is effective immediately, advised all residents of the town to remain in their homes until the curfew is relaxed.

Bego said in the statement that the “decision is taken in consultation with heads of law enforcement agencies in the State as part of measures to enable the security agents, who did a great job yesterday of repelling insurgent attacks on the town, to conclude their ongoing assignment.”

He added: “His Excellency Governor Gaidam has expressed his appreciation to the residents of the State Capital, and to people all across the State, for their support and cooperation with security agents,” while urging the “people to continue to support the security efforts and to pray to Almighty Allah (SWT) for the return of peace and security.”

Viewed 1 times
Curfew Declared in Damaturu over attack by Boko Haram

100 killed as Boko Haram hits Yobe, Borno

MAIDUGURI—Suspected Boko Haram insurgents, yesterday, intensified terrorist activities, targeting two state capitals in the North-Eastern part of the country with co-ordinated bomb explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and gun attacks in Damaturu, Yobe State capital.

Bomb Scene

More than 100 persons were feared dead in the attacks as several places, including police formations, were burnt. Damaturu is 135 km west of Maiduguri.

Umar Sada, who lives in the Gujba Road area of the city, said the latest raid happened at about 4:45 a.m (0345 GMT).

In Damaturu, residents in the Gujba Road area of the city were jolted out of bed by the sound of gunshots and explosions at about 4:45 am as many fled.

Sada said: “I was woken by huge blasts and the sound of heavy gunfire around the Mobile Police barracks. The gunmen came in numbers. They burnt down the Police barracks. They are now advancing towards two housing estates. We have left our home. We are now in the bush. We don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Another local resident, a government official who asked not to be identified, said: “It’s chaos all over the town. All I can hear are explosions and gunfire from my house. I couldn’t go out for morning prayers because this started before dawn and I’m afraid to leave in case I get caught up in it.”

There was no immediate comment from the military in Damaturu, where government troops were also stationed, nor from Abuja, although Air Force jets were seen overhead.

But the Yobe State Police Commissioner, Marcus Danladi, said they were dealing with a “serious situation”. Vigilantes in the city claimed that more than 40 Boko Haram fighters were killed.

A staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu said the fighting was still raging by mid-morning and some shells had landed in the school compound.

Other residents said fighting was taking place near detention facilities where Boko Haram suspects were being held near the state governor’s residence, and the jets were bombarding the militants.

The fresh attacks in Damaturu were targeted at Police and military formations as well as selected houses, a situation that sources said left many people dead.

Police mobile base attacked

A reliable source told Vanguard that “the Police Mobile Base in Damaturu was one of the security formations that came under attack by insurgents. As I am talking to you, we are in serious confusion now, gunshots and explosions were everywhere especially from the southern part of the city and people are fleeing,” said an embattled resident, Mallam Usmanu Iliya.

Another resident who did not want his name mentioned in print for security reasons said he was woken up by the gunshots and blasts which started at about 6 a.m.

Another resident who could barely speak as he was panting simply told Vanguard that “We are running for our lives…we are under attack…. We don’t know where to hide, the shooting is all over….”

Although, at press time, the attacks and confrontations by security operatives in Damaturu were still on, the actual casualty figure was yet to be ascertained.

Buba Umar, who left the town for Maiduguri, said the militants attacked the police station armed with assault rifles and petrol bombs.

Another resident, Manassa Samuel said: “While some of the terrorists stormed the palace, others destroyed all the churches in the town. They also destroyed many shops.

“Most of us fled to the bushes, leaving only women and children at home. The good news is nobody was killed,” he said.

Borno State police spokesman, Gideon Jibrin confirmed the attack and said an investigation had been launched.

Jibrin initially said that more than 10 people were killed and many more injured, but he later changed the toll.

“The casualty figure is five dead and not as earlier sent,” he said in a text message.

A previous text said that two female suicide bombers detonated their explosives in two different areas of the market, after initial reports of a single middle-aged woman and two blasts.

One rescue official also said that five people had died and 47 were injured.

But one witness at the scene, Goni Abba, said he counted “10 dead bodies”.

Meanwhile the Defence headquarters in a tweet posted on its handle said the Nigerian troops while carrying out the onslaught, ensured that innocent and panic-stricken citizens were spared the agony of collateral damage.

DHQ said the first approach troops applied in the reprisal attack on the terrorists, was to secure the civil population while repelling or apprehending the terrorists.

The tweets read: “Troops backed by the Airforce are carefully engaging terrorists who attacked the town in the early hours of today (yesterday).

“The approach is to secure the civilian population while repelling or apprehending the terrorists.”

Attack barbaric, heinous — Yobe Gov

Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Abdullahi Bego condemned the attack as heinous and barbaric and “expressed appreciation to the security forces who worked very hard on the ground and from the air to repel the attack and forced many of the attackers to flee. As a result of their effort, Damaturu remains firmly under government control.”

According to the statement, “the governor has also been told that the security effort is still ongoing. Security agents will continue to track and pursue any remnants of the attackers who might still be hiding in town. The governor urges people in Damaturu and all across the State to continue to remain vigilant and pray to Almighty Allah for His intervention.

“While commending the security forces for their work in repelling the attack, the governor also called on them to remain at their highest alert level and to carry the good work to its logical conclusion. The governor has directed hospital authorities to provide adequate support to innocent victims of the attack who visit hospital for medical attention”.

Viewed 1 times
100 killed as Boko Haram hits Yobe, Borno

Bomb explosion kill 21 at a viewing centre in Damaturu

AN explosion, on Tuesday evening, hit a viewing centre in Damaturu, Yobe State. As of the time of going to press, the casualty figure could not be ascertained.

The explosion was said to have occurred after the kick-off of the Brazil versus Mexico match in the ongoing World Cup.

The scene

Those injured, Nigerian Tribune learnt, have been taken to the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu.

The CNN reported that Tuesday’s explosion at the soccer viewing centre claimed the lives of 21 people, a hospital source said on Wednesday.

Another 27 were injured in the blast during the showing of a World Cup match, said the source from Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu. He spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

“All the victims are young men and boys. They sustained burns, ruptured tissues, shattered bones,” he said.

A police official placed the death toll lower Wednesday, saying 10 people had died. But the hospital spokesman said its count was based on the number of bodies delivered to the facility’s morgue.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of Damaturu, in Yobe state, the sources said. The explosives had been concealed in an abandoned motorised rickshaw outside the center. People were watching the Brazil-Mexico match.

“Our men have deployed to the scene but it’s too early for us to give details, said Yobe state police commissioner Sanusi Ruf’ai.

Volatile northeastern Nigeria is the home of the notorious Boko Haram group, the militant Islamists who abducted scores of schoolgirls in April.

Maina Ularamu, a local official in Madagali, in Adamawa state, told CNN last week that people in the town, which has been the target of previous Boko Haram attacks, had been warned against watching World Cup matches.

“Letters have been distributed to viewing centers in Adamawa state warning people not to gather to watch the World Cup games,” she said. “We suspect these letters to be from Boko Haram militants. People are very afraid and are not leaving their homes.”

To try to combat the growing threat from Boko Haram, the Nigerian government placed Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states under a state of emergency last year.

Viewed 1 times
Bomb explosion kill 21 at a viewing centre in Damaturu

New attack: Boko Haram slaughter 3, kidnapped 5 women in Yobe

By Ehi Ekhator

Members of the Boko Haram sects have on Friday ambushed some civilians, slaughtering 3 and abducting 5 women in Gujba Local Government area of Yobe state at about 6pm.

Boko Haram leader, Shekau Abubakar

The victims were said to have travelled to Damaturu to withdraw their monthly salary since there was no ATM or functional bank in Gujba town due to the scourge called Boko Haram which had paralyzed economic activities.

It could be recalled that Boko Haram attack Gujba local government area months ago, killing students of the College of Agriculture, and that of Federal Government college and since then, the local government has been deserted.

Many innocent Nigerians have been killed on the Gujba road

Speaking on the issue, a relative to one of the victims confirmed the incident to a journalist that his brother was one of the victims and added that his remains will be brought home for necessary rites today, (Saturday).

He said .” from what we heard from one of the survivors that ran into the bush,  Boko Haram members waylaid them at the gate of College of Agriculture Gujba, initially they thought they were soldiers because they are putting on soldiers trousers but it dawn on them when they were stopped and order out of the vehicles and asked to lay down on the road before they were robbed. And  then 3 of them were slaughtered before they ran into the bush with about 5 women” he said.

New attack: Boko Haram slaughter 3, kidnapped 5 women in Yobe

Governor Nyako lashes Military men over death of Students in Yobe

Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako is a bitter man. He was angry yesterday on the devastating Boko Haram attacks on defenceless people in the Northeast.

He criticised the activities of security men deployed in the states under a state of emergency and called for more proactive measures to stem the tide.

Nyako, a Rear Admiral, said the frustrated people might take to the streets in demonstration.

The governor wondered why soldiers were late in arriving at scenes of incidents.

He said: “In Buni-Yadi, Yobe State, the soldiers withdrew from checkpoint hours to the attack. Who ordered the withdrawal? In Shuwa and Michika, soldiers withdrew, shortly after that Boko Haram attacked, who ordered the withdrawals”?

“We also have the case of Gen. Mohammed Shuwa (who was killed) in Maiduguri by the so-called Boko Haram. There is an army unit there, but they didn’t respond during the attack. Who told them not to respond?

“The Air Force base was raided in Maiduguri. There was a military base nearby; who gave the base the order not to respond during the raid on the Air Force base?

“Either this thing is controlled by unknown fellows or unknown Boko Haram strategic commander is in the defence system or are things being stage-managed?” (0)

Governor Nyako lashes Military men over death of Students in Yobe

Pupils’ massacre: Parents storm hospital for kids search

IT was a moving scene. Some parents wailing on seeing the charred remains of their loved ones. Others were searching for their children, who may have died in the Boko Haram’s Tuesday attack on the hostels of the Federal Government College, Boni Yadi, Yobe State, in which 43 pupils were reportedly killed. A parent said yesterday that 29 died.

There was outrage over the killings, with the United Nations (UN) and France leading the way.

Victims of attack

At the Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu, the state capital where the injured were taken, officials were busy attending to distraught parents searching for their wards. Only three of the 11 injured were being treated at the hospital.

The others had been taken away by their parents.

Parents/Teachers’ Association Chairman Mohammed Kati Machina, an engineer, recounted the grim, but unavoidable task of burying the dead.

He said: “We buried two of the eight burnt students at Buni Yadi because they were so badly burnt. Ten bodies were brought to Damaturu, with six burnt beyond recognition.”

Machina, who spoke with The Nation in Damaturu, said 29 pupils were killed.

“We have an authentic report from the hospital and what we gathered is that only 29 students were killed. Twenty-one students were killed by gunshots while eight were burnt beyond recognition. Eleven of the students were injured and three have been admitted at the Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu. Some of the injured students have been taken away by their parents.”

“Two of the bodies were taken away to Gombe for burial by their parents,” he added.

The PTA chairman urged the Federal Government to provide security around schools, especially in Yobe and Borno states – two of the three states worst-hit by the Boko Haram insurgency. He sent his condolences to the families of the dead children.

The school was just resuming from a mid-term break when the insurgents struck.

A hospital source, who pleaded not to be named, said some parents came in search of their kids but could not find them.

He said: “The situation is so pathetic. Some of the parents were here earlier today in search of their missing children but could not find them. Maybe some of them are among those burnt beyond recognition. Nobody can tell for now”.

Machina said: “I am in contact with some of the parents who came from Borno and Gombe States to look for their kids. Though some of them cannot see or identify the bodies as those of their children, we are assuming that they could be the ones that are burnt beyond recognition”, Machina said.

He added that the school principal had traveled to Abuja to seek the approval of the Minister of Education, to give a mass burial for the remaining six burnt pupils.

The world was outraged yesterday over the killings.

UN, France kick

The United Nations (UN) and France said they were shocked by the incident. Senate President David Mark House of Representatives the All progressives Congress (APC), governors and professional groups expressed dismay at the killings.

UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon, in a statement issued on his behalf, “strongly condemns the brutal slaying yesterday of dozens of students at the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria, by unidentified gunmen”.

“He extends his sincere condolences to the bereaved families and hopes that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice.

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the increasing frequency and brutality of attacks against educational institutions in the north of the country. He reiterates that no objective can justify such violence.”

France strongly condemned the dawn attack, saying it has “the hallmark of Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist group that claims affiliation with Al-Qaeda”.

A French statement said the attack on the high school students was “revolting”. Many of the students were shot in their beds or had their throats slit by the attackers.

Mark laments

Senate President David Mark, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh in Abuja, lamented that the insurgents have no justification to kill students who neither offended them nor committed any crime, saying that “even in war situations, children and women are always spared”.

He described the killings as an open declaration of war on Nigerians, which he said cannot be justified.

Mark said: “This open declaration of war on everybody, especially defenceless students, cannot be justified. This is inhuman; it is animalistic and barbaric. It is unthinkable that this is happening in Nigeria.

“It is also curious that under an emergency rule when security operatives should be on red alert, this mayhem still persists. Honestly, this calls for soul searching and I believe the security authorities must rise to this challenge.”

He sympathised with the government and people of Yobe State, especially the families of the bereaved, saying that terrorism is not just a national but an international threat that calls for bravery on the part of every one to confront.

 

Tambuwal: fish out

killers

 

Tambuwal said the only way to condole with the families of the victims and Nigerians was by fishing out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bringing them to justice.

The Speaker, in a statement by his spokesman, Imam Imam, said: “While attending prayers organised to mark the 89th birthday celebration of former President Shehu Shagari in Sokoto, my attention was drawn to the horrendous act of barbarity visited on innocent college students in Yobe State.

“My first thoughts go to the families and friends of the kids brutally gunned down in an act of cowardice by people whose humanity must be called to question.

“While we must all join hands to bring this insanity to an end, we must, however, bear in mind that we are running out of excuses in our responsibility to our citizens.

“We in the House of Representatives feel the grief and pain of the families of the victims. In this their hour of need, we will stand with them hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. We assure them that as brothers, we will continue to confront headlong, the threats of terror facing our nation, and we know we will come out stronger and victorious.”

 

Attack horrific, says

APC

 

The APC “unreservedly condemned the horrific attack”, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The party said the attacks, “which were extremely gory, even by the scorched-earth tactics of the terrorists, plumbs the depth of horror”.

“What a sad day for Nigeria and indeed for all of humanity, when innocent school children were used as soft targets by a group of cowardly terrorists, who have shed their toga of humanity on the altar of a meaningless ideology.

“We condole with the families of the victims as well as the government and people of Yobe State over this abominable crime. We urge the state and Federal Government to work together to ensure that schools in the state are adequately protected,’’ it said.

The APC urged President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately visit the state to offer succour to the families of the victims and the state government, saying that is the least the Federal Government can do to help soothe the pains of those involved. (0)

Pupils’ massacre: Parents storm hospital for kids search