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.
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).
Residents look at a burnt car outside the central
mosque in northern Nigeria’s largest city of Kano
on Novemer 29, 2014, a day after twin suicide
blasts hit the mosque during weekly Friday
prayers. At least 120 people were killed and 270
others wounded when two suicide bombers blew
themselves up and gunmen opened fire during
weekly prayers at the mosque, a week after the
emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, of one of
Nigeria’s top Islamic leaders called on northerners
to defend themselves against Boko Haram
Islamists that have been carrying out deadly
attacks and seizure of territory in the northeast.
AFP PHOTO
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”.
Source: VANGUARD
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