Despite increased military offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents, the group has continued in their killing fiesta.
Their latest attack in Jakana, a village 35 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state captal claimed at least 40 lives..
Reports indicate that the death toll in the state since Saturday had risen to 166 by Monday, comprising 91 persons who were killed in Ajilari-Bintu Sugar in Maiduguri and Mainok village on Saturday by the terrorists and another 35, including three policemen, who were killed in Mafa on Sunday.
Reports indicate that the death toll in the state since Saturday had risen to 166 by Monday, comprising 91 persons who were killed in Ajilari-Bintu Sugar in Maiduguri and Mainok village on Saturday by the terrorists and another 35, including three policemen, who were killed in Mafa on Sunday.
According to a the reports, the insurgents were said to have also killed two policemen during their attack on Jakana.
Jakana borders Mainok which is located on the dangerous Maiduguri-Damaturu Expressway,
The residents of the village, who fled the area to Maiduguri, told journalists that the attackers had destroyed everything they owned and killed many before the arrival of security operatives.
“When they came into the town, we thought they were soldiers until they began to shout the usual ‘Allahu Akbar’ and spraying bullets on everything; then we realised, we are being surounded by Boko Haram not soldiers. We all took to our heels,” they said.
Most of the residents, who preferred not to be named, added that while they were running, some of them were hit by the attackers’ bullets and fell, but some were lucky to escape to Maiduguri through the bushes.
“I was one of those lucky to find myself among others in Maiduguri. After running through the bushes, we burst out near the military check-point at Computer Village on the outskirts of Maiduguri,” an unnamed resident of the area was quoted to have said.
Another resident, Babakura Maidugu, who was among the men that fled the town on Monday night, also said they later learnt from the women who joined them yesterday in Maiduguri that almost all the houses were burnt.
He said: “They said there was nobody living in the town except for security officials who are still combing the area to restore normalcy. I was also told that the Environmental Vanguard have left to evacuate the corpses.”
Owing to the incessant attacks on the state, Maiduguri residents now live in apprehension over possible attacks by the sect.
People on the outskirts of the capital city disclosed to journalists that they had devised a way to keep awake throughout the night in order not to be caught unawares by the sect.
A woman, who preferred anonymity, said the people in her neighbourhood in Gomari were kept awake throughout the night because the vigilante groups kept beating drums and gongs to ward off insurgents.
It was also gathered that residents of Magumeri Local Government Area in Borno State have begun fleeing the area, following a purported letter written to them by the insurgents informing them that they are coming to the area soon.
Attempts to get official confirmation on the Jakana attack were unsuccessful as the text messages to the Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawan, were replied with a request asking that the spokesman of the Army Command, Gideon Jubrin, should be reached. But when Jubrin’s phone was called, it was switched off.
However, the senator representing Borno South, Ahmed Zannah, in a telephone chat, confirmed the attack on Jakana, saying the insurgents burnt 11 elderly people in one house that they set ablaze.
He said the residents of the village got wind of the insurgents’ onslaught and fled leaving the aged who could not escape behind.
He lamented that the insurgents, who he gathered never let out a shot, just set the houses ablaze and in the process burnt the 11 elderly people who could not escape or be taken away.
He said the soldiers, who had initially fled on sighting the insurgents, later summoned enough courage to confront the sect in a fight when they discovered that the insurgents were few in number and were not heavily armed.
Zannah said when the insurgents saw the military approaching, they were forced to retreat and warned that they would come back to “finish their unfinished business”.
He claimed that it was this threat that forced many to flee the village in the event the insurgents return. The senator said most of the people are now fleeing to Maiduguri out of fear.
The residents of the village, who fled the area to Maiduguri, told journalists that the attackers had destroyed everything they owned and killed many before the arrival of security operatives.
“When they came into the town, we thought they were soldiers until they began to shout the usual ‘Allahu Akbar’ and spraying bullets on everything; then we realised, we are being surounded by Boko Haram not soldiers. We all took to our heels,” they said.
Most of the residents, who preferred not to be named, added that while they were running, some of them were hit by the attackers’ bullets and fell, but some were lucky to escape to Maiduguri through the bushes.
“I was one of those lucky to find myself among others in Maiduguri. After running through the bushes, we burst out near the military check-point at Computer Village on the outskirts of Maiduguri,” an unnamed resident of the area was quoted to have said.
Another resident, Babakura Maidugu, who was among the men that fled the town on Monday night, also said they later learnt from the women who joined them yesterday in Maiduguri that almost all the houses were burnt.
He said: “They said there was nobody living in the town except for security officials who are still combing the area to restore normalcy. I was also told that the Environmental Vanguard have left to evacuate the corpses.”
Owing to the incessant attacks on the state, Maiduguri residents now live in apprehension over possible attacks by the sect.
People on the outskirts of the capital city disclosed to journalists that they had devised a way to keep awake throughout the night in order not to be caught unawares by the sect.
A woman, who preferred anonymity, said the people in her neighbourhood in Gomari were kept awake throughout the night because the vigilante groups kept beating drums and gongs to ward off insurgents.
It was also gathered that residents of Magumeri Local Government Area in Borno State have begun fleeing the area, following a purported letter written to them by the insurgents informing them that they are coming to the area soon.
Attempts to get official confirmation on the Jakana attack were unsuccessful as the text messages to the Police Commissioner, Tanko Lawan, were replied with a request asking that the spokesman of the Army Command, Gideon Jubrin, should be reached. But when Jubrin’s phone was called, it was switched off.
However, the senator representing Borno South, Ahmed Zannah, in a telephone chat, confirmed the attack on Jakana, saying the insurgents burnt 11 elderly people in one house that they set ablaze.
He said the residents of the village got wind of the insurgents’ onslaught and fled leaving the aged who could not escape behind.
He lamented that the insurgents, who he gathered never let out a shot, just set the houses ablaze and in the process burnt the 11 elderly people who could not escape or be taken away.
He said the soldiers, who had initially fled on sighting the insurgents, later summoned enough courage to confront the sect in a fight when they discovered that the insurgents were few in number and were not heavily armed.
Zannah said when the insurgents saw the military approaching, they were forced to retreat and warned that they would come back to “finish their unfinished business”.
He claimed that it was this threat that forced many to flee the village in the event the insurgents return. The senator said most of the people are now fleeing to Maiduguri out of fear.
However, it is not just the North-eastern part of the country that has come under siege as a community in Northern Cameroun also came under attack from the insurgents at the weekend.
According to AFP, seven people were killed when Boko Haram fighters launched an assault on northern Cameroun.
Six Boko Haram members and one Camerounian soldier were killed in the attack on Sunday, the source told the AFP news agency on Monday. Two other Boko Haram fighters were captured near the Nigerian border, the source added.
The local rights group, the Os-Civil Droits de l’Homme, also reported the assault and said there were victims, without specifying a number.
“On Sunday, Boko Haram Islamists entered Cameroun… there was a clash between them and the soldiers,” said the rights group’s spokesman, Mey Aly.
“Around 30 heavily armed Boko Haram soldiers crept discretely into Cameroun. A villager saw them and raised the alarm,” she added.
“The region’s populations have been terrorised by incursions from Islamists like Sunday’s. We call for stronger efforts from the authorities to reassure the population,” Aly said.
According to AFP, seven people were killed when Boko Haram fighters launched an assault on northern Cameroun.
Six Boko Haram members and one Camerounian soldier were killed in the attack on Sunday, the source told the AFP news agency on Monday. Two other Boko Haram fighters were captured near the Nigerian border, the source added.
The local rights group, the Os-Civil Droits de l’Homme, also reported the assault and said there were victims, without specifying a number.
“On Sunday, Boko Haram Islamists entered Cameroun… there was a clash between them and the soldiers,” said the rights group’s spokesman, Mey Aly.
“Around 30 heavily armed Boko Haram soldiers crept discretely into Cameroun. A villager saw them and raised the alarm,” she added.
“The region’s populations have been terrorised by incursions from Islamists like Sunday’s. We call for stronger efforts from the authorities to reassure the population,” Aly said.
AFP/THIS DAY
No comments:
Post a Comment
I like knowing my fans better. Kindly drop your comment using your name/url/Google accounts and not as Anonymous. Thanks for your understanding.