At least 47 people have been confirmed dead and several
others seriously injured when gunmen believed to be Boko Haram attacked
Bama in Borno State in the early hours of yesterday, police and
eyewitnesses said.
The attacking gunmen who crept upon the sleeping residents at about 4am freely used their sophisticated arms and explosives that destroyed several landmark edifices including part of the palace of the Shehu of Bama.
Confirming the incident to LEADERHSHIP on phone in Maiduguri, the commissioner of police in charge of Borno State, Alhaji Lawan Tanko, said apart from the human casualty the gunmen had also destroyed the local government secretariat, the state low-cost housing estate, schools and several other buildings.
“As at the last time I spoke to my DPO in Bama, we had had 47 dead recorded, while several persons were confirmed injured — some already in hospitals there. I have instructed my men to liaise with the hospital [to see] if we can have a figure on the casualties,” said CP Tanko.
Residents of Bama had earlier in the morning told LEADERSHIP reporter in Maiduguri that the gunmen attacked the village at about 4am and continued to shoot and set homes and other buildings ablaze, using loud-sounding guns and explosives.
They had also made attempts to attack the palace of the Shehu of Bama using heavy explosives but security deployment at the palace helped to save it from further damage.
An indigene of Bama who lives in Maiduguri said his brother called him through his GSM line at about 5am and “told me that they are being attacked by Boko Haram gunmen”.
“I cannot get back to him now, as it seems the networks have been grounded and all calls are not going at all; I am confused. From the way my brother talked to me, I believe he was inside the bush, because he said they had all run out of their homes, even in the darkness of the night,” said the apparently troubled civil servant, Muhammed Babakura.
Bama town, which is about 135km from Maiduguri, is one of the towns in Borno State that have suffered severe attacks more than four times now in the last two years.
Military regroups
In a swift reaction to the Boko Haram attacks on some villages which have led to several killings in Borno and Adamawa states, the military has mobilised more troops and ammunition to the area, LEADERSHIP can authoritatively report.
The last few days have been anything but easy and safe for the inhabitants of some villages in the border lines with Niger, Chad and Cameroun as insurgents were carrying out selective attacks on the innocent people at night, killing scores of people.
But speaking with LEADERSHIP yesterday, a top military officer who did not want his name in print disclosed the efforts being made to contain the terrorists including stopping further attacks on the Nigerian villages in the borders.
He said: “Let me explain to you that those insurgents are not in Nigeria; they are in the border towns and villages in the neighbouring countries. What they do is to come in the night, attack and return before the day breaks, and often they come in with motorcycles. But the new service chiefs are working hard and they are on top of the situation now.
“For instance, the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has directed that more troops join those already on the ground. Some highly experienced officers from the Air Force Tactical Command and the 82 Division, Jos, and some top intelligent officers from other security agencies have been mobilised to comb every nook and cranny of the affected states. Within the next few days, Nigerians would begin to see the results.”
The source urged the critical segment of the polity to stop criticising the military and the government over the handling of the security matters. He reminded them of the peculiarity of the war against terrorism anywhere in the world.
“Those people who are publicly criticising us over those attacks are not aware of the implications of their actions. They are killing the morale of our soldiers who are on the battle field. If they have any advice, it should be properly channeled to the right quarters instead of doing that on the pages of newspapers. Telling the whole world that the insurgents are having superior power is unfair; telling the people that we are not doing anything is discouraging. These terrorists are not fighting the military per se; they are not facing us but go about killing the innocent people. Unfortunately, the people in the area refuse to disclose useful information to us despite our appeal; what could we do?”
Bama attack: Shettima in another closed-door meeting with Jonathan
Barely 48 hours after his visit to the Presidential Villa, Governor Shettima was again at the villa yesterday to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on another fresh onslaught by the Boko Haram sect on Bama town, a community in his state.
But the governor, who had on Monday met with the president to brief him on the killings in Konduga and Kauri in Borno by the sect, applied caution in addressing the press.
He had declared on Monday that the insurgents were carrying out their gory acts in these communities because they were better armed and motivated with sophisticated weapons than the army.
After meeting with the president yesterday, Shettima was not forthcoming with details of his second meeting with the president, just as he noted that his mission at the villa was to meet with the president of the country.
“Do I need your consent to come and see my president? He is the president of Nigeria and I need to update him adequately on the goings-on in the state,” said the governor.
He declined to comment on the presidency’s reaction to his declaration that the insurgents were better armed. “I don’t want to comment. He is our president and I am here to update him on the goings-on in Bama, and I don’t want to make additional comments.”
On the latest attack by the insurgents in his state, he simply said, “There was an attack on Bama. We are yet to get the actual number of casualties but I am told they have inflicted a lot of damage on the town, otherwise the military are doing their best.”
Asked whether he came to Aso Rock on his own or he was summoned by the president, he said, “I came on my own. He is the president of Nigeria for God’s sake. Why can’t I come and update him? Is it wrong or is it a crime to do so?”
Leadership
The attacking gunmen who crept upon the sleeping residents at about 4am freely used their sophisticated arms and explosives that destroyed several landmark edifices including part of the palace of the Shehu of Bama.
Confirming the incident to LEADERHSHIP on phone in Maiduguri, the commissioner of police in charge of Borno State, Alhaji Lawan Tanko, said apart from the human casualty the gunmen had also destroyed the local government secretariat, the state low-cost housing estate, schools and several other buildings.
“As at the last time I spoke to my DPO in Bama, we had had 47 dead recorded, while several persons were confirmed injured — some already in hospitals there. I have instructed my men to liaise with the hospital [to see] if we can have a figure on the casualties,” said CP Tanko.
Residents of Bama had earlier in the morning told LEADERSHIP reporter in Maiduguri that the gunmen attacked the village at about 4am and continued to shoot and set homes and other buildings ablaze, using loud-sounding guns and explosives.
They had also made attempts to attack the palace of the Shehu of Bama using heavy explosives but security deployment at the palace helped to save it from further damage.
An indigene of Bama who lives in Maiduguri said his brother called him through his GSM line at about 5am and “told me that they are being attacked by Boko Haram gunmen”.
“I cannot get back to him now, as it seems the networks have been grounded and all calls are not going at all; I am confused. From the way my brother talked to me, I believe he was inside the bush, because he said they had all run out of their homes, even in the darkness of the night,” said the apparently troubled civil servant, Muhammed Babakura.
Bama town, which is about 135km from Maiduguri, is one of the towns in Borno State that have suffered severe attacks more than four times now in the last two years.
Military regroups
In a swift reaction to the Boko Haram attacks on some villages which have led to several killings in Borno and Adamawa states, the military has mobilised more troops and ammunition to the area, LEADERSHIP can authoritatively report.
The last few days have been anything but easy and safe for the inhabitants of some villages in the border lines with Niger, Chad and Cameroun as insurgents were carrying out selective attacks on the innocent people at night, killing scores of people.
But speaking with LEADERSHIP yesterday, a top military officer who did not want his name in print disclosed the efforts being made to contain the terrorists including stopping further attacks on the Nigerian villages in the borders.
He said: “Let me explain to you that those insurgents are not in Nigeria; they are in the border towns and villages in the neighbouring countries. What they do is to come in the night, attack and return before the day breaks, and often they come in with motorcycles. But the new service chiefs are working hard and they are on top of the situation now.
“For instance, the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, has directed that more troops join those already on the ground. Some highly experienced officers from the Air Force Tactical Command and the 82 Division, Jos, and some top intelligent officers from other security agencies have been mobilised to comb every nook and cranny of the affected states. Within the next few days, Nigerians would begin to see the results.”
The source urged the critical segment of the polity to stop criticising the military and the government over the handling of the security matters. He reminded them of the peculiarity of the war against terrorism anywhere in the world.
“Those people who are publicly criticising us over those attacks are not aware of the implications of their actions. They are killing the morale of our soldiers who are on the battle field. If they have any advice, it should be properly channeled to the right quarters instead of doing that on the pages of newspapers. Telling the whole world that the insurgents are having superior power is unfair; telling the people that we are not doing anything is discouraging. These terrorists are not fighting the military per se; they are not facing us but go about killing the innocent people. Unfortunately, the people in the area refuse to disclose useful information to us despite our appeal; what could we do?”
Bama attack: Shettima in another closed-door meeting with Jonathan
Barely 48 hours after his visit to the Presidential Villa, Governor Shettima was again at the villa yesterday to brief President Goodluck Jonathan on another fresh onslaught by the Boko Haram sect on Bama town, a community in his state.
But the governor, who had on Monday met with the president to brief him on the killings in Konduga and Kauri in Borno by the sect, applied caution in addressing the press.
He had declared on Monday that the insurgents were carrying out their gory acts in these communities because they were better armed and motivated with sophisticated weapons than the army.
After meeting with the president yesterday, Shettima was not forthcoming with details of his second meeting with the president, just as he noted that his mission at the villa was to meet with the president of the country.
“Do I need your consent to come and see my president? He is the president of Nigeria and I need to update him adequately on the goings-on in the state,” said the governor.
He declined to comment on the presidency’s reaction to his declaration that the insurgents were better armed. “I don’t want to comment. He is our president and I am here to update him on the goings-on in Bama, and I don’t want to make additional comments.”
On the latest attack by the insurgents in his state, he simply said, “There was an attack on Bama. We are yet to get the actual number of casualties but I am told they have inflicted a lot of damage on the town, otherwise the military are doing their best.”
Asked whether he came to Aso Rock on his own or he was summoned by the president, he said, “I came on my own. He is the president of Nigeria for God’s sake. Why can’t I come and update him? Is it wrong or is it a crime to do so?”
Leadership
No comments:
Post a Comment