Almost on the eve of the deadline given to the military by President Muhammadu Buhari to destroy the Boko Haram sect and end the insurgency in the North-east of Nigeria, about 50 more people were reported killed in Madagali, Adamawa State; and Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday by bombs detonated by female suicide bombers of the sect.
The killings occurred in spite of assurances by President Buhari; the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and the military that the sect had been incapacitated and no longer had the capacity to harm Nigerians.
While 30 persons were killed in Madagali, 20 went down in Maiduguri. Both incidents occurred in the early hours of yesterday as the victims went to their mosques for the early morning prayers.
The early morning bombings in Maiduguri, which came on the heels of a gun duel between the military and the sect on Sunday, increased residents’ apprehension that Boko Haram female suicide bombers might be on the prowl in the town, a fear confirmed by the military at a press conference yesterday, through the commandant (Theatre Commander) of the military anti insurgency operations (Operation Lafiya Dole) in the North-east, Major General Yushau Abubakar.
Represented by the GOC 7 Division Maiduguri, Major General Lamidi Adeosun, Abubakar said the terrorists who had, on Sunday, unleashed 14 female bombers on the troubled capital city, intended to carry out massive and coordinated suicide mission through Asmari, Damboa check point, Ali Dawari, Molai Kura, Baderi, Jumari villages, all at the outskirts of Maidugri.
He said the female suicide bombers were between the age of 12 and 18 and tried to force themselves into Maiduguri with the intent to "cause mayhem, confusion and panic but were intercepted by the troops of Nigerian Army on patrol, but unfortunately three of the suicide bombers detonated their IEDs".
He said seven of the suicide bombers were killed by troops, three escaped and one was arrested. He said the Sunday bloodbath left 26 persons dead, while 85 persons were injured.
"I believe they (our troops) have averted what would have been a major disaster if they (suicide bombers) had gained entrance into Maiduguri,” he said.
According to him, "One of them (suicide bombers) went to a nearby house and requested for water to perform ablution but instead prepared herself and came to a nearby mosque and blew off herself killing one person while 13 others were injured.”
He said the terrorists also in recent time laid ambush on their troops in Mairari along Maiduguri, Monguno and Firgi, adding that four soldiers were lost in the attack.
He however said the insurgents’ capacity to attack have been degraded, insisting that that was why they were bent on attacking soft targets and laying ambush.
He appealed to the general public to always be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the security outfits nearby.
Confirming the Madagali incident, the Brigade Commander of 28 Task Force Brigade, Mubi, Brig Gen Victor Ezugwu, told THISDAY yesterday, "Two female suicide bombers struck at a garage in Madagali and detonated their devices and we lost some beloved country men."
He, however, said the number of casualties was yet to be verified.
Ezugwu said that the injured had been taken to the hospital while the military had cordoned off the area and brought the situation under control.
An eye witness account revealed that the suicide bombers detonated bombs at a garage in Madagali town near a mini market at 9am on Monday. "About 30 people were killed with 16 others injured," the eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness who simply identified himself as Mallam Ahmad Buba said that two female suicide bombers aged between 10 and 15 detonated bombs at a garage at Madagali on Monday morning.
He said despite all the efforts by the military, the Boko Haram insurgents still sneaked their way into the public to cause harm, adding that a screening exercise should be conducted within Madagali and environs.
Buba said he believed that those who masterminded the bomb blast might not be far away from Madagali.
The bombs that went off yesterday at a mosque in Maiduguri, taking 20 persons to the great beyond, has increased apprehensions among residents that female suicide bombers might be on the prowl in the capital city.
Over 60 persons had been killed in attacks on the town by the insurgents in the last 24 hours.
Many of the attacks were from female suicide bombers planted by the insurgents on the town after confrontations with the military believed to be a decoy.
A member of a youth vigilance group who spoke anonymously to THISDAY, noted that the armed confrontations of the sect with the military was nothing but diversionary as the main plan was to smuggle female suicide bombers into the troubled town.
He said the diversionary attacks were at Alidawari and Jiddari Polo areas on Sunday evening.
He said at Alidawari, the military engaged the terrorists in an attack where four corpses were initially seen on Sunday night.
He, however, added that nine other corpses were found in surrounding bushes on Monday morning.
He said most of those killed were believed to be residents of the area fleeing the troubled spot but were felled by stray bullets.
The source said the insurgents struck again on Sunday evening at about 7:30 at Jiddari Polo, during which they attacked a local beer parlour which they burnt down after killing two persons.
He said they moved from the beer parlour to a house which they razed and killed its residents, an entire family.
According to him, they went away with the car of the owner of the razed building.
He said they were pushed back by the military. Nine persons were said to have been killed in the attack where RPGs were deployed.
He said: "In what I believe was the main purpose of their (insurgents) siege on Maiduguri, a female suicide bomber killed two persons when she detonated a bomb strapped on her."
He also said there was another attack on Sunday at Isari village behind the Maiduguri NNPC Mega Filling Station where two female suicide bombers that pretended as if they were fleeing from insurgency attacks detonated bombs that killed 19 persons.
He said: "Two female suicide bombers ran into households in Isari as if they were fleeing from attacks in part of the town, detonated bombs that killed 19 other persons."
He lamented that the attacks extended to Monday morning with two female suicide bombers approaching a group of men warming themselves up from a bonfire set at the residence of a local chief (Bulama).
He said: "About 40 persons were killed by two female suicide bombers who ran into them at Sulemanti ward within Polo area at the residence of the Bulama beside a mosque warming up themselves from fire they set up."
In a press statement by the Media Coordinator of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Col. Mustapha Anka, the military said it had intercepted and destroyed 10 suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ suicide bombers at the outskirts of Maiduguri.
The statement read: "Contrary to earlier media reports and rumours flying around, two Boko Haram terrorists suspected suicide bombers earlier intercepted by vigilant troops disclosed their colleagues’ intent to enter the city with the aim of detonating bombs in selected public places.
"Consequently, the troops laid ambush on the terrorists suspected routes along Damboa road and eliminated them. The suicide bombers were intercepted in three different locations approaching the city; Ajiri area towards Damboa road, High Court axis and the Eye Hospital Area.
"The Explosive Ordinance Device Team have been mobilised and they are combing the general area as well as clearing the debris. Normalcy has been restored to the general area and the public are please advised to go about their normal businesses and social activities. However, it is important to maintain more vigilance and security consciousness."
In a recent interview with the BBC Hausa Service, President Muhammadu Buhari had admitted that the Nigerian military might not meet the December 2015 deadline, but that the military was winning the war.
According to the president, “Maybe we would not win the war completely by the end of the month, but the insurgents have now resorted to putting on explosive vests on young children, mostly girls aged 15 and below and then sending them to markets
, mosques and churches to detonate.“Boko Haram itself knows that the era of them taking over communities and local governments is over. If people would be fair to us, they would know that the Nigerian Army has basically met the deadline and are winning the war”.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed, had also toed this position when he proclaimed that Boko Haram had been technically defeated.
No comments:
Post a Comment