Yesterday was bloody in northern Nigeria. A flurry of gunmen attacks left no fewer than 73 people dead and hundreds injured in various parts of the region.
In Kaduna, four pregnant women, a soldier and 46 natives fell to gunfire from bandits who attacked three villages in southern Kaduna. In Kano, two suspected suicide bombers stormed the Federal College of Education with IEDs and killed 15 students, leaving 34 others with gunshot wounds.
Also, an aged uncle of acting governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Usman Fintiri, was among five people killed during a suspected Boko Haram attack in the state while 3 persons were reportedly killed during a clash between policemen in the Kebbi State command and villagers.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the gunmen who stormed the Fadan-Karshi villages of Sanga local government of Kaduna State also killed a pastor and many children.
Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen, who also ambushed Nigerian troops stationed at the Fadan Karshi, killed one of the soldiers and wounded four others.
The Tuesday attack followed several attacks that had rocked the area since April, leading to the killing of over 300 people, mostly women and children.
A resident, Mike Maikafi, told journalists that the attackers invaded Fadan Karshi Daji and nearby communities, burning houses including a church where several cars were parked.
The vice chairman of the local government, Pastor Bulus Mande Anzah, who confirmed the attack to LEADERSHIP, said the attackers, whom he identified as Fulani, stormed the villages about midnight on Tuesday.
“In our count, 12 people were killed in Fadan Karshi, 30 in Fada Karshi Daji, seven others in another community. A pastor and another person were also killed at Ungwar Ganye,” he said.
He said the soldiers were ambushed by the gunmen on their way to the villages to rescue the situation.
The vice chairman said pregnant women, the elderly and children were killed while hundreds of residents fled their homes to unknown destinations.
Anzah, who is standing in for the council chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Danzaria, said there were temporary camps set up for some of the displaced and called on the emergency agencies to support them.
“The attacks are getting worse every day. Some of the soldiers who attempted to repel the attack were also injured. Another soldier was killed,” he said.
“Many of the injured are now receiving treatment at the Gwantu General hospital,” Anzah added.
An official of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed that over 50 people were killed in the attack.
The official, who didn’t want his name mentioned because he was not authorized, said several houses including a church were burnt to ashes. He put the number of internally displaced persons at over 10,000.
The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Amuni Lawan, who confirmed the violence, said he was yet to get the full brief of the latest incident.
Mr Bezard Wuyah, national president, Ninzom Development Youths, said: “We heard before now that Fulani were planning to come and attack us again. Last night, around 1am, they came around. They entered Fadan Karshi, Karshi Daji and Unguwan Ganye all close to one another in Sanga LGA.
“They first ambushed a military patrol van that was crossing a bridge from Fadan Karshi to Karshi Daji. They fired at the soldiers and killed one, and four were injured. But the soldiers repelled the attacks. The Fulani men then moved in three groups. One went to Fadan Karshi, where they killed 12 people and burnt down 20 houses and injured scores. They moved to Karshi Daji and killed 20 people and burnt down several houses. Those that attacked Unguwan Ganye are still in the place. Among those killed in Fadan Karshi were the wife of a very respectable retired reverend, Jacob Aku. His wife was burnt to ashes in the attack.
“We need serious protection and security from our government or we will be forced to protect ourselves.”
FCE Kano attacked
The Kano attack was said to have occurred around 2pm when the two suspected suicide bombers stormed the school in two tricycles. Bomb blasts followed by sporadic gunshots from the attackers killed many students
The first tricycle was said to have approached the gate of the school, with the second tricycle behind. While the occupants of the first tricycle were answering questions from the security men at the gate, a man from the second tricycle opened fire on them, and they forced their way in. As soon as they were in the school, they started shooting sporadically, using RPGs and hand grenade to bomb some structures in the school and some cars inside the premises.
Another eyewitness, who is a principal of a secondary school, told our reporter that he saw young men carrying guns and blocked the entrance of the college, shooting at anybody trying to escape.
He added that the gunmen invaded both the new site and the old site of the college that were opposite each other.
Our reporter who was at the Murtala Muhammad Hospital witnessed a large crowd of relatives who stormed the emergency unit of the hospital to check on their children among the injured; others were at mortuary to ascertain the whether their children were among the dead.
The police high command confirmed the Kano attack, putting the casualty figure at 15. A statement from the force spokesman, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the two armed men detonated the explosive device at the lecture hall of the school.
“Today at about 15:30hrs, two armed men detonated improvised explosive devices at the lecture hall of Federal College of Education, Zaria Road, Kano.
“Thereafter, they began sporadic shooting outside the premises. Police team from a nearby Tactical Operations Point responded and shot dead the two insurgents. Their AK 47 rifles were recovered.
“On examination of the scene of the explosion, 15 dead bodies were recovered, while 34 injured were taken to hospital for treatment,” Ojukwu said.
Insurgents kill Fintiri’s aged uncle, 4 others
The aged uncle of acting gvernor of Adamawa State Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Pa Wazimtu, along with four other old men were yesterday killed by suspected Boko Haram insurgents who invaded Madagali, the home town of the acting governor.
Pa Wazintu, who was around 75 years of age before he was slain, and the father of the personal assistant to the acting governor, Mr Tanko Wazimtu, was one of the five aged people who were trapped and killed by the Boko Haram insurgents in the area, a development which sparked anxiety in the town as the five were among the most aged and respected in the town.
Reports indicated that Wazimtu was killed in the presence of his aged wife and daughter who watched helplessly in the dead of the night.
Boko Haram takes over Fintiri’s residence
It was similarly reported that the hometown residence of the acting governor has been taken over by the insurgents who made it one of their operational base. One of the Boko Haram commanders was allegedly residing in it.
As at the time of filing this report, the residences of Fintiri and his PA have become a mecca of a sort, as the two houses were inundated with sympathizers who trooped to condole with the families.
The son of the late patriarch, Tanko Wazintu, who looked pale and disheveled, said his mother and sister had resorted to burying the corpse of his father as no one could assist them after they had waited for more than 72 hours.
“My sister and step-mother were the ones that were forced to dig a hole to bury my father after being forced to sleep with his corpse for more than 72 hours,” he said.
Reports indicated that, in their drive to have more fighters, the insurgents have resorted to abducting able-bodied men whom they usually conscript into their army by force.
One of the youths forcefully recruited by the insurgents but was lucky to escape, Mr Onyebuchi Romanus, said his escape from the den of the insurgents was like escaping from the tiger’s mouth.
Police, community clash kills 4 in Kebbi
Four people were feared dead, 24 others injured and the residence of the divisional police officer razed down, as the police clashed with people from Kamba LGA of Kebbi State yesterday.
The violence, according to LEADERSHIP findings, started when people in the community tried to seize and kill a person arrested by the police on the suspicion that he had killed a 5-year-old girl and removed her vital internal body organs.
The situation became tense when the angry mob rained stones and burnt the divisional police officer’s house in an attempt to forcibly seize and kill the suspect. In the chaotic situation, the police were said to have opened fire which led to the death of three people and injuring of 24.
A visit by LEADERSHIP to Kamba hospital saw the injured being attended to; three had been referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Birnin Kebbi for further treatment. A nurse who spoke in confidence and didn’t want to be mentioned in print said, “One dead body was brought here and many were seriously injured.
All efforts by journalists who were in Kamba to see the state commissioner of police who was also at the Kamba police station proved abortive as they were barred by heavily armed policemen from getting into the premises of the station.
The force headquarters which also reacted to the clash in a statement signed by CP Ojukwu and made available to LEADERSHIP confirmed that four lives were lost while 89 persons were arrested for violence. IGP Suleiman Abba warned the citizens not to take the law into their hands.
“Today at about noon, a group of villagers in Kamba, Kebbi State, were about to lynch a national of Niger Republic named Adamu Gaya, on suspicion of involvement in an alleged ritual murder of a young girl.
“The Police rescued and brought him into protective custody. However, irate villagers attacked the Police station and destroyed the communication base. They also burnt two (2) Police vehicles, and nine (9) motorcycles. Also smashed were the windscreens of four (4) cars parked at the premises. The mob also burnt the official residence of the Divisional Police Officer. In the attack, four (4) persons lost their lives. Eighty-nine (89) persons have been arrested for the violence,” Ojukwu said.
We’re enhancing military, others – Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday commiserated with residents of Kano State over the death of many people during the Boko Haram attack on the Federal College of Education, Kano, saying the federal government was beefing up the police, the military and other security agencies to tackle the terrorist group head-on.
In a statement issued by his special adviser on media and publicity, Reuben Abati, the president who commended the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force for taking prompt action to confront the insurgents and minimize the number of casualties. He urged them “to be even more alert and proactive in the future to stop terrorist attacks in Kano and other parts of the country”.
Northern monarchs will end insecurity in the north – Sultan
Worried by the insecurity challenges bedevilling the country and the northern region in particular, traditional rulers from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday met in Kaduna to look into the issues and possibly identify and proffer immediate solutions that would bring insecurity to an end.
“We are not unaware of the developments in some of our towns, most especially in Bama, Gwoza, Danbua, Michika and other places. We want to assure all and sundry we are very concerned and, Insha Allah, we will find solutions to these problems and many more problems facing our country. But we cannot do so unless we come collectively and come together.”
Other issues looked into was the economic under-development of the northern region.
Before the meeting entered into a closed-door session, the chairman of the northern traditional rulers council, Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Sa’ad in his opening address said: “We are meeting this morning as the chairmen of the Councils of Chiefs from various states and as leaders of our people at various levels to discuss issues bordering on insecurity and the development of the north.
“As traditional leaders, we are very concerned and very worried about the happenings in the northern states, most especially the insecurity that is very prevalent in the north-east in particular and other states in general.
“We are also aware of the economic development or lack of economic development in our various states of the north. We therefore convened this conference of the chairmen so as to sit very closely and discuss all issues affecting insecurity and economic development of our region.”
The meeting was attended by Shehu of Borno Alhaji Garbai Ibn El-Kanemi, Emir of Kano Mohammad Sanusi II; Etsu Nupe Yahaya Abubaker; Gbong Gwom Jos Jacob Buba Gyang; Attah of Igala HRH Idakwo Ameoboni II, and Emir of Zazzau Dr Shehu Idris, among others.
ACF, Yero condemn Kano, Kaduna attacks
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday condemned the bomb attack in Kano and another attack by unknown gunmen in Sanga local government area of Kaduna State where scores of persons where reportedly killed.
In a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP yesterday, the national publicity secretary of the forum, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, described the attacks as most unfortunate.
ACF said this again calls for urgent attention by the relevant government authorities and security agencies and the need to rise up to the challenge with the aim of bringing the perpetrators to book.
“ACF will continue to call on the insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace peace, because ordinary Nigerians who fall victims of their attacks do not know the reasons for the attacks by the insurgents.”
15 soldiers court-martialed, get 4 years’ imprisonment in Yola
Reports from the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Yola, has revealed that no fewer than 15 soldiers were court-martialed and each sentenced to four years’ jail following their refusal to go to the war front in the northern parts of Adamawa State.
The development came less than 48 hours after 12 soldiers were court-martialled and sentenced to death by firing squad after they staged a mutiny in the war-torn Borno State.
The soldiers, who were reported to have been in detention for over three weeks, were yesterday sentenced by the military command which claimed it found the men guilty of insubordination and refusal to face the Boko Haram insurgents currently ravaging the northern parts of the state.
A top military source said the affected soldiers were those who ran away when Boko Haram struck their duty posts and fled back to the cantonment.
The source added: “The soldiers had allegedly refused the orders of their superiors to draft back to the theatre of war.
“In the military tradition, a soldier is expected to obey the last order but the 15 soldiers convicted by the military command were adjudged to have committed acts of insubordination by their refusal to draft to the warfront.”
The source maintained that the decision of the military, which came a few days after some soldiers who staged a mutiny and attacked the GOC, 3 Division in Maiduguri, were sentenced to death, is intended to reinforce sanity and discipline in the Nigerian Army.
“The military has been grappling with soldiers deserting from their tour of duty only to re-surface with all manner of tales, and the development is gradually beginning to impugn on the integrity of the military establishment,” he said.
The development has caused disquiet within the ranks of non-commissioned soldiers as they express dismay over the punishment being meted to their colleagues for no fault of theirs.
A non-commissioned soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “Many of the soldiers were already disillusioned about the war which has claimed the lives of many.
“We felt that nobody cared about us anymore, as our concern, welfare and lives seemed to have no value in the eyes of our superiors,” the source noted. “So what do you do in a situation like this? You are asked to go into a war without the necessary weapons; whether you die in the process, nobody cares. Your colleagues who died in the process were not given a befitting honour,” the source concluded.
Soldiers kill 400 Boko Haram terrorists in Borno villages
At least 400 members of the Boko Haram terrorist group were killed in the last three days by soldiers during separate shootouts in different parts of Borno State, security sources said.
LEADERSHIP had on Tuesday night broken the story that Boko Haram terrorists were staging yet another attack, days after soldiers had successfully repelled their attack on Konduga village where over 250 of them were killed.
The insurgents who had suffered several defeats in the hands of soldiers were said to have recorded another bad outing on Tuesday when the soldiers stationed there effectively repelled them by killing yet scores more of them.
The terrorists who seemed confused, given the repeated failed attempts to march over Konduga in order to invade Maiduguri, had also met another disastrous end at Ngamdu village of Kaga local government area, about 100km from Maiduguri, when they attempted to take over the Kano-Maiduguri highway in the morning of Wednesday.
A civilian JTF official, Bashir Abbas, who usually follows the deployed troops of Nigerian soldiers during such attack, confirmed to LEADERSHIP in Maiduguri that the Konduga attack, just like the previous one that took place on Friday, was forewarned.
“The Tuesday night attack was expected and the soldiers really mobilised for an ambush attack on the Boko Haram members who divided themselves in three groups,” said Bashir. “They tactically sent the first group to face the military as they usually do, but, unknown to them, the soldiers had also strategically taken cover and were waiting for them. On getting to the middle of the town, the military opened fire on them, killing over 100 of them; they were able to recover one armoured personnel carrier, three vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft, several motorcycles and ammunition.”
Bashir added that “after the military had successfully crushed the first group, the second group appeared, followed by the third group but they were all crushed by the military assisted by our members”.
“On Wednesday morning, the gunmen mobilised some of their members from around Yobe axis with the intention of crossing over to Konduga but were intercepted by soldiers who acted on a tip-off, confronted them with yet another ambush attack that got about 150 of them killed in Ngamdu village.”
At Ngamdu, the military also recovered one Shell Car armoured tank, several Hilux vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft and many other ammunition from the Boko Haram sect. He added such successful operations had been recorded in the last nine days that caused many of the insurgents to die.
Some of the residents of Konduga who managed to arrive in Maiduguri were full of praises for the soldiers who, they said, showed rare gallantry.
A resident of the area said that the insurgents again attempted to attack Konduga from two directions with over 500 fighters while the military fought and defended the town, killing uncountable number of the insurgents.
Malam Abu’ar Yale, a local farmer, said during the second attack on Konduga, “the terrorists were successfully repelled by the troops of the Nigerian Army [who] killed scores of them, recovered armored tanker, vehicles, motorcycles, among others”.
A driver bus, Mallam Isa Garba, told journalists that on their way from Damaturu to Maiduguri yesterday in the morning, they were stopped by the military and asked to make U-turn back to Damaturu because the road was being attacked.
“But when we were later allowed to proceed with our journey to Maiduguri, we saw several corpses – up to about 100 — lying all over the sides of the road.”
An official of the State Security Service (SSS) in Borno, who spoke to LEADERSHIP but begged not to be quoted, confirmed the report even as he disclosed that the insurgents had returned to Konduga in the evening of yesterday in their untiring plot to take over the town. The attack that started about 6pm was ongoing at the time of filing this report.
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