Boko Haram: Army HQ cordoned off
THE Nigerian Army is not leaving anything to chance following the Friday assault by its men on Boko Haram members in Damaturu, Yobe State, in which 59 of the sect followers were gunned down.
A security cordon was yesterday thrown around the army headquarters in Abuja to forestall a possible reprisal on soldiers by the sect.
Last June suspected members of the group to bombed the Louis Edet House police headquarters, Abuja.
The Police Inspector General, Hafiz Ringim escaped death by the whiskers in the attack. Two persons-the suspected suicide bomber and a security official at the park- died while 35 vehicles at the police headquarters car park were destroyed as the explosive went off.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, confirmed on Friday in Abuja that men of the Joint Task Force, in a gun battle with Boko Haram members in Damaturu earlier that day killed 59 of them.
It was observed that security at the Army Headquarters had been beefed up yesterday. The lane leading to a part of the complex from Area 10 to the International Conference Centre was blocked.
A wave of arrests has followed the latest round of Boko Haram attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum while an attempt by the sect members to invade Bauchi on Friday night was aborted and the suspected invaders-30 of them-were apprehended.
Preliminary findings showed that Pompomari area of Damaturu , where the pre-emptive shelling of the sect took place, is suspected to be the main armour and bomb manufacturing base of Boko Haram.
In another development, 14 suspects were brought to Abuja yesterday from Damaturu. It was gathered that security reports indicated that keeping the suspects in Damaturu was unsafe as the sect might try to set them free.
The Commissioner of Police in Yobe State, Tanko Lawal, who spoke said: “We have restored law and order but the curfew is still in place. We do not want to take anything for granted.
“What we had on Thursday was a night operation. We are suspecting that where we attacked was probably the main factory where they make bombs and distribute nationwide for attacks.
“They opened fire on our officers and men because we were able to uncover their major base.
“You see, some of the suspects have Kanuri marks but the nature of this terrain is such that if you move a step to the neighbouring countries, you will also see them wearing these same tribal marks.
“The ongoing interrogation in Abuja will be able to reveal their true identities and their mission.
Responding to a question, Lawal said: “We have collated the number of those killed. So far, 12 Boko Haram members were killed in the crossfire.
“Those killed Boko Haram members could be more because what the sect did was to quickly evacuate their members who were shot dead.
“The number of civilian casualty recorded was one. We had limited number of civilian casualties because most of the Boko Haram hideouts are isolated in outskirts of Damaturu. If their hideouts had been within populated environment, the story would have been different. The location of their base actually reduced the casualty figures.
Meanwhile, another 30 people suspected to be members of the Islamic sect were on Friday night arrested in Bauchi with sophisticated dangerous arms. The suspects, according to security sources, were arrested on their way into Bauchi, the state capital between 8:27 and 9:00 pm, on December 23rd.
Efforts to get the Bauchi Police Command Public Relations Office ASP Mohammed Bauchi to confirm the arrest proved abortive and the Bauchi State Police Commissioner Mr.Ikechukwu Aduba could not be reached at press time.
Conflicting estimates say the Islamist group may have killed between 50 and 100 people.
The two days of attacks which saw three cities rocked by explosions and gunfire were carried out by the Boko Haram group, according to a purported spokesman, Abul Qaqa.
"We are responsible for the attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum. We carried out the attacks to avenge the killings of our brothers by the security forces in 2009," he said.
Yobe State governor Abdullahi Bego said peace had been restored but authorities had declared a 7:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew until further notice.
THE Nigerian Army is not leaving anything to chance following the Friday assault by its men on Boko Haram members in Damaturu, Yobe State, in which 59 of the sect followers were gunned down.
A security cordon was yesterday thrown around the army headquarters in Abuja to forestall a possible reprisal on soldiers by the sect.
Last June suspected members of the group to bombed the Louis Edet House police headquarters, Abuja.
The Police Inspector General, Hafiz Ringim escaped death by the whiskers in the attack. Two persons-the suspected suicide bomber and a security official at the park- died while 35 vehicles at the police headquarters car park were destroyed as the explosive went off.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, confirmed on Friday in Abuja that men of the Joint Task Force, in a gun battle with Boko Haram members in Damaturu earlier that day killed 59 of them.
It was observed that security at the Army Headquarters had been beefed up yesterday. The lane leading to a part of the complex from Area 10 to the International Conference Centre was blocked.
A wave of arrests has followed the latest round of Boko Haram attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum while an attempt by the sect members to invade Bauchi on Friday night was aborted and the suspected invaders-30 of them-were apprehended.
Preliminary findings showed that Pompomari area of Damaturu , where the pre-emptive shelling of the sect took place, is suspected to be the main armour and bomb manufacturing base of Boko Haram.
In another development, 14 suspects were brought to Abuja yesterday from Damaturu. It was gathered that security reports indicated that keeping the suspects in Damaturu was unsafe as the sect might try to set them free.
The Commissioner of Police in Yobe State, Tanko Lawal, who spoke said: “We have restored law and order but the curfew is still in place. We do not want to take anything for granted.
“What we had on Thursday was a night operation. We are suspecting that where we attacked was probably the main factory where they make bombs and distribute nationwide for attacks.
“They opened fire on our officers and men because we were able to uncover their major base.
“You see, some of the suspects have Kanuri marks but the nature of this terrain is such that if you move a step to the neighbouring countries, you will also see them wearing these same tribal marks.
“The ongoing interrogation in Abuja will be able to reveal their true identities and their mission.
Responding to a question, Lawal said: “We have collated the number of those killed. So far, 12 Boko Haram members were killed in the crossfire.
“Those killed Boko Haram members could be more because what the sect did was to quickly evacuate their members who were shot dead.
“The number of civilian casualty recorded was one. We had limited number of civilian casualties because most of the Boko Haram hideouts are isolated in outskirts of Damaturu. If their hideouts had been within populated environment, the story would have been different. The location of their base actually reduced the casualty figures.
Meanwhile, another 30 people suspected to be members of the Islamic sect were on Friday night arrested in Bauchi with sophisticated dangerous arms. The suspects, according to security sources, were arrested on their way into Bauchi, the state capital between 8:27 and 9:00 pm, on December 23rd.
Efforts to get the Bauchi Police Command Public Relations Office ASP Mohammed Bauchi to confirm the arrest proved abortive and the Bauchi State Police Commissioner Mr.Ikechukwu Aduba could not be reached at press time.
Conflicting estimates say the Islamist group may have killed between 50 and 100 people.
The two days of attacks which saw three cities rocked by explosions and gunfire were carried out by the Boko Haram group, according to a purported spokesman, Abul Qaqa.
"We are responsible for the attacks in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum. We carried out the attacks to avenge the killings of our brothers by the security forces in 2009," he said.
Yobe State governor Abdullahi Bego said peace had been restored but authorities had declared a 7:00 pm to 7:00 am curfew until further notice.
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