Gunmen suspected to
be Boko Haram sect members launched another attack yesterday in the
peace loving Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area
of Borno State, killing two bakers, one of them an indegene of Michika
Council area of Adamawa State; an Igbo man and two others suspected to
be Immigration and Custom officers.
In another
development, the Nigeria Army yesterday said it demolished a fourth bomb
factory in Kaduna State, just as it arrested a 60-year old suspected
owner of the factory in Zaria, Kaduna State. Damasak is a boarder town
with Niger Republic and about 120 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the
state capital.
The killing,
Saturday Vanguard learnt came barely two weeks after Governor Kashim
Shettima visited some communities in the area which were ravaged by
flood, and almost 24 hours after one of their own who also hailed from
Damasak, the Chief of Staff, Government House Maiduguri, Alhaji Abu
Kyari paid the affected Communities a sympathy visit .
Saturday Vanguard
gathered that the gunmen numbering about six came in a Jeep at about 7am
yesterday and opened fire at their victims before they fled without
being arrested.
When contacted on
phone, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Abdullahi Yuguda could not be
reached, but the Information Officer of the Council, Mallam Babagana
Mustapha told Saturday Vanguard that, six gunmen suspected to be
terrorists laid ambush at Damasak yesterday morning, killing two Michika
boys, one Igbo man and two security men suspected to be an Immigration
and Custom officers.
Reacting on the
demolition of a bomb factory in Zaria, Assistant Army Public Relations
Officer, 1st Division of the Nigeria Army, Kaduna, Col. Sani Usman said
the raid was carried out by a combined team of the Army, Police and the
State Security Service, SSS, adding that one Umaru Mohammed, 60 was
arrested in connection with the factory.
This was even as
Reuters quoted the leader of Nigeria’s Boko Haram as expressing
solidarity with global Islamist fighters, saying the US and Britain
“should witness that we are with our mujahideen brothers,” in a video
posted Thursday, SITE monitoring group said.
According to SITE, a
US-based organisation, Abubakar Shekau gave the speech in Arabic in a
39-minute video posted to jihadist forums. It was not clear when it was
recorded.
”The world should
witness, and America, Britain, Nigeria and other crusaders, meaning
America and Britain, should witness, and the Jews of Israel who are
killing the Muslims in Palestine should witness… that we are with our
mujahideen brothers in the cause of Allah everywhere,” a translation by
site said.
The video makes
particular reference to global events, with Shekau saluting fighters in
the Maghreb region of northern Africa, “the Islamic state in Mali,”
Somalia, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and “our brothers and
sheikhs in usurped Palestine.
”O Britain,
America, Israel and Nigeria: Don’t think that jihad stops with the death
of imams,” Shekau says, according to SITE. “Because imams are
individuals. Jihad started now, jihad started now, O enemies of Allah.”
But Col Usman said,
“following a tip-off from well meaning citizens of this country, a
combined team of troops of the Nigerian Army, elements of the Nigeria
Police Force and Department of State Security carried out a cordon and
search operation at Kwanar Shahada, Jushin Ciki, Zaria city, Kaduna
State yesterday, (Thursday) from 1.30am to 8.00am.
“During the
operation, a two bedroom bungalow used as bomb making factory was
discovered in which Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, in stage one
state of readiness and several IED making components were also
recovered.
Other weapons
recovered include 17 Sensor Mechanical Timers, Remote control, 11 primed
suicide bomber’s vests, 36 primed IEDS in Bobo cans and one military
kitbag with support items like saw, hammer, cello tapes and gums. Others
are, two gallons of paint containing prepared IEDS, two gallons of
Turkey oil brand with prepared IEDs, seven rolls of wires of various
lengths and one bag of containing several sensors as well as 25 ( nine –
volts) batteries.
“This is the
fourth of such successes in the past three months after the initial one
in same Zaria, Rigassa and in Kadunamain town. The public can use these
operational lines anytime 08066 7652 75 to give information to our
operational team.
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