.20 Villagers Die In Military’s ‘Operation Merciless’
.Army Arrests 7 Suspected Sect Members In Nasarawa State
. Jonathan Meets Cameroon, Chad And Niger’s Leaders This WeekTwo powerful blasts from bombs concealed in rickety vans loaded with firewood and parked close to a cinema, yesterday evening rocked Maiduguri, shattering the relative peace in the Borno State capital.
The blasts climaxed the fears of residents that Boko Haram insurgents were perfecting plans to launch a come-back in Maiduguri after sacking most communities, villages and towns around it.
Our correspondents report that the twin blasts occurred at about 6.15pm and 6.17 pm respectively at the Gomari general area.
A man, who was not far from the scene, described the blasts as “massive and horrendous,” stressing that many people who had gone to the cinema to watch football match must have lost their lives.
“Soon after the first blast, which was planted in one of the vans, people rushed to the scene, but I remained firm and moved away. May be, they went for rescue operation, but unfortunately, the second explosion equally went off,” he said.
“The blasts affected many football fans at the open air viewing centre and passersby…The vans were kept for hours, as if they were faulty, but no one bothered to ask questions,” he said. A resident of the area, who spoke on phone, said shortly after the blasts, he saw smoke billowing from an area called Bintu Sugar, located between Bulumkutu and Gomari.
The area is densely populated following the exodus of many families from Gwange, Shehuri, Hausari and other locations in the city centre following frequent attacks at the height of the Boko Haram crisis.
“The blasts shook my house as if they were detonated nearby,” the resident said. Monday Isa, who lives at Gomari Ajilari, said he was rattled.
“Details of casualty are sketchy, but we saw thick dust followed by heavy smoke that enveloped the sky,” he said. He said a suspect was arrested close to the scene. “He was caught with a rifle underneath his flowing gown, but was taken away by soldiers,” he said.
The sounds were heard at distant places like Damboa Road, Post Office and Baga Road, which forced many people to shelve their plan of going to mosque for Maghrib prayers.
Soon after the blasts, motorists, roadside traders, hawkers and artisans were thrown into confusion as they fled helter skelter.
There was no official information on the blasts from the military or the police but a top security source confirmed the incident.
“Yes, I also heard two rattling sounds, but it is too early to say how many people were killed…it is getting dark, but our men and the fire service operatives are on their way to the scene,” he said.
Another security source said the Boko Haram insurgents are under pressure. “Between Friday and today, there is massive campaign against the terrorists in the outskirt of Maiduguri, the Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, Sandiya and other enclaves.
“Some elements among the insurgents are looking for escape routes and therefore found their way to Maiduguri to distract the attention of our troops, but we are focused,” the source said.
20 Villagers killed in Adamawa-Borno border
The attacks in Maiduguri came at a time when the army’s ‘Operation Merciless’ led to the deaths of, at least, 20 persons at Adamawa-Borno border at the weekend.
Sunday Trust gathered that the dead villagers and many others were injured after a military plane dropped bombs on Daglun village in Askira Wuba on Borno side of Adamawa-Borno border.
When contacted by Sunday Trust, the Army Public Relations Officer of the 23 Brigade in Yola, Captain Jafaru Nuhu, said he could not comment on the incident because the area is not under their jurisdiction. He said “Askira Wuba is under Borno, so I cannot comment about an incident there”. A hospital source in Mubi General Hospital confirmed that 25 people were receiving treatment at the hospital and that some lives were lost.
‘’Though I cannot officially give you details of casualty, because I am not permitted to talk to the press, I can tell you that there were loss of lives, and 25 people are being treated here,’’ the source said .
An eye witness narrated what happened thus: “An aircraft dropped bombs in the village when we were going about our daily activities, killing at least 20 people. The wounded have been taken to Mubi. We are used to seeing planes overhead, so we did not suspect anything until it happened.”
A resident, Umar Faruk who has fled to Hildi since the incident said he would not return to the village for fear of another attack, saying “people are running away from Boko Haram and the military are attacking them, what is happening in this country?”
“People are leaving the villages and some have no specific destination, government should assist us please,” he said in telephone chat.
Armed soldiers storm suspected Boko Haram cell in Doma, arrest 6, pregnant woman
Truckloads of dozens of armed soldiers early Friday and yesterday, stormed a suspected Boko Haram cell in Doma town in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, and forced seven persons, including a pregnant woman away with them.
Relatives of the victims said they feared their loved ones, including two women whose names could not be ascertained at press time, were abducted in two successive operations because the men who came in military uniform did not make official disclosures of their operation. But Sunday Trust learnt by yesterday, after the second operation that it was, after all a military one – to burst a suspected Boko Haram cell in the area.
Soldiers at the 177 Brigade of Guards Battalion in Keffi, were said to have carried out the two-day operation. Relatives said the uniformed men first arrived the residence of a prominent man, Allhaji Musa Ogah, the late Matawalen Doma at about 1.00am on Friday in about 16 military trucks. They were said to have stormed houses, forcing their victims into the waiting vans outside of the house in the Sabon Gari area of the township.
“They stormed the house at about 1am and forced six people, two of them women, including a pregnant woman away. We fear our relatives were abducted. We do not know the reason, nor the identity of the uniformed men,” a relative who said he witnessed the incident said.
He said the uniformed men came well-armed, for the yet to be ascertained operation, and pickled up six persons.
By early hours of yesterday, the soldiers stormed the town again, sources in Doma told Sunday Trust, yesterday. This time, they were said to have forced one Malam Tanko, a primary school teacher, said to be a close friend of one Malam Yakubu, the military’s suspect, making the arrest seven.
Malam Yakubu, an Islamic teacher, and a former student of their principal suspect whose name could not be immediately obtained, was the soldiers’ attraction to the late Matawalen Doma’s residence for the first operation. But sources said the suspect escaped, leaving the soldiers no choice but to arrest his household, and to return for his friend by yesterday.
The sources said the military had earlier – a month ago – stormed the same residence looking for an Islamic teacher who had travelled to reside in Doma. But they said the principal suspect had to turn himself to the soldiers, who later released him after detaining him for days. He returned after his release, to disappear since then, sources said.
A month later, the soldiers stormed again, in the two operations between Friday and yesterday. Relatives of the persons arrested said they have not heard a word from their loved ones, since then.
“There is not even a word from them, after the uniformed men came and picked them away. They were picked in their beds; they did not go with their phones. And nobody has called to say the reasons for the operation, and arrest,” a family source said.
State police spokesman, ASP Umaru Ismaila confirmed that there was an operation in Doma, but insisted that “it is a pure security operation we are aware of.” He declined to explain what he meant by “pure security operation,” just as he declined to state who carried out the operation.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan will meet with Paul Biya of Cameroon, Idriss Derby of Chad, and Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic this week in a diplomatic push to tackle the bloody activities of Boko Haram in North East states in recent weeks.
Our reporter learnt in Abuja last night that the meeting, which is billed to take place on March 4 and 5 is at the instance of President Jonathan. Reports have it that the violent sect members have taken advantage of the porous borders among the four African countries to carry out bloody raids in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, because they could easily slip into any of the countries with ease.
It is feared that the sect has as many as 12 hideouts in Cameroon alone. President Jonathan may seek a deal with the African leaders which would permit Nigerian troops to take the battle to the sect’s bases in the three other countries. The president is also seeking cooperation in its moves to enforce border closure, so that the three countries could join hands in raiding the sect’s bases in Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.
Source: Sunday Trust
