Boko Haram strikes in Borno again •Kills father, son, student, almajiri in Maiduguri •Troops rescue 3 women, six kids

DESPITE emergency rule in three Northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, suspected members of the Islamic sect, believed to have escaped from one of the detention camps, have again launched an attack in Maiduguri, killing four people, including a medical student.
According to an eyewitness who did not want his name in print, the incident happened around Pompomari area of the state capital. A trader, Mallam Bitrus Koji; his son, and an almajiri boy working for him were killed in their shop by suspected Boko Haram sect members.
“The gunmen, who came in a Volkswagen Golf car, called the almajiri boy to bring water for them. When he the boy went in, one of the Malam Bitrus’s sons came out and the gunmen asked after his father. When the boy told them that his father was not around, they pushed him into the shop where they met his father seated. They opened fire on him, and then they turned to his son and the almajiri boy and killed them too. They killed the three in the shop,” the source told Saturday Tribune.
Also, along the Baga Road area, some gunmen were said to have pursued a medical student. They caught up with him, shot and killed him. They then dumped his body by the road side and went away with his car.
An eyewitness, Mr. Auta Haliru, recounted how they saw a police vehicle conveying the corpses into the Ibrahim Taiwo Police Station; and how they left the police station again and headed back with the corpses towards Chesscon area of the capital.
“When we asked some of our friends whom we saw with the police, they told us that the sound of gunshots we heard earlier came from the attack on Bitrus shop.
They told us that the gunmen killed Bitrus, who owned a big shop at the junction around Chesscon area. We were shocked because we all thought this problem was ending, but this (attack) again is sending a bad signal,” Auta told Saturday Tribune.
When Saturday Tribune attempted to get a reaction from the police, neither the Public Relations Officer of the state command, DSP Gideon Jibril, nor the Commissioner of Police, Yuguda Abdullahi, was available for comments. They could not also be reached on their phone as there were no telephone services in Maiduguri at the time filing this report.
Troops rescue three women, six kids
Meanwhile, troops enforcing the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have rescued three women and six children after over-running three terrorist camps in the notorious Sambisa forest area of Central Borno, in the ongoing onslaught against terrorists.
Defence spokesman, Brig.-General Chris Olukolade, announced this Friday while showing newsmen video clips of the Defence Headquarters’ operational assessment team, led by the Chief of Training and Operations, Maj.-General Lawrence Ngubane.
He said the women and children were kidnapped from police barracks and environs during the May 7, 2013 attack in Bama. They had been held in the camp since their abduction and were featured in the video by Abubakar Shekau recently.
However, troops combing the forest are yet to locate one other woman and her two children.
The assessment team has been visiting locations where troops are deployed. Olukolade, disclosed that there is freedom of movement in Borno and that there is nothing to hide about the operation.
During the four-day visit to the operational areas by the team, he said it was evidently clear that the troops had been able to take over the camps where the insurgents were operating from.
Video clips revealed that in those camps, the terrorists had hospitals, hostels, fuel dumps and fleet of cars which they set ablaze while fleeing.
The defence spokesman disclosed that the troops were still combing Sambisa forest, which spans about 16 kilometres, and that they were still searching for the woman and her two children.
Olukolade also said that all terrorists’ camps in northern and central Borno have been taken over by the Special Operations troops, and that all their enclaves have been dismantled; but he did not give any figure.
He noted that, from the video clip, it was evident that the Boko Haram terrorists have graduated from small arms to anti-aircraft missiles, rocket-propelled launchers, armoured tanks and heavy military equipment.
It was also revealed that documents retrieved from the camps of the terrorists indicate identity of prominent personalities, whose names he said could not be disclosed yet for security reasons.
According to Olukolade, members of one of the communities in Gamboru Ngala said the terrorists were invaders; that most of them were not Nigerians, and that they were happy to be freed from the invaders.
The Defence Headquarters team was in the operational areas to check compliance with the rules of engagement and to ensure that the operation is in progress.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence of Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, has commended the troops participating in the operation for demonstrating a high level of professionalism.
Speaking in a message delivered to the troops by a Defence Headquarters Operational Assessment Team, Ibrahim described the feat achieved by the soldiers as a major achievement in the process of restoring normalcy to communities that have been held captive by terrorist activities.
While expressing his delight that no civilian casualty was recorded in the process, the CDS urged the troops to continue to adhere strictly to the rules of engagement and all codes of conduct stipulated for the operations.
He said the whole exercise was a major test case on the capacity of the security forces to manage the nation’s security issues as mandated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“Troops must exhibit high standard of commitment and discipline in all steps taken during this operation. This is not an exercise but a real operation,” he said, urging the troops to bring their training to bear and work within the law.
Responding, a leader in one of the communities liberated, Kirenowa, described the presence of the soldiers as a great relief. He said many citizens, including him, had to flee from the town to Maiduguri to escape from harassment by the insurgents. He said the day after the soldiers arrived was the only period he was able to sleep deep.
Another village head said his people were peace-loving and believed in Nigeria. He said the soldiers were God-sent and would continue to get his people’s cooperation.
In Gamboru Ngala, a community leader expressed the community’s appreciation to the troops operating in the area, assuring them of his community’s cooperation in order to continue to make the town safe and secure.
The team later visited the Kaigama of Dikwa, who said despite being ill, he was happy to welcome the delegation. He assured the military of his people’s cooperation always.
Tribune