Boko Haram: 10 killed, houses set ablaze in Borno village •Army to recruit 9,000 soldiers

LESS than 24 hours after gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect attacked the border community of Logomani village between Dikwa -Gamboru Ngala and Cameroon Republic killing over 20 civilians including motorists, another set of gunmen suspected to be terrorists invaded villages of Kawuri District and Fori of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno state, killing 10 residents including three vigilante youths suspected to be civilian JTF members.
Kawuri District is one of the big villages in Konduga council area, along the Maiduguri-Obama federal highway which is about 60 kilometres away from Maiduguri, and 20 kilometres to Obama council area which had witnessed series of attacks and killings of civilians, soldiers, policemen and prison warders.
A woman passenger who simply gave her name as Madam Hauwa Musa told our correspondent that she was among the early passengers from Mubi town to Maiduguri a day after the attack in Kawuri villages.
“Yes I was among the passengers that boarded a taxi from Mubi to Maiduguri, and when we reached the villages along the main road, we saw some buildings being consumed by fire with the presence of security operatives and men of the vigilante youth popularly addressed as civilian JTF in the village not quite long after the attackers, had fled into the bushes). She narrated.
The gunmen also succeeded in setting ablaze some residential houses and public buildings such as a clinic and a primary school.
Although details of the attack is still sketchy, unconfirmed report has it that the gunmen numbering about 30 using two Hilux vehicles and motorcycles with arms and ammunition, Rocket Launchers including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), stormed the village at about 3 o’clock and started ordering residents to come out from their houses before opening fire on them, and later throwing explosives and petrol bombs on some private and public structures.
It was gathered that, the three vigilante youth killed were on a mission to arrest the gunmen who fled the area after the attack, but luck ran against the youths as they clashed with the fleeing terrorists in a bush at Fori village before they were shot dead by the attackers.
Owing to lack of telecommunication services in Borno state for the past four months, both the acting spokesman of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Captain Aliyu Danja and the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin could not be reached for confirmation as the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, The Chief of Army Staff, Lietenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, on Monday, revealed that the Nigerian Army has commenced massive recruitment and enlistment of about 9,000 soldiers and officers into the Army.
This, he said, was to meet the manpower requirement arising from the current security challenges in the country.
Ihejirika, who was represented by the Chief of Army Standard and Evaluation, Major-General John Ewansiha, at an interactive session at the headquarters of 2 Division, Adekunle Fajuyi cantonment, Ibadan, stated that the Nigerian Army had intensified its effort towards re-training of its personnel to meet up with the various security challenges.
The event was an interactive session on civil society organisations and military relations in Nigeria, with the theme: “Consolidating civil-military relations for improved national security.”
Ihejirika said the civil society organisations had been known to stand for the defence of human rights while the military aims at defeating insurgents as well as protecting law-abiding citizens.
He pointed out that the Nigeria Army would always be ready to partner with civil societies once the efforts are geared towards making Nigeria a safer place for Nigerians and foreigners alike to live in and to do legitimate businesses.
In his keynote address, the governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, noted that the military contributed immensely to the relative peace being enjoyed in Nigeria.
Senator Ajimobi recalled that in the past, relationship between the military and civil societies was hostile and full of suspicion, saying that there was the need to further deepen the military/civil societies’ relationship through constant interaction.
TRIBUNE