Insurgents kill 48 in Borno village

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• Ngilari pleads with N’Assembly to extend emergency rule

Boko Haram struck again yesterday in Borno State, killing at least 48 people in an attack on fishermen in Doron Baga village of Kukawa Local Government. 

A fisherman from the area, Mallam Labbo Idi, said the gunmen attacked their member’s boat while they were trying to cross a river.
“Our members were attacked by Boko Haram insurgents on their way to fish. Some were butchered; some were shot by gunmen while others were tied and thrown into the river,” he added.
He stated that he personally counted 48 corpses, including those thrown into the river, adding that people were fleeing the area as they were afraid of further attack. An official of the Borno State Fishermen and Fish Traders Association, who craved for anonymity due to security reason, confirmed the incident. He said: “The Boko Haram insurgents killed 48 of our members. As I am speaking with you now, our chairman is already in Baga to see things for himself.”
He said they had reported the matter to the Multinational Joint Task Force and called on the Federal Government, the Nigerien and Cameroonian authorities to intensify efforts before the insurgents took over the whole area. Effort to get the spokesman of the state Police command, Mr. Gideon Jibrin, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) for confirmation proved abortive as his telephone lines were switched off.
However, disturbed by the growing wave of insurgency in the North, the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday called on the Federal Government to recall ex-servicemen to join in the ongoing antiinsurgency war. In a statement issued in Kaduna by the Secretary- General of the JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, the Sultan expressed concern about the war against Boko Haram and urged the Federal Government to expedite efforts to quickly end the insurgency.
Also yesterday, Adamawa State Governor, Mr. Bala James Ngilari, appealed to the National Assembly to approve President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to extend the state of emergency in his state as well as Borno and Yobe. The sultan, a retired military officer, in the statement, described the annexation of towns and villages by Boko Haram as a grave danger to the nation.
He said Nigerian sovereignty had been threatened by the sect’s taking over of towns and villages and called on the government to “act fast and stop wallowing in diatribe, as human lives are sacred and must be seen to be treated as so!” According to him, the Federal Government needs to urgently wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property, which is the primary responsibility of government.
“JNI condemns these heinous attacks in the strongest terms and once again calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the loudest voice, to wake up to its fundamental and obligatory responsibility of protecting lives and properties of Nigerians,” the statement added. The sultan who expressed worries over how soldiers flee battlefield said: “Where withered the Nigerian Army of the 1967-69 civil war?
Where are the heroes of international peacekeeping? When will the government bring an end to this scourge? Does the government really have the capability, capacity, commitment and sincerity to bring an end to this insurgency and the multifarious security challenges facing the nation? “As has been done painfully in previous cases, JNI President-General and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, on behalf of Nigerian Muslims, condemns these unabated acts of terror being unleashed on innocent citizens and calls for concerted introspection and sincere commitment by government to take proactive and effective measures in addressing this pernicious problem.
“The government should, as a matter of urgency, ensure that the security forces get all that they need for effective operations and that they serve diligently as soldiers should. “In addition, all culprits must be apprehended and brought to justice, thus giving effect to the laws of the land and deterring others.”
Meanwhile, Adamawa State governor has pleaded with the National Assembly to approve the request to extend the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Ngilari told reporters in Abuja that his administration was already working with the military to rid the state of insurgents who have taken territories. He said: “The state is working with the military to chase out the insurgents.
The state and the military working together have made substantial gains. I appeal to members of the National Assembly to approve the state of emergency extension as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan.”http://newtelegraphonline.com/insurgents-kill-48-in-borno-village/