- •Sect attack displaces over 4,000 residents
No fewer than 14 people were killed while nine others were injured as suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Bama Local Government Area of Borno State in the early hours of Sunday.
Bama is about 67 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital, which is a stronghold of the terrorists. Chairman of Bama Local Government Area, Alhaji Baba Shehu Gulumba, told National Mirror yesterday in Maiduguri that the terrorists killed 14 people and injured nine others on Sunday.
Gulumba said: "I attended the funeral of 13 of the victims in Bama this morning (yesterday), but I could not attend the last one because he was buried in Maiduguri after he died from his wounds at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). "The local government administration will pay the hospital bills of those injured.
They are responding to treatment at UMTH. "All the dead and injured are members of the youths vigilance group popularly called 'Civilian JTF.'
They have been assisting security operatives in arresting Boko Haram suspects in Borno State. "They were at their duty posts when the sect members, dressed in military uniform, came to deceive them that they were needed at a meeting nearby.
"Shortly after they were lured away from their duty posts, they were attacked and killed, while some of the escaped with various degrees of injury". A resident, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the bodies of 13 victims were buried in Bama, according to Islamic rites.
As at the time of filing this report, National Mirror learnt that more young men have enrolled into the Civilian JTF in Bama town and other villages, as they vowed to exterminate Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
Owing to lack of telecommunication services in the state for the past three months, the police spokesman, Gideon Jubrin, and that of Joint Task Force, Lt-Col. Sagir Musa could not be reached for confirmation, but nurse at UMTH confirmed the incident yesterday.
The nurse said the injured victims were responding to treatment. Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that over 4,000 residents of Dumba village in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state had been displaced following last week's killing of 44 persons by members of the Boko Haram sect.
It will be recalled that some terrorists last week stormed Dumba village, a few kilometers from Baga, and killed the 44 people. NEMA, in a statement release by its North-East Information Officer, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said over 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPS) were registered in Baga town by the agency. He said those displaced were mostly fishermen and farmers.
Ibrahim said the zonal coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Muhammed Kanar, led a team of officers from the zonal office to register the IDPS in a camp located at the Central Primary School in Baga.
He said the displaced persons were provided with mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, buckets, cups, plates, wax prints, guinea brocade, bathing soap, sanitary pads and detergents. Ibrahim added that they were provided with food items like rice, maize, guinea corn, millet, vegetable oil, palm oil, salt, sugar and milk.
It was gathered that the NEMA team were led to the camp by security agents from the Joint Task Force (JTF) and assisted at the camp by Red Cross and other stakeholders. Chairman of Baga Local Government Area, Alhaji Lawal Kole, who was at the camp to receive the NEMA officials, extended his appreciation to the Federal Government for providing succour to the people at the time of their need.
Speaking a behalf of the displaced persons, Ali Kufayi expressed appreciation to NEMA under the leadership of Alhaji Muhammed Sani Sidi for its prompt response and for providing relief materials to the victims.
National Mirror
Terrorism is just something that must end in Nigeria cos it definately makes no sense anymore. All this killings is bad for our reputation!