‘Civilian JTF’ sets ANPP chair’s house ablaze

[Mirror]

Vigilante youths, popularly known as Civilian JTF, who have been assisting security agencies in arresting suspected members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in Borno State yesterday set ablaze the residence of the Chairman of the All Nigeria People's Party, ANPP, Alhaji Mala Othman.

The house is situated in the New GRA area of Maiduguri metropolis. This is even as security operatives prevented the multi-billion naira home of the former governor of the state, Ali Modu Sherrif, from being razed as they stopped the rampaging youths, who were already advancing towards the house within the same GRA.

National Mirror learnt that Othman, who was at home prior to the incident, narrowly escaped death as he was whisked away in a Toyota Camry saloon car before the angry youths arrived.

An eyewitness, Mr. Mohammed Bukar Gana, said: "We were in a taxi, driving along the Lagos Street to the University of Maiduguri. When we reached the NUJ/ GRA junction, all roads were blocked by the Civilian JTF. "We spent more than 50 minutes inside the hold-up before we saw smoke coming out from the direction of the ANPP chairman's residence."

Our correspondent saw some of the Civilian JTF members chanting in Hausa, "Mun kona gidan Mala Othman sora na Ali Sheriff don suna cikin masu taimaka ma yanta'ada", meaning: we have burnt the residence of Mala Othman, we are now going to Ali Sheriff's house and do the same because both are among the sponsors of terrorism in the state. Another eyewitness, Mallam Musa Kaigama, said: "We were trapped in a holdup along the busy Lagos Street for over an hour.

We saw many Civilian JTF advancing towards the Lagos House road, leading to Ali Sheriff's house. "In fact, they were chanting songs, saying we have burnt the residence of Mala Othman, it remains that of Ali Modu Sheriff. "Later, we started hearing gunshots from the area, which scared the youths and prevented them from torching the house of the former governor."

Security operatives guarding Sheriff's house shot sporadically into the air to disperse the youths when they attempted to raze the house.

The youths have been commended by Governor Kashim Shettima and other individuals for their efforts that had led to the arrest of many Boko Haram sect members in Maiduguri and Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. They had vowed to arrest the ANPP state chairman and Sheriff and hand them over to security agencies for appropriate action.

National Mirror last week authoritatively reported that some of the youths had gone to the residence of the ANPP chairman with the intention of arresting him but security operatives guarding the residence begged the aggrieved youths not to carry out their mission as Othman had travelled to Abuja. A reliable source told our correspondent that the ANPP chairman had been on the run when security reports indicted him of possessing firearms in his house.

The source said: "This is not the first time Mala Othman has been on the run for his alleged possession and supply of arms and ammunition to terrorists.

"In fact, during that period, Othman had to flee from the state to unknown destination for almost eight months to avoid being arrested." One of the youths said: "We knew most of the members of Boko Haram sect and their families.

We have vowed to ensure that Othman and Sherriff will never escape arrest as we have evidence that they have been supplying firearms to terrorists in the state."

In a related development, a middle-aged woman suspected to be member of the sect, who attempted to plant an improvised explosive device, IED, in Baga Road market square of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, was critically injured as the bomb detonated before she reached her target on Sunday. This is even as the Civilian JTF arrested two women with AK 47rifles at Monday Market of the metropolis.

An eyewitness, Abubakar Kundiri, living about 300 metres away from site of the incident said: " We were sitting under this tree with two of my friends when the woman came and passed by carrying something in her bag that looked like a tin of cowbell milk and when she got to a place, she bent over and put the thing she was carrying on the ground. "No sooner had she stood up than we heard a loud sound and she was blown off.

"In fact we are very lucky to be alive as we never knew she was carrying a deadly explosive device, which could have exploded here and killed all of us."

Our correspondent also gathered that hundreds of people, who heard the sound of the blast trooped to the site to glance at the mangled body of the woman before security operatives removed the body.

National Mirror