No terrorist attack on Maiduguri says Directorate of Defence Information.

A statement released and signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade has denied any attack on Maiduguri metropolis as widely reported Saturday, by some media outlets especially a foreign television channel.

The statement disclosed that rather on receiving distress call, troops at about 2am Saturday morning, launched a counter attack using mainly mortar shells on a group of terrorists who had attacked and killed four persons in Margimari village and other settlements in the outskirts of Maiduguri. “There was no fighting or attack around the University or any barrack in Maiduguri either, as reported.”

The statement from the Defence Information Directorate further disclosed that a Chadian, Usman Mecheka operating with the terrorists group around Lake Chad has been taken into custody by the Multi National Joint Task Force. “He was apprehended by the Task Force while trying to extract a ransom from herdsmen and farmers in the area, after an earlier attack on the community.”

The statement also added that “Troops of the Special Task Force in the Plateau have also raided a camp maintained by an armed gang operating in a settlement in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State. A gun fabricating machine as well as some arms and ammunition from the hideout were recovered during the raid.”

The information also had it that local single barrel guns, pistols, an automatic rifle, bullet pellets and a large quantity of materials for producing gun powder are amongst the ammunitions recovered at Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State. “The raid has equally yielded vital details to track down the operators of the gun fabricating hideout who are now on the run. The area is also being combed in the search for similar criminal outfits.”

The Directorate of Defence Information also disclosed that in Tanabu community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau state, troops of the Special Task Force have successfully repelled an attack by a gang of cattle rustlers who had invaded the community after a shootout. “The troops had the encounter when they responded to a distress call from herdsmen in the area, leaving one of the cattle rustlers dead while others fled when they were overpowered by the troops.”

The Military authority also briefed that in Abuja, eight persons are currently being interrogated after raid operations by troops of security agencies on joint surveillance and patrols mission in the Federal Capital. The arrested persons are helping ongoing investigation with useful information after the operation which is sequel to intelligence reports. Most of those arrested are foreigners who were picked up around Kugbo and areas adjoining the Nyanya site of the recent bombings in the Federal Capital.