- Terrorists ambush security convoy, kill five police officers in Katsina
The Borno State Government has expressed shock over the multiple bombings in the Gwoza area of the state which led to several deaths and injuries.
“It is not an intelligence failure. It is an error that we did not see coming,” the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said on Monday during a live television programme, days after the multiple explosions.
Scores of persons died in the string of bombings one of which happened during a wedding celebration in the North Eastern state. Several others were also wounded in the Saturday attacks, emergency authorities said.
According to the commissioner, the attackers may have exploited the state’s porous borders to carry out the bombings.
“If terrorists want to attack and they use a particular route that you don’t know, what can you do? As you know our boundaries are porous internationally. Even our local boundaries are porous,” Usman said.
“If terrorists want to attack, they do it using the frontlines. That was what probably happened.”
But a community leader in Borno Ayuba Bassa has faulted the government and security authorities for not doing much to tackle insurgency.
He said there were signs of such attacks coming but nothing was done to avert it.
He now wants the authorities to depart from rhetoric and said that about 30 women carried out the multiple bombings.
“We cannot trust the Army, we cannot trust the civilian JTF or anybody who stands in the name of politics that is willing to fight for these people anymore.
“It was really a black Saturday. It has affected Gwoza to the blood. What happened was the infiltration of trained women including a teenager as suicide bombers. They were able to come and carry out the mission. We have learned that they were above 30 who were trained to do that but a few of them succeeded,” Bassa who is the National Coordinator of the Gwoza Christian Community Association said.
“If the IDP camps are not dismissed, they will continue to be breeding grounds for more Boko Haram (terrorists).”
Shettima visits victims, makes donations
Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday visited victims of Saturday’s suicide bombings in Gwoza, Borno State.
During the visit, Shettima made personal donations to the surviving victims while he condoled with the families of dead victims.
On Monday, Shettima disclosed that the death toll from the bomb attack has risen to 31.
He noted that 42 persons were brought to the specialist hospital but 14 have been discharged after treatment. He said that 26 are still being attended to.
The Vice President was accompanied by the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Umar Kadafur; Senator Ali Ndume; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; former Nigerian Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jidda; and other government functionaries.
Terrorists ambush security convoy, kill five police officers in Katsina
In a related development, suspected terrorists have killed five mobile police officers in an ambush in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Residents said the attack occurred Sunday morning as the officers travelled to Jibia, the council headquarters, from their base in Zandam village.
Four of the officers reportedly died at the scene of the attack, which occurred around 6 a.m., while the other died while receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Katsina.
The terrorists reportedly stole five AK-47 rifles after killing the officers.
Attacks by terrorists are frequent in the Jibia area of Katsina and adjoining areas in neighbouring Kaduna and Zamfara States.
Terrorists have turned Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger States into a war zone and made lives difficult for residents, mostly agrarian farmers, with impudent attacks on roads, farms and homes.
