No fewer than 350 people lost their
lives on Friday as the orgy of bloodletting in some parts of the country
continued with the clash between Boko Haram insurgents and the
Special Forces in Maimalari, Maiduguri, Borno State. The insurgents had
attacked the 21 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army in the wee hours
of Friday.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the
dead included insurgents who attacked the military formation and their
members who were held at the biggest detention facility on the premises
of the headquarters of the Brigade.
It was gathered that the insurgents
targeted the detention facility within the 21 Armoury Brigade where most
of the hardened members of the sect were detained.
The military authorities were said to
have received an intelligence report of an impending attack on the
barracks and prepared for the insurgents.
It was learnt that the insurgents
attempted to divert the attention of the military by carrying out the
attack in military uniforms and vehicles painted in military colours.
The huge casualty figure was revealed
amid fresh facts on why the insurgents were able to advance near the
detention camp with ease. It was learnt that the insurgents’ advancement
could not be immediately halted because the Shilka tank, a multipurpose self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery weapon positioned to secure the barracks, failed to fire.
An authoritative security source who
pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of
the Special Forces, told Saturday PUNCH that the Shilka tank
refused to respond to signal. This situation, he said, prompted the
Special Forces to fight hard to prevent what would have been a tragic
outing.
It was learnt that the tank had earlier
been well -positioned to secure the portion of the barracks where the
insurgents had penetrated. The source said if the gun had responded to
touch, the soldiers would have found it easier to repel the attack of
the insurgents without any damage.
It was learnt that the soldiers
abandoned the disappointing artillery tank and relied on other weapons
to ward off the insurgents’ attack.
The source said that the military was already looking into the reason behind the disappointment of the crucial weapon.
It was learnt that security operatives who were investigating the Shilka tank failure were considering two possibilities-the age of the old artillery weapon and the possibility of sabotage .
“You know that when these people came, the Shilka gun simply did not fire. It disappointed, so the soldiers had to rely on other weapons to defend the barracks.
“The gun was positioned to defend that
part of the barracks where the insurgents came from. If that gun had
fired, they wouldn’t have got into the barracks near the detention
facility.’’
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the
insurgents stormed the strategic army formation from a place called
Pori, near a tomato farm close to the barracks, with some Armoured
Personnel Carriers, as early as 6.30am.
A security source, who spoke to our
correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said that the insurgents
fought their way into the detention facility at the barracks where they
attempted to free some of their members being held.
The source said that at the end of the
confrontation, the soldiers recovered a Buffalo Truck and an Armoured
Personnel Carrier from the insurgents.
Although the soldiers prevented the
barracks from being burnt by the invading Boko Haram fighters, it was
said that the insurgents burnt the MRS, (the traditional medical
facility within the barracks) and the detention facility.
A security source, who spoke to one of
our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, said that 53 of the
insurgents were killed in action at the barracks while 297 were killed
in a joint operation by the Air Force and the ground forces engrossed in
chasing the fleeing insurgents.
The source further said that four children of a soldier were among those killed.
The leader of a volunteer youth
vigilante group who assisted the military in repelling the attack,
Abdullahi Dere, said not less than 207 suspected Boko Haram terrorists
were killed.
Dere, who is the chairman of Sector 5
of the local vigilante group, popularly referred to as “Civilian JTF”
in Jidari Polo near the Giwa Barracks, said several insurgents fled the
town for their hideouts with injuries.
He said: “We counted 207 dead bodies of
Boko Haram members shot dead by the military in Jidari Polo area alone.
The suspected Boko Haram members had attacked Giwa Barracks and freed
some of the detainees but the military were able to go after them and
killed them. As we speak, the dead bodies of the terrorists are still
within our area unattended to.”
He added: “We were also able to capture some fleeing Boko Haram suspects and handed them over to the military.”
Confirming the casualties figure given
by Dere, the Vice- Chairman of the vigilante -group in the area, Tijjani
Bello, said apart from 207 killed close to the barracks, many more
were killed in different parts of the city.
He said, “Many Boko Haram members were
also killed apart from the ones killed in Jidari Polo. But we only fear
that some innocent residents may be among those killed.”
Another eyewitness told one of our
correspondents that he counted 60 bodies that were dumped in a heap at
the headquarters of the Brigade. It was learnt that the ground forces
and the men of the Air Force were still in hot pursuit of the fleeing
insurgents as of the time of filing this report.
The source said that the military
operation was designed to ensure that the fleeing insurgents were
prevented from getting out of Maiduguri into their safe havens in the
vast Sambisa forests.
It was further gathered that a good
number of the insurgents were killed en masse in a plantation not too
far from the Brigade on Friday afternoon.
The source said that the insurgents were
attempting to hide and to regroup in the plantation when they were
stormed by security forces, which spotted them from a hilly location.
“Several of them were also killed this afternoon in a plantation where
they wanted to take cover; they were hiding there without knowing that
security forces were watching them. All of them who were found in that
location were killed and their arms and ammunition recovered.
A source said that about 60 bodies of
dead insurgents were dumped at the gate of the Brigade barracks in
Maimalari by 5.30 pm on Friday.
It was further learnt that the
insurgents inflicted some gunshot wounds on some soldiers and barracks
boys during the attacks. The injured were said to have been taken to a
hospital as of the time of filing this report.
Saturday PUNCH further learnt
that 10 Air Force fighter jets were deployed to provide the requisite
air support for ground forces who engaged the insurgents for close to
three hours.
Investigation revealed that a third year student of Mass Communication was hit by a stray bullet at the University of Maiduguri.
The Director of Defence Information,
Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Friday that the
attack was an attempt by the insurgents to free their detained members
in order to boost the number of their depleted fighters.
Olukolade said that the Special Forces foiled the attack with heavy casualties on the side of the insurgents.
He said that the victims of the
terrorist attacks included some of the detained terror suspects. He said
that the Special Forces also captured many of the terrorists and their
arms and ammunition.
He added that four soldiers who sustained gunshot wounds were being treated.
He said, “Pockets of terrorists
apparently in a move to boost their depleted stock of fighters this
morning attacked a military location in Maiduguri with a view to freeing
their colleagues who are being held in detention.
“The attack has been successfully
repelled with heavy human casualties on the terrorists. Some of the
victims of the terrorists fired in their efforts to break into the
detention facility included those they came to rescue.
“Many of the terrorists and their weapons have been captured. Four soldiers were wounded and are being treated.
“Hot pursuits by land and air operations are ongoing along with cordon and search of surrounding localities.
“No institution has been reportedly
attacked, although the effect of firing from the encounter could be
noticed in surrounding facilities in Maiduguri.”
He said that the attack was a reaction
to the intensity of military attacks on terrorist ‘strongholds at
Talala, Monguzum, Sambisa forests, Gwoza, Mandara mountains as well as
the general area of Lake Chad which were destroyed and where many of the
insurgents were killed.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, David
Mark, on Friday lamented fresh attacks of Boko Haram insurgents on
Maiduguri, and pleaded with the insurgents to end the hostilities.
Mark, who spoke against the fresh
onslaught of the insurgents on Maiduguri on Friday, reminded them that
violence or crime anywhere in the World could not produce good result.
The senate president in a statement in
Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh, said “no matter the
amount of anger in a man’s mind, resorting to violence or killing
another cannot be a solution.”
He said, “There are many channels of
communication to dialogue. We can still come to a dialogue table and
resolve our differences.
“The spate of attacks and killings
across Nigeria is becoming intolerable and indeed unbearable. The
situation is degenerating. We cannot pretend not to know that the nation
is endangered. We must all speak out with one voice against this
growing terrorism.
“For whatever reason, let wise counsel
prevail. We are not at war with each other. Nigerians and indeed
Africans are known to be their brothers’ keepers.
“This time-tested position should not
be compromised. Let’s respect human life. It is not too late to reverse
this ugly situation especially in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Katsina and
Benue states.”
He, however, implored the security
operatives across the country to remain vigilant and be determined to
protect lives and property even as he urged citizens to cooperate with
them.
Meanwhile, the Senate President has sent a message of condolence to the Igbo apex socio- cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on the demise of its former President, Ambassador Ralph Uweche.
Mark described Uweche as an ambassador
par excellence and a bridge builder who worked for the peace and unity
of Nigeria. He said Uweche left a positive footprint on the sand of
time.
He said, “We shall miss his frank and
honest disposition especially on national issues. He was a great
patriot who believed in the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria.”
Written by Restore Biafra
We are Creative Bloggers who have decided to take on the Biafra restoration issues until that republic is fully restored.
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