Operatives arrest 10 suspects, find sect’s register in Borno
AFTER a lull, terrorists yesterday struck in Sabon-Laye, the Gombe capital, where they exploded a bomb.
Although no life was confirmed lost at press time, the incident caused panic in the state capital and brought business activities to a standstill as shop owners and traders immediately shut their outlets and markets and rushed to their homes.
Nevertheless, the military in Borno State made a breakthrough yesterday as they recovered a register alleged to contain suspected Boko Haram members during a dawn raid in the home of a “commander” of the terrorist group.
Some concerned residents in Gombe said yesterday’s blast had cast doubts on the purported dialogue between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram.
Last week, presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed that the Federal Government was dialoguing with Boko Haram to end the attacks by the terrorists.
He said the dialogue between government and Boko Haram was being facilitated through “backroom channels.”
“The form of the dialogue is that backroom channels are being used to reach across with the sole objective of understanding what exactly the grievances of these persons are, what exactly can be done to resolve the crises,” said Abati.
Security operatives stormed the area and blocked all the adjoining streets to the scene of the blast.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Fuje Attajiri, who confirmed the explosion, said the police had brought the situation under control.
He said no life was lost, adding that no suspect had been arrested in connection with the blast.
But some eyewitnesses told The Guardian that policemen whisked away 10 persons from the scene of the explosion.
One of the residents said: “For the police to tell you that they did not arrest anybody, they are telling you and the world lies because we saw them when they arrested some youths in this area.”
A senior police officer however said: “I saw our men coming into the command with some people, but I can not confirm to you whether the arrest was made at the scene where the bomb exploded or not.”
“Frankly speaking, I agree with you that some youths were brought here today (yesterday) and they are in our cell but I don’t know their offences.”
In the Maiduguri raid, men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, bomb-making materials and 39 cans of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
In a statement yesterday, the JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said: “We conducted a follow-up operation in the residence of a wanted commander of Boko Haram in Bulunkutu-Lawanti area of Maiduguri metropolis.”
He said a cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the commander’s house, among them 39 cans of IEDs, three Kalashnikov rifles, six empty magazines, and a laptop, chemical weapons, 306 x 7’62 mm special ammunition, and a notebook containing the names of suspected Boko Haram members, living and dead.
The JTF said that other arms and ammunition recovered at the commander’s house were 40-IED remote control tools, 54 SIM cards, 20 electrical switches, 50 Q-link electrical switches, 20 torchlight batteries, a Rapid Propelled Gun-bomb fuse, and 50 Q-link motorcycle battery chargers.
The Guardian learnt yesterday that gunmen on Sunday night torched the Marte Divisional Police Station and the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) with explosives and petrol-bombs, killing a police sergeant and two civilians.
Marte is the headquarters of Marte Local Council, located 140 kilometres north of Maiduguri.
The gunmen, according to a resident, came in three unmarked Golf Volkswagen vehicles and eight motorcycles, and bombed the police station and the church. They allegedly set ablaze five vehicles and motorcycles at the police station.
Other public buildings torched by the gunmen, the source added, included the residence of the Unit Commander of the Nigeria Army.
He said: “It was a nightmare for us as explosions and gunshots rented the town on Sunday night. We took refuge in shops.
“The terrorists overpowered the police and other security agencies as both the police and the army ran out of arms during the four-hour attack and bombing.”
According to him, the security agents alerted their colleagues at the Monguno Military Barracks of their ordeal, but the terrorists had a field day as they intensified their attacks on the station and church.
Already the body of the slain policeman has been conveyed to a hospital mortuary in Maiduguri for autopsy.
The Borno State Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, told The Guardian that “there were attacks on Marte police station on Sunday night where suspected gunmen burnt the COCIN Church and killed one officer.”
He confirmed the burning of vehicles, motorcycles at the police station, Army commander’s residence in the town.
Jibril said no arrests had been made over the attack, adding that investigations were being conducted by the police and JTF.
Meanwhile, the Jigawa State government has organised a two-day workshop for Islamic scholars on the need to inculcate the right Islamic values on their followers to sustain the peace in the state.
The state has been divided into 75 centres where the scholars will be posted to educate the Imams that lead prayers in mosques on the basic tenets of the religion.
Governor Sule Lamido in his address at the workshop, said the training was part of the efforts of his administration to bring the different sects in Islam under one umbrella to ensure proper that Islamic knowledge is impacted on the people to sustain the prevailing peace in the state. This, he said, would go a long way to teaching the leaders of tomorrow the true practice of the faith so that they would not derail.
He said since the inception of his government he had organised 10 major brainstorming sessions with the council of Ulamas and the five emirs, adding that it would be a continuous process.
The Secretary of the Jigawa State Council of Ulamas, Bala Musa, said the government had been active in ensuring that the scholars were up to date in the teaching of Islam.
He said 1,700 Hisbah guards (Sharia Police) were being trained to strengthen the right practice of the religion.
AFTER a lull, terrorists yesterday struck in Sabon-Laye, the Gombe capital, where they exploded a bomb.
Although no life was confirmed lost at press time, the incident caused panic in the state capital and brought business activities to a standstill as shop owners and traders immediately shut their outlets and markets and rushed to their homes.
Nevertheless, the military in Borno State made a breakthrough yesterday as they recovered a register alleged to contain suspected Boko Haram members during a dawn raid in the home of a “commander” of the terrorist group.
Some concerned residents in Gombe said yesterday’s blast had cast doubts on the purported dialogue between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram.
Last week, presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed that the Federal Government was dialoguing with Boko Haram to end the attacks by the terrorists.
He said the dialogue between government and Boko Haram was being facilitated through “backroom channels.”
“The form of the dialogue is that backroom channels are being used to reach across with the sole objective of understanding what exactly the grievances of these persons are, what exactly can be done to resolve the crises,” said Abati.
Security operatives stormed the area and blocked all the adjoining streets to the scene of the blast.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Fuje Attajiri, who confirmed the explosion, said the police had brought the situation under control.
He said no life was lost, adding that no suspect had been arrested in connection with the blast.
But some eyewitnesses told The Guardian that policemen whisked away 10 persons from the scene of the explosion.
One of the residents said: “For the police to tell you that they did not arrest anybody, they are telling you and the world lies because we saw them when they arrested some youths in this area.”
A senior police officer however said: “I saw our men coming into the command with some people, but I can not confirm to you whether the arrest was made at the scene where the bomb exploded or not.”
“Frankly speaking, I agree with you that some youths were brought here today (yesterday) and they are in our cell but I don’t know their offences.”
In the Maiduguri raid, men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, bomb-making materials and 39 cans of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
In a statement yesterday, the JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said: “We conducted a follow-up operation in the residence of a wanted commander of Boko Haram in Bulunkutu-Lawanti area of Maiduguri metropolis.”
He said a cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the commander’s house, among them 39 cans of IEDs, three Kalashnikov rifles, six empty magazines, and a laptop, chemical weapons, 306 x 7’62 mm special ammunition, and a notebook containing the names of suspected Boko Haram members, living and dead.
The JTF said that other arms and ammunition recovered at the commander’s house were 40-IED remote control tools, 54 SIM cards, 20 electrical switches, 50 Q-link electrical switches, 20 torchlight batteries, a Rapid Propelled Gun-bomb fuse, and 50 Q-link motorcycle battery chargers.
The Guardian learnt yesterday that gunmen on Sunday night torched the Marte Divisional Police Station and the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) with explosives and petrol-bombs, killing a police sergeant and two civilians.
Marte is the headquarters of Marte Local Council, located 140 kilometres north of Maiduguri.
The gunmen, according to a resident, came in three unmarked Golf Volkswagen vehicles and eight motorcycles, and bombed the police station and the church. They allegedly set ablaze five vehicles and motorcycles at the police station.
Other public buildings torched by the gunmen, the source added, included the residence of the Unit Commander of the Nigeria Army.
He said: “It was a nightmare for us as explosions and gunshots rented the town on Sunday night. We took refuge in shops.
“The terrorists overpowered the police and other security agencies as both the police and the army ran out of arms during the four-hour attack and bombing.”
According to him, the security agents alerted their colleagues at the Monguno Military Barracks of their ordeal, but the terrorists had a field day as they intensified their attacks on the station and church.
Already the body of the slain policeman has been conveyed to a hospital mortuary in Maiduguri for autopsy.
The Borno State Police Command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, told The Guardian that “there were attacks on Marte police station on Sunday night where suspected gunmen burnt the COCIN Church and killed one officer.”
He confirmed the burning of vehicles, motorcycles at the police station, Army commander’s residence in the town.
Jibril said no arrests had been made over the attack, adding that investigations were being conducted by the police and JTF.
Meanwhile, the Jigawa State government has organised a two-day workshop for Islamic scholars on the need to inculcate the right Islamic values on their followers to sustain the peace in the state.
The state has been divided into 75 centres where the scholars will be posted to educate the Imams that lead prayers in mosques on the basic tenets of the religion.
Governor Sule Lamido in his address at the workshop, said the training was part of the efforts of his administration to bring the different sects in Islam under one umbrella to ensure proper that Islamic knowledge is impacted on the people to sustain the prevailing peace in the state. This, he said, would go a long way to teaching the leaders of tomorrow the true practice of the faith so that they would not derail.
He said since the inception of his government he had organised 10 major brainstorming sessions with the council of Ulamas and the five emirs, adding that it would be a continuous process.
The Secretary of the Jigawa State Council of Ulamas, Bala Musa, said the government had been active in ensuring that the scholars were up to date in the teaching of Islam.
He said 1,700 Hisbah guards (Sharia Police) were being trained to strengthen the right practice of the religion.
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