Gunmen believed to be members of the extremist Boko Haram sect on Thursday night attacked Jakana, a town located about 50km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The attack was still on at about 9:20 p.m. Thursday.
Jakana, an agrarian community, is situated along the Maiduguri-Kano highway. It has never fallen to Boko Haram despite repeated attacks by the terror group.
The Maiduguri-Kano highway is considered one of the safest routes in Borno in the past four years.
A police source in Jakana informed PREMIUM TIMES that the attackers were armed with heavy arms and ammunition and have sustained their shooting for over an hour.
“As I am talking to you now we have to retreat to Kolori village ahead of Jakana because the gunmen came in from the direction of Benishek,” said the source who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to journalists.
He added that the gunmen first attacked the military camp on the western flank of the town before advancing towards the town.
“We can’t say the level of damage or casualty for now because even as I talk to you now the shooting is still on,” he said.
A top security personnel in Maiduguri informed PREMIUM TIMES that although the police and the State Security Service may not have detailed information on the ongoing attack, it was not surprising.
“I can say that we expect this kind of attack to happen, following the recent attacks on military and carting away of arms cache and heavy equipment,” he said.
Suicide Bomber
attackes Borno Mosque
A male suicide bomber has killed seven worshipers during morning prayer in a Mosque on Monday in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno.
Ali Kolo, the head of vigilance group in the area, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mr Kolo said seven other persons including a child sustained injuries when the bomber detonated the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strapped to his body during the congregational prayer.
He explained that the suicide bomber sneaked into the affected mosque at Mainari area of Konduga and carried out the attack.
“It is not clear how the suicide bomber infiltrated the town and attacked the mosque.
“The building collapsed during the explosion, and the victims were evacuated from the rubble,” he said.
Bello Dambatta, the Head of Rescue Team, Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed the attack.
Mr Dambatta said the injured persons had been taken to the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, for treatment. (NAN).
Meanwhile, eighteen people have been killed in a brutal attack by suspected Boko Haram jihadists in the Lake Chad region, a Chadian military source said Sunday. “Boko Haram elements attacked a village south of Daboua,” not far from Chad’s border with Niger, at around 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Thursday, the military source said. The assailants “cut the throats of 18 people, wounded two others and kidnapped 10 women”.
Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency has devastated the region since it took up arms in 2009 in Nigeria, leaving at least 20,000 people dead, displacing more than two million others and triggering a humanitarian crisis. Chad, Cameroon and Niger have all joined the military effort by Nigeria to crush Boko Haram.
Chad has seen a recent increase in attacks by the group. In May, six people were killed, including four government officials and a soldier, in a Boko Haram attack on a Chadian army checkpoint on an island in Lake Chad. Niger’s army said Saturday it killed “ten terrorists” after one of its military positions in the southwest of the country was attacked by Boko Haram.
It would be recalled that no fewer than five persons were killed in early morning suicide bomb attack at Gamboru town in Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State in January.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the incident occurred at about 5: 00 a.m., when a teenage male suicide bomber detonated an Improvised Explosive Device strapped to his body in a mosque at Yobe area of Gamboru.
Rogers Nicholas, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, confirmed the attack to NAN in Maiduguri.
Mr. Nicholas said that five persons were killed in the attack as against 11 earlier reported.
He added that the troops had also neutralised a suicide bomber at Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge Local Government Area.
“Yes, but only five killed and another suicide bomber neutralised in Rann”.
However, Lawan Abba, a resident of Gamboru, told NAN that 10 persons were killed and six others sustained injuries in the attack.
Mr. Abba disclosed that the suicide bomber sneaked into a crowded mosque while people gathered to observe Morning Prayer and detonated the explosive.
He revealed that the teenage suicide bomber hailed from Gamboru town, adding that the father to the assailant was among the 10 persons, who lost their lives in the attack.
“The suicide bomber hailed from Gamboru town, he disowned his parents and joined the insurgents in the bush.
“He entered the mosque blew up himself into pieces and killed 10 persons including his biological father,” he said.
Mr. Abba added that the wounded persons were referred to the clinic in the Internally Displaced Persons camp in the area for treatment.