For the second day
running, explosions and
shootings continued Friday
in Maiduguri (Borno State)
and Damaturu (Yobe State)
following siege by the
extremist Islamic group,
Boko Haram, and the
subsequent exchange of
gun fire with security
agents.
Casualty figures were said
to have been recorded on
the sides of the police, the
sects and unsuspecting
members of the public who
were hit by stray bullets.
However, there is still no
official confirmation of the
casualty figure.
In Damaturu, where the
gunfire exchange between
the fundamentalists and the
police ceased briefly on
Thursday night, locals
woke up Friday to another
multiple blasts and gunfire
exchange between the two
forces.
Though, the bombings were
in various parts of
Damaturu, however, the
place most hit was
Pompomari where an
accidental explosion killed a
member of the sect on
Monday.
Sources in the town said at
about 6am, deafening
explosions were heard in
the Pompomari area which
is the neighbourhood of the
Emir of Damaturu’s Palace.
This signalled the
resumption of the gunfire
between the sect members
and security agencies.
The source said the
gunfire, which went on for
about five hours, made it
impossible for anyone to go
out. "Everyone stayed in
the safety of their homes
even with the fear of stray
bullets or hitting them."
As a result of the exchange
of gunfire, security forces
cordoned off most parts of
Damaturu.
Most vehicles travelling
through Damaturu were
restricted to bye-passes
as stern-looking soldiers
tightly secured the roads
leading into the town.
According to a source in the
town, the residents of
Pompomari were given 30
minutes at about 9am to
relocate from the area by
security agencies, an
instruction, which they had
to obey and subsequently
allowed for the battle
between the security
agencies and the
fundamentalists to be
heightened.
It was gathered that
detachments of soldiers
were brought in from
neighbouring towns of
Maiduguri, Nguru and Biu to
dislodge the sect members
in Damaturu.
A source revealed that
from Maiduguri alone, 13
Hilux Pick-up vans loaded
with soldiers were deployed
to the town. He also said
that many corpses were on
the streets and that some
houses were razed at
Pompomari area.
The Yobe State
Commissioner for Police,
Tanko Lawal told
journalists that the gun
battle was still ongoing
between the suspected
members of the Boko Haram
sect and a combined team
of security operative.
"The Police can not give
the public the actual
casualty figure for now as
the gun battle in still on
between my men and the
Boko Haram Sect. But we
want to assure the general
public that we are making
progress with the seizure
of a major factory for
making Improvised
Explosive Devises," Lawal
said.
"The only place where the
exchange of fire is still
going on is a house
believed to belong to the
Boko Haram sect. We will
come up with details of the
casualty later, but for now,
we are closing down on
them and we will not want to
give you a figure now and
later give you another,"
Lawal said.
But some residents of
Pompomari claimed that
over 10 corpses of both
security forces and the
Islamic militants littered the
area.
The military and other
security forces were seen
moving their armoured
vehicles as well as other
equipment for the final
showdown with the sect
members while civilians
most of whom are women
and children were seen
leaving the war-torn area
in large numbers.
In Maiduguri, the renewed
explosions started at about
noon Friday and caused
pandemonium with residents
scampering for safety.
It was gathered that five
explosions were heard in
Timber Market, Damboa
Road and Custom areas of
Maiduguri.
At the Timber Market, the
adjoining church, United
Evangelical Ministry and
one other church were
badly damaged.
The military Joint Task
Force (JTF) spokesman,
Hassan Mohammed said
they have succeeded in
killing one suspected Islamic
militant.
