Troops foil fresh attack on Maiduguri, kill scores of terrorists

• Camerounian soldiers kill 123 B’ Haram members

• PDP hails military, urges support from Nigerians

• Suicide bomber kills self, others in Yobe 

IT was another show of gallantry Sunday when Troops of 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Borno State repelled Boko Haram terrorists who were to attack Maiduguri metropolis.

 Also Sunday, a new dimension was observed in the terrorists’ style of attack when a suicide bomber at about 1.20 pm blew himself up inside the residence of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives candidate, Sabo Garbu, in Potiskum, Yobe State, killing six people. According to reports, the suicide bomber made his way into the residence of Garbu, the PDP candidate for the Potiskum / Nangere Federal constituency in Yobe for next month’s general elections and detonated the bomb.

Many supporters of the politician were at his residence when the bomb went off.

 From the the Cameroonian Information Minister, Isaa Chirooma Bakary also came announcement that following a “coordinated aerial and ground operations” with Nigerian troops in the Lake Chad Basin areas on Thursday and early hours of Friday, 123 Boko Haram suspects were killed at Fotokol  while crossing the border to flee two occupied Nigerian border towns. He said three soldiers died in the operation.

  Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has praised the gallantry of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for repelling the insurgents in Borno and other troubled states in the north.

  As the troops repelled the hoodlums into the Sambisa Forest along Gambole and Damboa roads Sunday in Borno, they killed scores of the insurgents and destroyed their vehicles and rifles at Dalwa village. Dalwa is a farming and herding community on the Maiduguri-Biu road, and 21 kilometres south of the metropolis.

  Many residents of Molai and Sulemanti communities and the ones residing near the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot, also fled to adjourning Polo Jidari and Moduganari wards for safety, as the soldiers’ operation against the insurgents lasted for over five hours Sunday.

According to Bukar Amsami of Molai, the gunmen sneaked into the outskirts of Molai and Gombole road at about 4.30am, before troops fiercely engaged them in a battle that resulted into repulsion of dozens of the armed terrorists into the forest by 9.35am.

As the military operation continued Sunday morning, spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Col. Tukur Ismail Gusau, said the insurgents had already been repelled back into the forest. “The security situation in Maiduguri now is under our control. Our troops are pursuing them back into the forest,” said Gusau in a message to The Guardian Sunday.

   It was also learnt that the “fierce repulsion” was coordinated with the arrival of the Nigerian Air Force (NFA) fighter jet from Yola by 7.35am.

Hamisu Garga, a resident of Molai, in a telephone interview, also said that the coordinated repulsion of the insurgents by soldiers at the southern flank of the metropolis, forced many of the terrorists to flee, but were killed at a nearby village on the Maiduguri-Damboa road.

 “The hovering of the fighter jet over Maiduguri was to track down the fleeing insurgents towards Damaturu or Dikwa roads. Certainly the reports we just received by 9am indicates that dozens of the terrorists were killed this morning,” Garga said in his comment on the casualty figures in yesterday’s attempted attack.

  Fotokol is a Cameroonian border town with Nigeria, and 45 kilometers west of Gambouru.

The convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and rifles of the terror suspects, according to the Cameroonian minister, were also destroyed while fleeing to cross into the Cameroonian border town of Fotokol.

  Bakary disclosed the operation on Saturday in a special Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

He said the two-day coordinated military operation was successfully executed to prevent the insurgents’ attack on Cameroonian border towns and villages in the North.

  His words: “Our soldiers succeeded in preventing the terrorists from causing more havoc to both lives and property on our soil, as they had early this month and December last year killed many of our citizens, including some of our military personnel and local hunters. But yesterday (Friday) our security personnel dealt severely with them (insurgents).”

 The Guardian also learnt that the Chadian military last Thursday  reclaimed Mallam Fatori, the council headquarters of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State. It was however not clear, whether the recapturing of the Lake Chad shore township was also coordinated with the Nigerian military, as the Defence Headquarters was yet to respond to the claim as press time.

  Other captured towns of Baga, Monguno, Dikwa, Marte, Bama, Gwoza and Damasak, a border town with Niger Republic are, however still under the control of insurgents, after their capture last August and December.

  PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday said the members of the armed forces have shown exceptional patriotism while risking their lives to protect those of other citizens and intensifying efforts to ensure that the nation is rid of terrorist activities.

  The party said it recognizes the sacrifices being made by the military, adding that “what is needed at this point is for all Nigerians to close ranks and support them with words of encouragement, prayers and helpful information where necessary.”

“This is no longer the time to dwell on politics or engage in unnecessary blame-games. We cannot continue to seek political capital while terrorists slaughter and maim our people. To win this battle therefore, all citizens must come together, stand with our government and the military and present a common front against terrorism irrespective of our religious, political and ethnic differences,” the party said.

 The PDP condoled with the families of the victims of the attacks, comforted the displaced and the wounded and prayed God to restore enduring peace in the country.

  The party also restated President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to security and the unity of the nation, adding that with the support of all citizens, “Nigeria will come out of all its challenges a stronger, more united and more prosperous nation where all will live in peace and harmony.”