- Air Force Chief: Military at tail end of operation in North-east
What could have been a black Friday
was yesterday averted in Maiduguri as five female suicide bombers were
intercepted by members of the youth vigilante group, popularly called
Civilian JTF in Borno State.
However, a similar statement from the
military claimed soldiers were the ones that intercepted the suicide
bombers and neutralised them with injuries to three of their men while
unexploded improvised Explosive Devices were safely detonated.
In a related development, the Chief of
Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar yesterday expressed joy
with the progress made in the war against Boko Haram and added that the
Military was at tail end of the anti-terrorism operation in North-east.
Speaking toTHISDAY on the averted attack
in Maiduguri, the spokesman of the youth vigilante group, Barrister
Jubrin Gunda said the five suicide bombers were intercepted at about 5:20 am trying to gain entry into the town.
He said members of youth vigilante group
had prior intelligence that there would be suicide bomb attacks in
Maiduguri and as such, beefed up security around the troubled town.
He said the suicide bombers were sighted
at the outskirts of the town around Polo and Giwa Barrack areas and
were shot dead by the youth vigilantes.
Gunda also revealed that they did not
come in at once but at different times and since they did not stop to be
searched by the vigilante, they had to be shot.
He lamented that three of the vigilantes suffered serious injuries during the attack and had to be taken to the hospital.
“Three of our boys had injuries from the
attacks and are presently on admission at the hospital. We were happy
that the five female suicide bombers that wanted to sneak into the town
to cause havoc were killed.
He added that: “We were lucky to have
received prior information of the intending attacks and we were watchful
throughout night and day at all points of entry into the town.”
Some of the residents who spoke to our correspondents said they heard heavy blasts in the early hour of Friday and thought it was the military that was test running their ammunition.
Gunda however said the heavy sound was the result of the blast that greeted the shooting of the suicide bombers.
He noted that when the suicide bombers
were shot, the bombs on the females detonated and that was what resulted
in the injuries of the three youth vigilantes.
The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, had in a statement yesterday, said: “At about 4.00am,
troops of 101 Battalion of 7 Division received a tip off about
impending attack in Maiduguri city by 4 suspected Boko Haram terrorists
suicide bombers from Sambisa forest through Cashew Plantation.
“The troops responded decisively by
intercepting and neutralising the suspected terrorists at Madiyari
village. The third suicide bomber was intercepted and neutralised at
Jimini-Bolori village”.
Unfortunately, he said, three soldiers
sustained injuries in the process and had been evacuated to the unit’s
Regimental Aid Post (RAP), for treatment.
According to him, the two unexploded
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the suicide bombers were safely
detonated by a combined team of Nigeria Police and our Explosive
Ordinance Device (EOD) experts.
In a related development, Usman said the
troops also arrested three suspected Boko Haram terrorists at Nwagafete
village comprising two women and a 16 year old boy who were connected
to suspected terrorists’ food vendors earlier arrested.
Air Force Chief: Military at tail end of operation in North-east…
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar is happy with the progress made in the war
against Boko Haram and added that the Military was at tail end of the
anti-terrorism operation in North-east.
The Air Force Chief stated this
yesterday at a press conference in Abuja, where he briefed journalists
on the activities for the 52nd anniversary ceremony of the NAF, which
also coincides with the 2016 re-union of the Service.
He said, “even though, the military was
not in any way surprised that a large number of terrorists are
surrendering, considering the level of attacks that had been unleashed
on them both on air and on the ground by the troops in the ongoing
counter insurgency in the North-east”.
Abubakar stressed that lesson drawn from
the reunion coming up in Bauchi state is desired to form the basis of
the review of NAF tactics, techniques and procedures in the way its
confronts prevailing and emerging security challenges in the country.
The CAS explained that though the
military was not able to meet up with the Presidential directive handed
down in December 2015, and coupled with some pockets of attacks which
are still being witnessed., but stressed that a lot had been achieved
between 2014 and now.
“I think looking at where we are coming
from. I think we have done substantially well with the support of the
federal government and the Nigerian people. In those days in 2014, we
have convoys of hilux vehicles moving from one village to the other,
killing innocent Nigerians and that is not happening today.
“Yes, we are having isolated cases of
suicide bombings. Suicide bombing is an issue that you and every
Nigerian have a role to play in giving us intelligence, a fighter air
craft cannot spot a thirteen year old girl carrying explosive. It is
impossible. It is an issue that has to do with intelligence. Where are
these girls mobilised from? How did they get recruited? These are issues
people around the communities there should be able to assist the
military and other security agencies with intelligence.”
The Air chief said despite the
challenges, the military was at the tail end of the operation in the
North-east, and that the war against the insurgents would soon come to
an end.
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