Boko Haram Seizes Another Council Headquarters in Adamawa

In what appears to be a reprisal attack, the Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday seized Hong, which is the administrative headquarters of Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. This followed closely on the heels of the recent rout of the insurgents in Mubi by the combined efforts of local hunters and civilian JTF, which resulted in killing several insurgents and chasing them out of Mubi and Mahia.

An earlier report published in THISDAY last Wednesday had hinted at the possibility of a reprisal attack on the community by the insurgents.

However, a security source disclosed that the attack on Hong town occurred in the early hours of Saturday after the residents had been misled to believe that the rampaging sect members had fled the area on account of their fear of the local hunters.

According to the source, the insurgents burnt down a police station and killed an undisclosed number of persons.

Confirming the attack on the area, a former minister of state for health and later for foreign affairs, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, an indigene of the area, told journalists in the state capital Yola that the insurgents set a police station ablaze but could not state the exact number of casualties, as the details still remained sketchy.

Dr. Hong disclosed that the sect members had attacked two villages in Hong Local Government area a few days earlier, killing at least five persons.

A local resident interviewed by THISDAY also revealed that the militants had attacked the residence of a retired general near Hong. Thus, at about 2pm yesterday, the insurgents were reported to have taken control of Hong, even as hopeful local residents said the local hunters had been alerted to come to the rescue of the besieged town.

Even fleeing residents of Hong echoed their optimism that their town would be delivered from the clutches of the Boko Haram insurgents before sunset by the hunters.

Military authorities in Yola could not be reached for comment on the attack.
In a related development, normalcy seemed to be gradually returning to Hotoro area of Kano yesterday after a suicide bomber disguised as customer buying fuel at a filling station detonated his bomb-laden car and killed six people, including three policemen, on Friday evening during the closing hours from most offices.

One of the survivors of the bomb blast, Mannir Inuwa, recounted his ordeal from his hospital bed at the Murtala Mohammed Hospital Kano. “That day I was off duty, but went to the filling station with my Keke NAPEP. I was inside when I heard loud sound and everywhere was in flames. I felt a sharp pain on my left leg and could not walk,” he said.

Mannir, who would not be photographed for security reasons, said: “My right leg was dangling as if it would fall off but I tried to crawl out of the wreckage and dragged myself towards the toilet area, which was a bit calm before I was evacuated.

“I was there when the fire service van came. But it was the soldiers van that rushed me to hospital. The pain was almost unbearable, but I have been well treated and I am feeling better now.”

But another victim, Musa Hotoro, a fuel attendant at the filling station, was not as lucky as Munnir. He had sustained more severe injuries. Besides multiple fractures on both legs, he suffered severe injuries on his right leg as well as ruptures on his upper limbs.

Mani Auwalu, a third survivor, who is a bus conductor, was resting inside one of the buses when the explosion occurred. The impact threw him far away from the rescuers’ sight. He had escaped death by whiskers but survived with little fractures in his hands. “I was inside the bus when I heard the sound of an explosion and [later] found myself here in the hospital,” he said.

“I thank God for surviving the blast. It is God destined that I found myself here. I will never forgive those behind this blast because it put more tension and trauma on me and my family.”

A hospital official, who spoke with THISDAY on condition of anonymity, revealed that all the victims were responding to treatment considering their condition when they were brought to the hospital.

It was gathered that the entire five injured persons had since been taken care of by the state government, which had settled all their medical bills and offered necessary assistance to them.

The filling station is meanwhile still being cordoned off by the security agents, who are patrolling the area to ensure its safety.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the Nigerian military have already mobilised additional forces to flush out the Islamists from the territories under their control.

According to a security source, who spoke to THISDAY, the latest development had seen the mobilisation of additional troops and special forces from Jaji as well as the creation, mobilisation and dispatch of two new battalions for the all-important operation.

 

“We have mobilised over 3000 additional troops, with special forces arriving from Jaji to the 7 Div. The two new battalions from Giwa Barrack have also been dispatched,” the source said.

                                                                                                                THIS DAY NEWS