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Talibans strike again in Borno
•Kill area commander, 3 others
RAYMOND GUKAS,
Maiduguri
POLICE
Area Commander for Bama in Borno State, an assistant commissioner of police
(names withheld), three other cops and a civilian were among persons killed by
the dreaded Islamic fanatical sect, better known as the Talibans, who
surprisingly attacked two police stations in Borno State Monday night.
The fresh attack by a 60-man gang of the
fundamentalist group, believed to have crossed into Nigeria from a neighbouring
country, came barely six months after a joint police/military operation
reportedly wiped the sect out of Borno and Yobe States.
Several persons were also injured in the
latest attack by the Talebans.
Daily Champion
gathered that armed members of the anti-establishment sect emerged from the
Gwoza hills, Borno State, Monday night and started shooting.
After they attacked the Gwoza police
station, where a Constable and a Corporal lost their lives in the encounter, the
gang fled to neighbouring Bama local government area where they stormed the
police station there, killing the Area Commander.
Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Adamu
Dibal, as well as the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ade Ajakaiye have since
visited the scene of the attacks and sympathised with victims.
Mr. Ajakaiye who told reporters that the
attack was carried out by the "Talebans," added that the attacks took the police
by surprise as it was believed that the Talebans had been wiped out by
police/military patrols in the first encounter last March.
According to him, the attacks were similar
to the previous one as four of his men including a police woman and a civilian
vigilante were also killed while a number of vehicles were burnt at the Gwoza
police station.
Narrating the situation to the Deputy
Governor, the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Shehu Idrissa Timta, described the incident
as shocking and beyond human comprehension.
According to him, shortly after the Gwoza
attack, the gang fled into the Gwoza hills, a development that reduced the havoc
in the inhabitants after the sect members were challenged by the vigilante
groups.
The Talibans are said to be trapped the
hills near the village of Liman Kara as the entire area has now been surrounded
by security personnel awaiting surrender of the gang.
The rampaging Talebans abandoned a black
flag in Bama while they are said to don red and black uniform.
Meanwhile, the Borno State government has
condemned the attack on the police formations and appealed to the people to
always volunteer useful information to security personnel for necessary
pre-emptive action.
Deputy Governor, Alhaji Dibal said after
visiting after the affected areas that government is doing everything possible
to arrest the situation and appealed for calm.
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