20 die in Zamfara gun men attack

FRESH waves of violence by gunmen in Zamfara and Borno states have claimed 21 lives, a police formation and schools.

In a village in Zamfara, dozens of men armed with guns stormed Kaburu Village early on Tuesday morning, demanding money before shooting and hacking 20 people to death, local residents said.

“They were all shot to death while the village head was slaughtered with a sword,” local council spokesman, Salihu Anga, told Reuters on phone.

In Borno State, gunmen shot dead Mr. Mustapha Flawama, an associate of a former governor of the state, Ali Sheriff and sacked police formations and schools.

The gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram members, set ablaze the Chibok Divisional Police Station, bible and primary schools and a mast of a Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM) firm in Chibok town at 6.35 p.m. on Tuesday.

Flawama was shot dead in Maiduguri at his Polo ward residence by gunmen at 10.16 a.m. on Wednesday.

Chibok is 130 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and an epicentre of Boko Haram.

And as part of the Federal Government’s effort to contain the Boko Haram insurgency, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, yesterday disclosed that some persons alleged to have links with the groups were being investigated.

I.G of police Mohammed Dikko Abubakar

                  

He summoned top police investigators across the country to Abuja yesterday to evolve new ways of tackling insecurity in the country.

At the start of the conference of senior officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Force, Abubakar disclosed that some people who were alleged to have links with members of Boko Haram were under watch.

“We are investigating and we want those who have evidence to give us. Please, anybody who has evidence about that, we need help. You cannot take anybody to court without preponderance of evidence. All those people you are talking about, yes, they are under watch and we are investigating. So, we need assistance and that is part of what this seminar will discuss today. These investigators need evidence to be able to prosecute their cases. There is no imaginary evidence.  Things do not happen from the blues. They must be realistic and there must be preponderance of evidence for us to do that,” he said.

The IGP lamented that the nation has many cases of murder that have not been resolved and expressed his determination to sharpen investigative tools of the police to be able to contain such cases.

Besides, the Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde, has called on the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies in the country to expose those perpetrating the acts of terror being witnessed in different parts of the country, especially in the North.

He was reacting to the bombing of St. Rita’s Catholic Church at Ungwa Yero in Malali, Kaduna North Local Council, by a suicide bomber on Sunday, which left about 10 people dead and nearly 150 others injured.

In a statement made available by the church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, the prelate said: “Until those behind these series of acts of terror are exposed, there is that possibility that these blood-thirsty people will not stop.”

According to an eyewitness and resident of Chibok, the gunmen came in two unmarked Golf Volkswagen vehicles armed with petrol-bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and  attacked the police station and  bible and primary schools at dusk.

He said the policemen on duty at the station were caught unawares when the gunmen started chanting “God is great! God is great,” and began throwing several petrol-bombs and explosives at the police station which went up in flames.

“After torching the police station, the gunmen also ran to one of the bible schools and a primary school in the town and set them ablaze, including a telecom mast of a GSM firm in the town,” said the resident in a telephone interview yesterday in Chibok.

Scene of violence and fire attack

                                         

On whether there were casualties, he said: “None of the residents and policemen was killed in the torching of the station and schools, but the policemen on duty at the station fled on sighting the gunmen with petrol-bombs and explosives at about 6.35 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday).”

Piqued by the gunmen’s onslaught on residents of Chibok town, the youths quickly mobilised with bows and arrows, and chased the suspects out of the town, while the three public buildings and GSM mast were burning, as the council had no fire fighting vehicles to put off the raging fire.

Barely 16 hours after the Chibok’s police station, schools and mast attacks, gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram also shot and killed Flawama.

Two gunmen, according to a resident, Ibrahim Audu, trailed Sheriff’s associate in a tricycle to his residence and fired several gunshots into his head and chest before he slumped dead in the presence of his wife and children in the morning.

“This area is not safe day and night because I am shocked and frightened at the number of people being killed in their houses and

mosques here in  the Polo area. This elder was sitting in front of his house when these gunmen came on Keke Napep and shot him dead this morning (Wednesday),” said Audu, while describing the state of security in the Polo area despite the Joint Task Force (JTF) patrol of the area.

Confirming the separate incidents yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno State police command spokesman, Gideon Jibrin, said in a telephone interview that there were attacks on one of the divisional police stations in Chibok, while a resident at his Polo area was also shot and killed by suspected gunmen on Wednesday at about 10.00 a.m.

He said no arrests had been made in the two separate attacks and assassination of an associate of the former governor of the state.

Besides, the opposition All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) has criticised the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over its inability to curb the ceaseless murder of defenceless Nigerians across the country.

Urging the government to live up to its responsibility to protect the citizenry, the ANPP noted that it was unfortunate that the hapless citizens of the country were yet to feel the impact of the billions of naira expended to secure lives and property in the polity.

Describing the latest killings of defenceless villagers in Zamfara State and Dogon Dawa Village in Birnin Gwari Local Council of Kaduna State as instances of the killings too many, the ANPP noted that the incident was a sad statement on the value of human life in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by Emma Eneukwu, the ANPP expressed shock on the gruesome murder of about 20 villagers in Kaburu.

He noted: “It is surely very jolting to fathom the trauma that even the survivors of this heinous act went through as their night rest was abruptly interrupted by rampaging gunmen, resulting in deaths, sorrows and untold desolation. What will make the most hardened mind shudder is the reported story that the raiding criminals came into the village calling on residents of the area to remain indoors to ensure that their money and other valuables were kept within reach.”

Also, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Dipo Ayeni, has called on religious leaders and residents of the state to be vigilant.

The police boss who stated this yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting on security matters held at the Police Officers’ Mess in Jos, the state capital, stressed the need for security consciousness as some churches and mosques were now complacent over their security measures. He appealed to the religious leaders to moderate their hours of worship and also provide adequate security for their members during worship hours.
The officer in charge of the Anti-Bomb Squad, Assistant Superintendent Abel Mbibi, reiterated the need for churches and mosques to comply with security measures agreed upon by the security and religious leaders while also stressing security-tips for religious, social, corporate and government establishments in the state.

......... courtesy guardiannews