In the attempt by Boko Haram insurgents to expand its ‘Islamic caliphate” in North Eastern Nigeria to bama, Borno state, the sect on Monday, September 1, 2014 lost 59 sect members in a gun battle with the Nigerian military.
Although contradictory reports are awash in the media, security sources say 59 of the 200 Boko Haram insurgents who were killed in the battle that ensued.
According to the source, about 30 of the sect members also sustained serious injuries, with others fleeing into the bush with others escaping via the highway.
Thisday reports:
Some residents of Bama, who spoke to journalists in Maiduguri, said they woke up early to heavy bombardment as gunshot rented the air.
One of the residents said: “Everyone was thrown into pandemonium as we continued to hear deafening gunshots and we were later to hear that over 200 Boko Haram terrorists attempted to capture the town.
“We also learnt that they stormed the town through Bama-Banki-Gwoza Road but they were intercepted by gallant military troops near the Bama Mobile Police Unit located about five kilometres away from the centre of the town.
“They were believed to have tactically attempted to enter Bama town in a convoy of military vehicles and motorcycles, dressed in military uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).”
He added that during the battle, gunshots were heard and there was the heavy sound of explosions from rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) as well as bombs.
He said the explosions which rented the air forced many residents to flee the town through the bush and some by road to neighbouring villages and towns, including Maiduguri and nearby Konduga.
Another resident of Bama, Mallam Mohammed Bunu Ahmed, told journalists on the phone from the town that “there was an attempt by the insurgents to enter Bama and capture it as they did to Gwoza a few weeks back. But thank God for the good efforts of the troops stationed near the Mobile Police Unit who repelled the attack with the assistance of their colleagues from the 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army. The troops successfully killed over 59 insurgents and injured over 30 of them”.
He said the whole episode was so frightening that it forced many residents to flee to Maiduguri, adding that some ran to Konduga, while others took refuge in some villages around the town.
A resident of the town, who was able to make it to Maiduguri alongside others, told journalists at the Konduga motor park, where over 200 persons who fled the town to Maiduguri were temporarily given refuge, said they were waiting for the intervention of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), the state government and other well-meaning members of the society.
Narrating his ordeal, another person who fled to Maiduguri, Alhaji Masa Bukar, said: “We are here because we woke up this morning to the sound of explosions enveloping us. As early as the Subh prayer (4.45 am prayer) we heard gunshots and RPG shots around the Technical College and Mobile Police Unit along Banki Road.
“We were advised by the military and Civilian JTF to leave the town so as to allow them confront the insurgents with minimum collateral damage. This made us flee the town.”
He disclosed that many fleeing residents of the town stopped along the way in Kawuri or Goniri or Konduga, “but we decided to come straightaway to Maiduguri where the military presence is high. We were very afraid”.
He said more people were expected to seek refuge in Maiduguri, adding, “They should be here any moment from now.”
Ahmed equally said as they were heading towards Maiduguri, they saw a convoy of military armoured tanks moving towards Bama.
Also, a traditional title holder in Bama, who did not want his name in print, told journalists that the people of Bama were excited over the new efforts of the military in the area and the relocation of the 21 Armoured Brigade Battalion to Bama, insisting that were it not for the gallantry of the soldiers, Bama would have fallen to the terrorists.
He said: “Even the reinforcement being done by the GOC now is a clear indication that the military is serious and ready to rid the state of the insurgency unlike in the past.”
Some residents of Maiduguri along Bama Road further informed that a convoy of over 25 military vehicles and armoured cars were seen moving rapidly towards Bama town from Maiduguri between 10.30 am and 11.30 am.
Also confirming the clash in Bama yesterday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said Nigerian troops had repelled an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists to gain more territory in Borno State, with scores killed in the process.
DHQ, on its twitter handle, said: “Today’s attack on Bama in Borno State is being repelled by the Nigerian troops. We cannot state casualty situation/figures now. Everything necessary will be done to contain the terrorists.”
An intelligence source who also spoke to THISDAY on the duel in Bama said the Nigerian forces had made a lot of gains in their renewed offensive but had chosen to be more circumspect about their operations until the victory is complete.
“You can notice that the military does not want to talk about this operation. The DDI does not even want to issue any statement on this. That is why the DHQ is relying more on their twitter handle and other social media networks.
“All I can assure you now is that the military had the upper hand. We don’t want to give away anything or figures but those killed are more than 50 that has been reported. We want to ensure that the victory is complete,” the source said.
However, in its bid to ward off any counter-attack on Miaduguri, the Nigerian army yesterday reviewed the curfew imposed on the Borno State capital as a fallout of the emergency rule in the state.
In a press statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, the army said the curfew hours would be in place from 7 pm to 6 am daily. The previous curfew imposed on the town was from 9 pm to 6 am daily.
Usman, in the statement, said no one was exempted from the curfew, insisting that “all must comply with the directive and anyone found flouting this directive will be arrested and prosecuted”.
Meanwhile, the federal government has insisted that the rescue of the over 200 school girls abducted 141 days ago by members of the Boko Haram sect, remains a priority and will never become a “politicised issue”.
It however stated that while it is open to dialogue with the sect, it would not subject the release of the girls to a prisoner swap deal, but would explore only the best options possible and available to achieving their release and curbing insurgency.
These details were contained in the talking points issued to all Nigerian missions worldwide by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.
The government appealed for patience from all Nigerians, the parents of the girls and the Chibok community, and urged them to remain supportive of its efforts. It also said it was ready to deploy assets and resources towards rescuing the girls.
Reiterating that the location of the girls remains known to the government, it added that its efforts have been geared towards ensuring that they remain within Nigeria’s borders and are rescued alive in line with international best practices.
On the welfare of the girls, the government said: “We have no reason to believe otherwise and we understand that the abductors are guided by a firm religious belief that abhors the mistreatment of women especially young girls and children in captivity.
“In this case, the children might be used as human shields which is understandable but regrettably so.”
The foreign affairs ministry, in the statement, also reiterated some of the steps taken by the government to protect schools, following several attacks on educational institutions, and to curb terrorism.
Some of the steps include the Safe Schools Initiative aimed at protecting schools in the states under emergency rule with funding that has now totalled $20 million, and the establishment of a Nigeria Terrorism Victims Support Foundation, which is expected to raise $1 billion to support victims of terrorism.
“The government is working with state governors, community leaders, teachers and parents to identify and remedy the vulnerabilities that put our children at risk… Over the long term, the government is developing a comprehensive economic empowerment plan for the region – the Presidential Initiative for North East,” the ministry said.
Providing clarification on the $1 billion loan being sought for military equipment to fight Boko Haram, the government said all countries take similar steps, adding that it is a long-term facility meant to retool and rekit its security forces.
“It is an essential part of military strategy to restock depleting assets once in a while. Although the effort will reinforce the fight against insurgency, it is a long-term capacity enhancement approach for training, kitting and arsenal build-up for primary security reasons.
“Don’t forget Nigeria has the strongest armed forces in the region which has been called upon severally to help find and build peace in several countries in Africa, Asia among others,” the statement read.
In addition, as Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin continue to work together to eliminate the threat posed by Boko Haram to security in the region, a ministerial security meeting has been scheduled to hold in Abuja tomorrow.
The meeting is a follow-up to earlier security conferences held in Paris in May and in London in June this year.
According to a statement issued by the Crisis Monitoring and Public Communications Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja yesterday, the foreign ministers of the listed countries have been invited.
The Foreign Ministers of Canada, China, France, US and the UK are also expected to attend, in addition to representatives of ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
The meeting is aimed at reviewing the progress made in the implementation of resolutions from the Paris, London and Washington meetings.
“Especially the extent of delivery of foreign assistance including efforts by the Nigerian government in the continued fight to put out the Boko Haram insurgency,” the statement read.
