Scared that the Boko Haram insurgents could make good their threat to attack their campus, students of Adamawa State College of Education, based in Hong Local Government Area of the state have fled the school.
The threat to attack the institution was said to have been contained in a letter that was allegedly written and signed by persons suspected to be members of the Islamic terrorist group and dropped in the middle of the school by an unidentified person.
The letter subsequently got to some students who alerted other colleagues and the staff about an impending attack on the college.
The development was said to have thrown the institution into panic and precipitated their exodus from the college. Students and even staff members living near the institution immediately fled the area to avoid the threatened attack by the Islamic sect.
The Provost of the college, Dr. Johnson Pongri, confirmed the incident and noted that the management of the institution had appropriately informed the Hong Divisional Police Officer, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in the state about the said letter.
Pongri further explained that the management of the institution had already informed all relevant organisations in the education sector in order to avoid a repeat of what happened in Yobe State where innocent students were attacked both in their hostels and in examination halls.
The provost said the last letter was the fifth in two months threatening to attack the college, without specifying the time of attack. He explained that it was the fear that the said attack could happen at anytime that had compelled the students to flee the campus.
“The students have started leaving the campus since Tuesday evening over the alleged threat from Boko Haram, while some left campus yesterday.
“However, the management of the college has been trying to pacify the students to stay back in the institution as security operatives are on alert and trying to beef up security in the college,” he said.
He however said he suspected that the letter could have been written by some disgruntled students and staff members.
But while the college was gripped with fear, no fewer than nine Nigerian soldiers were killed in a deadly ambush by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect at the border area of Izhe village in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Confirming the incident, chairman of the council, Mr. Maina Ularamu, who could not ascertain the number of casualties, said the soldiers were on a mission to repel a purported attack planned by the insurgents.
“The soldiers were going to repel a planned attack at Izhe border village when they were ambushed by the heavily armed insurgents,” he said.
Ularamu said the incident had caused fear and tension in most of the villages at the border, adding that some of the villagers had since fled to Madagali, the administrative headquarters, for fear of possible attacks.
An eyewitness, who was on duty, confirmed that the corpses of the nine soldiers were deposited at the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.
Ularamu also said the insurgents were well armed with anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons mounted on their vehicles.
It was learnt that the troops were left to face the heavily armed insurgents, who attacked them from different directions. During the attack, some villagers also revealed that there was aerial support for the soldiers.
Efforts to get the Brigade Commander of the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Yola, Brigadier General Rogers Nicholas, to confirm the casualties, proved abortive as he was said to have gone out for a special assignment.
However, a top military source said the soldiers had carried out a raid on a Boko Haram hideout in the porous border villages, which resulted in a prolonged gun duel with the insurgents.
“During the attack, a fierce battle ensued between our soldiers and the insurgents which lasted several hours,” he said.
Meanwhile, there was no respite for the Borno town of Konduga, which was attacked by the insurgents on Tuesday, as another attack was launched on it yesterday.
Residents said a gun duel ensued Thursday between men of the Nigerian Army and the Islamic insurgents, when for the second time in 48 hours the terrorist group launched another attack on the town.
Reports from the town also indicated that the death toll from the Tuesday attack had risen from 51 to 57, as four persons who were injured in the attack died Thursday.
Many residents were awestruck by the frequency of the brutal attacks, causing many to flee their communities in Borno.
