lives on Friday as the orgy of
bloodletting in some parts of the
country continued with the clash
between Boko Haram insurgents and
the Special Forces in Maimalari,
Maiduguri, Borno State. The insurgents
had attacked the 21 Armoured Brigade
of the Nigerian Army in the wee hours
of Friday.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the dead
included insurgents who attacked the
military formation and their members
who were held at the biggest detention
facility on the premises of the
headquarters of the Brigade.
It was gathered that the insurgents
targeted the detention facility within
the 21 Armoury Brigade where most of
the hardened members of the sect were
detained.
The military authorities were said to
have received an intelligence report of
an impending attack on the barracks and
prepared for the insurgents.
It was learnt that the insurgents
attempted to divert the attention of the
military by carrying out the attack in
military uniforms and vehicles painted in
military colours.
The huge casualty figure was revealed
amid fresh facts on why the insurgents
were able to advance near the
detention camp with ease. It was learnt
that the insurgents' advancement could
not be immediately halted because the
Shilka tank, a multipurpose self-
propelled anti-aircraft artillery weapon
positioned to secure the barracks, failed
to fire.
An authoritative security source who
pleaded anonymity because he was not
authorised to speak on behalf of the
Special Forces, told Saturday PUNCH
that the Shilka tank refused to respond
to signal. This situation, he said,
prompted the Special Forces to fight
hard to prevent what would have been a
tragic outing.
It was learnt that the tank had earlier
been well -positioned to secure the
portion of the barracks where the
insurgents had penetrated. The source
said if the gun had responded to touch,
the soldiers would have found it easier
to repel the attack of the insurgents
without any damage.
It was learnt that the soldiers
abandoned the disappointing artillery
tank and relied on other weapons to
ward off the insurgents' attack.
The source said that the military was
already looking into the reason behind
the disappointment of the crucial
weapon.
It was learnt that security operatives
who were investigating the Shilka tank
failure were considering two
possibilities-the age of the old artillery
weapon and the possibility of sabotage .
"You know that when these people
came, the Shilka gun simply did not fire.
It disappointed, so the soldiers had to
rely on other weapons to defend the
barracks.
"The gun was positioned to defend that
part of the barracks where the
insurgents came from. If that gun had
fired, they wouldn't have got into the
barracks near the detention facility.''
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the
insurgents stormed the strategic army
formation from a place called Pori, near
a tomato farm close to the barracks,
with some Armoured Personnel Carriers,
as early as 6.30am.
A security source, who spoke to our
correspondent on the condition of
anonymity, said that the insurgents
fought their way into the detention
facility at the barracks where they
attempted to free some of their
members being held.
The source said that at the end of the
confrontation, the soldiers recovered a
Buffalo Truck and an Armoured
Personnel Carrier from the insurgents.
Although the soldiers prevented the
barracks from being burnt by the
invading Boko Haram fighters, it was
said that the insurgents burnt the MRS,
(the traditional medical facility within
the barracks) and the detention facility.
A security source, who spoke to one of
our correspondents on the condition of
anonymity, said that 53 of the
insurgents were killed in action at the
barracks while 297 were killed in a joint
operation by the Air Force and the
ground forces engrossed in chasing the
fleeing insurgents.
The source further said that four
children of a soldier were among those
killed.
The leader of a volunteer youth vigilante
group who assisted the military in
repelling the attack, Abdullahi Dere, said
not less than 207 suspected Boko
Haram terrorists were killed.
Dere, who is the chairman of Sector 5
of the local vigilante group, popularly
referred to as "Civilian JTF" in Jidari
Polo near the Giwa Barracks, said
several insurgents fled the town for
their hideouts with injuries.
He said: "We counted 207 dead bodies
of Boko Haram members shot dead by
the military in Jidari Polo area alone.
The suspected Boko Haram members
had attacked Giwa Barracks and freed
some of the detainees but the military
were able to go after them and killed
them. As we speak, the dead bodies of
the terrorists are still within our area
unattended to."
He added: "We were also able to
capture some fleeing Boko Haram
suspects and handed them over to the
military."
Confirming the casualties figure given
by Dere, the Vice- Chairman of the
vigilante -group in the area, Tijjani Bello,
said apart from 207 killed close to the
barracks, many more were killed in
different parts of the city.
He said, "Many Boko Haram members
were also killed apart from the ones
killed in Jidari Polo. But we only fear
that some innocent residents may be
among those killed."
Another eyewitness told one of our
correspondents that he counted 60
bodies that were dumped in a heap at
the headquarters of the Brigade. It was
learnt that the ground forces and the
men of the Air Force were still in hot
pursuit of the fleeing insurgents as of
the time of filing this report.
The source said that the military
operation was designed to ensure that
the fleeing insurgents were prevented
from getting out of Maiduguri into their
safe havens in the vast Sambisa forests.
It was further gathered that a good
number of the insurgents were killed en
masse in a plantation not too far from
the Brigade on Friday afternoon.
The source said that the insurgents were
attempting to hide and to regroup in
the plantation when they were stormed
by security forces, which spotted them
from a hilly location. "Several of them
were also killed this afternoon in a
plantation where they wanted to take
cover; they were hiding there without
knowing that security forces were
watching them. All of them who were
found in that location were killed and
their arms and ammunition recovered.
A source said that about 60 bodies of
dead insurgents were dumped at the
gate of the Brigade barracks in
Maimalari by 5.30 pm on Friday.
It was further learnt that the insurgents
inflicted some gunshot wounds on some
soldiers and barracks boys during the
attacks. The injured were said to have
been taken to a hospital as of the time
of filing this report.
Saturday PUNCH further learnt that 10
Air Force fighter jets were deployed to
provide the requisite air support for
ground forces who engaged the
insurgents for close to three hours.
Investigation revealed that a third year
student of Mass Communication was hit
by a stray bullet at the University of
Maiduguri.
The Director of Defence Information,
Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an
electronic mail on Friday that the attack
was an attempt by the insurgents to
free their detained members in order to
boost the number of their depleted
fighters.
Olukolade said that the Special Forces
foiled the attack with heavy casualties
on the side of the insurgents.
He said that the victims of the terrorist
attacks included some of the detained
terror suspects. He said that the Special
Forces also captured many of the
terrorists and their arms and
ammunition.
He added that four soldiers who
sustained gunshot wounds were being
treated.
He said, "Pockets of terrorists
apparently in a move to boost their
depleted stock of fighters this morning
attacked a military location in Maiduguri
with a view to freeing their colleagues
who are being held in detention.
"The attack has been successfully
repelled with heavy human casualties on
the terrorists. Some of the victims of
the terrorists fired in their efforts to
break into the detention facility included
those they came to rescue.
"Many of the terrorists and their
weapons have been captured. Four
soldiers were wounded and are being
treated.
"Hot pursuits by land and air operations
are ongoing along with cordon and
search of surrounding localities.
"No institution has been reportedly
attacked, although the effect of firing
from the encounter could be noticed in
surrounding facilities in Maiduguri."
He said that the attack was a reaction to
the intensity of military attacks on
terrorist 'strongholds at Talala,
Monguzum, Sambisa forests, Gwoza,
Mandara mountains as well as the
general area of Lake Chad which were
destroyed and where many of the
insurgents were killed.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, David
Mark, on Friday lamented fresh attacks
of Boko Haram insurgents on Maiduguri,
and pleaded with the insurgents to end
the hostilities.
Mark, who spoke against the fresh
onslaught of the insurgents on
Maiduguri on Friday, reminded them
that violence or crime anywhere in the
World could not produce good result.
The senate president in a statement in
Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr.
Paul Mumeh, said "no matter the
amount of anger in a man's mind,
resorting to violence or killing another
cannot be a solution."
He said, "There are many channels of
communication to dialogue. We can still
come to a dialogue table and resolve
our differences.
"The spate of attacks and killings across
Nigeria is becoming intolerable and
indeed unbearable. The situation is
degenerating. We cannot pretend not to
know that the nation is endangered. We
must all speak out with one voice
against this growing terrorism.
"For whatever reason, let wise counsel
prevail. We are not at war with each
other. Nigerians and indeed Africans are
known to be their brothers' keepers.
"This time-tested position should not
be compromised. Let's respect human
life. It is not too late to reverse this
ugly situation especially in Borno, Yobe,
Adamawa, Katsina and Benue states."
He, however, implored the security
operatives across the country to remain
vigilant and be determined to protect
lives and property even as he urged
citizens to cooperate with them.
Meanwhile, the Senate President has
sent a message of condolence to the
Igbo apex socio- cultural organisation,
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on the demise of its
former President, Ambassador Ralph
Uweche.
Mark described Uweche as an
ambassador par excellence and a bridge
builder who worked for the peace and
unity of Nigeria. He said Uweche left a
positive footprint on the sand of time.
He said, "We shall miss his frank and
honest disposition especially on national
issues. He was a great patriot who
believed in the unity and indivisibility of
Nigeria."
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