Tag Archives: yobe

Presidential Committee rehabilitates 19 police stations in Yobe.

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The Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative, PCNI, on Wednesday said it had rehabilitated 19 police stations destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in Yobe.

Tijjani Tumsah, the Vice President of the committee, disclosed this in Potiskum while handing over one of the rehabilitated police stations to the Yobe Police Command.

Mr. Tumsah said the committee had accorded priority to the reconstruction of police stations to restore civil authority in the state.

“Police stations in Yobe were among the worst hit public structure during the insurgency.

“The rehabilitation of these stations will improve maintenance of law and order in the society,” he said.

The vice chairman assured that the committee would assist in reconstructing and fencing police barracks in the state to enhance security.

“We will continue to encourage you to restore peace and normalcy in the state,” Mr. Tumsah said.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abdulmaliki Sunmonu, said the reconstruction of the 19 police stations would improve policing in the state.

Musa Jidawa, Secretary of the State Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Committee, also said that the reconstruction of the structures would facilitate the resettlement of communities affected by the insurgency.

 

Source: NAN

Unopposed APC sweeps Yobe’s local government elections

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The ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in Yobe State was declared winner in all the 17 local government areas where council elections were conducted by the state electoral commission, YOSIEC, on Saturday.

Residents of Yobe State at the weekend filed out to cast their votes in an election where only the ruling APC candidates were contestants.

Before the elections, the deeply weakened opposition political parties in the state, including the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lamented the high cost of nomination forms, which they said would not give them fair chance of participating in the polls.

The opposition politicians argued that having been in opposition for a long time, they could not afford the N300,000 cost of purchasing nomination forms for local government chairmanship seat.

Despite the controversy, the Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, took credit as the only governor in northeast Nigeria to conduct local government polls for the second time since 2011.

?Mr. Gaidam had in December 2013 conducted Yobe council polls when he was in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, with his party also winning with a landslide.

The defunct ANPP had always swept the polls at the local government level since 2003.

Last Saturday’s election was as well predicted to be a walkover. And due to the bandwagon nature of politics in Yobe, most of the opposition politicians said they would not waste their resources going into a contest they already knew they would loose.

Declaring the results on Sunday in Damaturu, the state capital, the Executive Chairman of YOSIEC, Muhammad Abdu, said all the APC chairmanship candidates and their deputies were returned winners in the 17 council areas.

He made the declaration citing Section 197 of the Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission Law, as well as sub-section 1 paragraph (b) and part two of the third schedule to the 1999 constitution.

Governor Gaidam had in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Abdullahi Bego, hailed the citizens and the electoral body for ensuring smooth conduct of the election.

Heavy gunfire in Yobe as Army foils Boko Haram’s attempt to capture military base

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There was intense exchange of gunfire in Borno on Wednesday night as a huge number of suspected Boko Haram terrorists descended on a military base in Yobe with the intention of dislodging the troops there and taking over the location.

Military insiders told PREMIUM TIMES that the terrorists stormed the military base in Kamuya at 5:30 p.m. from three different directions shooting non-stop for over 30 minutes.

Because the attack was unexpected and the terrorists were in such a large number than the officers and men at the camp, the troops initially withdrew, our sources said.

However, a reinforcement was quickly sent from Buni Yadi to join the troop on ground.

After hours of intense fighting, the troops were able to retake the camps, with the terrorists fleeing.

A large number of Boko Haram terrorists were said to have been killed in battle with some fleeing the scene with gunshot wounds.

One source said three Nigerian soldiers died while some equipment were lost during the battle. A number of soldiers are also said to be missing.

The Yobe attack came days after suspected Boko Haram members abducted seven women and killed three other persons when they attacked a village in the southern part of Borno State.

Witnesses and police said the incident occurred in Ndagu Village of Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

Ndagu village is located near Alagarno, which was once known as the spiritual headquarters of Boko Haram and was said to have been recently liberated by troops of the Nigeria military.

A leader of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Borno State, Abbas Gava, informed PREMIUM TIMES that he received a report from one of his colleagues in Askira-Uba Local Government Area that Ndagu in Lassa district came under massive attack by Boko Haram.

Mr. Gava said he was briefed by the Commander of VGN in Askira-Uba, Hamidu Wampana, that many of the residents fled into the jungle when the gunmen set the whole village on fire.

The army authorities were yet to comment on the Yobe attack at the time of this report.

Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, did not pick or return calls and did not respond to an SMS sent to him.

At least 5 soldiers die in dusk attack by Boko Haram on army facility in Yobe

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At least five soldiers were killed in a surprise weekend attack by Boko Haram Islamists on a military base in northeast Nigeria, senior officers told AFP on Monday.

A group of Boko Haram fighters launched an attack on the army facility in the town of Buni Yadi at dusk Saturday, leading to an “intense battle”, one officer said on condition of anonymity.

“We lost five soldiers in the attack, including a captain who was recently deployed to Buni Yadi,” he said, asking not to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The Boko Haram gunmen are believed to have regrouped after Nigeria’s military chased them out of the group’s Sambisa Forest stronghold in the neighbouring state of Borno last month.

Nigeria’s military and government maintains the Islamic State group affiliate is a spent force because of sustained pressure that has driven them out of swathes of captured territory.

Last month, Abuja said the insurgency, which began in 2009, was in its final stages, a year after President Muhammadu Buhari said the group was “technically” defeated.

But questions will be asked about how the rebels were able to attack such a sizeable military base and inflict casualties and the extent to which they pose a security threat.

Such attacks have been a common feature of the insurgency, with Boko Haram in the past regularly over-running military bases and seizing weaponry.

A spokesman for the Buni Yadi base, Lieutenant George Okupe, said: “There was indeed an attack in Buni Yadi by terrorists which was repelled.

“I cannot confirm any casualty for now. All I can say is that some soldiers are missing in action.”

Buni Yadi, some 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the Yobe state capital, Damaturu, fell into the hands of Boko Haram in February 2014 after Boko Haram attacked a boys’ boarding school.

At least 43 students were killed as they slept and the school was set ablaze.

The militants sacked the town and remained in control until March last year until they were ousted by the Nigerian military.

Damaturu IDP camp records 22 marriages, 81 deliveries in 20 months

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No fewer than 22 marriage contracts were sealed and 81 babies delivered in the past 20 months at the Pompomari Internally Displaced Persons camp in Damaturu,  Executive Secretary, Yobe Emergency Management Agency, Musa Jidawa , has disclosed.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Saturday that the camp, established in March 2015 for IDPs from villages in Gujba Local Government Area displaced by insurgents, also recorded 18 deaths during the period under review.

Mr. Jidawa, who is also the Secretary of the State Committee on Resettlement and Rehabilitation of IDPs, said the camp started with 4,211 IDPs but now hosts about 2,000 persons.

According to him, his agency also circumcised boys at the camp that were due for circumcision.

“The agency had within this period, circumcised 76 boys whose age range between five and 11years in an organised ceremony in accordance with their customs and tradition, to give them a cultural sense of belonging.

“The celebrants were each provided with new sets of clothes, one live chicken and a blanket as is the practice in their ancestral communities,” he said.

The Secretary explained that the circumcision was carried out so that boys of the age group did not outgrow the period of getting circumcised.

He said another camp, the Bukar Ali IDP camp, was closed down following requests by the IDPs to return home as security had improved in their communities.

 

“The state government relocated 391 IDPs in the camp comprising 92 households to their respective communities, with each household provided a return package of two bags of rice, a bag of beans, vegetable oil, cooking pots, nylon mats, soap and N20,000,” he said.

Amid nationwide budget raise, Yobe cuts 2017 spending to N69 billion

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Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, has said his government would be spending N69.3 billion for the general development and running of the state in the coming 2017 fiscal year.

The proposed amount is N19.5 billion less than the 2016 budget, is one the smallest in the country, at a time many states are raising their budgets as they face the effect of economic recession.

Speaking at the Yobe State House of Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Gaidam said his government planned to spend N27.4 billion as capital expenditure and N41.98 billion for recurrent expenditure.

The governor said the 22 per cent reduction in the 2017 budget was informed by the current economic recession partly caused by the fall in price of oil.

He said despite the challenges faced by the government, his government remained “focused to make concerted efforts aimed at improving the quality of life of the citizens of the State”.

The governor said the proposed budget would be funded by the projected incomes from Internally Generated Revenue of about N3.8 billion, Statutory Allocation of about N35.4 billion, Value Added Tax of about N7.4 billion, Ecological Fund billion.

Others are Excess Crude Oil money N2.5 billion, grants of N3.5 billion, External Loans of N490 million, Internal Loans of about N12.3 billion, Miscellaneous expectations of about N1.5 billion, as well as funds from the treasury opening balance of about N500 million.

Yobe governor sends commissioner caught snoring during budget presentation home

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Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State on Thursday directed a sleeping commissioner at the presentation of the 2017 budget to the State House of Assembly to go home for more sleep.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had barely commenced reading the budget speech when the cabinet member started snoring.

Mr. Gaidam warned that any public officer henceforth caught sleeping stood sacked.

“As from today, any commissioner or special adviser caught sleeping stands sacked and will immediately be replaced.

“We will borrow a leaf from the North Korea experience to make government affairs a serious business,” he said.

Mr. Gaidam while reviewing the budget performance of the outgoing year paused and directed the sleeping commissioner to go home.

“I am referring to the commissioner who is sleeping, you can go back home to sleep since you cannot endure the session,” he said.

Although the governor did not mention the name of the sleeping commissioner, he pointed to the row of the commissioners to issue the directive.

NAN reports that the bewildered commissioners looked at each other in embarrassment and sat up to avoid dozing and being victims of the governor’s sledge hammer.

Adamu Dala-Dogo, speaker of the assembly, however, advised public officers to take beverages that would keep them awake during public functions.

UN To Deliver Food, Nutrition Supports To Borno, Yobe

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The United Nations said its agencies, the World Food Programme and UNICEF are increasing food and nutrition services to urgently reach 1.8 million people in Borno and Yobe States.

Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, said at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday that food insecurity had reached an extreme level in northeast.

“in Nigeria, our colleagues from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF are rolling out a rapid response mechanism to deliver food, health and nutrition services in difficult-to-reach areas in Borno and Yobe States,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the UN official as saying at the briefing.

“The two states are worst affected by hunger and malnutrition in northeastern Nigeria.

“This is part of WFP’s larger response plan – to gradually scale up to reach 1.8 million people with urgent food and nutrition support throughout 2017.”

According to him, food insecurity has reached an extreme level in parts of northeastern Nigeria, where 4.6 million people are going hungry.

“Without urgent support, hunger will only deepen.

“Since August, the number of people needing urgent food assistance has increased from about 1 million to 1.8 million in Borno and Yobe States,” he said.

Haq also said the Security Council was meeting on the cooperation between the UN and regional organisations, including the African Union.

“The Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union, Haile Menkerios, told the Council that the conflicts we face in Africa today have grown in scale and complexity,” he added.

Credit:

UN to deliver food, nutrition supports to Borno, Yobe

FG delivers 5,136 bags of rice to IDPs in Yobe.

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The Federal Government has made available 5,136 bags of rice and some other items to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yobe State.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Khadija Abba, delivered the items to the state government.

She applauded the resilience of the state government for the unique partnership with security agencies towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

The Minister specifically described as “worthy of emulation”, the commitment of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam’s administration to supporting the war against insurgency.

She similarly commended the Deputy Governor, Abubakar Aliyu, who is the Chairman of the Resettlement Committee of IDPs in the state, for implementing all the resettlement policies of the government.

Mr Aliyu, who received the items on Monday on behalf of Governor Gaidam, extolled the Federal Government for remembering the insurgency victims.

According to him, the gesture “will go a long way in addressing food scarcity among the returnees who have not been engaged in any gainful ventures for several years”.

The Deputy Governor also described the action of the Federal Government as “very compassionate that should be emulated by non-governmental organisations and other spirited individuals.

The items received will be shared to some returning communities in Gujba, Damaturu, Gulani, Yunusari, Nguru, Geidam and Karasuwa,” local government areas of Yobe State.

Apart from the bags of rice, other items supplied include: vegetable oil, soap, cloths, foot wears and mosquito coils among several others.

Flood Destroys 300 Houses In Yobe

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Alhaji Musa Jidawa, Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Wednesday, said that over 300 houses, farmlands and livestock had been destroyed by flood in Jakusko and Adaya communities.

He made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

Jidawa said, “We received report of over 250 houses destroyed in Jakusko and about 54 others in Adaya but no life was lost, the affected people are taking shelter with relations in the communities.”

The executive secretary added that the state government had provided food, clothes and building materials to the victims to assist them resettle.

Jidawa said that the agency had embarked on enlightenment campaign, urging communities on waterways to vacate the water routes to avoid disaster.

“There are early warning signals indicating flood in some states, including Yobe, we have therefore addressed flood prone communities to evacuate the water path.

“There are communities that have suffered flooding in many years; we are still calling on these communities to leave the waterways.”

According to the executive secretary, Ngelzarma, Jajere, Nangere, Buduwa, Nguru, Gashua, Damagum, Dapchi and some communities in Tarmuwa experience flooding almost every year.

He urged residents of towns and villages to evacuate drainage and avoid constructing buildings or dumping refuse in such a way that it would block the waterways.

“There will be fewer floods if we make room for a free flow of water in our communities.”

NAN reports that two unidentified corpses of young boys were recently recovered by fishermen from river Nguru.

Boko Haram On Horseback Kills 11 In Yobe- Residents

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Suspected Boko Haram militants on horseback attacked Zango village, Gulani Local Government area, and shot dead eleven people, vigilante members and residents said.

 It was gathered that the incident happened on Tuesday around 11:00 pm when the attackers set ablaze houses and shot indiscriminately at people trying to escape the burning flames.

 “The gunmen came midnight after 11:45pm, set ablaze our houses and opened fire on the people trying to escape. They chased people on horses and open fire on them,” A vigilante, who doesn’t want to be named revealed.

 He said that similar attacks took place in the neighbouring villages where over 20 people were killed.

 “Last two weeks, the militants sacked cluster of villages around those areas, including Gurum and Dokshi where over 2 people were killed and many injured. They are currently receiving treatment at Damaturu Specialist hospital.”

The medical Director, Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital Damaturu, Dr. Garba Fika confirmed that the attacked victims were brought to the Hospital, “And, they are responding to free treatment,” he said

Credit: dailytrust

Military Announces Plans To Close Markets In Borno, Yobe Aiding Insurgents

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The Nigerian Army has announced plans to close designated markets in Yobe and Borno where traders have been found to be aiding Boko Haram terrorists with logistic supplies.

The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, made the disclosure at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the plan was part of measures adopted to contain attempts by some unscrupulous elements to sabotage recent gains recorded by the military in the war against insurgency in the northeast.

Usman said any breach of the order of the closure of the markets would be punished and appealed to residents of the affected areas to support new measures, aimed at ending the insurgency permanently.

“It has come to the knowledge of the Nigerian Army that as concerted efforts are being made to finally clear all remnants of Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast, some unscrupulous elements have been thwarting the efforts for pecuniary gains.

“They engage in all manner of illegal commercial activities, such as trading and smuggling, especially during late hours, all aimed at sustaining terrorism and insurgency.

“Consequently, the Nigerian military and, indeed, the Nigerian Army are highly concerned with these unpatriotic acts .

“The Army is, therefore, taking drastic steps to curtail this illicit trading with terrorists, from now on, some markets identified engaging in this illegal trade with adversary in Borno and Yobe will be closed,’’ he said.
Credit: dailytrust

Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Filed Against Delta, Yobe, Oyo Governors

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The Supreme Court in Nigeria has dismissed appeal filed against the election of the Governors of Delta, Yobe and Oyo States.

Giving the ruling on Tuesday, the Court held that the appeal filed by Emerhor Otega of the All Progressives Congress and great Ogboru of the Labour Party against Governor Okowa of Delta State lacked merit.

Similarly the Court dismissed appeal filed by Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party against Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State as abuse of court process.

All the judgments were unanimous and the court has fixed February 15 to give reasons for the judgement.

Credit: ChannelsTv

Army Kills 14 Insurgents, Recover Arms In Yobe

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The Nigeria army says it has killed 14 Boko Haram insurgents and captured two others around Chirokusko Village in Tarmuwa Local Government Area in Yobe.

 

 

Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Aliyu, General Commanding Officer (GCO), told newsmen in Damaturu on Monday that 16 assorted weapons and ammunitions had also been recovered from the insurgents.

 

 

Aliyu said the terrorists sneaked into the area and were about settling down when the army ambushed them following a tip-off from patriotic citizens. He commended the host communities for their cooperation which included providing security operatives with useful information.

 

 

 

According to him, more troops have been deployed to the area to enhance manpower to consolidate the gains recorded in the fight against insurgency.

 

 

“The Damaturu-BuniYadi-Biu road will soon be opened to motorists for economic activities to resume in the liberated areas.’’ The GOC said as part of efforts to boost the morale of the troops, more than 10, 000 soldiers had been given special promotion, while 1,500 others were currently under consideration for promotion to their next rank.

 

 

 

According to the GOC, the army will continue to operate within the rules of engagement and with respect for human rights. Aliyu said the closure of markets in some communities were based on security reasons and pleaded with people of the area to be patient, adding that the markets would soon be re-opened for business.

 

 

 

“We are aware of the inconveniences the market closure might have caused the communities, but we are working hard to reopen them for economic activities to resume,’’ he assured. The GOC called for improved cooperation between soldiers and the communities in order to collectively defeat insurgency in the country.

 

 

 

(NAN)

Yobe Seeks FG’s Support In Re-positioning Healthcare Systems

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Yobe State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently reposition deplorable healthcare facilities in the state.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam made the appeal on Monday in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, in a meeting with the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, who was in the state to access the situation of the healthcare facilities ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Governor said that the insurgency had grounded most healthcare facilities in the state thereby affecting the entire healthcare system.

He said that despite the tremendous efforts made in the health sector by the State Government, a lot needed to be done to improve the health needs of the people.

Credit: ChannelsTv

One Killed In Boko Haram Attack In Yobe

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Boko Haram Islamists killed a civilian and torched his house during a raid on a village in the northeastern Nigerian state of Yobe, a police spokesman said on Monday.  Travelling in all-terrain vans, they raided Babban Gida village around 01:00 am (GMT) Sunday and fought a gunbattle with soldiers. The insurgents stole two police vehicles but were eventually driven out, Toyin Gbadegesin, Yobe state police spokesman told AFP.

“The terrorists ?initially shot dead a man and burnt his thatched hut on the outskirts of the village,” Gbadegesin said. “They attacked the police station where troops engaged them in a fight which forced them to retreat”. Babban Gida, which lies 50 kilometres from the state capital Damaturu, has ?been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram extremists, whose six-year insurgency has claimed over 17,000 lives and displaced 2.6 million from their homes.

Credit: AFP

Wanted Boko Haram Commanders Arrested In Yobe

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Nigerian Army said it had so far arrested three senior members of Boko Haram insurgents on the wanted list in Yobe State.

The Army headquarters recently made public 100 names of some Boko Haram members on its wanted list and urged the public to help the army locate the notorious insurgents.

Briefing the media in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, commandant of the 27th Task Force Brigade, Colonel Dahiru Bako, said one of the suspects was arrested in Jakusko Local Government Area, while the remaining two were nabbed in Damaturu.

The commander said the current onslaught on the militants within the state and the entire North East was succeeding as major camps of the insurgents have been destroyed and efforts were being made by security forces to move further into their hideouts to ensure full dislodgement.

Credit: NationalMirror

Lagos Donates N150m To IDPs In Borno, Adamawa, Yobe

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The Lagos State Government has donated N50 million each to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states to assist the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) there.

Lagos State governor, Akinwumi Ambode, presented the donation yesterday during the Council of State meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ambode described Boko Haram insurgency and its devastating activities as a single challenge facing the entire nation.

According to the governor, although the insurgency is basically limited to the north-eastern part of Nigeria, the effect is felt everywhere across the states of the federation.

He said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal had at the just-concluded National Economic Summit, presented a graphic and heart-rending report of the extent of damage and social trauma caused by Boko Haram in the north-east.

He commended Buhari for his administration’s renewed commitment to bringing insurgency to a logical conclusion by December; and the security agencies for their gallantry, courage and resolve to achieve the president’s directive and wish of Nigerians.

Borno State Governor, Kassim Shettima thanked the government and the people of Lagos State for the gesture.

Credit: DailyTrust

Yobe Governor Orders Free Treatment For Bomb Blast Victims

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Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, has directed the free treatment of all victims of Wednesday’s suicide blasts in Damaturu.

The governor in a statement issued by his spokesman, Abdullahi Bego, also sent his condolences to the victims’ families.

The statement reads:  “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has expressed his deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of victims of the suicide bombing attacks in Damaturu today in which 17 people lost their lives and 11 others injured.

“While praying for the repose of the souls of those killed, the Governor has ordered immediate and free medical care for those who sustained injuries in the attack.”

Gaidam also condemned the attack, describing it as “cowardly and barbaric.”

Credit: thenationonlineng

Yobe Police Parades 3 Suspects Over Illegal Possession Of Firearms

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Police in Yobe State yes­terday paraded three sus­pects in connection with cases of extortion, crimi­nal intimidation and ille­gal possession of arms.

Parading the suspects at the Police Headquar­ters, along Gashua road in Damaturu, the com­mand’s public relations officer, PPRO, ASP Toyin Gbadegesin, said 40-year-old Kachalla Bukar was cut in possession of fire arms, in contravention of Sections 292 and 397 of the Panel Code Law of the country.

The PPRO said the fire­arms in his possession was English-made double-barrel gum with seven cartridges of live ammu­nitions which he used as instrument of intimida­tion to extort money from victims.

ASP Gbadegesin also said the suspect has alleg­edly extorted N2,155,000 from 22 victims.

The offences of illegal firearms and criminal trespass with intent to commit felony, the PPRO revealed, is a join act in­volving Mustapha Mo­hammed who was caught armed with a locally-made short gun given to him by Buji Alhaji Liman, the prime suspect.

The act, according to the police spokesman, contravenes CAP “F” 28 fire Arm Act Sections 344, 95 and 207 of the Panel Code law of Nigeria.

Read More: nationalmirroronline

Yobe Election Tribunal Judge Dies

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ustice Audu Bako, a member of the panel hearing petition seeking to annul the election victory of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, is dead.

Vanguard learned that Justice Bako died around 2p.m. yesterday at Primus Hospital, Karu, a suburb in Abuja, after a brief illness.

He was buried in his home town, Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, according to Islamic rites.

Bako was a member of the three-member panel of Yobe State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal that had, on August 12, heard how Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, traced the origin of N15 million that was lodged into the bank accounts of a Resident Electoral Commissioner.

DHQ Queries Boko Haram Shooting, Drowning Of 150 In Yobe

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The Nigerian army has dismissed a report of a Boko Haram attack in which about 150 people were said to have been shot and drowned in Yobe.

“The stories going round the media of the alleged massacre and drowning of over a hundred civilians in Kukuwa-Gari cannot be substantiated,” the army said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses said those who died drowned while fleeing gunmen who attacked Kukuwa-Gari village in Yobe state.

The statement which was released yesterday in a twitter post via its handle @HQNigeriaArmy said, “Following reports and distressed calls about suspected movements and planned attacks by Boko Haram terrorists around Damasak.

” The Nigerian Air Force conducted air surveillance and armed reconnaissance, while the Nigerian army troops have been reinforced…”

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‘Boko Haram Still In Control Of Sambisa, 5 LGs’ – Yobe And Borno Governors Say..

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Governors Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State and Ibrahim Shettima of Borno say Boko Haram militants are still in control of Sambisa forest, as well as five local government areas in both states. The governors said this during the National Economic Council meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday July 23rd. The governors called for increased military actions in their states.

Police Recover Unexploded Bombs in Damaturu

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Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Marcus Danladi, told reporters that six more unexploded bombs were discovered in the vehicle, after a thorough search by men of the Explosive Ordinance Department of the command.

Mr Danladi explained that in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State in Nigeria’s north-east region, four pieces of 81 mm Calibre capable of travelling 1,000 metres radius and two other improvised ones were retrieved and effectively diffused at the scene.

He stressed further that a woman in the Jeep was carrying with her, a bag containing six unexplored Mortar Bomb, which she was still holding at the scene of the blast.

According to the police boss, “the woman that was crying for help at the scene of the blast was aiming to trigger the Mortar Bomb capable of travelling 500 metres radius to claim more lives, but her mission was fruitless as she was ignored by the officers and men on ground having known her mission”.

Mr Danladi added that the woman later died at the scene as a result of the injuries sustained in the blast, confirming that the Mortar Bomb in her custody were recovered and successfully diffused.

He also said that men of the command on patrol at Bara in Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe State recently engaged the Boko Haram militants and liberated an evaded Village Market from possible attack.

Items recovered in the operation included a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), Tow AK 47 rifles with 2 AK 47 loaded magazine, 60 rounds of ammunition, an Improvised Explosive Device and 500 units of GPMG life ammunition.

Source – Channelstv.com

Suicide Bomber Kills 10 In Yobe

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A suicide bomber targeting a vigilante group has killed 10 people in Potiskum, Yobe state, a resident confirms.

“The bomber was targeting members of the hunters association, who have been helping in the fight against Boko Haram in Indiski area Postiskum,” the resident, who declined to be named for security reasons, said.

He also said he counted 10 bodies from the blast. The attack occurred at about 2pm on Monday.

“The hunters suspected that he was on a suicide mission and were trying to apprehend him when he detonated his explosive vest killing those around him instantly,” the source said.

An official of the Red Cross who is involved in rescue activities at the site of the blast declined to give casualty figure.

“We would only know the actual number of casualties after we finish ferrying dead bodies and the injured to the hospital,” he said.

Details On: premiumtimesng

Boko Haram Members Destroy Government Properties In Yobe

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Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members yesterday night at about 7pm stormed Ngalda town in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe state destroying all government property in sight. The men who arrived in a convoy of three Hilux buses, did not kill anyone and were chanting Allahu Akbar as they attacked

“Allahu Akbar (God is Great), we are here to destroy all public buildings, houses and shops of those who believes in democracy, we will continue to fight whosoever identified himself/herself with Nigerian Government which we consider as anti-Islam, we will not relent or surrender, until we impose strict Sharia Law for people to adhere to” a source said.

Boko Haram Destroys Public Facilities In Yobe

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Terrorists suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect have burnt down several government buildings at Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The terrorists were also alleged to have looted several shops and went away with food items. Yusuf Ibrahim, a resident in the area, said the terrorists attacked the towns of Fika and Ngalda both in Yobe State and looted belongs of the residents.

According to residents, the terrorists first launched an attack on Ngalda, a border town between Yobe and Gombe States.

They proceeded from Ngalda to Fika town, the headquarters of the Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State, where they reportedly burnt down the Local Government Secretariat and the Magistrates’ court of the area.

It is alleged they also torched the Divisional Police Station.

According to the Chairman of the Fika Local Government Area, Alhaji Baba Abare, the terrorists shot sporadically on arriving at the two towns. “Their major targets were shops from where they looted several food items as well as beverages,” Abare said.

Yobe State Police Commissioner, Markus Danladi, declined to comment on the attack. He insisted that the Military Joint Task Force, whose officials could not be reached for comment, was the only body that was authorized to speak on such matters.

Fika is 150 kilometres west of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital and shares a border with Gombe state to the south. Both communities have suffered several cases of Boko Haram assault since the commencement of the insurgency some years ago.

Credit: CAJ News

Free Health Care For Yobe Bomb Survivors

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Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, has consoled the families of victims killed during a suicide bomb blast in the state capital.

This past weekend, a female suicide bomber detonated an Improvised Explosives Device (IED) in Damaturu killing several people at the entrance of the city’s central motor park.

Gaidam has visited the Damaturu Specialist Hospital to sympathize with the victims of the blast. He condemned the act and stressed that his administration would foot the medical bills of all the victims.

The governor directed the hospital authorities to speed up the treatments and to work out modalities for the referral cases for urgent medical attention.

Gaidam called on residents to be more vigilant and be ready to always assist security agents in the fight against terrorism.   He pledged the support of his administration to fight terrorism.

The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Garba Musa Fika, confirmed 34 injured persons were brought to the hospital from the scene of the blast.

He explained that out of the 34, seven have been confirmed dead while 27 were being treated.

He also said among the 27 being treated, seven are critically injured and might be referred to either the Federal Medical Centre in Nguru in the state or Azare in the neighbouring Bauchi state.

Credit: CAJ News

APC Accuses PDP Of Plans To Use Political Thugs In Yobe

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State has alleged that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had brought in thugs from neighbouring states to perpetuate crime during Saturday’s elections.

Director General of APC Campaign Council, Alhaji Sidi Yakubu Karasuwa, said credible information available to the organisation indicated that the PDP has imported thugs and hoodlums from Bauchi and other states with the intention to cause violence and disrupt the weekend elections. He added that the PDP had also planned on bringing in fake ballot papers and result sheets through Jigawa State in order to cause confusion, especially in Yobe Zone C.

Some of the miscreants and thugs imported by the PDP have been lodged around Dagona Village of Bade Local Government area while others have been kept at an undisclosed location in Gashu’a Town, said Karasuwa. The object is to use those hoodlums kept in Dagona to disrupt the polls in Karasuwa Local Government area and those kept in Gashu’a to cause chaos in Yusufari Local Government area, he added.

Karasuwa said the party campaign council had alerted the security agencies at the highest levels and called for additional measures to be taken to ensure polls are conducted peacefully. APC won Yobe State ahead of the PDP in the recently-held Presidential election.

Credit: CAJ News

Just Before Yobe’s Gubernatorial Elections By Mallam Abba Gadaka

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‘The punishment we suffer, if we refuse to take an interest in matter of government, is to live under the government of worse men’ – Plato 300BC

  Thanks to the just concluded general elections, the electorates-mostly the masses are now equip with powerful weapon (PVC) to hire and fire non-performing leaders in their climes. The important aspect of this development is that leaders will henceforth respect people’s wishes and aspirations; this will greatly improve our democracy. I’m mortified and terrified to say the least, being a Yobean at this unfortunate moment, which our people had been painfully and silently passing through which the nation has not taken notice off. But with Adamu Maina Waziri throwing his hat into the race, I’m confident my worries would soon be history giving his utmost dedication to service delivery, experienced, tested and trusted public servant with financial displine to his belt. The issue of corruption, incompetence, ineptitude and nepotism is glorified momentously which make Jonathan’s administration decent, to the extend criticism is view as a blasphemy. A certain Ibrahim Gaidam is running a charade-called-government from Abuja which he turn his capital into a sojourn appearing when the allocation is ready and disappearing  like a sand clock after siphoning it, he runs a government of clique popularly  referred to as family and friends  consisting of sycophants and ethnic jingoists ready to hawk on Yobe’s  treasury. The national bureau of statistics classified Yobe as the least in terms of all major developmental indexes, with least GDP of $2.01 million and IGR of 2.1 billion naira in 2014. The governor is seeking re-election cannot boast of any significant project of his own, he has nothing to showcase, his abysmal performance is not acceptable, pathetic!. The educational sterility Is heartbreaking at all levels, lack of adequate and conducive classrooms, teaching materials to inadequate and qualified teachers is heartwarming, this is evident in the woeful performance of Yobe state in 2014 WAEC examinations as only 4.85% passes 5 credits including math and English language, that’s only 743  out of over 30,000 students that sat for the exams got the required papers to seek admission in the university, thus making the youth  easy target for radicalization. In health care delivery, there is nearly collapse of facilities and dearth of medical workers in our so called hospitals, citizens are forced to seek medical help from neighboring states. Yobeans defend on water vendors for their water supply while the infrastructure is nothing to write home about, with inter and intra road network are in sorry state.  It’s no longer news that Yobe is among the state revenged by boko haram insurgency, they succeeded in sacking two local governments which render the people in that area homeless and seeks shelter in Damaturu and elsewhere, had it been he attended a normal school not an adult education he could have set up an IDP camp to cater for the homeless citizens even if it is for political gains. His non-chalant attitude towards bomb blast and other insurgency related victims is worrisome, he shows little or no attention to them, but he quickly went on to sympathized with Geidam residents when Boko haram attacked his hometown on the 21st of December last year and even set up a committee to compensate all those that loses property, Bra-bra are the other victims less human?.  The other arm of government (legislators) that would have checked the excesses of the executives are mere his rubber stamp. In short, Yobe Is run by monarchy-cum-comprador-plutocracy-bourgeois form of government. I am certainly sure the wind of change will blow this government even if they stand against the candidature of Mr. waziri which he has been resilient, focus, dogged and have been pushing consistently for the third time which he vows to  improve our living condition, execute meaningful people oriented project through decent and honest leadership that will in turn improve our education, health, agriculture, youth and women empowerment. In short, we cannot survive another 4-years of Gaidam administration.

Change is here, sai Waziri.
Contributed by
Mallam Abba Gadaka.
Gadaka
abbagadaka@gmail.com

Views expressed are solely authors opinion and has not association with www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Bomb Making Factory Found In Yobe State

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The Nigerian military has discovered a Boko Haram bomb making factory in Nigeria’s northeast.

The Director, Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said the recovery was made during the ongoing cordon and search by troops in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

According to him, a large quantity of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by terrorists were recovered from the site.

“The factory, which was located in a fertilizer company, has also converted some of the materials therein for production of all types of IEDs. Troops are still evacuating the materials which include a large quantity of suicide bomber vests from the facility to their base.

“It is believed that the heavy calibre bomb used in blowing up the bridge between Damaturu and Buni Yadi was produced in the factory.

“The terrorists were sacked from Buni Yadi after a military assault that was conducted last Saturday. The troops advance was delayed by the series of IEDs planted on the highway leading to Buni Yadi. Four soldiers died from such IEDs in the course of the operation to clear terrorists from the town.

“This discovery is expected to degrade the capability of terrorists in the production of explosives, which they have been using lavishly in the area until they were dislodged from their stronghold,” he said.

Boko Haram Suspect Caught Pretending To Be Madman in Yobe

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A Boko Haram suspect who tried to act as a madman narrowly escaped arrest in Buni Yadi, Gujba LGA, Yobe state. It comes after the Nigerian military recaptured Buni Yadi from Boko Haram over the weekend.

The commander of the 27th Task Force Brigade in Damaturu, Colonel Usman Yusuf, disclosed March 10, yesterday, that he had ordered troops to arrest an alleged madman discovered in one of the buildings.

PM News reports that the soldiers immediately went after the man who was wearing a white garment and chanting some incantations. However, the man suddenly disappeared.

Read More: naij.com

INEC To Conduct Polls In IDP Camps

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INEC has reaffirmed its preparation to conduct elections in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC’s Chairman, Kayode Idowu, said on Tuesday that the Commission’s arrangement was limited to the three states. Idowu said that the Commission had made it clear that it could not ‘put so many irons in the fire at the same time’. “This is the first time that Nigeria was attempting an arrangement of conducting voting at designated centres for IDPs.

“So, the commission cannot extend its capacity for now beyond arrangement in those states,” he said.

He said that displaced people that wanted to vote could do so at their states where arrangement had been made for them. Idowu said though the arrangement INEC made before the counter-insurgency operations was to conduct election at safe designated centres, saying it would be too early to determine what exactly would happen. “People who are displaced can have opportunity to go and vote in the voting centres in the states if it will still be in the voting centres because events are unfolding by the day.

“By the counter-insurgency operations going on, territories are being reclaimed, we don’t know people will still be displaced or restored to their communities as we move closer to the elections,” he said.

He added that the commission was embarking on necessary preparations that would enable it conduct free, fair and credible election. Such preparation, according to Idowu, includes the Commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) by March 4, as well as the stress test of its card readers.

He said that the stress test would be conducted on March 7 in two states in each of the six geopolitical zones. The states, according to him, are Ekiti, Lagos, Anambra, Ebonyi, Delta, Rivers, Kano, Kebbi, Bauchi, Taraba, Niger and Nassarawa. “There will be a mock-poll in a whole ward. People will bring out their cards and their PVCs will be read and authenticated just like it will be done on election’s day”.

Credit: NAN

Bomb Blast In Potiskum Kills At Least 12

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A blast ripped through a bus in Potiskum, Yobe state, on Tuesday. The explosion happened at the Tashar Dan-Borno motor park, on the outskirts of the city but rescuers could not immediately determine the number of casualties.

“The bus had just loaded with passengers on its way to Kano when a huge explosion happened inside the bus at exactly 11:40 am ” said a driver’s union official at the bus station. “We still don’t know how many people were affected. We are waiting for the fire to be put out before we can have a figure of casualty”, he added.

Read More: vanguardngr.com

Suicide Bombing in Potiskum Kills 7

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A suicide bomb attack targeting a political meeting killed seven people in Potiskum city on Sunday, just two weeks from national elections, witnesses and a police officer told AFP.

“We have evacuated eight bodies including the suicide bomber’s to hospital,” said a police officer at the scene, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Seven others were injured, he added.

Witness Nura Umar, who gave the same death toll, said the bomber emerged from a bus that pulled up in front of the home Sabo Garbu, who is running for a seat in the lower house on the ruling Peoples Democracy Party ticket. Garbu was holding a campaign meeting ahead of February 14 polls in his home at the time but none of the participants were injured, the policeman and three witnesses said.

Boko Haram Islamists have carried out waves of similar bombings across the northeast during a six-year uprising, and have killed politicians in targeted attacks. But it was not immediately clear why the insurgents would want to target Garbu and it was possible that the attack was carried out by another group with a separate political motive.

Credit: AFP

Boko Haram Releases About 190 People

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Boko Haram released about 190 captives, who returned to their community in the northeast state of Yobe between Friday and Saturday, while other people were still being held, local and state officials said.

“The people will be presented to the government tomorrow (Sunday) for assistance as their houses were set ablaze when the insurgents attacked the village, Katarko in the Gujba local council,” Goni Mali, a community leader of Katarko said.

Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for the state governor, said the militants released young men, women and children who were kidnapped on Jan 6. At least 20 other people were still being held. Boko Haram has been waging a five-year insurgency to establish an Islamic state in the northeast of the country. Borno state is the worst hit followed by Adamawa and Yobe.

Some of the women who were released said the militants let them go after they resisted following the rules of the group. “They say since you have refused to accept our mode of religious teachings, go and follow your ‘Infidels’, we hereby order you to leave,” one of the women said.

Read More: ibtimes.com

Boko Haram Shifting Base To Bama – Hunters

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Some local hunters and Vigilante officials have confirmed that Boko Haram members are shifting their operational base from Gwoza area to Bama, less than 70km away from Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

They said local hunters saw several insurgents relocating their war hardware to Bama town, with some on motorcycle and Hilux trucks.

The news of the relocation has fueled speculations that the insurgents want to lunch onslaughts on Maiduguri in a bid to capture the city.

Muhammed Abbas Gava, a spokesman of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, said some fleeing Bama residents reported that the presence of the insurgents in Bama is swelling by the day.

Gava said the insurgents were led by an ex- grains merchant in Baga market called Bakura, who is now the Amir of Gwoza and Bama axis.

“Some of the residents of Bama that fled into Maiduguri said they saw and recognised Bakura, who used to be a corn merchant at the popular Baga Park market before he disappeared some years back to join the Boko Haram,” he said.

Exposed: Boko Haram’s Plot Busted in Forest

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A credible security source reveals that seven  villages in Adamawa, and other villages in four other states, namely,  Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno, all in the North East; have been mapped out by boko haram for their brutal terrorist activities.

According to the source, the hit list was was recovered by Special Forces during an operation at the Balmo Forest. The source said: “There are 25 towns and communities mentioned in the Balmo Forest hit list of the sect recovered by the troops.

“There is the general feeling that the names in the list should not be released because it could cause panic, anxiety and fear.

“You know that people would begin to flee the areas once they hear anything. I can tell you that not even one person would be left in the places if you mention the names; and that is unnecessary now.

“What the authorities have done is to ensure that the security presence in the areas is strengthened and the people get the protection they deserve.”

Credit: naij.com

Boko Haram: Updates From Damaturu

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Reports reaching us from Damaturu says, insurgents opened fire on an air force jet circling their forces and dropping bomb.

Residents fled or tried to hide as the attackers charged into Damaturu firing their guns and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest), people at the scene told Reuters.

The gunmen arrived at 5.30 a.m. and attacked a police station, said witnesses. Local Bala Aminu said he later saw the city’s university campus and a nearby police base in flames. “I saw a military jet circling three times. People have abandoned their vehicles on the road and gone home,” resident Mustapha Usman said by phone.

Another resident, hiding behind a gate, said he saw the militants driving down a road in police vehicles and an armored tank, trying to shoot down the plane. “They mounted anti-aircraft guns and they are trying to shoot the aircraft that was bombarding the town. They were all turning their heads shooting and moving toward Gujba road (south east of the city),” he added.

The gunmen launched their attack from the nearby town of Buni Yadi, a Boko Haram stronghold, said residents. No one was immediately available for comment from the ministry of defense.

Credit: Yahoo News

BREAKING: Boko Haram Invade Damaturu, Attack State University

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Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, is under heavy attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists who,  according to fleeing residents, may have surrounded the town.

Explosions and  gunshots are being heard in some parts of the Yobe State capital. A resident of the city, Yaya Haruna, told PREMIUM TIMES the shooting started at about 6a.m.

“It is as if they have surrounded us all here; there is sound of explosion and serious shooting.  We are all lying down on the floor with our families. Please pray for our safety,  that we survive this… ”

“We are in serious confusion now,  we are just hearing gunshots and explosions on the southern part of the city and people are fleeing,” said another embattled resident,  Malam Abdulmalik.

The resident said he was woken by loud sounds of gunshots and explosions which started at about 6a.m.

An official of the SSS in Maiduguri, who usually does not want to be named in the  media, confirmed in a text message sent to our reporter that “Damaturu may be under attack now”.

According to security sources in the capital, the Islamic sect, forced themselves into the city when they started shooting around Bukar Abba University, along Gujba road where a heavy fight ensued between them and the military. The situation was later brought under the control of the military.

Damaturu is 135 kilometres west of Maiduguri,  the Borno State capital.

Credit: Premium Times

 

Suicide Bomber kills Students in Potiskum

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A suicide bomb attack killed 47 students and injured 79 others on Monday as they gathered for morning assembly at their school in northeast Nigeria, a massacre likely carried out by Boko Haram, police told AFP.

“There was an explosion detonated by a suicide bomber,” national police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said, referring to the attack in Potiskum in Yobe state.

“We have 47 dead and 79 injured,” he added, saying that the Islamist extremists were believed to be responsible.

Credit: Yahoo News/ AFP

Boko Haram: Suicide Blast kills 23 in Yobe

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A suicide bomber killed at least 23 people in a procession of Shi’ite Muslims marking the ritual of Ashoura in northeast Nigeria’s Yobe state on Monday, witnesses said.

In the suicide bombing in Potiskum in Yobe state, a territory at the heart of an insurgency by Sunni Muslim Boko Haram rebels, the attacker joined the line of Shi’ites before setting off his device as they marched through a market in the town, resident Yusuf Abdullahi said.

“I heard a very heavy explosion as if it happened in my room. It took place just 200 meters from my house,” he said. Another person carrying an explosive that did not go off was arrested, he said.

Mohammed Gana, whose brother was killed in the attack, said he counted 23 bodies at the scene.

Another Potiskum resident, Abubakar Saliu, said soldiers started shooting immediately after the explosion, but it was not clear who they fired at or if anyone was hit by the gunfire.

Ashoura marks the death in battle more than 1,300 years ago of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussein.

Credit: Reuters

#BornoYobeMassacre: The Fire Next Time – Ogunyemi Bukola

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Angels lay in the pool of their own blood,

Their fire snuffed out, the ashes blown away,

The barrage of lead their fragile flesh could not defy,

To nocturnal marauders have they fallen prey,

Thus by shine or shower we ceaselessly mourn,

Despondent, miserable, bereaved and forlorn.

From whence, and why these menacing cannonade?

The back of tripod-stones has become the habitation of snails,

The cat’s back finds home with the earth,

The hands which the cradles rocked now the graves dig,

The owls have indeed awakened the crowing cock,

Alas, fire dies in the billow’s presence.

The drum is now beating wildly pit-a-pat,

Too incongruous for the royal masquerade to do his dance,

Trousers are pulled up, but the flood soaks you still,

What matters then, wither you go now, or where you turn?

He that does not want strange footsteps in his backyard,

Must fence it up, and further raise the fort.

For how long shall we fold our arms and live in fear?

While the stream of innocent blood flows in our backyard,

For how long shall the guns rotten in the shade,

While the oafish birds shit on our heads,

The fire next time, whose hut shall it burn?

The flood next time, whose child shall it drown?

Whoever kills a vulture lives not to see another year,

Whoever hunts a phoenix does not live to see another moon,

If death strikes on the right,

Obaluaye cue a cry from the house evildoers,

If pestilence strikes on the left,

May it spare not the shed of terror agents.

Ogunyemi Bukola (@zebbook)