Terrorists kill ex-cop, 20 others, abduct pastor in Yobe, Plateau

• 72 surrenders in Borno, military recovers 517 arms
• Activist slams Buhari, APC as Ishaku tasks security operatives

Terrorists have killed over 12 residents and injured two others in Geidam, Yobe State. A guesthouse was also attacked in the border town, while a school and other properties were destroyed.

Confirming the incidents, yesterday, in Damaturu, Police Pubic Relations Officer (PPRO), Dungus Abdulkareem, disclosed that the terrorists torched a school and staff quarters in Geidam.

He said that a retired police officer and two women were among the ones killed in the attack.

Adamu Isa, a resident also said: “The insurgents that crossed the river on foot attacked a bar and Government Science and Technical College, Geidam, on Wednesday by 10 p.m. They also slit the throats of 12 people at the bar, before torching a school and staff quarters in the community.”

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe recently lifted the ban on motorcycles with a reduction of curfew time by one hour in some parts of the state.

In Jos, Plateau State, a pastor, Yohanna Matongs, was kidnapped Wednesday night from his residence, COCIN Centre, Dadin Kowa.

According to a family source, the abductors have yet to demand ransom.

The same abductors killed a pregnant woman in the area and went away with her two kids. They had reportedly shot at the woman’s door when she refused to open it and their bullet killed her.

Military Information Officer (MIO) of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Maj. Ishaku Takwa, confirmed the incident, adding that the Operation’s Sector 6 Command had been directed to go after the attackers.
Meanwhile, 72 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have surrendered to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) in Dikwa Local Council of Borno State.

The Guardian gathered that they surrendered due to starvation and continuous bombardment of their hideouts in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.

A counter-insurgency expert and analyst, Zagazola Makama, stated, yesterday, in Maiduguri that the terrorists were received by OPHK on Wednesday.

Also, troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have recorded operational successes, which led to the recovery of 517 small arms and light weapons from criminal elements.

The Commander of OPSH/General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Ibrahim Ali, yesterday handed over the recovered weapons to the Director, National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (ACCS ALW), Maj-Gen. Hamza Bature (rtd).

The arms comprised 40 automatic weapons, including 26 AK-47 rifles, one FN pistol, one Harris Burg pistol and one Sub Machine Gun, and 477 locally-fabricated firearms.

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba has directed security operatives to fish out suspects behind the recent bomb blast that erupted in the state.

The directive, which came yesterday through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Bala Dan Abu, urged the security agencies not to leave any stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to book.

Ishaku, who also viewed the attack as barbaric, wicked and unprovoked aggression against innocent people, vowed to assist the injured in footing their hospital bills.

Following the recent attacks in Yobe, the convener of the Concerned Nigerians Group, Deji Adeyanju has described President Muhammadu Buhari as abysmal failure.

The attackers reportedly entered through the eastern part of the town and razed Government Science and Technical School, Geidam, killing one person at the school quarters. They also targeted ‘Kwari’, a popular brothel in Geidam, where they murdered 10 persons, both men and women.

Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, the activist berated the presidency and security agencies over the killings.

He said: “Never has there been a sensible leader in a sane country, who stood aloof and watched his people being slaughtered in their numbers for fun by terrorists.

“The ruling party is more concerned about amassing billions of naira from the sale of party nomination forms for various political seats, with the presidential form going for a whopping N100 million than the lives of the voters.”

He wondered who would go to the polls if terrorists kill all the voters.
Adeyanju charged Nigerians to get their voters’ cards ready and be all out to defend their votes at all costs because spending such a huge amount of money on purchasing forms is already a red flag. (The Guardian)