Boko Haram sacks Borno town

Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect in the early hours of Wednesday attacked Borno state town of Banki, killing a policemen and injured others.

They also invaded private houses killing unspecified number of people before escaping.

Borno State Commissioner of Police Lawal Tanko confirmed the attack.

“I confirm there was an attack on Banki town by suspected members of the Boko Haram in the early hours of Wednesday.

“The police station in the town was partially affected. I lost an officer and some of my men sustained injuries,’’ Tanko said.

A resident of the town, Mr John Samuel, who survived the attack, told reporters in Maiduguri that the attackers rode on motorcycles and Hilux vehicles and used sophisticated weapons.

“They drove from the bush around 2 a.m. on motorcycles and Hilux vehicles and carried sophisticated weapons,’’ he said.

Samuel said the gunmen used rocket propellers to attack the police station which led to fire outbreak

“Some policemen at the station tried to engage the gunmen in a shootout, but when they realised that the invaders had superior power, they fled,’’ he said.

He said the gunmen also raided homes and killed some residents of the town before fleeing.

The battle against the sect has spread to neuighbouring country Cameroun. Officials said Cameroonian forces got involved in fighting between Nigeria’s army and the Boko Haram in a border town in Cameroon that killed at least one woman on Cameroonian soil and wounded five other people.

Col. Tatang Francis, a military police commander in northern Cameroon, said yesterday that civilians from Banki fled across the border on Wednesday to escape heavy gunfire and that Cameroonian forces responded to repel Boko Haram attackers who also tried to cross over. He said officials arrested scores of people including suspected members of Boko Haram, which has been staging attacks in northeast Nigeria.

State radio reported that one woman in Cameroon was killed and five other shooting victims were taken to hospitals. Buildings and vehicles were damaged

The Jama’atul Nasrul Islam (JNI) yesterday urged the Federal Government to investigate Tuesday’s bomb blast in Maiduguri, which killed more than 30 persons.

It made the call in a statement by its Secretary-General Dr Khalid Aliyu, in Kaduna.

“JNI hereby calls on the government to thoroughly investigate the incident even as we caution politicians to fear Allah and think of the consequences of their provocative utterances on the incident,” the statement said.

It said “the heartless and barbaric act had reached a drastic stage, which required urgent solution.”

The statement said ‘’the satanic act was becoming an alarming conundrum given the heavily visible military presence in the state.

“We are puzzled by this escalating tragedy that is seemingly grabbing the nation by the jugular.”

It commended the National Assembly for passing the bill banning same sex marriage in Nigeria and applauded President Goodluck Jonathan for signing the bill into law despite pressure from some quarters.

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