The death toll from Sunday's attack on a church in Chakawa village in Adamawa State has risen to 32 while 11 fatally wounded victims may not survive due to lack of money for treatment, even as local authorities said the military failed to promptly respond to their distress call during the attack, our correspondent gathered yesterday.
The chairman of Madagali Local Government Area, Maina Ularamu, said 32 people have so far died after the attackers slaughtered 12 worshippers in a Catholic church and shot at least 20 people in an operation which lasted for four hours without hindrance.
"Some villagers called me around 10 am saying insurgents had invaded their village, so I quickly informed all the security agencies including the army but none of them responded, except the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) who was ambushed by the attackers, losing two of his men and having his truck seized. The attack continued till 2 pm", Ularamu said. Ularamu said the policemen had prior communication with the military men who claimed to have arrived on the scene when the approaching policemen spotted trucks with military insignia ahead of them, they thought it was the army convoy.
He added: "DPO told me that he had communicated with the army and they told him they were already at the scene of the attack only to reach there and get ambushed, himself and seven of his men narrowly escaped with injuries".
"More than 30 people died in the attack, 12 of the victims were beheaded by the attackers with each severed head placed on the body while the rest were shot at close range. 11 people were critically injured and need to be transferred to a better hospital immediately", he said.
Appealing for assistance from the public to treat the injured, Ularamu said doctors at the Madagali Cottage Hospital told him that the hospital lacks the manpower and equipment to save the lives of some of the victims due to the gravity of their situation, hence the need to transfer them to bigger hospitals.
"A 12 year old has his intestine out, a seven months old baby lost her limb while her mother risks losing her leg unless she gets proper medical attention in good time. Most of the victims are women and children", he said.
He lamented the failure of the Adamawa State government to release the monthly subvention for his council since the Yola High Court declared him as the duly elected council chairman of Madagali Local Government in the last four months, saying if his council was given the allocation, he would be in a better position to assist the victims.
"I used my personal money to settle the bills at the cottage hospital and for transporting the corpses of the deceased policeman to Yola and in other forms of assistance, I am now in Yola to see if I can source money from friends but I have not received a penny yet", he stated. He said the attackers entered the village around 10:00am on Sunday in 10 trucks and several motorcycles and carried out attacks without any challenge from the security personnel.
Many residents of Chakawa have run away to Madagali town, some escaped in to the bush while families are still searching for missing members. Commander of 23rd Brigade, Brigadier General Rogers Nicholas Ibe had on Monday said the casualties were minimal and the military had brought the situation under control as nomalcy was returned in the village. Chikawa village in Madagali local government area is on the border with Borno State which is the heart of Boko Hram insurgency.
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