The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bombers

  • 4 suicide bombers killed in failed attack in Borno

    The Police Command in Borno said four Boko Haram terrorists were killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped to their bodies in Mainari Kanuri and Shua villages in Konduga Local Government Area of the state.

    The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Edet Okon, disclosed this in a statement released in Maiduguri on Friday.

    “Three of the suicide bombers detonated their IEDs killing themselves only, while the fourth person killed herself and three others,’’ Okon said.

    He said seven other persons were injured during the attack and had been taken to the hospital.

    He said that security had been beefed up in the area and all other places around Maiduguri city to safeguard the public from Boko Haram attacks.

    “Meanwhile, a suicide bomber was sighted on Thursday by security agents and was promptly neutralised in Bama Local Government Area, but no casualty was recorded.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, assures the general public of the commitment of the Force to continue to protect lives and property,’’ the spokesman said.

  • Three suicide bombers killed in Maiduguri—NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency  (NEMA) has confirmed the death of three suicide bombers at Muna area of Maiduguri in an attempt to infiltrate the town in Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four powerful explosions occurred between 9: 00 and 9: 30 pm, sending terrifying echoes to many parts of the town.

    NEMA’s Northeast Zonal Coordinator, Mr Bashir Garga, who confirmed the incident, said that the blast occurred outside the town.

    Garga disclosed that the suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped to their bodies behind the security trench at Muna Garage area in the outskirts of Maiduguri.

    He said that terrifying echoes by the explosions caused some residents of the area to flee which made them to sustain injuries.

    Garga added that the wounded were referred to hospital for treatment in Maiduguri.

    “Details on the incident is still sketchy. It occurred behind the trenches and only the suicide bombers were killed,” he said, adding that normalcy has been restored to the area.

    NAN reports that Muna garage is prone to suicide bomb attacks and the military had imposed a dusk to dawn curfew to secure the area. (NAN)

  • Two suicide bombers killed in Maiduguri

    The Police in Borno yesterday  said two female suicide bombers were killed while trying to sneak into Maiduguri metropolis.

    Mr Victor Isuku, the Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview in Maiduguri.

    Isuku said that the incident occurred on Sunday evening along Maiduguri-Gamboru highway.

    He said that one of the suicide bombers detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) strapped to her body and killed herself, while the other bomber was gunned down by security operatives before she detonated the bomb concealed to her body.

    Isuku explained that the incident occurred at the outskirt of Maiduguri, adding that there were no casualties recorded in the incident.

    “Preliminary information available to me indicates that two female suicide bombers tried to sneak into Maiduguri, one of them detonated the IED on her body and killed herself while the other one was gunned down.

    “Police EOD teams have been deployed to the scene to sanitize the area,” he added.

  • Three suicide bombers killed in bid to attack female hostel

    Three suicide bombers were blown up by their deadly devices on Thursday night while attempting to attack a female hostel at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

    At least, two bombs exploded during the attack.

    One of the three suicide-bombers carried an AK 47 rifle, according to sources.

    A student leader in the university, Abu Hanifa Babati, said one of the explosions occurred around BOT Hostel which is a female hostel.

    He said another explosion occurred close to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

    The Head of Media and Public Relations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sani Datti, said that the university’s security officers  and vigilance group members  intercepted the suicide bombers before they could enter the campus.

    Two security personnel of the university and two vigilance group members were injured by the explosives.

    The remains of the three suicide bombers were evacuated to the Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri.

    Datti said that the incident occurred as the new Director-General of the NEMA, Mr Mustapaha Maihaja, commenced a visit to Maiduguri to meet with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    He said Maihaja would also be meeting with leaders and stakeholders in the states to discuss humanitarian needs of the affected persons.

    The aborted attack is the latest of several attempts by Boko Haram to breach the security of the institution.

  • How Boko Haram ‘charms teenage suicide bombers’

    How Boko Haram ‘charms teenage suicide bombers’

    A 14-year-old would-be suicide bomber has revealed how Boko Haram terrorists draft young girls to detonate explosives to kill.

    She survived after choosing not to detonate an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after being strapped with it and sent on a mission to kill.

    According to her, she was sent on the mission after she refused marriage proposals from top Boko Haram members in Sambisa Forest.

    She is among three suspects arrested by the military when they allegedly came for a suicide mission at a military facility in Jakana, Maiduguri.

    She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri yesterday that she was abducted alongside her father, Usman, by Boko Haram insurgents in Gwoza, Borno State, in 2013.

    She said she and her father were running to Mandara mountains for safety when they were abducted.

    The suspect said she and her father wanted to travel to Madagali in Adamawa State where he sold cows before Boko Haram insurgents attacked Gwoza.

    “I have spent three years in the hands of Boko Haram. Three different Boko Haram chief (terrorists) had proposed to marry me and I refused. Two among them were commanders (amir).

    When I refused for the third time, one of the commanders became furious and threatened to kill me and my father. I told him I would rather die than marry a Boko Haram (terrorist). So, after one week, they said since I have refused to get married, I should be taken to Maiduguri for a suicide mission. So, three of them held my hands and they injected me. Then, I never knew what was happening again.

    “I was taken to a herbalist, who, after I regained consciousness, told me that I had been with him for 30 days.

    “He told me he was preparing me for a mission. So he gave me some water to drink. I don’t know what it tasted like but I drank it. So, he said they would come and pick me today.

    “At about 7p.m. three Boko Haram (members) came with a male and a female. They were also recruited for the mission like me.

    “We spent one and a half days on the road to Maiduguri. It was when we got to Maiduguri that they strapped the bombs on our bodies. At that moment I knew that I was going to die, so I started crying.

    “I was watching when the first bomber, a female, detonated her explosive close to a military checkpoint which killed no one but herself. The second, a male, was killed by the military before he could detonate his.

    “At that time something told me to remove my own IED and surrender which I did.  I was surrounded by soldiers and policemen and I fainted.

    “When I woke, I discovered that one of the policemen at the checkpoint was a brother of my mother’s. I think that was the reason I survived,’’ the suspect said.

    The outgoing Theatre Commander of  Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the suspects were being de-radicalised at the military detention facility.

    “We have quite a number of them here in our facility. We have been profiling them and making them feel comfortable.

    So far, from their testimonies, they usually tell us that they were brainwashed by some sort of charms to commit suicide – Gen. Irabor said.

    Also yesterday, the Army arrested a suspected terrorist who had been on the run at Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State.

    Army spokesman Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman said in a statement that four suspected kidnappers were also arrested at Mundu village in the state, following a tip-off.

    “They were found to be in possession of one locally made six-loader single barrel gun, one empty cartridge, two machetes, a knife, two handsets, two packets of tramol tablets and N360,” he said.

    He further said that investigation into the arrests would continue.

  • 2 suspected suicide bombers killed in Maiduguri

    Two suspected female suicide bombers were shot dead by security agents in Maiduguri on Saturday.

    A statement by the spokesman of the Police Command in Borno, Victor Isuku, disclosed that the bombers were shot when they attempted to enter Maiduguri through the Umarari in Molai, near Damboa road.

    “On Saturday at about 20:45hrs, two female suspected suicide bombers, of about 18 years of age, attempted to enter Maiduguri through Umarari in Molai General Area which is about 9 Kilometres to the township.

    “They were sighted by local vigilantes- the Civilian JTF- and consequently shot dead by security personnel on duty at the area,’’ it said.

    The statement added that only the two bombers died in the incident.

    “The police Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team was mobilised to the scene to render the unexploded improvised explosive device safe, while normalcy has been restored to the area,’’ it said. (NAN)

  • Three female suicide bombers shot dead in Borno

    A major attack by terrorist group, Boko Haram, was averted by soldiers in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State after three female suicide bombers were neutralised.

    According to Army Headquarters, the female suicide bombers had attempted to attack a military location in

    the town.

    The troops were alerted by the members of the vigilante group who noticed that the three women looked suspicious and walked awkwardly with bulging hijab distinct from other female farmers.

    According to the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, the suicide bombers noticed they were being observed and attempted to detonate the

    bombs at the military location.

    Usman said: “When the suicide bombers noticed that they were being observed, they hurriedly ran towards troops, aiming to detonate it on them.

    “The troops neutralised two of the female suicide bombers while the other ran back into the bush but was pursued.

    “Unfortunately, a soldier sustained injuries due to the impact of the explosion.

    “The wounded soldier is currently receiving treatment at a military medical centre and he is in stable condition.”

    Troops of 1 Division Nigerian Army stationed in Anchau, Kubau Local Government Area, Kaduna State, also arrested two kidnappers in the process of collecting ransom from a kidnap victim’s family in the area.

    The arrest followed a tip off by well-meaning Nigerians that the kidnappers had arrived Dutsen Wai for ransom collection from their victim’s family.

    Troops were said to have trailed the kidnappers in an

    unmarked car.

    Army spokesman, Col. Usman, said the kidnappers who were operating along Abuja-Kaduna road fled towards Zaria in a Honda car with registration number AJ 183 ABJ when they realised that they were being trailed.

    “Consequently, the pursuing troops alerted the police stationed in Soba. In the process of fleeing, the kidnappers overran the police checkpoints at Soba and Maigana and proceeded to Zaria where they were

    finally apprehended,” he said.

    Items recovered from the suspected kidnappers include a Honda Accord car, one mobile telephone handset, four MTN and one Airtel subscribers identified module (SIM) cards, 1 micro SD card, a national identity card, an INEC voters registration card, a Miyetti Allah cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria Identity Card, United Bank for Africa and Keystone Bank Debit Cards, cash sum of N12,710 and a notebook containing several names, addresses and telephone numbers of kidnap victims’ families and relations.

  • Suicide bombers kill six in mosque

    Two suicide bombers from the Boko Haram sect yesterday detonated explosives and killed six persons in a mosque in Damboa, Borno State.

    Confirming the incident in Abuja, the Army Acting Director of Public Relations, Sani Usman, said that the incident occurred at about 5:15 a.m. when the suicide bombers initially attempted to gain access to the Damboa Central Mosque but failed because of stringent security measures. They carried out the act in a smaller mosque, instead.

    Said the army spokesman: “The first suicide bomber targeted Damboa Central Mosque but, due to stringent security measures, he could not gain entry. Obviously frustrated, he exploded and died near the Central Mosque.

    “However, the second bomber veered off and gained entry into another smaller mosque and detonated the bomb, killing himself and six other worshippers, and injuring one other person. The wounded have been evacuated to a hospital while efforts are on to clear the rubble. Troops and other security agencies have been mobilised to the area.”

    In a survival bid, other suspected Boko Haram members attacked Gaskeri village, ahead of Dalori on Thursday evening, where they killed three civilian vigilante and looted foodstuff, added Usman. “Troops have been mobilised and they are on the suspected terrorists’ trail,” he said. “Similarly, as part of the efforts to keep the Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gamboru Ngala road open and safe, troops of 3 Battalion, 22 Brigade on Friday escorted four trailers and 44 other vehicles from Dikwa to Gamboru Ngala. The escort duties will continue.”

    Further, disclosed Usman, troops of 3 Battalion ambushed Boko Haram terrorists at Gajibo crossing point and recovered one AK-47 rifle loaded with magazine, a transistor radio and a knife.

  • ‘Suicide bombers won’t make paradise’

    Suicide bombers will not make paradise, an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Habeebullahi Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, said yesterday.

    In his keynote address at the graduation of over 70 students of the Arabic and Islamic Training Institute (Markaz) in Agege, Al- Ilory said it was against the tenets of Islam to kill.

    The institute’s rector said: “There is no paradise for suicide bombers. Our Prophet said ‘By Allah, he is not a believer! One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil.’ How can we now say a suicide bomber that killed his neighbours will enter paradise and marry beautiful unchaste ladies going by the statement of the Holy Prophet? It is high time we made known to whoever is contemplating suicide bombing that hell fire awaits such person besides other grievous punishment. Does it not amount to madness to say somebody who took the lives of the innocent ones will enter paradise? The Quran never said that and we should not misinterpret the message of the Quran.”

    He warned the graduands to eschew extremism because it leads to terrorism, saying: “We have done our best to give you the knowledge that will make you to be the best in the larger community if well put into practise. It is now your turn to be good ambassadors of this institute.

    “Remember, no teaching of our Holy Prophet allows you to treat your neighbour unjustly; Prophet Muhammad never encouraged shedding of innocent blood and Islam abhors it too. Do not because of money engage in acts akin to terrorism because we do not teach anything related to it here.

    “Know that riches come from Allah; it is true that many scholars engage in fetish and evil deeds because of affluence – they want to ride the best cars, build mansions without good source of income – they are doom for Allah’s punishment.”

    President-General of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) Alhaji Sakariyahu Babalola, who chaired the event, urged the graduands to influence society positively, saying terrorism is alien to Islam.

    “You can’t be a Muslim and engage in terrorist act. Where do you see such dastardly act in the Quran or teaching of the Holy Prophet? If Islam preaches good neighbourliness and a supposed Muslim went to attack his neighbour, has he not contradicted the teaching of Islam? Can we say that person is a Muslim?” he asked.

    Babalola urged the three tiers of government to create jobs for the youth because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

    “As a nation, we cannot afford the prize of allowing our youths to wander the streets jobless. The consequence is unimaginable,” he said.

    Former minister of Mines and Steel Alhaji Sharafa Ishola said Islam has nothing to do with terrorism.

    He urged the graduands to be good ambassadors of Islam.

  • Female suicide bombers kill seven at IDPs’ camp

    Two female Boko Haram suicide bombers on Wednesday disguised as refugees, detonated their strapped explosives and killed seven people at the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs’) camp in Banki, Borno State.

    Banki is a commercial border community with Cameroon and 143 kilometres east of Maiduguri.

    A military source and a vigilance group youth member of the Civilian JTF told The Nation yesterday that the female bombers disguised and sneaked into the camp before detonating the explosives.

    Modu Ajani, a vigilance group youth, in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Maiduguri, said: “People thought they were IDPs until the first explosion went off. The second one immediately followed; killing seven IDPs.”

    He said his colleagues in Bama, 65 kilometres west of the border town, gave him the information, adding that about nine people were injured.

    Military authority at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri did not comment on the incident at press time.

    Residents of Maiduguri were not aware of the suicide bombings until yesterday because of lack of telephone services at Banki, following the destruction of telecoms masts by insurgents.

    The town was attacked twice by terrorists in 2013 and early 2014. The insurgents were driven away by the military in April last year.

    Five farmers have been reported killed by an explosion buried as mines by Boko Haram insurgents at Goniri in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

    Goniri is one of the towns recently liberated from Boko Haram by the military. People returned to the town about two weeks ago.

    The deceased were clearing farmlands when the incident occurred.

    The Chief Medical Director of Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu, Dr. Garba Musa Fika, told our correspondent on the phone that he was not aware of the death toll. He confirmed that nine people were admitted with injuries.

    The military had delayed the return of the IDPs on the grounds that they were clearing Boko Haram mines from the liberated communities.