- Boko Haram attacks military base in Borno
Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
The Military Special Task Force (STF) in charge of security in Plateau State saturday disclosed that it lost three soldiers to attacks in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
Also in Borno State, Boko Haram struck another military base shortly after the terrorist group killed about 40 soldiers in an ambush in the state.
The Commander of the task force, Maj.-Gen. Augustine Chris Agundu and the Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa confirmed the two incidents yesterday at separate sessions with journalists respectively in Jos and Maiduguri.
Briefing journalists in Jos yesterday, the commander pledged to bring those who killed the soldiers to book, noting that the perpetrators would not escape justice.
Agundu lamented that the situation on ground “is becoming more precarious than expected. Since the unfortunate incident of June 2018, the situation is rather getting out of hand.
“For the umpteenth time, we are having a lot of crises, deliberate crises, well planned, organised against the innocent people in such that the peace on the Plateau had been disrupted into a situation that is no longer acceptable.”
However, he noted that he had been engaging all strata of leadership including community leaders, district leaders, religious leaders and political leaders, among other, to ensure peace and security across the state.
Unfortunately, he noted that a lot of persons “are maximizing the ignorance of these less privileged to foment trouble on the Plateau and that will no longer be acceptable.
“I lost some men yesterday because certain persons decided to take laws into their hands and let me repeat again. There is no nation where you use crime to fight crime. There are constructive ways of engaging, no matter what the situation is.
“I have declared enough is enough. I have lost three men; they were killed in action as a result of this circle of violence that has resurfaced in the state. The worst of it is that the proliferation of arms in Plateau is out of magnitude.
“I have locked down Barkin-Ladi. This act will never repeat itself. We have made efforts to reconcile the warring factions. But they have remained adamant. My troops have resolved to end the ongoing hostilities in Ryiom, Barkin-Ladi and Bassa LGAs.
“The message I am sending to all levels of leadership is to get their youths to decorum and civility so that the ordinary man and woman in the community could live peacefully. We are determined to return Plateau to its slogan of Home of Peace and Tourism.”
In Borno State, Durkwa confirmed that there was Boko Haram attack on a Military Base located in Gudumbali, the Headquarters of Guzamala Local Government Area of the state.
He, however, said he was yet to get the actual number of casualties from security forces, after he had conversation with the Police Commissioner, Mr. Damian Chukwu and the Brigade Commander of the Joint Military Forces in Monguno.
The deputy governor said it was unfortunate “to confirm to you that there was an attack by Boko Haram extremists on a Military Base and other communities of Gudumbali.
“Thousands of the people, who were displaced and spent some years in a resettlement camps in Maiduguri, have returned back recently after the liberation of those surrounding communities by our gallant security forces.
“I regret to inform you that there was another attack by insurgents in Gudumbali. But I am yet to get the number of casualties. I just spoke with the Borno State Police Commissioner, Mr. Damian Chukwu and the Brigade Commander in Monguno, both confirmed to me that the attack actually took place, and our security forces were on top of the situation.”
He, however, called on the people of the state not to panic, assuring that the state government in collaboration with security operatives and members of Civilian Joint Task Force were doing everything possible to restore peace in the affected area and the state as a whole.
