Boko Haram kills 42 in fresh Borno attacks

Thirty-four persons were killed and 12 wounded in a fresh bomb attack on the Monday Market in Maiduguri, Borno State on Tuesday. Eight others were killed and 15 others injured in another highway ambush by members of Boko Haram at Ngamdu, a village along the Maiduguri/Damaturu Road at about 9.30am on Tuesday. Just as security operatives cordoned off the Monday Market, pandemonium broke out at the Baban-Layin Electronics Market, Maiduguri when a yet-to-be detonated bomb was uncovered by some traders. These incidents happened a day after several Boko Haram fighters, who attempted to seize a local government area secretariat in Grakida, Adamawa State were killed by soldiers. The PUNCH learnt from a member of a youth vigilante group in Maiduguri, that the bomb was planted in the crowded part of the Monday Market by suspected Boko Haram members. “The explosion was from a planted bomb at the crowded market. The bodies of the 12 dead persons were taken away by security men. Twelve wounded people were also rushed to the hospital,” the vigilante member, who pleaded not to be named said. A nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 28 persons were brought in dead to the hospital while six others died while being attended to by medical personnel. The market has witnessed about five explosions this year. The last was on Sunday. Many insurgents, however, died on Monday night when they were overwhelmed by soldiers while trying to overrun the local government secretariat in Grakida, a town close to Gombi in Adamawa State. Some of the residents of the town said the gunfire between the soldiers and the insurgents lasted over four hours. They told one of our correspondents that the troops also seized three vehicles belonging to the sect. One of the villagers, Isa Inuwa, said the troops killed nearly all the insurgents during the gun battle. “l am sure that the soldiers killed almost all of the Boko Haram people that came for the attack. The troops have proven that they are capable of ending insecurity in our community.” It will be recalled that Gombi, the headquarters of Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, was one of the seven councils liberated from Boko Haram. The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed in a statement that troops killed a large number of the insurgents. Usman said the troops recovered four Hilux vehicles, three anti-aircraft guns and one 50-inch Browning machine gun from the terrorists. He added, “Others include 5,000 rounds of 12.7 millimetre ammunition, two boxes of .50 inch ammunition, 1,000 rounds of light machine gun ammunition and one rocket propelled grenade 7 tube, as well as one general purpose machine gun.” Usman said that a soldier, who sustained gunshot injury, was being treated. But eight persons were killed and 15 others injured in a highway ambush by members of Boko Haram. It was gathered that the terrorists laid the ambush at Ngamdu, a village along the Maiduguri/Damaturu Road at about 9.30am on Tuesday.