Buhari pursues Boko Haram solution to Niger Republic

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In his resolve to get to the root of the Boko Haram insurgency, President Muhammadu Buhari is to make his first official trip out of the country to Niger Republic, Wednesday.

The shuttle to neighbouring Niger came as alleged Boko Haram suicide bombers on Sunday, attacked Gamborou Market in Maiduguri, Borno State leaving at least four persons critically injured.

Sources in Nigeria and Niger disclosed, weekend, that the visit by the newly inaugurated Nigerian leader to Niamey is directed at decapitating the head of the group as a final solution to the insurgency that has wreaked the country’s North-East.

“This is to underline the resolve of the Nigerian president to push the Boko Haram group out of existence by going for the jugular of the group. The immediacy being given to the trip emphasises the seriousness with which President Buhari intends to tackle the insurgency from its roots,” a source privy to the development said.

Boko Haram insurgents have in the past been accused of getting supplies and support through some neighbouring countries, notably Niger and Chad.

The visit would come ahead of another visit to Germany at the end of the week for the G8 Summit. President Buhari was last week requested by the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, to attend the summit with a wish list for the attention of the G8 leaders.

Explosion in Maiduguri

The explosion at Gamboru Market which took place at about 1:30pm near Nigeria Customs Service House in Maiduguri caused pandemonium as people hurriedly closed their shops and fled for safety.

Gamboru market is one of the markets in the city that has witnessed series of deadly attacks by insurgents mostly suicide attacks, shootings and bombings in recent past.

This incident is coming barely 24 hours after a suicide bomber sneaked into a mosque around Maiduguri Monday Market, Ali Kotoko Road during La’asar prayers.

Witnesses said the bomb that exploded was buried in a heap of sacks at a spot where charcoal merchants have their stalls.

“The explosion did not kill any one but injured four persons including a man whose arm was ripped off by the blast”, said a survivor, who simply gave his name as Mallam Modu Isa, a trader.

Effort to confirm the incident from spokesman of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Colonel Tukur Gusau, proved abortive. A senior police source, however, said the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder and not a bomb blast.

Insurgents raid Yobe town, burn Police Satation, other buildings

Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday raided two towns in Yobe torching public buildings and looting food and fuel stores. Residents and a police officer told AFP, yesterday that Islamist gunmen in pick-up trucks and on motorcycles stormed the towns of Galda and Fika in Yobe State late Saturday, firing wildly and forcing residents indoors.

After repelling a military offensive, Boko Haram stormed Fika, 150 kilometres from the state capital, Damaturu, burning a police station and public buildings including a court building, a local administration building and a primary school.

“Boko Haram gunmen came in two pick-up trucks and on several motorcycles around 9:00 pm and kept firing shots haphazardly and firing RPGs on the police station where they forced the policemen to flee and residents to run indoors,” Fika resident Abubakar Maigoro said.

The Islamists also torched a cluster of government-built homes for civil servants and 13 vehicles parked outside people’s houses, Maigoro said.

“They burnt all the telecom masts in the town and we have to go to hill tops in the bush where we can get phone signals to make calls,” resident Ibrahim Sagir said.

Troops who mobilised from Potiskum, 50 kilometres away, to combat the Islamists were outgunned and forced to withdraw after intense fighting, Maigoro and Sagir said.

Boko Haram radicals also attacked Galda, 20 kilometres from Fika, at around 8 pm.

“The gunmen stormed our town firing everywhere to scare people away before breaking into shops and carting away food and jerry cans of petrol,” resident Muhammad Garba said.

A police officer in Potiskum confirmed the accounts.

“Fika and Galda came under attack from Boko Haram last night. They burnt several public buildings in Fika and looted shops in Galda,”he said, asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“Soldiers deployed from here but they were overpowered by the gunmen,” he said.

“We are yet to receive any report on casualties. Communication with the area has been disrupted as a result of the burning of telecom masts in the attack .


Source: vanguard

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