Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have kidnapped four passengers along the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway in Borno. The abduction followed an attack on Tuesday evening near Auno Village, 25 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have kidnapped four passengers along the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway in Borno. The abduction followed an attack on Tuesday evening near Auno Village, 25 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
According to an eyewitness, the terrorists blocked the road, and forcibly abducted four passengers travelling to Maiduguri. A resident of Auno, Bana Modu told The Guardian that, “the exact number of abducted passengers is, however, unknown, as most of the passengers scampered for safety first.”
He added that the terrorists operated between Garin Kuturu and Mannanari villages for over an hour, before the police arrived at the scene, without arresting the abductors.
On how the passengers were kidnapped, Modu said: “The terrorists initially appeared on the road with wheel barrows, pretending to be in search of food items.” He further disclosed that some of the attacked drivers returned to Maiduguri before arrival of military reinforcement.
An anonymous passenger also said: “We were travelling from Maiduguri to Kano when our driver heard some gunshots and made a U-turn and drove back to Maiduguri.
We have been waiting for the military to clear the road, before proceeding to Kano, 575 kilometres from Maiduguri.”He added that the passengers were stranded for over six hours before the military cleared the road for motorists.
MEANWHILE, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan has accused the military and other security agencies of neglecting Guzamala Local Council for terrorists.
According to him, the neglect of providing security in the border community with Niger Republic, lingered for over a decade. Lawan made the claim yesterday in his remarks to mark the Democracy Day celebration in Maiduguri. He said: “Up till today (yesterday), Guzamala local government has no single person living in the council area.
“We appeal to the Federal Government and military to deploy more security personnel to the abandoned local government area.” Lawan lamented that the people have been living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri, Monguno and Differ province in Niger.
Besides living in refugee camps, he added that the people have been voting for the leaders in camps, and could continue to live in the camps of Gajiram and Monguno.
The Speaker, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government and military to take necessary action in protecting the people in the neglected council area. He added: “Even our traditional and religious leaders are taking refuge in Niger, Monguno and Maiduguri, the state capital,” stating that there were no security deployments to Kukawa to protect the civilians.
He called on Governor Babagana Zulum and the concerned authorities to provide security architecture in the border community.
Responding to the insecurity in Guzamala, the Acting Governor, Umar Kadafur, announced that a high-powered committee, led by the Commissioner of Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugum Mele, would return the IDPs to their ancestral homes. In the spirit of the occasion, he said Governor Zulum had granted the prerogative of mercy to 10 prisoners.