Suspected Boko Haram Fighters Raid Nafada, Gombe State
A group of suspected Boko Haram gunmen have reportedly attacked a police station in Nafada town, Ashaka cement factory in Gombe state.
The police station was burnt down, while the armoury attached to it was looted. The cement factory workers are reportedly hiding in the bush as there is nobody who can protect them.
According to a witness, who contacted TheCable via telephone, the raid started around 13:30-14:00 on November 4, 2014, Tuesday.
The attackers, who came on about 50 motorcycles, did not face any resistance, as the policemen ran for their lives.
According to tweets by some residents, a military checkpoint by Ngada Bridge has also been attacked. The facilities of MTN telecommunications operator and the building of the Peoples Democratic Party secretariat have been set ablaze.
Federal Government (Unity) College in Nafada and Federal Government Girls College in Bajoga, Gombe state, have also been damaged by the attackers, elombah.com informs.
The locals also report that heavy gun fire is still heard in various parts of the town.
The number of casualties was not clear, but the initial data provided by a journalist for BBC Hausa Service, Nasidi Adamu Yahaya, indicates that an Islamic cleric and five soldiers lost their lives in the attack.
The official reaction of the local and the federal authorities is still awaited.
However, according to a police source quoted by Premium Times, the Gombe State Command of the Police had already dispatched reinforcements into the town. The police reassured of doing its best to restore normalcy and retaking the station from the terrorists.
Nafada is situated about 150 km from the state's capital and 86km from Potiskum, Yobe state, the city that suffered a bloody suicide bomb attack on Monday.
In a parallel development, heavily armed militants arrived to the gates of Ashaka cement factory located about 58km away from the troubled town in a convoy of Hulix pick up vans.
Some of the workers were trapped in the premises of the factory, while some managed to escape. Children of the production manager of the company fled into the bush and remain missing.
This is the second major assault by Boko Haram on Gombe in just 5 days. On October 31, 2014, Friday, a massive explosion rocked a busy bus station in Gombe town, killing at least 23 people and injuring over 34 persons.
Three suspected terrorists, who have allegedly planted explosive devices hidden in bags, were arrested almost immediately.
Source: Legit.ng
