Boko Haram Kills 8, Bombs Yobe Bridge
Suspected Boko Haram fighters have reportedly killed at least eight people in Katarko town, Yobe State, in an attack while bombing a section of the bridge linking Buni Yadi and Damaturu, the Nation reports.
The insurgents stormed the town at about 7.30pm on Monday evening (July 28) and operated unhindered till 2.00am on Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses and a security official.
The attackers were said to have headed straight to the military base in the town and later entered the town, shooting sporadically and eventually killed eight people.
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“They came here and launched an unsuccessful attack on the military base before embarking on selective killings within the town. Eight people are presently being prepared for burial", one of the eyewitnesses named Modu told The Nation.
According to a resident, Lawan Ali, who spoke to Premium Times from Buniyadi the headquarters of Gujba Local Government Area of the state, where he moved to after the attack said: “They came at about 7.30pm."
“They stormed our village with some vehicles and many motorcycles, shooting and chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great). Some of them could be mistaken for solders because of their dressing which is mostly like that of the soldiers’ khaki.
"The soldiers in Katarko had to flee after seeing the large number of the attackers. After attacking the village and killing about eight persons and injuring some others, we later heard a thunderous explosion at the location of the bridge; we all fled into the bush. But in the morning, we later found out that the bridge had been destroyed with bombs”, said Mr. Lawan.
Residents said the absence of heavy rain meant the dry river under the bridge would not cause much hardship until the rains increase.
“But in the next few weeks to come, Katarko would be cut off and that part of Yobe State would no longer be accessible because the river will fill its bank and motorists may no longer be able to wade through the river”, said Mr. Lawan.
The attack on Katarko was the first despite its proximity to Sambisa area. Abbas Gava, a member of the Nigerian vigilante group in Borno State, who also confirmed the incident, said he had communicated with his colleagues in Yobe State.
“They were about to bury the killed persons at the time I called to confirm the incident,” he told PREMIUM TIMES. “But this should worry us now because the tactical target on bridges means serious dangers to all of us in the future.”
It was gathered that the gunmen, who came in large numbers, could not be matched by the soldiers at a check post not more than 300 meters away from the attacked village.
Katarko is 22 kilometers south of Damaturu, the state capital and a community in Gujba Local Government Area of the state.
It would be recalled on July 22, it was reported the Boko Haram Insurgents blew up the major bridge linking Nigeria with Cameroon.
This attack is coming barely less than two days, after gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect on Sunday, July 27, 2014, attacked Garkida, in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, killing several people.
Meanwhile, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) analysis the Boko Haram insurgents have killed at least 2,053 civilians in the first half of 2014.
Source: Legit.ng
