By Bashir Mohammed Kano and Ibrahim Abdul’A ziz, Adamawa
Kano state Police Command, has arrested fi ve suspected members of the Boko Haram terrorists group, planning to attack various places of worship in Kano and its environs. Confi rming the arrest at the Command’s Headquarters in Kano yesterday, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Rabiu Yusuf, said the raid was successfully carried out following a credible intelligence report which led to the arrest of the suspects confi rmed to be bonafi de members of the group.
Th e police, however, said, a dismissed air force offi cer who was part of the terrorist group is now at large. Speaking to newsmen, CP Yusuf said, at the time the hideout of the suspected terrorists was raided by a combined team of the Police Anti-Robbery Squad and the Special Tactical Force and undercover operatives of the Command at Gayawa village in Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state, one of the suspected terrorists, who was confi rmed to be a dismissed air force offi cer, now at large, threw an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the police, with three of his personnel sustaining various degree of injury.
He further disclosed that the fi ve-member terrorist group was among the fl eeing remnants, who had escaped from the Sambisa Forest in the wake of the military off ensive that made them scamper for safety and took refuge in places like Kano. According to him, credible intelligence report gathered from the fi ve suspected terrorists revealed that their mission was to destabilise Kano after a long period of relative peace. He said the formation of the Special anti-terrorists Special Force by the Police was as a result of the directive given by the offi ce of the Inspector-General of Police that such a formidable team be formed to “check the excesses of undesirable elements who take solace in wreaking havoc and reign of terror on innocent peaceloving citizens.”
He said: “From what you have seen today, one can be convinced that members of the dreaded terrorists group had infi ltrated Kano and took refuge in places like the one we have discovered today. We are ready to maintain a constant vigil on suspected hide-outs for the remnants to be fl ushed out completely.
“Th e general public should equally understand that the task of fi ghting terrorism is a collective responsibility of everyone. Th e public must strive to provide the Police with credible intelligence report that can lead to the arrest of undesirable elements breaching the peace with levity.” He disclosed that the fi ve suspected terrorists, three men and two women, were arrested together in their criminal hideout and that one of the women had been found to be nine months pregnant. Yusuf said exhibits recovered from the suspects include; military uniforms, AK-47 rifl e, portraits bearing their faces and operational black masks, among others. Adamawa In a related development, reports said the insurgents also killed the hunters’ commander, Bukar Jimeta and three others in Adamawa state.
According to sources, Jimeta and his men were ambushed in Dagu in the border areas of Askira Uba in Borno state, and killed after a fi erce battle that ensued. One of the hunters, who was lucky to escape, said the insurgents attacked the village in large numbers, but were engaged by the hunters group. “We engaged them in a fi erce battle to the extent that our ammunitions got exhausted. We wanted to dodge, but our commander insisted that we should continue, and seeing their (Boko Haram) sophisticated weapons, we sneaked, but Bukar Jimeta continued with the fi ght. “Th ey couldn’t kill him with gun, so they resorted to use axe on him. Th at was how he was killed. Indeed we lost a gallant fi ghter,’’ said the source.
Residents in the surrounding villages said they were awoken by booming sounds of gunshots coming from the direction of Dagu on Saturday night, in the wee hours the hunters engaged the insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons. A fl eeing resident, who simply identifi ed himself as Umaru, said “these hunters have been helping us in moping the remnants of Boko Haram who usually come to loot food stuff , and rustle cows.
“Th is time, they came in large numbers with military uniforms, and hunters led by Bukar Jimeta engaged them in a fi erce battle. He killed many before he was killed with axe, a deep axe-cut was found on his dead body,” the source further revealed. Th e Adamawa state chairman of the hunters association, Usman Tola confi rmed the incident in telephone interview saying, “though we lost one of our gallant fi ghters, we will not be rattled because we are fi ghting to defend our communities. “Th e only problem we now face is lack of caring and assistance from government, individuals or corporate
organisations. “We sacrifi ce our lives but neglected by the government. No incentive nor welfare scheme provided, we have children like everybody. Who do you think will take care of them if we are killed? Nobody. Please, let government come to our aid.” Like other hunters interviewed, Aisha Bakari Gombi, a female hunter commander, expressed sorrow, saying Jimeta would be diffi cult to replace as he was a fearless fi ghter that helped in the war against the insurgents. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she said, “we lost a great commander, teacher and a father that we will continue to remember.” Bukar Jimeta and the three slain hunters were buried Sunday evening in Gombi town that was hitherto taken over by Boko Haram. Since 2014 hunters and other local vigilante groups had volunteered to assist in the fi ght against Boko Haram in the North-east Nigeria
