SAN FRANCISCO, September 20, (THEWILL) – Apparently not yet done with their retaliatory attacks in Borno State, Boko Haram gunmen struck again, Thursday evening, at Bulabulin Ngaura village, along the Damboa-Maiduguri highway, killing not less than 22 persons in a siege that continued till Friday morning.
Bulabulin Ngaura, a village in Konduga Local Government on the way to Damboa town, is located about 55 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.
The insurgents, who were said to have sneaked out of their fortress in the Sambisa Forest, stormed Bulabulin Ngaura where they intercepted a bank bullion van as well as the escort van on Thursday evening, carting away all money being transported.
During the raid, the gunmen were also said to have killed eight persons, including three police escorts, bank officials and drivers of the two vehicles seized. They were also said to have stormed the town through the Maiduguri/Biu highway on Friday morning, setting ablaze buildings and killing 14 persons.
A security source craving anonymity told journalists in Maiduguri on Friday what they saw on their way from Biu. “Today (Friday), when we were coming from Biu to Maiduguri, we saw 14 corpses on the highway at Bulabulin Ngaura and would like to go back to evacuate them from the road,” he said, stressing that the attack was different from Thursday’s attack where a bullion van was intercepted at the same point.
Meanwhile, in response to the fresh attacks, the Yobe State Government has moved the airlifting of its pilgrim from the Maiduguri International Airport to the Aminu Kano International, Kano for fear of being ambushed by the insurgents who appeared to have taken over the Maiduguri/Damaturu highway.
The state’s Amirul Hajj, Hon. Adamu Dala Dogo, who disclosed this, said all intending pilgrims for this year’s hajj exercise from Yobe will now be airlifted from the Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano instead of the usual Maiduguri International Airport.
He told journalists in Damaturu, the state capital, that the change was due to the current violence in Borno, especially in Benesheikh whereby over 160 persons, including passengers were slaughtered as houses and property worth millions were burnt by the Boko Haram gunmen.
Dogo said 95 percent of the 2,316 intending pilgrims are first timers on self-sponsorship from various Local Government Areas of the state. The other five percent, according to the Amirul Hajj, is sponsored by the state government.
On Thursday in Benisheikh, about 150 corpses were evacuated after Tuesday’s highway ambush by the insurgents, as combing and fumigation of the surrounding bushes by sanitary workers continue.
