BEVERLY HILLS, CA, December 02, (THEWILL) – Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, was placed under a 24-hour curfew on Monday following a deadly six-hour siege on the town by Boko Haram insurgents who subjected the town to massive destruction.
Announcing the curfew, the secretary to the Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, said in a statement : “The Borno State Government in Consultation with the GOC 7 Division Nigerian Army (Major General Obidah Ethan has decided to impose a 24 hour curfew on Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and environs starting from 11am today Monday, 2nd December, 2013.
“The imposition of the curfew is necessitated by an attack in Maiduguri by people suspected to be Boko Haram members in the early hours of today.
“During the period of the curfew, Borno State Government pleads with all citizens to remain calm and law abiding until the situation is put under control as the security agencies will do everything possible to maintain lives and property of the citizenry.
“Only vehicles on emergency call and essential services are allowed to move during the period.
“The curfew would be lifted as soon as the situation improves. ”
Heavy booming of bomb blasts and sporadic gun shots were heard throughout the night with the authorities shutting down all roads leading to the town.
Though no fatality figure was available when filing this report, residents who live around Moduganari, Bulumkutu and Ngomari settlements said both military and the terrorists were felled in the confrontation.
“We saw army aircraft on the sky around 4am,” said Mukhtar Aliyu, a trader who went to Maiduguri Monday Market before the imposition of the 24 hour curfew.
A resident of 707 Housing Estate in the outskirts of the town who fled to the main town to seek refuge said many of the residents of the estate had to flee into town to avoid been caught up in the attack.
He said the insurgents overran the 33 Artillery Battalion Barrack and from there proceeded to other parts of the town where they attempted to overrun the 79 Composite Group of the Nigeria Air Force, Maiduguri where most of them were repelled and a few killed.
According to him, so many vehicles were burnt along the Damaturu/Maiduguri highway, with four petrol stations either totally burnt or partially destroyed in the ensuing battle.
“Countless vehicles were burnt down on the road, about four tankers were burnt and a big mechanic workshop beside the Air Force base was torched and many vehicles carted away. Many residents of the 707 Estate had to flee the estate to the interior part of the state for fear that the estate may be attacked,” he disclosed.
Many residents could not get to their workplace even as many schools were shut and few that opened had to turn students back.
The insurgents, numbering over 200 attacked the Maiduguri Airport, the Air Force Base, the trailer park and many other places in the western part of the state leading to Maiduguri from Damaturu.
Confirming the attack, the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Col. Muhammad Dole said: “In the early hours of Monday 2 December 2013, Boko Haram terrorists attempted to gain access to own locations in Maiduguri metropolis. However, troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army have successfully repelled the insurgents and inflicted serious casualties on them.
“The situation around Jimtilo and Maiduguri Airport general area is calm and under control. Our troops supported by the Nigerian Air Force are presently pursuing the terrorists towards the Maiduguri-Benisheikh road. Members of the general public are requested to remain calm and comply with the 24 hours curfew imposed by the Borno State government. The curfew will be reviewed periodically as the situation improves.”
Meanwhile, the Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, has declared that no resident of the state would flee his or her home because of Boko Haram, saying the people of the town have decided to either suppress the insurgents or perish.
Shettima made the declaration on Monday while assessing the damage done to the town by the early morning attack by the insurgents.
Expressing shock at the damage done to the town, especially to military formation, Shettima said: “This is our land, we are going no where, and we are going to flourish or perish here.”
After the State Commissioner of Police, Lawal Tanko, had briefed the governor on the destruction to the Bulumkutu Police Station, where the insurgents burnt down the station along with two vehicles parked at the premises, Shettima said: “The good news to me is that no police man was lost. We are going to replace the lost vehicles.”
He said though the insurgents destroyed many property, he was happy to hear that aside the few injuries sustained by some military personnel, no death was recorded in the attack on their facilities.
Shettima said the “people of the state are definitely going to win the battle against the devilish sect who are out to do no one any good.”
The governor was however shocked by experience at a private residence where the insurgents killed two brothers.
“We were in our home at about 5.20am when some gunmen, after calling people to prayer in the mosque just opposite, came in and demanded that the head of the family should bring out the key of the pick-up car parked with beans which he refused.
“He told them that he did not have the key as it was parked by a friend who left with the key. They immediately slaughter him and went into the shop in front of the house where his brother was sleeping and equally slaughtered the brother ,” the governor was told as the family was preparing the corpses for burial .
The 333 Artillery Regiment of the Nigerian Army was totally destroyed by the insurgents who were said to have had a free day for about six hours with about 20 blocks of building within the barrack totally razed and over 30 vehicles torched as the soldiers were said to have fled the barrack when they met superior fire power of the terrorists.
At the western end of the town, the insurgents burnt down five petrol stations, over 20 petrol tankers and trucks as well as countless cars were burnt by the insurgents.
Three corpses suspected to be that of members of the sect were found lying on the road as smoke was still billowing from burnt structures.
