Boko Haram Strikes Borno Again ,Kill 22 People

The Boko Haram sect turned on the heat again yesterday. The sect members struck in Maiduguri, the epicentre of their operations after a lull, following military bombardments that accompanied the declaration of a state of emergency on Borno State by President Goodlcuk Jonathan last month.

No fewer than 22 people including pupils and fishermen were believed to have been killed in a revenge attack on a school.

The sect members also took a revenge on Maiduguri residents who have been working the security operatives to expose sect members.

Some gunmen believed to be Boko Haram reportedly attacked fishermen, local tea sellers and some residents at Alau River near Maiduguri. They killed 13 people. Sources said the gunmen claimed they were on a revenge mission against a group of youths who collaborated with security agents.

Also, the insurgents were reported to have attacked a private school in Maiduguri where students were writing the National Examination Council (NECO) examination. A resident said: “Nine of the students were shot dead. Many others were injured.”

The gunmen were said to have stormed Ansarudeen Private Primary and Secondary School at Jajeri, a Maiduguri suburb, and opened fire on the unsuspecting pupils shortly after the commencement of examination.

Some parents of the deceased expressed shock over the killing of their children and appealed to government to address the security situation. They expressed shock that in spite of the declaration of a state of emergency and curfew, sect members could still operate in such a manner. Sources at the State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri said no fewer than 20 bodies, bearing gun shots, were brought in.

The sect killed nine people in neighbouring Yobe State, which is also under a state of emergency, at the weekend . Adamawa is the third state put under the state of emergency.