Iro Babyola, Damaturu
A staff of Media Trust, publishers of Daily Trust Newspapers, Abdulwasiu Akinsanya, was among the many civilians killed in Damturu, Yobe state, by members of the blood thirsty Boko Haram sect, in multiple attacks Thursday night.
The Military has announced a 24 hours curfew in the town following the attack.
The insurgents, in a pattern identical with previous attacks, invaded military and police locations as well as public and private buildings in the town between 5:30pm and midnight.
Abdulwasiu until his death was attached to the printing section of Media Trust at the Maiduguri regional office and was reportedly caught in crossfire while travelling to Kano together with his family.
His Wife, Bilkisu Akinsanya, confirmed that her husband was killed around 5.30pm when their vehicle broke down in Damaturu shortly before the Boko Haram insurgents launched the attacks.
“I and our children were with him when he was killed. The dead body of my husband has been taken away to a hospital by security agents,” said Bilkisu, who is now taking refuge with her children at the Maisandari Police divisional headquarters in Damaturu.
Although the numbers of casualties could not be official gotten as at the time of filing this report, residents who spoke to journalists said the attack which lasted five hours was massive and kept everyone in fear for the duration.
They said guns and Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, were deployed by the sect members in the attack judging by the sounds they heard and that by Friday morning, corpses were seen on the roads in some part of the town.
The spokesman of the 3 Division, Special Operation Battalion, in Yobe state, Eli Lazarus, a captain, who confirmed the attack said that security forces in the state capital were involved in a gun battle with the insurgents.
He said that a 24-hour curfew had been imposed across Yobe state with immediate effect as the battalion continued its operation to rid the state of insurgents.
Though the army did not give details on the extent of damage or number of casualties, sources said the 234 army Battalion along Maiduguri road, the mobile police base, the police Area Command, the state CID all along Gujba road were burnt down and some detainees freed.
It was also gathered that the insurgents looted the General Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in the area, making away with two brand new ambulances and huge quantity of drugs at the hospital.