Boko Haram kills Customs boss, 5 year-old – burns churches and buildings named after OBJ

Posted by admin Boko Haram, Olusegun Obasanjo (1976-79, 99-07), Presidency Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Thursday, March 08, 2012

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Again, Boko Haram yesterday went on the rampage in Borno and Yobe states, killing the Area Comptroller of Customs, Adamu Ahmadu, a five-year-old boy and brother of a council chairman.
The Islamist sect also torched a police station, a legislative building named after ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in a local government secretariat and two churches.

The development came as the 19 Northern governors who had earlier abandoned the administrative headquarters in Kaduna for their meetings, out of fear for the dreaded Boko Haram, had a change of heart yesterday when they returned to the place for their parley,
Hitherto, the governors met in Abuja.

Daily Sun gathered that Comptroller Ahmadu, who was newly-posted from Bauchi to Maiduguri as the Borno/Yobe Customs boss, had just returned to Potiskum in Yobe State early this week having completed an official engagement in Bauchi.“He was in Bauchi for the screening of our personnel for promotion and just returned to his hometown, Potiskum. In fact, he just ended the Magreb (sunset) prayer when the assailant came,” an official of the Customs service who does not want to be named, told our reporter.

The comptroller was reportedly mowed down by the Boko Haram men at about 7pm in his residence after a failed attempt to gun him down in the mosque. The Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Tanko Lawal, confirmed the killing, but said the police suspected assassination. “It is true and assassination is being suspected,” he said in a text message.

Still in Yobe, the sect killed the younger brother of Alhaji Mahmoud Yerima Lawan, the Chairman of Yunusari Local Government. The deceased, said to be a District Head of Bilala, had gone to his brother, the council chairman’s house at Geidam unknown to him that some assailants were on the trail of his brother. The gunmen who might have mistaken their target as the council chairman, opened fire on him and his local security, (maiguard), leaving them in their pool of blood.

While the killings were going on in Yobe, Boko Haram stormed Konduga, a small community 40 kilometres from Maiduguri, Borno State capital in a convoy of vehicles at about 6.30pm, barely an hour after the convoy of the governor passed the area. The sect, according to residents, opened fire on the policemen on guard at the Konduga Divisional Police Office along the highway before torching the building.

“They came in two Toyota Hilux vehicles and were shouting Allah akbar (God is great) as they began to shoot. As they were attacking the police station, some of them also set the legislative building on fire,” one of the residents, who did not want his name in print, disclosed in a phone interview. The burnt legislative building called Obasanjo House, apparently the newest within the Konduga Local Government secretariat complex, was commissioned by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2001. Most of the policemen on duty allegedly fled as soon as the sect attacked their station.

Two churches including Catholic and the Church of Brethren, Nigeria (Ekilisaya Yan’uwa a Nigeria,EYN) were set ablaze. Also, six vehicles, eight motorcycles and one bicycle were burnt by the sect both at the local government premises and the police station in the attack residents said lasted for about three hours.
They claimed four people including a five years old boy and policemen were killed in the attack. The boy, according to residents, was buried yesterday. But the Police Public Relations (PPRO), Samuel Tizhe, who confirmed the attacks, rather said the three policemen were injured.

A deafening sound from a bomb explosion was also reported yesterday evening at the end of Lagos Street by Bama Road, Maiduguri, barely 15 minutes after the convoy of Governor Shettima passed the road. The governor was coming from Bama town where he had gone to flag off the National Immunization campaign against polio and had passed Konduga an hour before the Boko Haram multiple attacks in the town.
Meanwhile, Gov Shettima has expressed shock over the customs’ boss killing.

In a condolence statement, issued by Alhaji Isah Gusau, the governor’s Special Adviser, Shettima said the killing came as a rude shock, noting that the newly transferred comptroller had barely spent enough time in his office when he was mowed down. He condoled with the late officer’s family as well as the Nigerian Customs Service for the loss.

Earlier in the day, four people were reportedly killed by suspected Boko Haram men at Mafoni ward within Maiduguri metropolis. But the Joint Task Force (JTF) claimed ignorance of the report by Press time.
Meanwhile, the JTF through a release signed by its spokesman, Lt-Colonel Hassan Mohemmed said some members of the public were violating curfew regulations in spite of several warnings, adding that some equally solicit the assistance of the security agents to break the curfew laws.

“This is unacceptable as those caught breaking the curfew will face the consequences,” the task force stressed in a statement. It however, advised people to disregard a rumour of adjustment of curfew time, maintaining that the restriction still takes effect from 7 pm to 6am daily. “However, those on essential duties are advised to identify themselves to security agents,” it added.

Meanwhile, several months after the 19 Northern Governors abandoned the administrative headquarters of the former northern region, Kaduna for fear of Boko Haram, the state chief executives, yesterday defied insecurity and met yesterday in Kaduna amidst tight security.

Investigations showed that security had been beefed up both at the Hassan Usman Katsina House in Kawo area and Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the seat of Kaduna State Government. The last meeting of the governors in Kaduna was held in July 2010. Their subsequent meetings were held outside Kaduna until yesterday.
Top on the agenda of the meeting of the governors is who will take over the leadership of the Governors Forum since Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, is expected to step down having served his term.
The position of the chairman, Daily Sun gathered, is allocated alphabetically to the Governors which put Jonah Jang of Plateau State in line.

Other issues before the governors are the plight of New Nigerian newspapers workers who have been on strike for over three weeks, over non-payment of salaries and other emoluments for almost one year.-Sunwp_posts