Soldiers hit Boko Haram•As JTF kills three suspected school arsonists

Posted by admin Armed Forces, Boko Haram, Latest Politics Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Three members of Boko Haram yesterday met their waterloo in the hands of the Joint Task Force (JTF) soldiers while trying to burn another school in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The Islamist sect has lately shifted focus on torching schools which the group said is in retaliation for the burning of Quranic Schools in the state
The group’s philosophy abhors Western education. Even the name ‘Boko Haram’ interpretes as ‘Western education is sin.’
However, in yesterday’s attempt, the targeted, Lamisula Primary School along Custom Road which was also destroyed by the Islamist sect members in the 2009 uprising, was attended by the incumbent `governor of the state, Alhaji Kashim Shettima between 1972 and 1978.

Daily Sun gathered that some men drove into the school along Customs Road in the wee hours and were already positioning themselves to set the school ablaze when the soldiers spotted them and opened fire. Though heavy gunshots were heard by residents around the area, but not many knew what happened early morning yesterday.

“We could not sleep from 3a.m till the day-break because nobody knew what was happening, we were just hearing gunshots and everybody in my house had to lie down. Even my neighbour told me the same thing; you can’t just sleep in such situation,” one of the residents of Abaganaram, a ward close to Lamisula, who did not want his name in the print, disclosed.

JTF spokesman, Lt-Col Hassan Mohammed, who gave details of the operation that led to the killing of the three sect members, said the task force carried out another successful operation at about 3:30a.m when its men engaged in secret vigilance over Lamisula Primary School.
“Our men spotted a group of armed sect members drove into the school with gallons of petrol attempting to again set the school ablaze.

“Fortunately, our operatives opened fire and killed three of them, while two others with minor injuries were also arrested and are currently with us,” he added, even as he said the bodies have been evacuated “in the interest of the school pupils, who would be resuming school today (Monday) after the weekend break.”
He also disclosed that rifles were recovered from the scene of the attack.
Meanwhile, the sect through an email message to journalists yesterday admitted the slain men were members of the group. It vowed to continue to attack schools in the state, claiming it resolved to burn schools as reprisals to alleged raiding of local Quranic schools by the security agents in the state. No fewer than seven schools have been burnt by the sect in recent times.
In Kano yesterday, two police officers were shot and killed in Dorayi Quarters by suspected Boko Haram members.

Dorayi Quarters is in the outskirts of the metropolitan area, precisely in Gwale Local Government Area.
A statement signed by the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, said that at about 1.25 p.m , a group of armed men on motorcycles attacked policemen on duty guard at the residence of a senior police officer at Dorayi Quarters.

The statement said that during the gun duel that ensued, the two police officers were killed while two other police officers were injured, adding that the gunmen, however, escaped with bullet wounds after they were given a chase by members of the public.
According to Alhaji Idris, the gunmen abandoned their motorcycles and fled. He said that the police command is investigating the tragedy.

The shootout, according to witnesses, has led to fresh anxiety among residents of the area, many of whom took cover in their homes as soon as the gun duel commenced.
Last Friday, gunmen believed to be members of the sect attacked and killed a soldier who was equally on duty in a residence in Hotoro area of the state capital.

-Sunwp_posts