The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Saturday called on the Nigerian military to wake up to its responsibility of protecting the country territorial integrity following multiple explosions that rocked Maiduguri, the state capital, from rockets fired by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The explosions which occurred on Saturday morning were reported to left a little boy injured and several properties destroyed.
Zulum, who described the attack as unfortunate, expressed displeasure that the terrorists came close to Maiduguri in a manner that could have been averted if the military had provided adequate surveillance.
“It is very sad and unfortunate that this kind of attack and others are happening at this time. It seems the insurgents came very close to Maiduguri. Our military have to wake up and ensure adequate surveillance. This is something we should be able to avert. For the insurgents to have come so close to fire rockets, I think there is something wrong that we have to check.
“We have to fortify Maiduguri, as we will continue to do around other cities and towns across the state. We have to ensure adequate patrols on daily basis to avert future attacks.
“I wish to sympathize with those affected by today’s attack, I will constitute a small committee to ascertain the level of damage and advise government on how to avert future occurrence,” the governor said during a visit to the 1,000 Housing Estate that was hit by the insurgents.
Some residents said two rockets exploded at Gomari while the third explosive landed in a building in the housing estate near Hajj Transit Camp where the repentant Boko Haram insurgents were being housed.
“I heard the first explosion early in the morning and then the second one, then I came out to see where it was happening before the third one landed in our estate. I saw when it landed and I immediately lay on the ground. The moment it landed in the house, the whole place became dark and dusty.
“The fourth one landed elsewhere but it was not as heavy as the first three. The first two landed in Gomari very close to the Air Force base. The explosion destroyed a house in our estate very close to my house. It didn’t kill anyone but it injured a little boy, a resident of the estate told Sunday PUNCH.
A resident at Gomari airport, Usman Zanna, said the Hajj Transit Camp housing former Boko Haram members could have been the target of the attackers.
“Yes, the explosives landed in our area. We suspect it was launched by Boko Haram terrorists and we assume the target is the Hajj Transit Camp where their former colleagues are being kept in the camp. You know we have been complaining about the continued camping of the former insurgents in the city. If you notice, they have been trying to attack all communities where their ex-colleagues are kept. We complained about this for so long but no one is paying attention,” Zanna disclosed.
A military officer also confirmed that the insurgents had been attempting to infiltrate Maiduguri city since Friday but were repelled by security agents.
“Since yesterday (Friday), they have been trying to penetrate Maiduguri city but the military kept frustrating them with the support of aircraft; they were chased away. So, I think they hid in the nearby bushes around the city and resorted to launching explosives targeting the Hajj camp. But everything is back to normal now,” the source said.
The Nigerian Army said suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists were behind the attack.
In a statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, it said troops of Operation Hadin Kai, however, responded and dominated the area with ground and air interdictions to repel the attack.
The statement titled, ‘Operation Hadin Kai: No cause for alarm, troops on ground to ward-off threats in Maiduguri,’ read in part, “The sound of explosions at Gomari community and 1,000 Housing Estate in Maiduguri was heard in the early hours of today with shots fired into these communities by BH/ISWAP criminals. This unfortunate incident has caused some level of damage and apprehension in residential areas. Although, no life was lost, sadly a minor sustained injury. Ground troops in conjunction with the air component of OPHK responded swiftly and dominated the area with ground and air interdictions that successfully neutralised the threats and infiltration attempt by the terrorists.” ,,
