Anguish in Dapchi, Konduga
Distressed parents in Dapchi, Bursari Local Government Area of Yobe State, are still weeping. Boko Haram attacked the town on Monday, spent hours looting the place and eventually entered the premises of Dapchi Government Girls Secondary School where scores of schoolgirls were abducted. A teacher who escaped said: “They shot sporadically and forced the school’s food store open. We and the students ran into the bush for safety.” As at press time, a hunt was on to rescue the abducted girls. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Abdulmaliki Sumonu, said security operatives had been reinforced in the area to ensure total security. Only God knows what this policeman is talking about. What are they securing after the damage had been done? The point here is that the terrorists spent hours unchallenged in this town, yet, our security operatives say that they are on top of this Boko Haran crisis.
Dapchi is just about 100 kilometres from Damaturu, the state’s capital. The military claimed the attackers were “fleeing Boko Haram” members. These so-called “fleeing” terrorists still had time to ransack Dapchi for hours unchallenged. A resident, simply identified as Ibrahim, said the attackers stormed the town, shooting sporadically. “They forced some shops open and stole food items. We are yet to know if there are casualties because everyone in the town scampered for safety. Some fled to bush, others into their homes. They also attacked the military location at the town’s entrance bridge.”
The hapless residents of Konduga in Borno State are also counting their losses following the multiple suicide bomb attacks by Boko Haram at Kasuwar Kifi on the outskirts of the town last week. The bombers shattered social activities in this spot, killing 18 persons, aside from the three bombers. Several others were also injured; most of them are still receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, Damian Chukwu, confirmed the casualty figures. As usual, so many families in Konduga are directly or indirectly affected by this latest attack. Some of the injured in the hospital are battling for survival. So sad; they may also not return home alive.
Kodunga has been repeated bombed in the last nine years by Boko Haram. There is hardly any family in this town without a grisly story to tell. Just like many towns and villages in Borno State, the residents of Kodunga are perpetually living in fear. In this part of the world, human blood is so cheap. The next attack could just be in a matter of hours. For how long must this continue? For how long shall this country allow the shedding of innocent blood? Terrorists are evidently very much on ground in many towns and villages in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Things have just got to change about this sagging war. The leadership of the military must make way for result-oriented people.