Police arrest female bomber in Borno
Military kills B’haram terrorists in Lake Chad
THE Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has conducted an interdiction mission and killed undisclosed numbers of Boko Haram terrorists in Lake Chad region.
The Air Force spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, in a statement, said: “in the night of April 13, 2018, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) successfully destroyed some Boko Haram terrorist (BHT) vehicles at a location, about 12 kilometres east of Arege, in the Lake Chad region.”
He added that “a NAF intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft discovered the militants’ activities, with some vehicles mounted with guns, moving within the location.
“Accordingly, the ATF detailed NAF MI-35M helicopter gunships struck to take out the targets.
“Overhead the location, the attack platform acquired, interdicted and neutralised the targets with rockets and cannons.
“The subsequent battle damage assessment (BDA) revealed that at the end of the attack, a BHT gun truck, with its entire occupants, was completely destroyed and engulfed in fire.
“Another BHT vehicle was damaged and immobilised as a result of the attack while several terrorists were killed in the process.
“The NAF assures that it would continue to provide adequate air support, through the ATF of Operation Lafiya Dole, by conducting a range of air operations to create the necessary environment for ground operations to continue apace.”
However, the Borno State Police Commissioner, Damian Chukwu, has confirmed the arrest of a female suicide bomber near Bakassi camp in Maiduguri.
The 13-year-old suspect, Zara Idriss, was sighted by security agents at the eastern flank of Bakassi internally displaced persons (IDP) camp.
At a news conference yesterday in Maiduguri, the CP said four suspected suicide bombers sneaked into the metropolis and alighted along Damboa road before Zara’s arrest.
According to Chukwu, the bomber was arrested by men of Explosives Ordinance Department (EOD) team around 6.50a.m. at the perimeter fence of the camp.
He said that the policemen condoned off the area, diffused the bomb and apprehended the suspect.
The CP told newsmen that the suspect was in custody and undergoing interrogation.
His words: “On Tuesday ( yesterday) at about 6.50a.m., a female suicide bomber was sighted behind Bakassi IDP camp along Damboa road.
“On sighting the bomber, conventional policemen alongside the Explosives Ordinance Department (EOD) team swung into action and cordoned off the area to prevent escape of the suspect into the metropolis and the camp.
“The suspect, one Zara Idriss, was rendered safe, arrested and is now in our custody.”
Chukwu urged the public to go about their normal activities without fear.
“You should report any suspicious movements in your communities to security agencies for prompt action,” he appealed.
The police chief assured the people that the command was committed to the protection of lives and property.