SAN FRANCISCO, December 04, (THEWILL) – The latest Boko Haram attacks on Bajoga, about 70 kilometres from Gombe, as well as Ashaka town, Thursday morning, sent jitters down the spines of residents of the Gombe State capital.
Residents of the town were shell-shocked when they were told that the Boko Haram insurgents have overrun the two neighbouring towns and may just be approaching Gombe for another onslaught.
Speaking on the development, a resident of Gombe, Pastor Musa Chiroma, betrayed emotion amid the fear of the unknown, saying : “Please pray for us for we have heard that Bajoga and Ashaka have been overrun by the insurgents who are presently moving towards Gombe.”
According to him, “We are all in fear for we know what this agent of doom did in Damaturu and would not like that to be repeated here.”
Local sources disclosed to THEWILL that the insurgents who came from the Gujba axis in Yobe State, unleashed great terror on Bajoga and Ashaka, shooting indiscriminately and setting buildings ablaze.
A resident of Bajoga, Mallam Mohammed Adam, said the Boko Haram gunmen stormed the town about 6am and went about unleashing terror on the people.
“They had a field day for about three hours before they were dispersed by heavy land and air bombardment.”
“Two fighter jets were brought in which frequently hovered over the town, while ground troops engaged the insurgents in a gun battle,” he disclosed.
According to him, some of the insurgents were seen heading towards Ashaka, the host community of Ashaka Cement Factory, where truckloads of explosives were carted away by the insurgents about a month ago.
A resident of Ashaka said the insurgents attacked the town for about an hour, destroyed buildings and looted groceries shops.
“They (insurgents) seem to be in a hurry to loot and destroy as they went about the attack within a hour and left towards Gujba area,” he added.
The Gombe State Police Command, Thursday afternoon, confirmed the attacks, saying normalcy has however been restored to Bajoga town in Funakaye Local Government Area of the state after the early morning attack.
Spokesperson for the Command, Deputy Superintendent Fwaje Atajiri, who confirmed the attack to journalists at the state Police Headquarters in Gombe, said: “There was an attack on Bajoga around 8:30am local time this morning by suspected gunmen. It was an unfortunate incident that had since been brought under control.
“It is not a new thing. This has been a phenomenon that we have to grapple with.”
According to Atajiri, the insurgents also attempted to attack the nearby Ashaka Cement Company but were repelled by security personnel who gave the terrorists a good fight.
Advising residents of the state to be wary of strangers among them and immediately report suspicious movements to the security operatives, Atajiri, who couldn’t give the casualty figure immediately, however assured that the police will always ensure the security of lives and property of residents of the state.
“An attempt was made on Ashaka but was unsuccessful. We assure the general public that there is no cause for alarm. They should remain calm, go about their normal business and report any suspicious person or group to the nearest security agency so that we proactively react by nipping it in the bud,” he said.
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