Boko Haram Kills 8, Blows Up Bridge in Yobe State

By The Rainbow
Boko Haram Kills 8, Blows Up Bridge in Yobe State
Boko Haram Kills 8, Blows Up Bridge in Yobe State

Granting no breather, the outlawed Boko Haram terrorist group continued its onslaught on Monday with a seven-hour attack on Katarko village, in the outskirts of Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

At the end of the siege, eight persons were killed, just as an important bridge linking Yobe and Adamawa States was blown up.

Katarko, which is 22 kilometres south of Damaturu, is a community in Gujba Local Government Area of the state, and believed to be one of the strongholds of the Boko Haram sect in the North-eastern state.

Residents, some of whom had fled the community, told journalists on the phone that the insurgents stormed the town around 7:30 pm on Monday, first attacking the military base before moving to some houses where eight persons were killed.

One of the residents who explained that the siege lasted for over seven hours, told journalists yesterday that: “They came here and launched an unsuccessful attack on the military base before embarking on some selective killings within the town, leaving us with eight casualties presently being prepared for burial.”

He said the insurgents carried out the attack until 2:30 am without any form of resistance.

It was also gathered that during the siege, the insurgents blew up the Katarko Bridge linking Damaturu to their stronghold, Buni Yadi, the capital of Gujba Local Government Area of the state. This area connects Yobe and neighbouring Borno and Adamawa States, all under emergency rule as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.

It is the first time the terrorists are attacking Katarko, since the commencement of their hostility in 2009.

Meanwhile, two suspected members of the outlawed sect have been arrested in Damaturu metropolis in possession of Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs). They are believed to be planning an attack somewhere within the state capital.

Although military authorities declined comment on the arrest, residents confirmed that the suspects were arrested at separate locations within the metropolis while bearing the devices.

They said that the first insurgent arrested gave out information about the whereabouts of second hoodlum who was later picked up at another part of the troubled town.