CAN WANTS BETTER SECURITY OVER BOKO HARAM THREATS

Gunmen kill soldiers in Borno
AGAIN, the issue of insecurity of lives and property in Borno State yesterday came to the fore as the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called for a more proactive action against the increasing serial attacks and killings by 'unidentified persons' suspected to be Boko Haram sect members.

Meanwhile, two soldiers were killed while another was injured by two gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect, at a checkpoint in Biu, Borno State.

Speaking yesterday at a media briefing in Maiduguri, the state CAN Chairman, Rev. Yuguda Mdurvwa, decried the increasing insecurity to lives of CAN members in the state.

He disclosed that from December 24, 2010 to January 17, 2011, three churches were attacked and bombed, while nine locations in various parts of Maiduguri were also attacked by suspected Boko Haram sect members.

'Besides the attacks on places of worship, Rev. Bulus Marwa and Pastor Micheal Medugu of Deeper Life Church were shot and killed along with eight members of CAN,' Mdurvwa added.

He said that the suspected Boko Haram armed men had unleashed mayhem on Christians in the state, destroying churches without any provocation.

Mdurvwa, however, cautioned that CAN would not continue to fold its arms and allow its members to be killed.

He added: 'We say, enough is enough, because despite the security measures put in place by the state government to protect lives and property, Christians and churches are being killed and destroyed unchecked by the suspected Boko Haram armed sect. We fail to understand the failure of the security agencies in spite of the enormous resources put in by the Borno State government to protect lives and property.'

He, therefore, called on the state government to re-strategise, so that security agencies could live up to their responsibilities of protecting lives and property.

However, it was learnt that the bandits ambushed the dead soldiers at the checkpoint at about 10a.m. on Sunday.

Confirming the incident to The Guardian yesterday, Brig-Gen Ibrahim Ndaliman of the 21 Armoured Brigade, Maiduguri said: 'The soldiers were manning the 'stop and search' points in Biu town, 187 kilometres, south of Maiduguri when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at our men and sped off towards the outskirts of Biu,' adding that no arrest had been made yet.

He said since the July reprisal attack in Maiduguri by the suspected Boko Haram sect, the Army has lost four soldiers while 12 policemen were killed.