Troops
retake Bazza, Bama
Acting
governor’s mum moved
Scores of
insurgents were killed yesterday following their invasion of the university
town of Mubi, Adamawa State.
Attempts by
the insurgents to hit Vimtim, Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal
Alex Badeh’s village, were repelled by troops.
Another
report late last night said Boko Haram insurgents may have captured the
village.
But the
military launched a counter offensive in Bazza to retake the town.
The Federal
Government yesterday said Bama, Borno State’s second largest city had
Gulak and
Michika are other towns on which the insurgents have launched attacks.
Also
yesterday, it was learnt that troops led by Gen. JS Zaruwa recaptured Bazza,
one of the towns seized by Boko Haram insurgents.
A senior
military source said troops retook Bazza after a fierce battle in which
soldiers killed many Boko Haram militants.
Acting
Governor Umaru Fintiri appealed for calm.
In a
broadcast, Fintiri said he had got the Military High Command to ensure
“immediate response to halt the incursions within the shortest possible time”.
He added: “I
hereby call for calm in the affected areas and that no one should panic, raise
false alarm and rumours capable of further throwing innocent people into
confusion.
“I
passionately appeal to all citizens in Mubi and surrounding villages to remain
where they are and not move out as the military and security are there are on
high alert and ready to defend the area.”
Vimtim is
less than five kilometers to Mubi, the state’s second largest town.
The
development has led to the relocation of the Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa
Ahmadu, and thousands of his subjects, under heavy security, to Yola, the state
capital.
The Defence
Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday confirmed that two officers and three soldiers
were injured in the battle.
He said the
injured five had been taken to a military facility which was undisclosed.
It was not
specific whether Lt. Col. Adeboye Obasanjo, was one of the injured in the
facility.
According to
the Defence Headquarters, in a terse statement, the troops had a fierce battle
with the insurgents in Mubi.
DHQ said:
“Counter terrorism troops today carried out an attack on Insurgents in Mubi
town, Adamawa State.
“In the
fierce battle to root out the insurgents, scores of insurgents lost their lives
while several others escaped with fatal gunshot wounds.
“Two
officers and three soldiers who were wounded in the battle are currently receiving
treatment in a military medical facility.”
Although the
DHQ was silent on the identities of those injured, there were indications that
Lt.-Col. Adeboye Obasanjo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s son, was one of
those taken to the medical facility.
A military
source said: “The insurgents were audacious in attacking Mubi and Vimtim but
troops had bloody encounters with them.
“The aerial
attacks of the insurgents’ camps and battle positions were still on as at 5pm.
Troops will soon return normalcy to the town and its environs.
“We are
already trying to secure Mubi and any moment from now, we will flush out the
insurgents from the town.
“One thing I
will want you to note is that the insurgents who were sacked in Bama by troops
accounted for the attack on Mubi in what appeared to be sheer reprisals.”
Responding
to a question, the source added: “We are talking of killing more than 80 to 100
insurgents.”
DHQ is said
to have ordered urgent medical treatment for Obasanjo’s son and others injured
in the battle.
“The initial
plan is to stabilize them before moving them to military hospitals. If their
condition is critical, they might be moved to referral hospitals in Abuja,” the
source said, adding:
“We are
cautious in managing this situation to prevent the media from creating the
impression that an officer or a soldier is more important than the other. We
are giving equal treatment to all those injured so far.
“Due to the
nature of the ongoing operation, we will not disclose the actual hospital but
certainly the family of those either wounded or killed will be communicated –
in line with military ethics.”
The Nation learnt that
before the bloody encounters, the insurgents had stormed Vimtim on Monday
night. The military and other security agencies relocated the Emir of Mubi,
Alhaji Abubakar Isa Ahmadu, to Yola.
“The Emir
was smuggled out under heavy military security at about 11.30pm on Monday.
“As I am
talking to you, many indigenes and residents of Mubi have moved out to Yola. In
fact, the Girei Bridge is filled up with displaced residents fleeing from the
insurgents,” a source said, pleading not to be named because he is not
authorized to talk to the media.
Acting
Governor Umaru Fintiri has also moved out his aged mother from Kirchinga,
Fintiri to Yola.
“Fintiri was
lucky to move out his mother (who is a Christian) before the insurgents overran
his village last Saturday.
“If they had
met the woman, it would have been a different story,” the source added.
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