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Islamist attacks prompt 24-hour curfew in Nigeria's Maiduguri
[Pak Daily Times] Overnight attacks by Boko Haram... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... Islamists forced authorities on Monday to impose a 24-hour curfew in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... , closing the airport and shutting roads into and out of the city. The government in Borno state said the decision was taken after consultation with the military, which is believed to have been the target of the strikes by hundreds of bad turban fighters. "The imposition of the curfew is necessitated by an attack in Maiduguri by people suspected to be Boko Haram members in the early hours of today," said state government secretary Baba Ahmed Jidda. The apparently large-scale attack in a major urban centre will cast further doubt on military claims that Boko Haram, which was last month designated a terrorist group by the United States, has been pushed into remote areas. At the weekend, the military said they would tighten security in communities near Nigeria's northern and eastern borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon due to fears about Boko Haram strikes over the Christmas and New Year period. Army front man Ibrahim Attahiru told AFP on Monday that one of the attacks struck near the city's airport but he was not able to provide further details, amid reports that the airport and a nearby air force base were targeted. The phone network has been down in Borno since mid-May, when the government imposed a state of emergency in the state and two others in a move designed to block snuffies from co-ordinating attacks. Details of the ongoing conflict have been difficult to verify because of the communications black-out. The latest violence began at around 3:00 am (0200 GMT) and included bomb and gun attacks, said an AFP correspondent in the city, where Boko Haram was founded more than 10 years ago. "They entered Maiduguri from the bush, chanting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great)," said one Nigerian intelligence officer, adding that some bully boyz placed in durance vile Please don't kill me! '>were tossed into the calaboose, without specifying numbers. Ambulances were seen moving out of the air force base and the adjoining Ngomari neighbourhood, according to the correspondent, who said that roads in the city were deserted. Local residents said there had been fatalities but there was no immediate confirmation. The bully boyz were also said to have ambushed military checkpoints around Njimtilo, on the outskirts of the city. The state government's Jidda called for residents to remain "calm and law-abiding until the situation is put under control, as the security agencies will do everything possible to maintain lives and property of the citizenry". He added: "Only vehicles on emergency call and essential services are allowed to move during the period. The curfew would be lifted as soon as the situation improves." Monday's attacks come after suspected Boko Haram snuffies killed 24 people in two separate strikes in Borno state on Saturday and last Thursday. Seven fishermen were ambushed and killed in the first attack in Baga, a fishing community on Lake Chad, where nearly 200 people, including soldiers, bully boyz and civilians bit the dust in fierce fighting earlier this year. Seventeen others were killed in the second attack, when gunnies in pick-up trucks torched more than 100 shops and vehicles in the Sabon Gari area of Damboa district, 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Maiduguri. Posted by: Fred 2013-12-03 |
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