[PREMIUMTIMESNG] The police in Borno have confirmed that two officers were killed 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...
, but said the victims were not officials of the Borno Police Command.
The Borno command said none of its personnel were killed during the Wednesday night attack on military formations in Magumeri village of Borno.
The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, Victor Isuku, explained his command’s stance in a statement on Friday.
"The attention of Borno state police command has been drawn to a news report over the attack by boko haram murderous Moslems at Magumeri town, in Magumeri LGA of Borno state on 15th March, 2017", said Mr. Isuku, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
"According to the report, a police Sergeant. Aliru Aliyu was killed, while Sergeant Ayeni Lawrence was injured when the murderous Moslems attacked Magumeri cop shoppe.
"For avoidance of doubt, and to put records straight, the command wishes to state that the fallen police Sergeant Aliru Aliyu, the injured Sergeant Ayeni Lawrence, and one Corporal Zachariah Mohammed who was initially reported missing in action, but later found dead, are all personnel of 16 PMF Squadron Abeokuta on Counter Insurgency Special Duty in the state.
"They are also among the over 500 police personnel deployed to Operation Lafiya Dole. They were briefed and deployed by the military to Nigerian Army Base at Magumeri town
He explained that the casualty recorded by the police was as a result of the attack on the military base in Magumeri and not on Magumeri cop shoppe as wrongly reported.
Boko Haram gunnies had on Wednesday night staged their very first attack on Magumeri targeting security locations in the dusty agrarian community.
The military said the attack was repelled but blamed it on the villagers’ connivance with Boko Haram.
Details on casualty remained sketchy, even as the Borno State Deputy Governor, Usman Durkwa, who visited the attacked village of Thursday said the casualty on the side of the security operatives was under reported.