There is disquiet in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria over the killing on Sunday by the Boko Haram terrorists of 30 civilians, abduction of women and children and burning and looting of vehicles and houses during the attack at Auno village, along Damaturu – Maiduguri Road.
While President Buhari issued a statement commiserating with family of victims of attacks at Auno village, along Damaturu – Maiduguri Road, assuring them that his administration will continually frustrate the devilish operations of Boko Haram, and bring it to an end.
The military reacted to the killings and carnage with the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi announcing that henceforth, the Maiduguri/Damaturu highway would remain closed by 4pm every day to protect lives and property as it undergoes ongoing counter-insurgency operations.
General Adeniyi, who told journalists of the 4pm daily closure of the strategic highway late on Monday at his base at Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, also disputed the figures of the dead at Auno village, saying that only 10 lives were lost.
He stated that it is dangerous to “ply and park vehicles” along Maiduguri/Damaturu road between 4pm and at night.
“We don’t want to see vehicles on this road between evening and night hours. What businesses have motorists and truck drivers to park over 200 vehicles at Auno,” he said.
Adeniyi said that the closure of the road was also to prevent Boko Haram insurgents attacking commuters and communities along the 132-kilometre highway, blaming the attack on “the excesses of drivers and transporters not to heed daily closures of road by 4pm.”
But the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, whose government on Monday announced the casualties of 30 killed after his officials visited the scene, disputed the stand of the military and their allies that he was undermining the capacity of the military by the announcement, said that his government had repeatedly appealed to the military to establish their unit in Auno owing to the continuous attacks by terrorists.
An emotional Governor Zulum blurted out while visiting the Auno carnage area that “I am being pushed to the wall to say the truth. Since my inauguration as the Governor of Borno State from May 29th to date, Auno town has been attacked for about six times now. And the reason is that the military has withdrawn from Auno town.
“We have made repeated plea to the military to re-establish a base in Auno since it is one of the flashpoints of the Boko Haram. But nothing has been done to that effect. There were no soldiers here. They have all withdrawn. We are not being confrontational or undermining the capacity of the Nigerian military, but the fact is that we have made several attempts for the Nigeria military to establish their unit in Auno but nothing was done. Look at it, for God’s sake, more than 30 lives were lost here in Auno.”
Turning to the Garison Commander, 7 Division, Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Sunday Igbinomwanhia who accompanied him on the visit, the Governor said: “If you doubt what I am saying, can you count them by yourself. Information was circulated and we got a security report from Department of State Services (DSS) that Jakana can be attacked, and they came and attacked as predicted. This is sad because the Borno State University is not more than eight kilometres from here; which means this is an attack on Maiduguri town. So, if you cannot protect Maiduguri, then what happens to the rest of us in the city?”
The Governor, who also visited the area where the traumatized villagers were staying was told that many people, including women and children, were taken away in buses by the terrorists.
Governor Zulum, who was visibly shaken when he saw the charred bodies of the victims of the attack who were burnt by the fire from burnt vehicles, requested the military to dismantle the Auno gate from its present position and move it further away from the village so that it will be more difficult for the terrorists to gain access into the village.
He said that the Borno state government will assist those whose vehicles were destroyed in the attack as well as those whose goods were burnt alongside the vehicles transporting foodstuff and other wares into Maiduguri.
He however called on the people to remain calm and law abiding in the face of the challenges, promising that government will look for a way out the situation.
President Buhari, who is still in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is attending the African Union summit and also paying a State visit to the country, in a statement by Presidential Spokesperson, Malam Garba Shehu, condemned the “murderous and cowardly” attack on innocent passengers by the Boko Haram terrorists near Maiduguri.
The President, while restating that he is ever determined to frustrate the terrorists’ goal to hold Nigeria to ransom, said that “the commitment of this administration to protect the lives of Nigerians will not be derailed by the cowardly and indiscriminate violence against innocent people by Boko Haram terrorists.”
Buhari also condoled with the Borno State Government over the attacks, warning that “terrorists are clearly on a back foot and their days are numbered. As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed. The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our Armed Forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of mankind.”
