Multiple explosions and gunfire rocked Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum yesterday, leaving unconfirmed number of people dead in cities that have witnessed deadly Boko Haram attacks in the recent past.

At least 5 explosions were heard in Maiduguri while no less than ten blasts and sporadic gun fire were reported in Damaturu, Yobe State.
In the two cities, combined forces of the military and police reportedly had fierce shootouts with members of the Boko Haram sect.

Residents and security sources fear that many people might have been killed or injured in the violence.

In Damaturu, the explosions were heard at an outskirts settlement Pompomari, behind the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu.

The blasts in Maiduguri rocked Baga Road, Dala, Jajeri and Abbaganaram areas.

A senior official at the Sani Abacha Specialists Hospital in Damaturu confirmed that the body of a soldier was deposited at the mortuary.

“At our accident and emergency unit, as I am talking to you, we are treating about 7 policemen who sustained various degrees of injuries…I think many more are being brought,” the official told Daily Trust at about 7pm.

“We also have a 10-year-old boy in the operation theatre. Doctors are trying to remove some bullets from his body,” he said.

Witnesses said the encounter in Damaturu which started around 3pm yesterday lasted for more than 4 hours, as sounds of explosions and gunfire rent the air and thick smoke billow into the sky.

Pompomari resident Habiba Musa told our correspondent that she saw a group of armed men in plain clothes chanting “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is Great) as they walked past her thatch-roofed brick house.

“Shortly after they passed, I heard thunderous sounds of blasts. Few minutes later, I heard another one, then another one. I was rattled…in fact all of us in the neighborhood started wailing and crying but the sound of the gunshots continued unabated,” she said.

Mohammed, a resident of Sabon Fegi, told our correspondent by telephone that sound of gunshots could still be heard in various parts of Damaturu metropolis around 8 o’clock last night.

He said he saw a Hilux vehicle belonging to the army on fire.

Yobe State police commissioner of Police, Lawan Tanko, who confirmed the blasts in Damaturu, said his men had “really engaged” the attackers for a very long time.

The commissioner, who briefly spoke on the phone said, “We seriously engaged the Boko Haram assailants, and ultimately overpowered them. Most of them fled through the bush path of Gashua road.”Tanko said they were yet to ascertain the number of casualties.

But he confirmed that many houses and at least one place of worship were burnt at Pompomari area.

In Maiduguri, the first bomb went off around 5.58pm close to the Timber Market, along Baga road, and the devastating impact of the explosion shattered many buildings, including the glasses of a mosque and a store in the Media Trust regional office.

A resident of Dala, a suburb of Maiduguri, said a church was attacked in the area. “I am right now inside my house which is not more than 300 metres away from the church. There are gunshots renting the air,” he said.

Military sources in Maiduguri confirmed that members of the Boko Haram had attempted attacking JTF operatives in at least 6 places within a span of one hour.

Spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Ibrahim Farinloye said there may be casualties as a result of the simultaneous bombings. “But the truth is that we have to liaise with various agencies to get the fact of the situation,” Farinloye said.

In Potiskum, resident Idris Driver told our correspondent by telephone that some gunmen had laid siege in the town, which is located 120 kilometers south of Damaturu.

“I heard a loud blast and I am sure it is a bomb. If you can listen carefully, you can also hear the sound of gunshots through the phone,” Idris said.

The three cities under attack last night had witnessed similar violence blamed on the Boko Haram sect. On Monday, a blast rocked a bomb factory in Damaturu, killing a suspected member of the Boko Haram and injuring 2 others.

Earlier on Saturday, a similar incident took place at Shuwari area of Maiduguri where three people were killed.



source: http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150742:blasts-rock-maiduguri-damaturu-potiskum&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8