By AbdulSalam Muhammad &
Ndahi Marama
KANO — No fewer than 17
Islamist militants were killed,
yesterday, in Kano after two
days of sustained exchange
of fire between the militants
and security agents. Four
others were also reportedly
killed in Damaturu, Yobe
State capital. It was gathered
that three undergraduates
were among those arrested
by security agents.

The gunmen had reportedly
launched an operation,
attacking seven targets with
explosives and assault rifles
in Kano during the attack
that lasted about 12 hours.

The military Joint Task Force,
JTF, reportedly killed two of
the attackers in Damaturu,
while one was arrested in
the 30-minute fierce battle
that later spread to the
Federal Polytechnic,
Damaturu, premises.
It was alleged that a group
of unknown gunmen,
suspected to be terrorists,
had earlier attacked a police
out-post in Sabon Fegi ward
in the metropolis, killing two
civilians. A woman and her
child were hit by stray bullets
during the exchange of
gunfire between the
gunmen and men of JTF.

Kano State Commissioner of
Police, Ibrahim Idris told
newsmen in Kano that the
gunmen attacked their
targets with explosives and
assault riffles, adding that no
fewer than 14 Improvised
Explosive Devices, IEDs, were
defused by the Bomb
Disposal Unit of the police
command during the
gunfight.

He said: “Some extremists
launched an attack with
bombs and assault rifles on
Dala Police Station, Jakara
Police Barracks, Goron Dutse
Division, Panshekara Division,
52 Squadron Mobile Police
Unit, Challawa; and also
planted bombs at the Junior
Secondary School, Sabuwar
Doka in Ungogo Local
Government.

“The extremists, who were
about 30, attacked
policemen on duty with
assault rifles and IEDs, and
the policemen gallantly
repelled the attacks.”
He added that the
‘’extremists’’ also attacked
the Goron Dutse Prison yard,
but the policemen on duty
repelled their attacks
successfully. He said no
damage was done to the
prisons, even as the situation
was now under control.

The police boss, however,
revealed that the command
lost a police Sergeant just as
another sergeant sustained
injuries.
According to him, items
recovered from the religious
extremists included five
assault rifles, 220 live
ammunition, five vehicles,
three motorcycles, large
quantities of drugs and
syringes, and N100,000 cash.

The Commissioner, however,
commended the people of
the state for their
cooperation with law
enforcement agencies and
urged them not to relent in
providing useful information.
However, commenting on
the incident in Damaturu, the
Yobe State Police
Commissioner, Patrick
Egbuniwe, said in a
telephone interview
yesterday that “there were
attacks on a police and
military posts by suspected
gunmen, where two civilians
were killed in the Sabon Fegi
ward and the Federal
Polytechnic staff quarters.”
He said there were still some
assailants hiding among the
communities in the
metropolis, warning that the
police and JTF would
continue to raid such
hideouts, which pose
increased security threats to
lives and property in the
state.

He said there was no
casualty during Tuesday’s
attacks on the part of men of
the JTF and police, urging the
residents to always
cooperate with security
agents, by providing useful
information on the hideouts
and modus operandi of
terrorists in their midst.
www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/21-killed-as-gunmen-jtf-clash-in-kano-yobe/