Gunmen invade VP Sambo’s family house •1 killed •4 die as suicide bombers move to Sokoto, bomb AIG’s office, police station •Residents flee Maiduguri over bomb scare

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Gunmen invade VP Sambo’s family house •1 killed •4 die as suicide bombers move to Sokoto, bomb AIG’s office, police station •Residents flee Maiduguri over bomb scare

Written by Hassan Ibrahim, Bello Gusau, James Bwala and Kola Oyelere Tuesday, 31 July 2012

THE family home of Vice-President Namadi Sambo in Zaria, Kaduna State, was, on Monday, attacked by unknown gunmen, who came on motorbikes, leaving a cobbler working near the house dead.

It will be recalled that the house was torched during the post-election riots allegedly by rampaging youths of opposition political parties and had since then been under re-construction.

An eyewitness said one policeman was shot in the leg, while another got shot in the arm. Both were said to have been rushed to a hospital for medical attention.

Reacting, the state acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Balteh Abdulrazaq, said mobile policemen at the vice-president’s home at Baba Ahmed Road, Tundun Wada, Zaria, engaged three gunmen in a gun battle around 11.30 a.m, where a cobbler was hit by a stray bullet and died instantly.

He said two police officers sustained wounds in the leg and arm and had since been rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

In another incident, four people died on Monday, when two suicide bombers carried out simultaneous attacks on Marina police station and Unguwar-Rogo police station, both in Sokoto.

The attacks also left eight policemen and one civilian injured, while the official car of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 10, comprising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Alhaji Muktar Ibrahim, had all its windscreens smashed.

According to Nigerian Tribune findings at the scene of the bomb blast, a storey building situated across the road, opposite the Marina police station, was also affected, while part of the main building where the office of the AIG was located was severely damaged.

Speaking with reporters at the Marina station, Ibrahim said the incident occurred when a suicide bomber forced his way into the premises of the police station and hit his car against the wall of the main block, causing the bomb to explode.

He said that the blast tore the body of the suicide bomber, leaving only his two legs intact, while a policeman, who was trying to stop him, was also killed.

The police boss further said that eight policemen and a civilian riding on a motorcycle outside the premises of the station were injured.

He disclosed that the state police command headquarters and all the police stations in the state had been put on red alert, to forestall a recurrence.

When contacted over the attack on Unguwar-Rogo police station, the state’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kudu Nma, said the suicide bomber parked his car close to the shop of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) and detonated the bomb.

According to him, a female hairdresser in the shop and the bomber were killed on the spot, while the shop was damaged.

Meanwhile, security had been beefed up in the area, while soldiers and other security agents had been put on red alert to prevent breakdown of law and order.

In another development, residents of Adam Kolo, Shehuri, Limanti and Kaleri settlements in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday, fled their homes, following rumours that members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnati Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram had perfected plans to confront security forces in the areas.

It was gathered that some leaflets were dropped in the areas, advising the residents to flee, in order not to be caught in the imbroglio.

“There was fighting between men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and some gunmen…It appears there are casualties on both sides, but I don’t know how many people were injured or killed,” Akilu Mustapha, one of the residents said.

Nigerian Tribune further learnt that there were intermittent sounds of gunshots in all the areas on Monday, even as operatives of the JTF blocked some roads, including the one leading to Gamboru Market and Ruwan Zafi areas.

Many motorists were forced to turn back on the Customs Bridge around 4.00 p.m, shortly after the exchange of gunshots between suspected gunmen and JTF operatives.

When contacted, spokesman of the JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, said there was no cause for alarm, adding that “the blockage of the road is temporary and is meant to protect lives of innocent citizens.”

Kano police command kills 4 gunmen
The Kano State police command has said four gunmen were killed during a gun battle between sect members and the police on Sunday night, at Rigiya Zaki area, on the outskirts of Kano.

According to a statement signed by the state PPRO, Mohammed Dutse, four of the gunmen were killed in the confrontation, while weapons they abandoned were recovered by bomb experts drafted to the scene.

“The Kano State police command wishes to inform the general public that on July 29, 2012 at about 20:30hrs, unknown gunmen on three motorcycles attacked a patrol team stationed at gate II at the Jamblock Estate in Rigiya Zaki,” the statement read.

It further disclosed that a total of 10 explosive devices abandoned after the attack had been intercepted, while the area had been mopped up by the bomb disposal unit of the state police command.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, who confirmed the attack at the estate, disclosed that the gunmen targeted a prominent mosque in the area, but were repelled by the JTF on duty and policemen on patrol.

Items recovered at the scene of the incident, according to the command, were three motorcycles, one AK-47 rifle, an assault rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition.

“The police patrol team responded appropriately, following which a gun battle ensued. Three of the attackers were gunned down by the police, while the other two died from the explosives they were carrying. One of them was burnt beyond recognition,” the police boss said.

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