Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram
have reportedly abducted about 20
women near Chibok, the Borno State
community where more than 200
schoolgirls were kidnapped on April 14.
The women, according to Bloomberg, a
United States-based news agency, and
The Guardian of London, were taken
after the gunmen attacked a nomadic
settlement known as Garkin Fulani at
the weekend.
Bloomberg and The Guardian of London
both quoted a member of the Vigilante
Group of Nigeria, Alhaji Tar, as having
said the women were herded into
vehicles at gunpoint and driven off to an
unknown location.
“We got the information that they went
there and took away the women at the
time none of the males were there,”
Tar said in the reports by the two news
sources on Monday.
“The three young men they met there
could not help the women, as they
(gunmen) also ordered the three of
them to enter the Toyota Hilux vans and
took all of them away,” Tar added.
The news channels also reported that
three young men who tried to stop the
abduction of the women were also taken
away.
When contacted by one of our
correspondents, the Borno State
Police Commissioner, Lawan Tanko,
denied that the incident took place.
He said, “I believe there is no truth in
the attack as I just spoke to my
divisional police officer in Chibok. He
should have informed me of the
abduction if there was any.”
Also, the Chairman of Chibok Local
Government Area, Baana Lawan, said,
“When I saw the report on online new
sources, I despatched some vigilance
group members and hunters to the
scene. They came back and told me that
the place was never attacked and that
no one was abducted.”
Telephone calls by one of our
correspondents in Abuja to the
Director of Defence Information, Maj.
Gen. Chris Olukolade, were not picked
by him. He also did not respond to a text
message sent to him.
Before then, Olukolade had said Special
Forces killed 50 Boko Haram
insurgents on Saturday.
Olukolade, in an electronic mail on
Monday, said the insurgents were
ambushed by troops at Bilta following
intelligence reports that they were
going to attack some communities in
Borno and Adamawa states.
He added that four soldiers who
received gunshot wounds in the
encounter were receiving treatment at
an undisclosed hospital.
The DHQ spokesman stated that the
troops also seized “30 rifles, 36 hand
grenades, seven machine guns, 11
rocket propelled grenade tubes, 3500
rounds of ammunition, six smoke
grenade canisters, locally-fabricated
guns and four vehicles used by the
terrorists in the foiled attack.”
He said, “Troops conducting anti-
terrorist campaign in the North-East
have successfully averted attempted
massive raid on villages in Borno and
Adamawa states during the weekend.
“The terrorists who were on their way
to attack selected communities were
ambushed by troops at Bilta, Borno
State on receiving intelligence report of
the terrorists’ intention.
“The attack was launched on the
terrorists as they filed out of the forest
to embark on their mission at about
10pm on Saturday.
“Over 50 terrorists died in the fierce
encounter that ensued. The four
soldiers who were wounded in the
operation are currently receiving
medical treatment in the military
medical facility.”
Meanwhile, the people of Attagara,
Aganjara and Agapalwa in Borno State
have buried over 100 bodies almost a
week after Boko Haram attacks.
Local leaders, Lawan Abba Kaka and
John Gulla, told The Guardian of London
on Monday, that many more victims of
the last Tuesday and Wednesday
attacks had yet to be found.
Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South
in the senate, gave the breakdown of
burials as 42 in Attagara; 24 in Aganjara
and 20 in Agapalwa.
“From what those who fled told us,
there are more corpses in nearby
bushes and the mountain side,” he told
reporters after a meeting in Maiduguri.
“Many people that fled the communities
are also trapped on the hills, as they
are without food or water,” Ndume
added.
The United Nations has however
expressed fears that half of the
abducted Chibok schoolgirls might
return home pregnant.
It raised the alarm during a luncheon in
New York as part of the preparation for
the June 10 global summit in London on
sexual violence in conflict last Friday.
The UN Special Representative on
Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab
Bangura, said, “My worry is that half of
those girls don’t come back home
pregnant.’’
She urged the international community
to prepare the minds of the pupils’
families for their return and make
available psychological and other
support for the girls.
She said before the kidnap of the Chibok
girls drew global attention, more than
2,000 girls had been abducted
worldwide.
The UN representative was meeting
with editors and the British ambassador
to the United States in preparation for
a first-time global summit on sexual
violence in conflict which will hold in
London between Tuesday( today) and
Friday.
William Hague, the UK Foreign
Secretary and Angelina Jolie, Special
Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees, are co-chairing the summit.
How to rescue the Chibok schoolgirls
and provide them with needed support
are expected to be an intense
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