Nigeria: Borno State under Attacks by Boko Haram

By Eunice Kilonzo

Borno---The death toll of twin blasts in northeast Nigeria's Borno State on Tuesday has risen to 11. The blasts were believed to be planted by the members of the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect at a Catholic Cathedral located in the heart of Maiduguri city. The church, St Patrick Catholic Church was being attacked twice by the sect within five days.

Interestingly, the newly sworn in Governor of the state, Kashim Shettima had visited and addressed members of the House of Assembly, from where he later paid an inspection visit to the Baga Motor Park as well as the Musa Usman State Secretariat and the water treatment plant, all within the state capital, barely 20 minutes when the incident occurred. Shettima Police sources said the bombers stormed the church gate in a Honda Accord car at about 2.30 p.m. local time apparently to blow off the church but they were unlucky as one of the bombs exploded killing the three occupants and two passers-by. Residents also reported hearing gunfire after the explosions.

Yunusa Adams, a cab driver who almost ran into the blast said that the bomber had succeeded in throwing the explosive into the church premises before another one exploded in their car.

"They threw the bomb into the church premises and the thing went off while another one exploded in the car simultaneously," he added.

At another location within the city, some gunmen suspected to be of Boko Haram laid siege on Gwange Police Stations with another explosion. Police sources said the men had exhibited some measure of courage at the station as they engaged the police in a gun battle after throwing an explosion into the station.

"They started shooting into the police station perhaps to destabilize us but we organized ourselves in a way and engaged them in a shoot out, killing three of them," a police source said.

Two passers-by were however hit by stray bullet during the encounter between the police and the Boko Haram men while 14 people were wounded. Hospital officials at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) have confirmed that 5 corpses and 14 injured persons were brought to the unit on Tuesday evening.

State police spokesperson Abdullahi Lawal told reporters that five people died in the incident. According to him, the police recovered a vehicle used by the gun men at Gwange Police Station, an AK 47 rifle and three handsets.

The radical Muslim sect Boko Haram has been blamed for similar violence targeting police and religious and political leaders in recent months. Earlier on Tuesday, police blamed Boko Haram for the shooting dead of a rival cleric in the northwest town of Biu, south of the State capital of Maiduguri.

Authorities said gunmen riding motorcycles killed Sheik Ibrahim Birkuti outside his home on Monday afternoon. Birkuti had been critical of Boko Haram's use of violence, which has largely taken place in Borno state. Birkuti belonged to the Wahabbi group, a splinter faction of Sunni Muslims, and had been critical of Boko Haram’s violence. Birkuti’s assassination came a week after Abba Anas El-Kanemi, the younger brother of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, was shot dead in his house by suspected members of Boko Haram.

The group is fighting to establish Islamic law across Nigeria.  Its name means "Western education is sinful." Boko Haram has been responsible for a rash of killings which have targeted security officers, politicians and clerics in Nigeria’s north in recent months.

Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State. Until 1991 it contained what is now Yobe State. Borno state is also known as the “The Home of Peace”.