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May God Save Us.
Sultan expresses worry over annexation of towns
• Over 16 killed in attacks on Gombe, Katsina
villages
Aminu Mohammed in Sokoto, Daji Sani in Yola,
Ibrahim Shuaibu in Katsina and Segun Awofadeji
in Gombe 

Despite the platitudes by the Nigerian military, Boko
Haram has consolidated its occupation of the
strategic town of Mubi in Adamawa State, among
other towns in the North-east, and has renamed it
“Madinatul Islam”, meaning the city of Islam and
peace.
The terrorist sect has also assured trapped residents
in the ancient city of the dividends of democracy,
security, freedom and an all-inclusive government,
and has taken the step of asking other residents who
have fled to return to their homes.
The insurgents had sacked Nigerian troops from
Mubi last week after a fierce battle and taken full
control to establish their authority on the conquered
town.
A trapped resident in Mubi, Mallam Aliyu Bala,
confirmed that the insurgents have renamed Mubi
and given it a new name - Madinatul Islam.

He said the insurgents have mounted checkpoints
and are monitoring every nook and cranny as they
mount surveillance all over the town, adding that
they are making efforts to establish a new
government in Mubi so as to extend its territories by
conquering more towns in the North-east.

Bala, however, said despite the promises of safety
and security by the sect, thousands of residents have
been sneaking out of the city for the fear of the
unknown.


Also commenting, Sunday Joshua Wugira, a legal
practitioner, who went to Maiha town to pick up his
aged parents who fled to the town from Mubi, said
despite the assurance by the insurgents, several
trapped residents were still fleeing, including
soldiers.
“I was in Maiha a few hours ago, the pathetic plight
of the people I saw was simply beyond imagination.
We were in a commercial bus when some fleeing
soldiers said we must adjust for them to get space in
the bus to flee, which we objected.
“It’s unfortunate that even soldiers
join civilians to
run away,” he said.
The insurgents, nonetheless, have continued to
appeal to displaced residents of captured
communities in Adamawa State to return to their
homes as they continue to be assured of safety.
Residents said the insurgents have informed them
that they would be more secure in the new Islamic
Caliphate than in the Nigerian state that is unable
to provide them with security and the basic
necessities of life.
One of the trapped residents, Bello, said the
insurgents have been persuading them daily that
the people should give them a chance to exert their
authority on them promising a peaceful atmosphere.
The insurgents have also been reportedly persuading
the residents of the four local governments of
Michika, Madagali, Mubi North and Mubi South of
Adamawa State to go about their normal
businesses.


A resident of Uba town, Mallam Salisu Baba, said
normal activities have started picking up in the
captured territories as Boko Haram enjoins residents
to go about their daily affairs, while asking them to
open their shops for business.


The resident added that the insurgents have warned
politicians not to try to hold any elections in the
state, vowing to scuttle the polls and restating their
resolve to capture the whole of Adamawa State in no
distant future.



“The insurgents have assured people of unassailable
freedom and have been telling shop owners to open
their shops threatening that anyone who fails to
open his or her shop will have the shops broken
into.


“Whenever the insurgents want any commodity, they
pay for it. This encouraged meat sellers, tea sellers
and others to open for business.


“They provided security during the market day in
Uba town last Thursday while promising to continue
to give traders and residents who come to the area
utmost security as long as they comply with Islamic
tenets.


“They have opened one of the filling stations
belonging to A.A Garba in Uba town, as motorists
troops to buy petrol due to high demand,” Baba
revealed.


In another development, as part of measures to
contain the security situation in Adamawa, theâ
۬state government has banned the operation of
commercial motorcycles in seven local government
areas.



A statement by Mr. Phineas Elisha, Director Press and
Public Affairs to the governor, urged the public and
security operatives to ensure compliance.



The affected local governments are Hong, Gombi,
Song, Girei, Numan, Demsa and Fufore.



Also, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad
Abubakar III, on Tuesday joined other northern
leaders to express concern over the annexation of
towns and villages in the North-east by the Boko
Haram insurgents, describing the situation as sad
and worrisome.
On Monday, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar
and the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji
Zanna Umar Mustapha, had decried the annexation
of several towns in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
Listing them, Atiku had said Boko Haram presently
controls about 16 local government areas in Borno (9),
Adamawa (5) and Yobe (2).
Also concerned about the disheartening development,
the Sultan called on the federal government to
provide sophisticated gadgets, ammunition and
equipment to security agents to combat the
insurgency and ensure proper surveillance in the
border areas.
The monarch made the call at a North-west Zonal
Command Travel and Alien Control (TAC) land
border security seminar held at Giginya Hotel,
Sokoto.
He noted with deep concern the security situation in
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States where insurgents
have taken many towns and villages.
“We are deeply worried over the insecurity in the
country. We have seen that insurgents have taken
many towns and villages in the North-east. Who
knows the next town they will move to and where will
they will stop?
“So we must come together irrespective of tribe and
religion to confront the problems bedevilling our
country,” the Sultan said.
He underscored the need for the federal government to
provide the security agents with modern gadgets and
sophisticated equipment to ensure proper surveillance
at the border posts, adding that though border
surveillance was expensive, there was a need to equip
security agents with sophisticated gadgets that
could detect goods coming into Nigeria from
neighbouring countries.
The Sultan advised the government to ensure that
money budgeted for security is used for the purpose it
is meant for in order to achieve the desired objectives.
He also called on the political leadership in the
country to fear God and provide good governance to
Nigerians.
In his remarks, Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu
Wamakko, said Nigerians were currently going
through pains as a result of the insurgency in the
North-east.
He also urged the federal government to provide
adequate funds and equipment to the security
agents in order to patrol the borders effectively.
“We know that the border posts are porous but the
problem has to do with lack of modern gadgets. You
cannot fight crime with bare hands and unless
security agents are effectively equipped, we will not
achieve our desired objectives,” Wamakko said.
However, as the Sultan and the Sokoto governor
proffered solutions to ending the insurgency, Boko
Haram continued to wreak havoc on the North-east
where gunmen suspected to be members of the
terrorist sect invaded Nafada, the headquarters of
Nafada Local Government Area, a Gombe northern
border town on Tuesday.
This was the second attack by the sect on Gombe
State in less than a week.
A source in Nafada told THISDAY that the marauders
invaded the town on about 50 motorbikes between 11
am and noon and more than 10 people were
suspected to have been killed in the process.
He said they went in through Ngalda, a
neighbouring community in Yobe State and fired at
the soldiers at the checkpoint located at the entrance
of the town.
He said they went straight to the police station, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat, then the
local government secretariat.
According to him, they thereafter went to the
residence of one Sheikh Adamu Misira and opened
fire on him and the people around him, killing over
10 people in the process.
The source said he could not ascertain how many
security agents were killed at the checkpoint but one
of them called him on the phone to say he managed
to escape unhurt.
“In Nafada, they went straight to the police station
and opened fire on it. From there, they went to the
local government secretariat and opened fire.
“They thereafter went to the house of Sheikh Adamu
Misira and opened fire on him and his people,
killing at least more than 10 people on the spot.
“I cannot tell how any soldiers died, but one of them
spoke to me on the phone saying he escaped but did
not comment on the casualties,” he said.
He said nobody as at the time of filing this report
had left Nafada.
“They told us that nobody should run, everybody
should stay put and nobody should leave his home
and that if we heard of the arrival of security
operatives, we should just go inside and lock
ourselves indoors and leave them to us,” he said.
At the time of speaking to the source at 4.10 pm
yesterday, he said the security agents were yet to
arrive the town.
When contacted, the telephone of the spokesman of
the Gombe State Police Command Atajiri Fwaje (DSP)
was switched off.
The state Police Commissioner Kudu Nma, who spoke
to newsmen, said he was yet to hear of the incident.
He however promised to brief the press as details of
the attack reached him.
In another incident, six people were reportedly killed
and scores of buildings razed when suspected
gunmen on Tuesday attacked Shinfidda village in
Jibiya Council Area in Katsina State.
An eyewitness, Ado Baba, said residents of the
village scampered for safety when the attackers
stormed the area at noon wielding dangerous
weapons including sophisticated guns.
Baba said the attackers, whom he claimed were
suspected cattle rustlers on a robbery mission, were
believed to have emerged from Dunburum forest that
traverses Jibiya in Katsina, Zurmi in
Zamfara and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.
“They killed many people including innocent
children and old people, and burnt houses. As I
speak to you, I am in the bush where I ran for
safety,” Baba said.
Another source told reporters that some youths of the
village exchanged fire with the attackers, revealing
that some of the attackers were killed but they ran
away with their dead bodies.
It was further gathered that a detachment of security
personnel comprising policemen, soldiers and men of
the security and civil defence corps were drafted to the
area to restore normalcy.
Spokesman of the Katsina Police Command, DSP
Aminu Sadik Abubakar, declined comments when
contacted.
THIS DAY LIVE
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