3 terror suspects killed in Kano

MADUABUCHI NMERIBEH/Kano

Security blanket is up in Kano as intelligence reports reveal a plot by a group of terrorists to launch attack on Kano, northwest Nigeria during the Easter celebration. Terrorists of the Boko Haram sect struck in the city 20 January, detonating multiple bombs and engaging policemen in gun battles. Over 185 people died.

P.M.NEWS reports that soldiers of the Kano Joint Task Force, JTF, are conspicuously seen positioned at strategic locations within the state capital, just as searches at the checkpoints have tightened.

On Tuesday night, at about 8:30 p.m. the JTF gunned down three suspected members of Boko Haram who hijacked a car for an operation.

Authorities of 3 Brigade (Bukavo Barracks) said the terrorists trailed a man to his house and snatched his car without hurting him.

The military warned Kano residents over unnecessary movements, particularly, during odd hours, just as citizens were urged to always cooperate with security operatives with useful information on suspicious movements within their area.

The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 1 Mechanized Division, Kaduna, Major-General Garba Ayodeji Wahab who was on his first visit to 3 Brigade Kano, reiterated the resolve by the Army to, “stamp out terrorism from Nigeria.”

The General noted that, “if security situation in Kano is guaranteed, then we will get security situation back in Nigeria. I want to appeal to the average Nigerian especially the good people of Kano to realize that the soldiers are out for their safety and security. Nobody is out to witch hunt, harass or provoke, rather we want to be sure that our job is done professionally. And we all need to realize that the guys we are dealing with are living among us, they are fellow Nigerians like us.

“So, it takes a lot for us to be able to fish them out. If we don’t do a thorough job, the possibility of these people escaping from one point to the other will high. And if they perpetrate what happened here in Kano second time—what happened on the 20th of January, if it is repeated, I am sure the average person will right the Nigerian Army off; and we don’t want that to happen.”

Major General Wahab, urged citizens to get used to road-blocks at strategic entry points in the state, pointing out that soldiers were on the street to ensure that lives and property were protected, “you should bear a little bit with us. We will try as much as possible to improve on whatever we are doing. They (citizens) need to exercise a little patience with us.”

While asked to appraise the progress made so far by the military to fight terrorism in Kano, he said, “that is left for the general public to judge on the progress we have made so far. You can assess us yourself from what happened on the 26th of February and what has happened, especially in the last week of match; and even what happened yesterday (April 3), nobody can come out and say an innocent person has been killed.

“It is those that we have information about and those that are perpetrating the act that we are after. And like I said, we are not out to molest or harass anybody. We want our boys to be as professional as possible.

“If we can do it outside, in all peace support operations, and we have been commended all over the world, that the United Nation would want us to come out and go to Somalia, it then means we are professionals. The average Nigerian should please look at what we are doing and provide us with useful information and I will assure you we will do our best.”

However, spokesman of JTF, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha told journalists that the three terrorists gunned down Tuesday night were out for an attack.

“They (Boko Haram) have changed their tactics to kidnapping and Hijacking of vehicles. On Tuesday night, a group of terrorists trailed a man up to his house and snatched his vehicle. Luckily, they did not kill him and they did not collect his cell phone.

“Few minutes after they left, the victim put a call on our men at a checkpoint close to his house. He described the vehicle and we formed a ring. As we closed in on them, they abandoned the vehicle and opened fire. During a cross fire, we gunned down three of them,” Iweha said.

The three bodies were paraded at Bukavo Barracks, including, an ash colour Honda Accord, two pistols, two AK47 Riffles and ammunitions recovered from them.