east Nigeria by men suspected to be members of the Boko
Haram Islamic militant sect.
This is coming a day after about fifty students of Federal
Government College, Yobe were massacred by members
of the terrorist group.
Reports from Adamawa suggest that the militants staged
three separate attacks on innocents citizens in Shuwa,
Kirchinga and Michika. A theological college was also
affected in the deadly attack.
Read the Vanguard report below:
The chairman of the Madagali local government area in Adamawa, Maina Ularamu, said "a large number of militants carried out three separate attacks on Shuwa and Kirchinga in my local government area and on Michika in neighbouring Michika (district)".
"The gunmen divided themselves into three groups and
separately attacked the three locations," he told AFP.
In Shuwa, several buildings were burnt, including a Christian theological college and a section of a secondary school.
A local resident, Kwaje Bitrus, said three bodies were recovered from the seminary and a total of 20 were killed
in and around the village.
In Kirchinga, Samuel Garba said the gunmen were all
dressed in military uniform — a tactic frequently
employed by the militant fighters in previous, similar
attacks.
"The gunmen… killed eight people in our village and
burnt many houses," he added.
"Four people have so far been confirmed dead in
Michika," said Abdul Kassim, who lives in the village.
The dead were a young boy who was trying to run away
and three security guards, he added.
In a statement, the military confirmed the attacks on
multiple communities in Adamawa but said that only one
soldier and three civilians were killed. Troops repelling the
raids also killed six suspected Islamists, according to the
statement.
The military further claimed that the militants, "in desperation for money and food…looted and burnt banks (and) shops", and were trying to escape across the Cameroon border.
The top military commander in Adamawa last week
ordered that the state's border with Cameroon be sealed to
block Boko Haram's purported escape routes.
Residents in Michika described earlier how people fled to
the nearby foothills when the attackers arrived in four-
wheeled drive trucks and on motorcycles.
Michika resident Abdul Kassim said militants arrived at
about 9:30 pm (2030 GMT) on Wednesday, "armed with
RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and explosives which
they hurled indiscriminately at homes and public
buildings".
The attack reportedly lasted for more than four hours.
Various residents said four banks were razed, as well as
hundreds of shops, a police station, government buildings
and dozens of homes.
One witness, who requested anonymity, said the village
looked like a "war zone" and that some 90 percent of all
businesses had been destroyed.
The military and police declined to comment when
contacted by AFP.
Adamawa is one of three northeastern states placed under
emergency rule in May last year following waves of Boko
Haram attacks.
The top military commander in the state last week ordered
the complete closure of the border with Cameroon in hope
of blocking the movements of insurgents and weapons.
The ongoing military offensive has failed to crush the
insurgency and nearly 300 people have been killed in a
range of attacks already this year.
The United Nations meanwhile said on Thursday that
nearly 300,000 people, more than half of them children,
had fled their homes in the three states from May to
January 1 because of the violence.
Via: Ynaija
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