Boko Haram: 24-hour Curfew On Gombe, As President Begs US For Help
Boko Haram: 24-hour Curfew On Gombe, As President Begs US For Help
Leadership, 15 Feb 2015
URL: http://leadership.ng/news/411868/boko-haram-24-hour-curfew-on-gombe-as-president-begs-us-for-help
By Kareem Haruna
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Gombe city as a result of Boko Haram insurgents who attempted to invade Gombe town yesterday but got repelled by Nigerian troops.
Mr. Ayuba Aluke, Senior Special Assistant to the Gombe State Governor on Media told our correspondent that Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who was out of the State, has directed that except for essential services, no movement is allowed until further notice. He adds that the governor called for calm and assured people of the state that government troops are on top of the situation as success is being achieved over the insurgents.
Residents of villages on the outskirts of Gombe said they also heard some of the heavily armed terrorists who drove in about 24 Hilux vans shouting on top of their voices asking them not to flee because they were not out to harm them but to confront Nigerian soldiers. The insurgents who started their journey to Gombe at about 6am had attacked the villages of Lubo and Dadinkowa before getting to Gombe.
Two air force jets were seen hovering around the outskirts of the town and dropping bombs.
A traveller who was trapped in the bush said he saw more than 24 Toyota Hilux vans filled with the terrorists heading towards Gombe.
“We were driving towards Gombe when we heard shootings and suddenly we saw young men on dozens of motorcycles all armed with rifles; some of them sitting on the carrier seat behind the riders were shooting into the air.
“We were told that they had attacked Lubo and Dadinkowa towns which is located about 32km away from Gombe. We had to divert through the bushes to get to the outskirts of Gombe when we saw a larger group of Boko Haram in about 24 Hilux trucks driving into the town; in minutes we began to hear serious shootings. We are now trapped in the bush.
After a couple of hours’ battle, Nigerian soldiers have been able to repel the terrorists who fled with dozen of corpses of their members, witnesses said.
The insurgents were spotted by villagers along the route leading out of Gombe driving in dozens of vans, some without tyres or windscreens, while others were carrying bodies of their members killed in the shootout.
A resident of Gombe, Malam Hassan informed reporters that villagers along the road to Gombe said the terrorists were telling them not to panic.
“They were heard telling our people in the villages leading to Gombe that they have not come to harm civilians but the security agents; they were also dropping copies of papers with messages written in Hausa warning people not to participate in the coming elections, lest they risk being killed”, said Hassan.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal has appealed for more US help in fighting Boko Haram, A report by AFP said Jonathan told the newspaper that “Are they (the United States) not fighting ISIS? Why can’t they come to Nigeria?
“They are our friends. If Nigeria has a problem, then I expect the US to come and assist us.”
But Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said there are no plans to send US troops to Nigeria. “I can tell you that there are no plans as I speak here to send unilaterally, to send or to add US troops into Nigeria. There are no US troops operating in Nigeria,” he told reporters.
Kirby said the United States was in the early phases of helping establish a multi-national task force of African nations to help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram.
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Gombe city as a result of Boko Haram insurgents who attempted to invade Gombe town yesterday but got repelled by Nigerian troops.
Mr. Ayuba Aluke, Senior Special Assistant to the Gombe State Governor on Media told our correspondent that Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who was out of the State, has directed that except for essential services, no movement is allowed until further notice. He adds that the governor called for calm and assured people of the state that government troops are on top of the situation as success is being achieved over the insurgents.
Residents of villages on the outskirts of Gombe said they also heard some of the heavily armed terrorists who drove in about 24 Hilux vans shouting on top of their voices asking them not to flee because they were not out to harm them but to confront Nigerian soldiers. The insurgents who started their journey to Gombe at about 6am had attacked the villages of Lubo and Dadinkowa before getting to Gombe.
Two air force jets were seen hovering around the outskirts of the town and dropping bombs.
A traveller who was trapped in the bush said he saw more than 24 Toyota Hilux vans filled with the terrorists heading towards Gombe.
“We were driving towards Gombe when we heard shootings and suddenly we saw young men on dozens of motorcycles all armed with rifles; some of them sitting on the carrier seat behind the riders were shooting into the air.
“We were told that they had attacked Lubo and Dadinkowa towns which is located about 32km away from Gombe. We had to divert through the bushes to get to the outskirts of Gombe when we saw a larger group of Boko Haram in about 24 Hilux trucks driving into the town; in minutes we began to hear serious shootings. We are now trapped in the bush.
After a couple of hours’ battle, Nigerian soldiers have been able to repel the terrorists who fled with dozen of corpses of their members, witnesses said.
The insurgents were spotted by villagers along the route leading out of Gombe driving in dozens of vans, some without tyres or windscreens, while others were carrying bodies of their members killed in the shootout.
A resident of Gombe, Malam Hassan informed reporters that villagers along the road to Gombe said the terrorists were telling them not to panic.
“They were heard telling our people in the villages leading to Gombe that they have not come to harm civilians but the security agents; they were also dropping copies of papers with messages written in Hausa warning people not to participate in the coming elections, lest they risk being killed”, said Hassan.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal has appealed for more US help in fighting Boko Haram, A report by AFP said Jonathan told the newspaper that “Are they (the United States) not fighting ISIS? Why can’t they come to Nigeria?
“They are our friends. If Nigeria has a problem, then I expect the US to come and assist us.”
But Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said there are no plans to send US troops to Nigeria. “I can tell you that there are no plans as I speak here to send unilaterally, to send or to add US troops into Nigeria. There are no US troops operating in Nigeria,” he told reporters.
Kirby said the United States was in the early phases of helping establish a multi-national task force of African nations to help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram.