Those who died in Boko Haram attacks, by Police

By Gbade Ogunwale and Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja 

  

IG Hafiz Ringim

MORE facts emerged yesterday on the casualty figures in last weekend’s Boko Haram attacks in Yobe and Borno states.

The police said they lost 11 men. The sect lost 36 members, they claimed.

In all, 65 people died, according to the police. Unofficial sources put the number of deaths at about 150.

The police gave the figures in a statement by their spokesman, Chief Superintendent Yemi Ajayi.

The statement reads: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to commiserate with the victims of the unwarranted attacks that took place in Yobe State on Friday 4th November, 2011. The incidents are regrettable, as innocent lives and property were lost.

“The Nigeria Police and other security agencies hereby offer their condolences to the families of the victims, government and good people of Yobe State over the callous and criminal acts.   

“The Nigeria Police Force is using this medium to assure Nigerians of its continued determination to protect lives and property and also to urge members of the public to always cooperate with the Police in its quest towards reducing crime to its barest minimum in the country.   

“For the avoidance of doubts, the Nigeria Police hereby confirms 65 deaths as casualty figures as at date 9th November, 2011. The breakdown is as follows: 11 policemen, two soldiers, two Civil Defence personnel, one Immigration personnel, one Customs personnel, one FRSC personnel, 11 civilians and 36 suspected Boko Haram members.   

“The Nigeria Police, once again, wishes to reiterate the need for all Nigerians and non Nigerians alike to be more circumspect, alert at all times and to report any suspicious movements, strange gatherings and untoward behaviour to the nearest police station or to other security agencies nationwide.”

Also yesterday, the Federal Government said it was not losing ground to terrorists and Boko Haram’s insurgency, Minister for Information Labaran Maku, said yesterday.

According to him, the government has the political will to tackle the Boko Haram (Western education is sin) menace.
The government has been under fire over its seeming inability to battle the sect. Opposition parties have also called for the resignation or firing of top security chiefs.

The Islamic fundamentalist group has claimed responsibility for attacks on government and private institutions, including the suicide bombing of the Police Headquarters and the United Nations (UN) House in Abuja.
Many people were killed in those attacks.

Speaking yesterday after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Maku said:
“A lot is going on, deployments are being made, arrests are being made, and there is a manhunt for all those involved. So, if the President calls on Nigerians to pray, it is not because actions are not taking place, but the truth of the matter is that we also need prayers. Everything is being done to bring this dispensation we have come into under control.

“All of us in this hall should be familiar with the fact that in the last couple of months since the President was sworn in, nothing has taken the attention of government than the issue of insecurity in the country. That is brought about mainly by the anti states groups’ attack on innocent citizens.

“Almost every week, the President has held meetings with security chiefs. And let me also say here that the recent attacks in Yobe and Borno, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Patrick Azazi, addressed the media and as at yesterday, not only has there been counter offensive but arrests have been made and those under arrest are in detention for proper investigation. This also has been made available by the security agencies to the media.

“There has been ongoing security operations in the Northeast, particularly in Borno and surrounding states. In Yobe State, there has been security deployments; this also has been done and the media is also aware of these developments.

“Talking about consistent fight against terror, all of us know that wherever terror raises its ugly heads, it is not a conventional war, where the military of Nigeria will go one side and the terrorists group on the other side for a confrontation. Terrorists use undercover attacks, what you call guerrilla welfare. They do not operate under the light of self-proclamation of who their identities are. There are several countries like Algeria and Pakistan and several others that have come under terror attacks for almost over a decade and in those countries till today, you still have isolated attacks, in spite of all the deployments that has taken place.

“What is going on is a new phase in this nation. Neither Nigerians nor the government nor the security agencies is used to a situation where innocent citizens will be attacked for a cause that is clearly difficult to reason with or to explain.
“Let me say that since this terror attacks started, this administration has been working round the clock and sometimes there are achievements we cannot just go and proclaim on the pages of newspapers.

“Let me give an example, all those who carried out the terrorist attack of October 1, 2010 have been arrested. All the vehicles they used, all the channels they used, all the individuals associated with it are in the custody of security agencies and are being investigated. You will also find out that in many places where similar attacks took place earlier, arrests have not been made even in countries that you can say have greater sophistication in terms of technical capacity.

“Our security agencies are working round the clock. Yes, there are issues and challenges but I want, as a Nigerian, not just as Minister of Information, to appeal to our people that what we are facing is a new phase of life. Government has been doing everything and if you go to Borno on a daily basis, you are hearing of house-to-house search to recover weapons.

“Also, part of the things we face is that these people live among us and we have been campaigning and calling on Nigerians to understand that the way to go about it today, is that we must all come together as a people to address this issue by way of cooperation.”
The Minister blamed political opposition and people who just take statements out of context to create confusion and he said this is not the time to politicise what is going on. “It is the time for all of us to put heads together as a people to ensure that we overcome the threat of anti-state terror,” Maku said.

SOURCE:  The Nation Newspaper, 10 November 2011. http://www.thenationonlineng.net