Nigerian Army troops respond to a bomb scare
CHANNELS TELEVISION, LAGOS
15 January, 2013
Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect has attacked security forces on patrol of Ngelzarma town of Fune Local Government area in Yobe state.Ngelzarma is 45 kilometres west of
Damaturu, the state capital and has
recently become a stronghold of the
insurgents.
The State Commissioner of Police,Sanusi Rufai who confirmed the attack to Channels Television in Damaturu said he is still expecting details of the attack from the Damagum division. He said a team has already been sent to Ngelzarma town for an on the spot
assessment of the situation.
Witnesses said the attack was launched on the patrol team around 8:30 PM on Monday night with series of gunshots heard throughout the night as security forces made efforts to repel the attack. It was also gathered that some shops
and residential houses were razed during the attack.
In the early hours of today, Ngelzarma
town was cordoned off by security forces
to prevent further attacks by the insurgents as movement in and out of
the town was restricted. This development affected travellers
from Maiduguri and Damaturu to
various parts of the country.
There is the need for control of movement in both Borno and Yobe states. At least some degree of curfew ought to be in place in order to reduce the BHTs’ freedom of action. Curfew from dusk to dawn could be parmanently imposed by the JTF until the operation winds down.