Boko Haram sets military base, school, hospital on fire in Yobe state

A report by The Nation indicates that Boko Haram insurgents on Tuesday, March 16 burnt a military base in Katarko village near Damaturu, the Yobe state capital during an attack.

According to the report, the insurgents also set ablaze a primary school and a healthcare clinic in the village after they looted drugs and food items from the facilities.

An eyewitness who witnessed the attack and live close to the facilities said his family was awakened by gunshots and petrol bombs.

The witness, Adamu Ali, added the insurgents came to the village around 5.30 am during Muslim prayers.

His words:

“It was such a very terrible way of waking up. The gunshots and the fire from the petrol bombs were scary but thank God we stayed in the house and we were not attacked except for the burning of the military base, the primary school, and the clinic.”

Premium Times reports that the burnt primary school was renovated by the Victim Support Fund a few years ago after the insurgents first burnt it down in 2013.

Unconfirmed reports indicated that a non-governmental organisation had stored food items in the school for distribution but the insurgents got the information and decided to attack the school and loot the items.

Another resident of the village, Modu Katarko, said the attack occurred unchallenged for more than one hour.

His words:

“We heard them shouting Allah Alkabar! Allah Alkabar! after the early morning prayers and shooting sporadically. Everyone ran indoors until about one hour when they finished their operation and left the village.

“The primary school, primary healthcare facility and the military base here were all burnt down.”

The attack comes two days after the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, assured that the ongoing war against Boko Haram will soon be over.

Attahiru made the comment in Yobe state on Sunday, March 14 when he visited troops of Sector 2 Operation Lafiya Dole of the Nigerian Army in Damaturu.

The COAS told the soldiers that he came to assure them that Boko Haram would be ended within a reasonable period of time.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army says its troops have killed 41 terrorists along Gulwa and Musuri Musuri in Gamboru Ngala local government area of Borno state.

Army spokesman, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, disclosed this in a statement issued  last Monday.