Bandits kill over 30 in Borno and Taraba
NO LESS than 10 were killed and 11 others injured after suspected terrorists fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a town in Borno State, yesterday.
Two anti-jihadist militia commanders scores of fighters attempted to invade the town of Damboa late on Friday but met stiff resistance from the paramilitary outfit that works alongside the armed forces.
The attack is the latest in Nigeria’s 14-year jihadist conflict in the northeast, where 40,000 have died and more than two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2009.
It will be recalled that Boko Haram insurgents had on several occasions fired volleys of rocket-propelled grenades on Maiduguri in bids to take over the city, the latest being in February, when more than 10 people were killed and about 60 injured.
In a related development, many people were killed with many injured while property worth several millions of Naira were destroyed in renewed hostilities between Karimjo and Wurkun ethnic groups in KariLamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
A source said the death toll could be more than 20.
Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Usman Abdulahi, confirmed the attack but said number of casualties was still unknown.
In another development, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, (NAHCON) has revealed that Nigeria lost 14 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia from the beginning of ongoing 2023 hajj operation to date.
Chief of Operations and Head of NAHCON National Medical Team, Usman Galadima, made this known during a post-Arafat meeting with stakeholders on Sunday in Makkah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
According to Galadima, seven pilgrims died before Arafat, six died during the five-day Mashair (core Hajj period) and additional one person died after the Arafat.
“We had six reported deaths at Mashair, four died in Arafat and the other two died in Mina. Already we lost seven pilgrims before Arafat and just now I have just been informed that we lost another pilgrim. This brings the total of deaths recorded to 14.The mortality rate is similar to that of 2019. The airline operators have bitterly complained about this untoward behaviour of some pilgrims, which put lives of other passengers in the aircraft at risk. This time it will not be business as usual. And for fear of losing some valuables at the airport, the pilgrims should abide by the 32kg luggage policy, or they should avail themselves with the cargo window,” he said.
Source » nationallightngr
