The terrorist group Boko Haram, have bombed some 30 travelers to death and abducted women and children in Auno town close to Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno.
This incident happened on Sunday, 9th February 2020.
This incident happened in the middle of the night while the victims, who were travelers along Maiduguri-Potiskum road in Auno, were sleeping in their vehicles.
What happened…
Auno is a busy town located near Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno, and the largest one in the state. The state has continued to remain under constant attacks and threats from Boko Haram since 2009.
Thirty people were confirmed dead in the accident, while several others mainly women and kids, were abducted and taken away by the terrorists.
The terrorists were reported to have come heavily armed and in a large truck that carried many weapons.
According to an official statement released by the government, it states that “they killed not less than 30 people who are mostly motorists and destroyed 18 vehicles.”
It is reported by the residents that the victims were forced to sleep in their vehicles in the night while on their way to Maiduguri because the Army has shut the road leading into Maiduguri.
Auno is only 25km to Maiduguri.
Borno Governor is Furious…
The Governor of the state, Babagana Zulum, has reacted to the incident, expressing his anger towards the military for shutting the road and forcing the victims to sleep in their vehicles in the middle of the night.
The Army usually conducts protection operations in Auno during the day but they usually leave around 6pm, which is when they close the road.
“I am being pushed to the wall to say the truth,” the governor said in anger.
“Since my inauguration as the governor of Borno State from May 29th to date, Auno town has been attacked for about six times now. And the reason is that the military has withdrawn from Auno town.
“We have made repeated pleas to the military to re-establish a base in Auno since it is one of the flashpoints of the Boko Haram, but nothing has been done to that effect.”
One of the commanders of the Army who accompanied the Governor on a visit to the scene of the accident tried to make a case for the Army by saying that they were present when the terrorists attacked but the Governor countered him.
President Buhari reacts… calls Boko Haram cowards
The President, Muhammadu Buhari, has reacted to the news of the deadly incident that occurred in Auno, Maiduguri, Borno state on Sunday 9th February 2020, killing 30.
While sympathizing with the families of the victims, the President said that he will “continually frustrate the devilish operations of Boko Haram, and bring it to an end.”
Garba Shehu, in a statement, said President Buhari condemns the “muderous and cowardly attack on innocent passengers by Boko Haram terrorists near Maiduguri.”
He said the terrorists are on a back foot and their days are numbered.
“As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed. The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our armed forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of humanity,’’ he said.
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