Investigations revealed that the insurgents who were dressed in military uniforms attacked Bajoga in about 20 Hilux jeeps by 8am.
It was stated that the members of the community did not suspect early enough that the people who drove in the convoy of the hilux jeeps were insurgents because of the uniforms they wore.
A security source who confided in one of our correspondents said that the insurgents started the attack on the town when the traders were fully out to display their wares for sale.
The source said that the insurgents opened fire on the people at the market square and recorded an unspecified number of casualties in the area.
It was however added that soldiers had been drafted to the besieged community and were in control as of the time of filing this report.
The insurgents were said to have attacked the Local Government Secretariat, and also set ablaze a police station and some unnamed government buildings in the town.
The source said, “The Boko Haram fighters entered Bajoga town around 8am today. The people did not carry out the attack on the town very early in the morning because they wanted the people to come out fully for the market. Today was a market day.
“They went there in about 20 hilux jeeps, and all of them were dressed in military uniforms. The people did not know that they were insurgents until they opened fire and started shooting and everybody started running.
“They killed some people but it is difficult to state a casualty figure now.
“They attacked the local government headquarters, burnt a police station and some government buildings.
“However, there is the information that soldiers have been deployed there and were in control in the town.”
When one of our correspondents contacted the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, he said that the military would ensure that the insurgents were not allowed to have their way in Bajoga.
Meanwhile, what could have resulted in death of many was averted in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Thursday as men of the state police command discovered a highly explosive device carefully placed between two schools in the metropolis.
The object was said to have been neatly tucked in sacks and positioned in between a private secondary school, Tin City College and Fatima Primary School in the early hours of Thursday.
It was learnt that the explosive was discovered by a pupil of the primary school who alerted the school authorities of the strange object while the headmaster and other teachers alerted the nearby Laranto Police station.
The police, who suspected that the objects could be a bomb called in the state anti-bomb squad which condoned off the area and defused the explosive.
It was gathered that it would have been a calamity if the bomb had gone off because, it would have rocked the college and the primary school which have large concentration of students including the PHCN office and few residential buildings within the vicinity.
The incident caused pandemonium and apprehension in the area and other parts of the state capital as traders became more vigilant and suspicious of any strange object around.
The traders also prevented any strange vehicle from parking near them.
The Media Officer, Special Task Force, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the incident urged the people of the state to be more vigilant and report any strange object they discover within their vicinity for prompt investigation.
He said that the object had been taken care off, adding that there was no imminent danger to the inhabitants of the area.
Source:Punch
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