Boko Haram wreck Maiduguri market with bombs, sets Yobe court on fire

Firstclass newsline learnt that an Improvised Explosive Device
believed to have been planted by suspected members of Boko Haram on
Sunday exploded at the Gamboru Market in Maiduguri, Borno State.
No death was recorded but four persons were critically injured in the
incident which occurred barely 24 hours after 26 persons were
reportedly killed when the sect members bombed a Monday market in
the city.
The sect had on Friday night attempted to invade the troubled state
capital but was repelled by the military. It was gathered that 16
people lost their lives to the bid.
A member of the youth vigilante group in the town, Abba Modu, told a
source on the telephone on Sunday that the 1.30pm attack on Gamboru
Market caused many residents to flee the streets.
"We know that the Boko Haram people hid the explosive in the market to
kill traders and their customers again. But we thank Allah that nobody
died. Four people, who were seriously wounded have been taken to the
hospital by security agents," he said.
Just as Modu spoke, the Chairman of Fika Local Government Area of Yobe
State, Baba Abare, told journalists that Boko Haram insurgents had
on Saturday attacked Fika and Ngalda in the state.
Abare said the insurgents, on arrival in the two communities, shot
sporadically to scare people away so as to have ample opportunity to
loot.
He added that their major targets were shops from where they stole
foodstuffs and beverages.
Fika is 150 kilometres west of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital and
shares common border with Gombe State .
It was gathered from a resident , Ibrahim Mohammed, that the
insurgents first launched their attack on Ngalda before moving to Fika
where they torched the local government area secretariat, a magistrate
court and the Divisional Police station.
A top police source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said
the insurgents arrived the two towns in two Toyota Hilux vans which
they used to flee with their loot.
When contacted, the Yobe Police Commissioner, Markus Danladi, said
the Joint Task Force was the only body authorised to speak on such
matter.
Nigeria, Egypt to partner in intelligence sharing, training
Meanwhile, the Nigerian and Egyptian militaries are to collaborate on
intelligence-sharing and training to combat the threats by Boko Haram
and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to destabilise the two countries.
The Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister, Sameh Shoukry, told journalists
in Abuja on Saturday that President Muhammadu Buhari would soon visit
Cairo for talks on military and bilateral relations between Egypt and
Nigeria.
According to him, Nigerian and Egyptian militaries would work
together to degrade the capabilities of the two terrorist
organisations and end the security crises in the North and West
Africa.
Shoukry,who observed that Boko Haram and ISIS had the same
objectives of overthrowing the governments in Nigeria and Egypt,
stressed that it would take a robust partnership between the two
countries to exterminate the terrorist groups.
He explained that the Egyptian Army had been tackling the ISIS
terrorists with precision to reduce collateral damage,stressing that
the fight against terrorists in Africa must be comprehensive and
total.
The minister said, "Egypt and Nigeria are facing terrorism and there
is need to cooperate to deal with the challenge and other conflicts.
Egypt looks forward to increasing relations with Nigeria Army in the
areas of intelligence cooperation and training. We have recorded
considerable victory against ISIS and the operations are undertaken
with precision to avoid collateral damages, ISIS power is degraded."
Also in Abuja on Sunday, the Republic of South Sudan said it needed
Nigeria to train its security personnel, many of whom were former
rebels conscripted into the security agencies.
Firstclassnewsline.net