Men suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group have shut down over 30 primary and secondary schools in Bolmo area of Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State, a reliable source in the area has said.
Our source, a top-ranking personality in the area, spoke with reporters on Wednesday under conditions of anonymity. He revealed that the residents of the area have fully informed the security agencies of the latest development, adding that the suspected terrorists are in full control of the area. He also said they are recruiting youths at Gwani village of Gwaram, giving them the sum of N50,000 and brand new motorcycles.
“They have captured villages around the area and even warned the villagers to stop going to western education schools, viewing centres and any other social events,” the source said. “They have taken over the area since around February of this year; residents complied because they threatened to burn their houses if they did not obey their order”.
The source further stated that the terrorists, who number over 1,000 and are armed with sophisticated weapon, are normally transported into Bolmo area in trucks, and have informers among the residents who are reporting to them the presence of any stranger in the area.
He also told reporters that the militants have arrested many people who declined to comply with their instruction, most of those, according to him, being Kanuri but who also speak Hausa fluently.
The source recalled that the terrorists burnt Yelwan Darazo School about two months ago when residents shunned their order.
According to him, “Some of them are white in complexion. There is no security presence in the area because the policemen around the area have since left. They are forcing people to listen to their preaching and sometime force people to shut down their businesses and listen to their preaching”.
Our reporter’s efforts to contact the Police spokesman in Jigawa State, Superintendent of Police Abdul Jinjiri, proved abortive.
