By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, KADUNA AND PAUL ORUDE, BAUCHI
• School, bank bombed in Bauchi
The peace of Easter was, at the weekend, shattered when gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram invaded a village in Taraba State, killing no fewer than 15 people, while about 20 were injured.
This is coming at a time when a five-year-old girl was burnt to death after gunmen bombed the Government Girls’ Secondary School, in Yana, the headquarters of Shira Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
In the Taraba tragedy, it was gathered that gunmen in large numbers had invaded Gidin-Doruwa, in Wukari Local Government Area, at 1.30am on Easter morning.
In the attack, a church and private buildings were razed, while some villagers were killed. Villagers stated that the attackers had opened fire on anything insight.
It was gathered that policemen were promptly drafted to the community to confront the invading gunmen. In the exchange of gunfire, other people were also killed.
Police spokesman, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Joseph Kwaji confirmed the attack, revealing that combined team of mobile policemen from the state command, Mopol 34 Squadron, Gombe and 14 Squadron, Adamawa State confronted the invaders.
Meanwhile, the Taraba State government has condemned the attack. Special Assistant to the acting governor on Media and Publicity, Aaron Atimas, quoted his boss as saying: “Government would do everything possible to protect lives and property of the citizenry,” adding: “The perpetrators of the crisis must be brought to book. Government cannot fold her arms and watch her citizens die in the hands of heartless people.”
In a related development, gunmen, who struck at about 2.30am, in Bauchi, also bombed the Shira Local Government Secretariat Conference Hall, where 15 vehicles were razed to ashes
The staff quarters and school bus of the GGSS were also burnt to ashes, as the gunmen took away the private vehicle of the school principal
A security source revealed that there were 195 girls writing the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) in the school at the time of the attack.
It is not yet ascertain the number of casualty at the time of this report, but a witness told our reporter on telephone that the situation, especially in the school, was that of pandemonium.
“As I am speaking to you, there is confusion everywhere. There is smoke everywhere,” he said.
The security source however, gave assurance that all the 195 girls in the school were safe, claiming the schoolgirls “don’t even know what happened.”
He said soldiers from Bauchi and Jigawa states ambushed the attackers and recovered some motorcycles, IEDs RPGs, and a green Hilux”
Before fleeing, the gunmen also attacked and burnt police quarters, GSM masts belonging to MTN, Glo and Etisalat mobile telecommunications companies in Yana town.
The suspects further attacked a branch of First Bank and destroyed the vault.
Apart from the five-year-old girl, who was burnt to death, no other casualty was recorded as all the students were reported to be safe.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi State Police Command, DSP Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the attack in Yana, saying combine security forces were on the trail of the attackers.
