Maiduguri,
Borno State – Fifteen civilians and six insurgents died, while seventeen others
were injured in the massive shootout and a series of explosions that shook
Maiduguri on Monday.
The
Defence Headquarters in Abuja said soldiers blew up three out of four
explosives-laden vehicles driven by suspected suicide bombers in Mulai, a
community on the outskirts of Maiduguri. The terrorists, however, managed
to blow up the fourth vehicle.
According
to the Defence ministry, fifteen civilians and six terrorists lost their lives,
while five soldiers and 12 civilians sutained injuries. A member of the youth
vigilante group was among those who died. Also, a survivng suicide bomber has
been arrested.
Apart
from the four vehicles carrying improvised explosive devices (IEDs), eight
more vehicles were destroyed in the course of the terrorists' attack.
In an
earlier interview, Olukolade said that army troops had fired at terrorists
driving cars loaded with IEDs, acting on an intelligence tip-off. He added that
the initial intention was to arrest the insurgents, but they defied the
security checks.
Sources
indicate that the militants were headed for a massive NNPC-owned fuel station
located on the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, in hopes of inflicting maximum
casualties.
Residents
of the area lament that the incident has crippled business activities and
halted human and vehicular traffic. People are still counting their losses and
make preparations to bury their dead.
Mobile policemen and soldiers had cordoned off the area
immediately after the incident. More security operatives are being
deployed to the area to scrutinize the identities of road users and passersby
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