Three Female Suicide Bombers Killed at Military Outpost

•  NAF sustains aerial bombardment on terrorists’ cells

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Attempted suicide attacks on Maiduguri by three females were foiled on Wednesday night.

According to a press statement by the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Abdulkadir Ibrahim the three teenage females with explosive strapped on them died.

Ibrahim said a security officer, who was among those who intercepted the three teenagers, was injured.

The statement read: “Yesterday (Wednesday) night at 10:05pm, three female teenage suicide bombers attempted to attack a military outpost popularly known as “Gontanamo” along Muna garage.

“They were sighted trying to gain access to the premises and were shot by the security personnel leading to the detonation of their concealed explosives, which killed all three of them and injured one of the security personnel.”

Ibrahim revealed that the corpses of the trio were evacuated to the Borno State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri by emergency aid workers.

Despite the seemingly unending attempts at suicide attacks, the Nigerian military said yesterday that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has sustained its aerial bombardments of terrorists’ cells in the North-east.

A statement by the Nigerian Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman acknowledged that there had been several enquiries on the rumoured wounding of Boko Haram’s factional leader Abubakar Shekau, but fell short of confirming the rumour.

He said: “As you are aware, the Boko Haram terrorists have been on the run, but now they have nowhere to go. We wish to confirm that there are ongoing clearance operations in various parts of the North-east by the military.

“The Nigerian Air Force specifically has been carrying out excellent aerial bombardments with utmost precision to the point that they have destroyed the Boko Haram terrorists’ logistics, weapons and equipment and neutralised quite a number of terrorists in Mangusum, various parts of Sambisa including Balla and Parisu.

“The ongoing renewed combat readiness and good efforts by the Nigerian Air Force are indeed very commendable, as it led to the recovery of high calibre weapons and further decimation of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists.

“There were indications that quite a number of the terrorists key leaders have either been killed or wounded.

“Efforts are ongoing to further confirm the details from our troops who have been involved in Operation DEEP PUNCH.”

Usman added that the Nigerian Army Special Forces School (NASFS) at a brief ceremony handed over of a water point established for a community on the outskirts of Buni Yadi in Yobe State, as part of efforts to enhance civilian-military relations.

He said the water point was drawn from an industrial borehole and was handed over to Lawal Abubakar Adam of Fulatari in Buni Yadi by Brig.-Gen. MG Ali, Commandant of the NASFS.

“Present were the ward heads of the four benefiting communities,” the army spokesman said.