Boko Haram insurgents invade cement factory in Gombe

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen yesterday for the second time in two months stormed a French-owned cement company, Lafarge as they attacked two towns in Gombe state, Bajoga and Ashaka. The insurgents also raided banks and burnt government buildings as well as political party offices.

Scores of gunmen dressed in military uniform arrived in Bajoga, 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Gombe city in a convoy of 20 vehicles at about 7 am (0600 GMT). The terrorists were pursued by the military for five kilometres, from Bajoga to Ashaka, after three hours of fighting, which also included an Air Force jet that bombarded militant positions.

The insurgents thereafter drove towards the town of Ashaka five kilometres away near the border with Yobe state where the plant owned by French group Lafarge is located.

Both raids came after an attack on Monday on the Yobe State capital, Damaturu, to the north, which left more than 150 people dead including 38 policemen and six soldiers.

The latest raids suggested that Boko Haram fighters based in the Buni Yadi area of Yobe State may have been looking to replenish supplies.

In Bajoga, residents said the militants shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) and fired indiscriminately before burning down a police station in a three-hour battle with troops.

According to a resident of the town, Babani Ashiru; “They raided two banks and set fire to offices of political parties. They also set sections of the local government secretariat on fire.

Another resident, Sani Dankani, said the sound of gunfire and explosions forced him to flee into the nearby bush. “From where I’m standing, I can see billows of black smoke coming from different parts of the town,” he added.

A school teacher, Sa’adu Balarabe said troop reinforcements were sent from Gombe and a military jet which bombed the militants and forced them to withdraw.

Residents in Ashaka reported heavy fighting between troops and the gunmen in the town from about 11 am.

A resident of Ashaka town, Samaila Adnan said, “The gunmen kept shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) and firing guns haphazardly. They went into the cement factory and took away some vehicles. They didn’t touch anyone.” Adnan added that after initial skirmishes in the town, the soldiers withdrew.

A staff member at the cement factory, who asked not to be identified, confirmed Adnan’s account and said the factory was evacuated before the attack.

He said, “Our fear was confirmed. They went into the factory and headed to the administrative building where company vehicles were parked. They took away several Hilux (four-wheel drive) vans. They also went to the factory clinic and took away an ambulance along with drugs. They didn’t harm anybody.”

The same plant was attacked on November 4, when pick-up trucks and large quantities of industrial dynamite used in mining were also taken.

The staff member said the explosives had been moved since the last raid.

On October 31, at least eight people were killed in a triple bomb blast at a bus station in Gombe city, while in June a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a barracks in the state capital.

That attack was the first by a female bomber in Nigeria and marked the first of a series of attacks by women and young girls across the north.

There have been two double suicide attacks in the Borno state capital Maiduguri in the last two weeks, while last Friday at least 120 were killed in a bomb and gun attack in Kano city.