Thrusday 1 Rabi'ul Akhir 1433 AH - February 23, 2012 AD - (Last Update) 12:48 AM (Makkah)، 10:48 PM (GMT)

Boko Haram warned for more attacks

Death Toll in Nigeria Reaches 150 after BH Attacks

Written by: Islamonline.net_News Agencies 2012-01-22 11:42:08

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At least 150 people have been confirmed killed in a series of coordinated bomb attacks and gun fire targeting security forces in the ancient city of Kano on Saturday 21 Jan, while over 30 people sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving treatment in clinics across the city. The coordinated bomb attack was precipitated by a suicide bomber.
The city of Kano, the largest in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north, erupted in chaos, with some 20 explosions heard and gunfire ringing out as eight police and immigration offices or residences were targeted. Police confirmed eight areas had been targeted, including state police headquarters and a regional police base. A secret police office was also hit along with a passport office and immigration building. “The police have commenced investigation and therefore use this medium to call for calm among the residents of Kano as police are doing their best to bring the situation under control,” a statement said.
Boko Haram warned for attacks
The shocking attacks, with Kano having escaped the worst of the violence blamed on Boko Haram in recent months, left residents fleeing neighbourhoods and fearing what would come next. Those killed included a local journalist, three police officers, three immigration officers and a suicide bomber, various sources said. The state government imposed a 24-hour curfew until further notice. A senior police source said the suicide blast occurred at a regional police headquarters, adding three officers and the bomber died. A journalist for local Channels TV was also reported killed.
State of emergency declared
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on December 31 in parts of four states hard hit by attacks blamed on Boko Haram. Kano is not included in the state of emergency and has not been hit by any of the recent major attacks, most of them having occurred in the country’s northeast.
 Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south. The state of emergency has not stopped attacks, and the areas targeted have spread beyond the locations covered by the decree.
The limitations of the Nigerian authorities were recently highlighted when the alleged mastermind of a Christmas day attack outside a church that killed 44 people escaped police custody in suspicious circumstances.
Attacks specifically targeting Christians have also given rise to fears of a wider religious conflict in the country, with Christian leaders warning they will defend themselves. Some have even evoked the possibility of civil war. However, attacks blamed on Boko Haram have included a wide range of targets, including Muslims.
150 bodies recovered
Scores of dead bodies are being recovered and deposited in a morgue at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in Kano after Friday night’s deadly coordinated attacks by the Boko Haram, targeting police stations left many dead and several buildings destroyed.
THEWILL correspondent in Kano counted 150 bodies at the hospital on Saturday afternoon.  The Rabiu Kwakwanso led State government has declared a 24-hour curfew in the state.A reporter for the BBC in Kano said he had counted 150 bodies in the mortuary, while at AP reporter said he had seen hospital papers showing that 120 dead bodies had been brought in after several bodies were earlier seen littering the streets. The identities of the dead are yet to be made public but it is believed that security agencies may have suffered many casaulties as the attack took the city by surprise.
Bombings and shootings by the militant group Boko Haram - also known as Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad - have increased sharply in recent months, leaving many worried that wide-scale sectarian violence could break out. Some 80 people have been killed in Boko Haram (BH) attacks in recent weeks, while 500 are reported to have been killed over the past year. Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been forced to flee their homes.
As the government struggles to cope, experts are urging leaders to seek a political solution to try to quell BH violence, backed up by sharper intelligence-gathering and professional military support. Below is a chronology of proven or suspected BH attacks - both recent and over the past few years.
TV reporter killed
A television reporter covering the aftermath of coordinated terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria was gunned down this afternoon, according to local journalists and news reports.
Enenche Akogwu, 31, a reporter and video camera operator with independent broadcaster Channels TV, was shot by unidentified gunmen as he attempted to interview witnesses of a deadly terrorist attack in Kano, capital of Kano state, Channels TV regional news editor Bashir Adigun told CPJ. The journalist had just returned from a news conference organized by police after multiple suicide bombings targeted government buildings, Adigun said.
At least seven people were killed in the attacks, The Associated Press reported. The extremist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombings, according to news reports."We condemn the murder of Enenche Akogwu and extend our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "Nigerian authorities must spare no efforts in bringing his killers to justice."
 


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