Damaturu — OVER 40 dead bodies of victims of Monday's violence in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, have been deposited at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital and there are reports of yet-to-be recovered bodies in many areas of the town where gun battles and explosions were reported.
A source at the hospital said at about 4.50pm yesterday, about 40 corpses of civilians and uniformed men, mostly with gunshot wounds had been deposited at the morgue.
"We also have many people with critical wounds at the accident and emergency ward. Some are in need of blood which is very scarce," the source said. Another source at the hospital told Daily Trust yesterday evening that the number of casualties was increasing.
Yobe State police commissioner, Mr. Patrick Egbuniwe, also confirmed that three policemen were killed while four others sustained injuries during the confrontation with the gunmen.
The Yobe State government has already imposed a 24-hour curfew to help contain the situation, and reports said by evening yesterday, there was some calm in the city.
"Operatives of the JTF and few other humanitarian agencies are the only people that are evacuating and bringing victims here. The state of emergency is affecting the activities of agencies like NEMA," our hospital source said.
Mukhtar Abubakar, a resident who spoke to Daily Trust on phone said: "This is a depressing and pathetic moment for us. We are all traumatized ...our wives and children are crying and all of us are hopeless. We pray to Almighty Allah to relieve our pains."
"We heard sounds of five more blasts around 12.noon but someone told me that it was the police anti bomb squad that detonated them after finding them in some sensible locations," Abubakar said, adding that he could still see some smoke billowing in some parts of the town.
Witnesses also reported seeing the corpse of a soldier and that of a Mobile Policeman being taken to the hospital yesterday, in addition to three wounded policemen conveyed to the hospital for treatment.
A hospital source said the soldier might have fallen from a speeding patrol vehicle and died as a result of injuries he sustained.
Another soldier who called our correspondent said he was also receiving treatment at the hospital as a result of gunshot wound. "I am not alone in this condition," he said.
Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Yobe State, Colonel Dahiru Abdulsalam could not be reached for comment.
Competent sources who confided in Daily Trust said that a delegation from the Amnesty International had landed at the Maiduguri International Airport yesterday, but it is not yet clear whether they have proceeded to Damaturu or not.
Though there is no official closure of the Nigerian borders, Daily Trust reports that hundreds of businessmen and travellers coming into Nigeria from Chad, Cameroon and Niger had been forced to take alternative routes because of the 24 hours curfew on Damaturu and fears of being trapped in the fighting.
A release signed by the Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam on Information and Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego, said movement in other parts of the state has also been restricted as an added security measure. "The 10pm to 6am curfew in Potiskum also remains in place," Bego said.
In another statement the governor's spokesman called on the people of Yobe to disregard some 'mischievous text messages' in circulation, saying that Christians have been attacked. He said they were meant to cause disaffection and stir up tension between Christians and Muslims. "The entire content of the text being circulated is false, misleading, mischievous and unfounded," he said.
Many travellers were reported to have gone back to Maiduguri and taken the longer route to other parts of the country via Biu in Borno State and other obscure routes in Gombe State.
"I am going back straight to my village in Cameroun," Modou Babakar, who claimed to be a textile dealer told our reporter at Jimtilo, an entry point to Maiduguri from Damaturu. He claimed that he was on his way to Kano to buy textile materials.
The curfew has also forced residents, some in need of food and other necessities to remain indoors while students who were billed to sit for the NECO examinations missed yesterday's papers.
Witnesses said about five formal schools including the ones at Ajari, Pompomari and another primary school along Gujba road were seen in flames. There are also yet to be confirmed reports that Bindigari and Central Primary schools had been set on fire.
It was also gathered that the private residence of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam at Sabon Fegi was not razed by the assailants as earlier feared. "Several gunshots targeted the highly fortified resident but it was not razed," a source said.
"We heard the sounds of all kinds of guns, including rocket launchers throughout Monday and in the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday)," he said. "Northern Nigeria is in trouble," he added.
Our correspondents could not ascertain the total number of buildings affected by the battle which took residents of Sabon Fegi, Gwange, Ali Marami, Pompomari and many parts of Damaturu unawares.
Over 30 roadblocks mounted by operatives of the JTF comprising soldiers, police, air force, navy, customs, immigrations and SSS were penetrated by the assailants.
Up till the time of filing this report, no group has claimed responsibility but residents said they heard the assailants, numbering over 100 chanting Allahu Akbar and moving without any sign of fear.
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Why Kaduna why Damaturu why Nigeria why should a calm collected & commercial nerve centres of our country should uninterruptedly be perforated with bomb blast from the hands it own citizens.If we destroy our future today, who are to blame tomorrow.Let's bury our hatchets & contribute our own quarter, right all the wrongs & make peace our companion for the future of the generation yet unborn cos posterity'll judge us if we do less. I sincerely commiserate with those that lost their loved ones during the Kaduna & the Damaturu blast. I sympathise also with Governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa & his counterpart Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam on this unfortunate incident by the religious fundamentalists.
my fellow Christian and Muslims brothers we need not to kill ourselves because of this bastard politician that god will punish. lets come together we all know them,their parent that if some of them has,children,wives,houses and businesses. let attack them kill them all burn their houses and make them cried as we have done. me am Christian and my friends are Muslims am calling you all to join hand fight this war together Libya, Egypt etc. has done it let starts has now ................. my fellow country men.
Why is it that when Boko Haram was bombing churches and murdering innocent citizens many of our Muslim Friends turned a blind eye but now that the Christians are retailiating then they start complaining and talking about releasing Boko haram members. There is no room for force and Islamic Jihads in the modern day all you will acheive is the economic destruction of the North and possible civil War and the Break up of Nigeria. look at Syria, Iraq and the way Libya is going. Boko Haram and their backers need to join the political process and come to the table - Jonathan cannot rule Nigeria for ever if the North present an electable Northerner rather that that rabid Manic Mr Buhari and put a political strategy in place they can gain power unfortunately the way things are going we are fast approaching a point of no return. Peace
How many more lives have been lost to the Hausa-Fulani butchery since our execution in 1990? Obviously they run into their tens of thousands. We knew this would happen and that was what we wanted to prevent. Because of the possibility of failure we wanted to leave the message which some termed unacceptable and others, premature.
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Nigerians can be forgiven for failure to understand the necessity of excising those states in 1990. But now, how many millions of lives, how much destruction of property, infrastructure and places of worship will it take to convince skeptics that excision is the only way to stop it.
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We, that laid down our lives to save you:
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Major Gideon Orkar, Captain Empere, Captain Dakolo, Capt Nonju, Lt. Akogun, Lt. CN Odey, Lt. Cyril Ozualor, Lt. NEO Deji, 2/Lt AB Umukoro, 2/Lt EJ Ejesuku, SSgt Julius Itua, Sgt Martins Ademokhai, Sgt. Pius Ilegar and over a hundred others