The Kano State police command has said it killed 17 suspected gunmen that launched the multiple bomb explosions and gunshot attacks on the Gwauron Dutse police station in Dala division and several other areas on Tuesday night.
The commissioner of police, Kano State command, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, gave the figure Kano yesterday during a press briefing.
He said: "Some extremists launched attacks with bombs and assault rifles in Dala police station, Jakara police barracks, Goron Dutse division, Panshekara division, 52 squadron Mobile police unit, Challawa, and also planted a bomb at Junior Secondary School, Sabuwar Doka of Ungogo local government area."
He added that three of the suspected gunmen were arrested, saying that the command defused 14 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in different locations by the gunmen.
The commissioner, lamented the loss of the command's officer and injuring of another during the gun battle.
"The extremists whose number was about 30 attacked police on duty with assault rifles and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the policemen gallantly repelled the attacks," he said.
The commissioner explained that the command recovered five assault rifles, 220 live ammunitions, five vehicles, three motorcycles and the sum of N100, 000 including large quantity of drugs and syringes.
Idris stated that the extremists also attempted to attack Gauron Dutse Prison yard, but the policemen on duty repelled the attacks successfully and no damage was done to the yard.
He stated that the situation was now under control, while the search was still ongoing to apprehend those with gunshot wounds as well as other unexploded IEDs.
Robbers raid 3 banks in Taraba
Gunmen in the late hours of Tuesday bombed three banks, a police area command and a depot of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, while three people including a policeman were killed in Wukari, Taraba State.
The gunmen were said to have attacked the police area command, Wukari, at about 10:52pm. An eyewitness, Mr. Agbo Wanuken, told our correspondent, "The other group of the attackers were at the gate of a commercial bank and, immediately, fire on the police command staring with heavy explosions of bombs. The ones at the bank also exploded on their own."
The police who were supposed to have responded to the attack at the bank that was close to their command were said to have engaged in exchange of fire with the attackers while the other group used explosions to destroy the building of a bank and gained entrance for their operations.
A policeman who was on duty at the time of the incident but would not want his name in print told our correspondent that while one police inspector was shot down as they were battling to overcome, they attackers also bombed two other commercial banks with several explosives.
"The bombings and exchange of gunshots between the attackers numbering over 30 sent fear into the spines of the residents of Wukari town as the vibrations of the bombings shook every household of the town," according to Madam Grace Njokwu, who owns a restaurant close to the area command.
The commissioner of police, Taraba State command, Mr. Ibrahim M. Maishanu, who resumed duty from a transfer to the state less than a week before the incident, confirmed the incident and described the perpetrators as "criminals" while assessing the level of damage done on the area command and the banks.
He also stated that two civilians and a police inspector were killed in the attacks while several others were receiving treatment for different injuries in various hospitals.
The commissioner also said that the attack on the banks caused serious damage to the banks, adding that the attackers made away with large sums of money.
JTF averts prison break in Kano
In a related development, the spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kano, Lt Ikedichi Iwehia, has given a graphic picture of how the JTF overcame some suspected gunmen that launched multiple attacks on Kano State on Tuesday night in a battle that lasted several hours.
According to him, the suspected gunmen had organised themselves in a way that they could make an impact but had to flee the areas as they were engaged and routed by the JTF troops.
"Seven of the terrorists were instantly killed and several others wounded, while arms and ammunition were recovered from them as well as IEDs which, as at this moment, are still being discovered and detonated by the Police Anti-Explosive Ordinance Unit safely," Iweha said.
According to him, all the areas where they wanted to launch the massive attack were searched thoroughly by the JTF troops and investigation was still ongoing to apprehend those with gunshot wounds as well as others still in possession of unexploded IEDs.
He told journalists Wednesday: "You would recollect that, a couple of days ago, members of the terrorist sect staged a prison break in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, where about 40 inmates were freed.
"As efforts are on to track the fleeing inmates, another situation was averted by the swift response of the JTF in Kano yesterday, as the JTF believes that the intent of the terrorists was to first destabilise the closest reinforcement to the Goron Dutse Prison and then storm the prison for a possible prison break. This attempt was frustrated by the JTF."
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