A Divisional Police Office, an army lance corporal, an air force personnel belonging to the Special Task Force and eight civilians were killed Saturday night in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State during a robbery operation. The Special Task Force from Plateau State is now deployed in Tafawa Balewa to help quell the crisis.
The DPO who was in acting capacity, the air-force personnel and the eight civilians Daily Sun learnt were killed in Tafawa Balewa town during the attack. The soldier was said to have been killed at a roadblock in Mararaba Liman Katagun. The killing of the DPO, the military personnel and the civilians came just as three explosions occurred in three locations in Bauchi, the state capital.
The Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Mr. Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba confirmed the incident at a press conference held in his office yesterday in Bauchi. Aduba said that the victims were killed in a massive Robbery attacked launched by hoodlums at Tafawa Balewa axis of Bauchi State.
According to him, the aim of the attack was to rob, but was foiled by a combined team of Military/Police personnel who confronted the hoodlums while attempting to break in to one of the old generation banks located in the town.
The Police Boss said the hoodlums were also said to have beat a retreat on Military/police personnel at Mararaba Liman Katagum Road block from the scene of the crime, leading to the untimely death of police/army officers apart from attack on one of the generation Bank in Tafawa-Balewa. The Police Commissioner also confirmed that three Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs) rocked two churches in Railway Area and Fadaman Mada.
He said the explosives could be compared to the one used in quarries and caused minimal damages in the churches. No lives were lost, he said.
He said that 10 unexploded explosive devices were recovered at the scene, while six persons have been arrested and are currently aiding investigations. Aduba stressed that this is a trying time that required public support in centralizing security network with a call on members of the public to give useful information to the police and other security agencies to help fight crime. He lamented that evil men are trying to truncate the relative peace in the state. It was learnt that the DPO, Mr. Adelekan was killed in his hotel room, by the attackers who touched civilians’ houses in Tafawa Balewa.
The Secretary Sayawa Council of Elders, Bukata Zhadi in a telephone interview told our correspondent that over five houses were bombed during the attack. Zyadi debunked the Police Commissioner’s claim that it was a bank robbery saying it was a coordinated attack on the residents of Tafwa Balewa town by the Hausa Fulani.
He said that at least eight people in Tafawa Balewa died during the attack, while five were injured.
He said that property worth millions of naira were destroyed as a result of multiple explosions launched by the attackers.
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