POLICE Area Commander for Bama in Borno State, an assistant commissioner of police (names withheld), three other cops and a civilian were among persons killed by the dreaded Islamic fanatical sect, better known as the Talibans, who surprisingly attacked two police stations in Borno State Monday night.
The fresh attack by a 60-man gang of the fundamentalist group, believed to have crossed into Nigeria from a neighbouring country, came barely six months after a joint police/military operation reportedly wiped the sect out of Borno and Yobe States.
Several persons were also injured in the latest attack by the Talebans.
Daily Champion gathered that armed members of the anti-establishment sect emerged from the Gwoza hills, Borno State, Monday night and started shooting.
After they attacked the Gwoza police station, where a Constable and a Corporal lost their lives in the encounter, the gang fled to neighbouring Bama local government area where they stormed the police station there, killing the Area Commander.
Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Adamu Dibal, as well as the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ade Ajakaiye have since visited the scene of the attacks and sympathised with victims.
Mr. Ajakaiye who told reporters that the attack was carried out by the "Talebans," added that the attacks took the police by surprise as it was believed that the Talebans had been wiped out by police/military patrols in the first encounter last March.
According to him, the attacks were similar to the previous one as four of his men including a police woman and a civilian vigilante were also killed while a number of vehicles were burnt at the Gwoza police station.
Narrating the situation to the Deputy Governor, the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Shehu Idrissa Timta, described the incident as shocking and beyond human comprehension.
According to him, shortly after the Gwoza attack, the gang fled into the Gwoza hills, a development that reduced the havoc in the inhabitants after the sect members were challenged by the vigilante groups.
The Talibans are said to be trapped the hills near the village of Liman Kara as the entire area has now been surrounded by security personnel awaiting surrender of the gang.
The rampaging Talebans abandoned a black flag in Bama while they are said to don red and black uniform.
Meanwhile, the Borno State government has condemned the attack on the police formations and appealed to the people to always volunteer useful information to security personnel for necessary pre-emptive action.
Deputy Governor, Alhaji Dibal said after visiting after the affected areas that government is doing everything possible to arrest the situation and appealed for calm.