According to Punch newspaper, the Defence authorities have said that a suicide bomber who rammed a Honda car primed with Improvised Explosive Devices into a military checkpoint in Bajoga, Gombe, State has been killed by soldiers.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Wednesday that the suicide bomber successfully rammed the bomb-laden Honda car into the military checkpoint but the bombs failed to explode.
Olukolade said that the soldiers reacted swiftly by killing the bomber, who was trying to flee the scene of the incident.
He stated that the troops retrieved the IEDs from the car and handed them over to the police.
“A suicide bomber who rammed into a military checkpoint in Bajoga, Gombe State yesterday (Tuesday), failed to achieve his mission.
“His attempt to escape also failed as he was brought down by vigilant soldiers when he tried to flee after hitting a military Armoured Personnel Carrier with his IED-laden Honda car. The explosives which failed to detonate have been evacuated and handed to the police,” Olukolade stated.
He added that security agents also raided a hideout of terrorists in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano, Kano State and discovered a bomb-making factory in the area.
Olukolade said that some bomb-making experts arrested by the security agents were already undergoing investigation.
According to him, the security forces were expecting the latest arrests to give some useful clues into the activities of the sect.
The Defence spokesman added that the military authorities had issued a directive to all the troops involved in the counter-terrorism operation to sustain the tempo of their operations by ensuring that the insurgents were prevented from attacking civilian targets during the period.
“The troops deployed in all locations of the counter-terrorism campaign have been directed to sustain the tempo of operations all through the period of seasonal celebrations and ensure that the intention of terrorists to attack civilian targets while avoiding troops is duly frustrated,” he added.
Credit: Punch