JAMB Candidates Massacred in Borno

Over 200 people including some students travelling to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Borno State have been reportedly killed by the Boko Haram insurgents. The students were among several persons that lost their lives in multiple attacks unleashed by the terrorists in four communities.

The Senator representing Borno Central in the Nigerian Senate, Zannah Ahmed, on Friday, accused the military of complicity in Thursday attack in parts of troubled Borno State where he claimed that 210 people were killed in attacks on four communities.

The communities included Dikwa, Gambulga, Gwoza and Kala Balge. Senator Ahmed claimed that the attackers were all dressed in military uniforms and spoke English language. This was a departure from the Hausa and Kanuri language spoken by the Boko Haram insurgents.

He also lamented that the authorities of the military post in Gamboru, which purportedly received a distressed call from the people of Kala Balge avoided the community, claiming that it was not in its area of command.

Ahmed who said he was compelled to speak out because his people were being killed on a daily basis, lamented “what happened in Borno was beyond understanding.”

“It is a must for me to speak since the people lives are involved and they are my people. All these are happening in my constituency and it will be wrong to keep quiet. I feel so much pained and would not have spoken but definitely my conscience will not let me do that”, he narrated.

He alleged that 210 people were slaughtered by marauders, who dressed in military uniforms and attacked the communities in two armored personnel cars and seven double cabin pickups.

According to Senator Ahmed, they attacked a Teachers College in Dikwa and killed seven people, burnt down the school library and administrative block.

He alleged that Kala Balge was the most devastated as 60 people were killed by the armed men who went on the rampage.

He explained that after they left Kala Balge they attacked three other communities in the area where a total of 150 persons were killed.

A reliable security source, however, said that the insurgents laid ambush for a group of students who were on their way to Biu from Maiduguri to write Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examination (JAMB) scheduled for Saturday April 12, 2014.

It was also learnt that the JAMB candidates were riding in eight vehicles when they ran into the insurgents’ ambush.
It was, however, not clear whether the insurgents got the all occupants of the eight vehicles killed or not. The incident was said to take place on Wednesday evening.