January 20: 9 years after the deadly Boko Haram attack that rattled Kano

Date:

Wednesday, January 20, 2021 was exactly nine years since the deadly coordinated attacks launched by Boko Haram terrorists in Kano state on the same date in 2012, which was believed to have killed at least 176 residents.

The armed insurgents, Daily Telescope recalled launched the offensive attack on some security formations within the state metropolis in an effort to release their colleagues who were then under detention at various security formations in the state.

The places attacked by the terrorists were Office of the Assistant Inspector of Police (AIG) otherwise known as Police Zone One Headquarters along BUK road, Police Headquarters at Bompai and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Passport Office located at Farm Centre.

Other formations destroyed by the insurgents were Yar’akwa and Farm Center police stations respectively.

They also attempted to attack the headquarters of the Department of Security Service (DSS) along Sardauna Crescent.

The coordinated attacks, Daily Telescope recalled, were carried out simultaneously. The first formation attacked by the insurgents was the AIG’s office. They detonated a bomb-laden car at the place.

The driver of the car was said to have hit the building as a result of which the bomb detonated and killed several people mostly police officers while others were critically injured.

After raiding the AIG’s office, the attackers then proceeded to the NIS’s Passport office situated at Farm Center, where they unleashed another deadly assault that also claimed the lives of passersby including a journalist with Channels Television, Enenche Akogwu.

They also destroyed part of the passport office by throwing a locally made bomb at the office.

At the Farm center police station, it was alleged that after the insurgents bombed the formation, they also freed a number of armed robbery suspects, because as at then the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit was housed at the formation.

Daily Telescope gathered that the Boko Haram group applied different method of attack when they went to the DSS headquarters.

The insurgents reportedly arrived at the command on motorcycles after deploying two bomb-laden vehicles in their attempt to destroy the command. However, the determined DSS personnel repelled and halted the move.

A security personnel, who witnessed the scenario, confided in Daily Telescope that “first, the insurgents came on motorcycles shooting into the air around the command with a view to attract our personnel to come out.

“Their plan was to deceive our men to open the main gate so that the Boko Haram bomb-laden vehicle that has been wandering around can gain access into the command.

“That was what exactly happened; immediately the gate was opened, the first bomb-laden vehicle entered into the command but a DSS personnel that was on red alert shot the driver before he detonated the bomb. The driver died instantly because he was shot in the head.

“Few minutes after the failed attempt, a second bomb-laden vehicle approach the command from another side, however, the DSS personnel who were alerted by the first incident, fired at the vehicle, thereby detonating the bombs its contained and killed the driver and his accomplices.

At the Police Headquarters, Bompai, a police source told Daily Telescope that the insurgents, mostly youth surrounded the headquarters before they launched their attack.

“We observed that the insurgents stationed their foot soldiers at various locations around the command. For instance, they stationed their men at Daula roundabout, SDY roundabout, Kano Club roundabout, Mundubawa roundabout and Tudunwada quarters junction.

“They also stationed their men at Gongoni by Bompai police station, Sani Marshall road by Police command junction and Police command by President Avenue junction. In a nut shell, insurgents were stationed at all roads leading to the police command.

“So, according to our records, the insurgents killed a total of 176 persons majority of them security personnel and injured several others during the attack,” he said.

The source added that the attackers had also stationed two bomb-laden vehicles around the building of the police headquarters with intention to bomb the place.

“It took us several hours before we put the situation under control. We engaged the insurgents in gun battle around since 5:30pm and the fight did not end until around 11pm. The then police commissioner, Ibrahim K. Idris physically participated in the gun battle with the insurgents.

“The following day, we recovered 15 bomb-laden vehicles, over 400 locally made bombs abandoned by the insurgents across the state metropolis,” the source added.

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