Obasanjo’s soldier son shot by Boko Haram
A son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was
on Monday shot during a battle between the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram
and troops near Michika in Adamawa State.
It was gathered that Lt.-Col Adeboye Obasanjo led
a platoon of the army that took on the insurgents at Baza near Michika.
A highly reliable security source said that
Adeboye was injured in the leg by the insurgents during the encounter. He is an
army engineer at the 3rd Division in Jos, Plateau State.
The source said that the former President’s son
was being treated at a military facility which identity was not revealed for
security reasons.
“He was shot by Boko Haram in the battle to
reclaim Michika from the insurgents. But there is no cause for alarm as he is
responding to treatment,” he added.
A top military source confirmed the shooting of
Adeboye.
A family friend of Obasanjo, Mallam Mohammed
Kebbi, told BBC Hausa Service that “Col. Adeboye, son of Obasanjo, was
shot by the insurgents in Bazza on their (platoon) way to Michika.”
Adeboye married Daisy Nyada in February 2008 at
the Hilltop mansion residence of his father in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
During the Nigerian Civil War, Adeboye’s father
commanded the Army’s 3 Marine Commando Division that took Owerri, effectively
bringing an end to the civil war.
Meanwhile, soldiers launched an offensive on
Sunday night against Boko Haram insurgents in their bid to recapture Michika in
Adamawa State.
Security sources told our correspondents that the
battle, which continued on Monday forced more residents of the town to flee to
Yola.
The insurgents, who overran Michika and Uba on
Sunday, had on Saturday taken over Gulak, Bama and Gwoza in Borno State.
It was learnt that more troops and tanks were
deployed from the military formation in Yola to complement the effort of those
engaged in the battle to recapture Michika.
One of the sources said that another set of
troops deployed from military formations within Adamawa State and other parts of
the North-East, successfully took over Gulak from the insurgents.
Investigations revealed that Mararaba and
Uba were also recaptured.
The source said that some soldiers from Borno
State were involved in the battle for the liberation of Uba, a border town
between Adamawa and Borno states.
He said that the insurgents fled Uba because the
soldiers attacked from the Adamawa and Borno sides of the border community.
The source added that fighter jets and
helicopters featured prominently in the encounters between the military and the
insurgents.
The Fighter jets, according to him, bombed the
hideouts of the insurgents while foot soldiers attacked their locations near the
Michika LGA secretariat.
He said that the troops from Borno and Adamawa
states blocked many of the routes used by the insurgents to enter into
Cameroon.
The source added, “I can confirm to you that
troops are taking on the insurgents. They have not yet retaken Michika, but a
serious operation is going on there.
“They have taken Uba and Gulak. Soldiers from
Borno and Adamawa states were involved in the operation in Uba. You know that it
is a border community between the two states.
“As we are talking now, the soldiers are taking
on the insurgents in Mararaba which is between Michika and Mubi. The soldiers
have also blocked most of their routes to Cameroon while the Air Force is
carrying out aerial bombardment.”
The PUNCH learnt that the rush by
residents to leave the affected communities resulted in a sharp increase in
transport fares.
For instance, those fleeing Mubi to Yola paid
as much as N3, 500 for a journey of N1000.
Investigations also revealed that ground
operation for the liberation of Bama had not been launched even though the Air
Force had continued aerial attacks on the area.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen.
Chris Olukolade, could not be reached for comment on the confrontation between
the troops and the insurgents in Adamawa State as the calls to his mobile
telephone line did not connect.
Boko Haram’s caliphate, a declaration of
war –NLC
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Labour
Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, has said that the recent declaration of an
Islamic Caliphate by Boko Haram must not be allowed.
Omar said in an electronic mail on Monday that
the increasing spate of attacks by the insurgents amounted to an unacceptable
declaration of a republic within a republic.
He warned that ceding any part of the country to
the insurgents was inimical to the well-being of the nation and the growth of
democratic governance.
He said that the NLC was concerned about the
speed with which the insurgents had been taking over communities in the country
in spite of the heavy security presence in the areas.
Omar said, “The NLC is worried about the recent
incursion into some towns and villages, especially in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe
states by Boko Haram.
“These violent attacks and reported seizures and
declaration of an Islamic republic remain unacceptable and must never be
allowed, as a republic cannot exist within a republic.
“While we appreciate the commitment of Nigeria’s
security agencies, particularly the Armed Forces, to the battle against
insurgency in Nigeria, we strongly warn that the consequence of allowing any
part of the country to be forcefully seized by any group will be overwhelmingly
harmful to our collective unity and socio-economic advancement, just as it would
also endanger the growth of democracy.
“We are worried at the speed with which the
insurgents are taking over communities even in areas reported to have heavy
security presence.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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