At the end of the attack, late Friday, no fewer than 25 persons, including a former commissioner in old Gongola State, were feared dead.
Scene of attack was the headquarters of Ganye local government. Only the two suicide bombers involved in the attack were, however, killed.
Gunmen also shot dead a security guard in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, yesterday, bringing the death toll from suspected terror attacks at the weekend to 28.
The other highlight of the Adamawa incident was that the gunmen, who carried out the operation, attacked a bank, a police station and a prisons facility where some inmates were said to have been freed.
Some relaxation centers and hotels, a source said, were also hit.
The bulk of those killed were said to have been shot during the attack on the relaxation centers and hotels.
Eye witnesses said the attackers first struck at the divisional police station which was set ablaze before proceeding to the prisons where the inmates were set free and the building also set on fire.The attack, according to the eyewitnesses, which took the residents by surprise, began moments after the last Muslim prayers, Isha’i. The attackers were shouting, “Allah is Great, Allah is Great’, as they marched round the town unchallenged.
At the bank, the assailants were reported to have used dynamites to pull down parts of the building before gaining entrance into the banking hall and the strong room.
At press time, there was no confirmation of the amount of money stolen from the bank but reports said the amount could run into millions of Naira. Almost all the hotels and other relaxation joints in the town were set ablaze and ransacked, even as fun seekers ran helter skelter for dear lives.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that most of the casualties were recorded in the relaxation centres as the attackers opened fire sporadically on people seen to be patronizing the drinking joints and their owners.
Adamawa State Police Command confirmed the incident. The command’s public relations officer, PPRO Mohammed Ibrahim (SP), said military and police personnel had been dispatched to the area. Also, the Comptroller of Prisons in charge of Adamawa State, Mr. Andrew Barka, confirmed the ransacking of Ganye Prisons, but failed to give further details.
Ganye local government council shares border with the Republic of Cameroon. [Vanguard]