“At about 2:00 a.m. on 8 October 2013, a combined team of the JTF troops and Department of State Security Services (DSS) personnel pounced on two Boko Haram Terrorists’ hideouts at Gunduwawa village in Gezawa LGA of Kano state. The raid which was conducted following a lead on intelligence reports made no arrests as the terrorists fled the village on approach of the JTF troops and DSS personnel. The combined team was also able to recover weapons, working tools and materials used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The weapons include assault rifle, two AK 58 rifle magazines with 193 rounds of 5.5mm ammunition, one AK 47 rifle magazine with 107 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, bows, and arrows. The materials used for making IEDs found in the buildings raided include 3 primed cylinders of IEDs, one primed explosive suicide back pack, 18 empty IED cylinders, 24 detonators, small bags of fertilizer, IED timers, cortex wires and three remote control devices. Other items recovered include work tools, five Motorola hand-held radios, four communicators, six alarm clocks, two cartons of 9-volt batteries, a scale, one external hard-drive and one heavy duty charger/battery. These weapons, ammunitions and other heavy dangerous materials were meant to wreak havoc on Kano during the Eid-El-Kabir festivities and other festivities before the end of the year. The JTF is aware that the terrorists are trying to establish some safe havens on the outskirts of Kano metropolis in order to resume their nefarious activities which had been curbed within the city. In order to ensure Kano remains a safe place for all, we are keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding towns and settlements through which the terrorists may use as access into the metropolitan” – stated Brigade-Commander, Brigadier-Ggeneral Illyasu Isah Abba at the 3rd Brigade Command Headquarters today – in the company of the Director, of DSS, Kano Command, Mr. Bassey Eteng.
The Brigade commander made the statement following a combined raid by the JTF and SSS on a boko haram hideout in Kano. Intelligence reports indicate the combine raid averted what would have been a bloody Eid-El-Fitr festivity in the ancient city of Kano. The raid lasted over eight hours – resulting in the exchange of gun fire between the Jihadist gang and the JTF operatives.
The Kano DSS Director, Mr. Eteng also revealed that the group has devised a new method similar to the Boston suicide-bombing by carrying explosives on back-pack bags.
