Army blames motorists for Auno attack, fixes deadline for closure of Maiduguri gate

The head of Nigeria’s counter insurgency operation in the Northeast, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, on Monday ordered that the Maiduguri gate on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway be closed at 4pm instead of 5pm.

The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole also blamed motorists for the attack that took place on Sunday night in Auno, a neighbouring village to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in which Boko Haram insurgents reportedly killed about 30 persons and burnt several cars, buses and trucks.

Adeniyi, who addressed a press conference on Monday insisted that 10 persons were killed as against the 30 corpses residents of Auno said they counted.

According to the Army General, it had become dangerous to ‘ply and park vehicles’ along Maiduguri/Damaturu Road between 4pm and night.

“We don’t want to see vehicles on this road between evening and night hours”, he said, wondering why motorists and truck drivers should park over 200 vehicles at Auno.

Read also: Gunmen abduct daughter of former ABU VC

Adeniyi also explained that the closure of the road was meant to prevent Boko Haram insurgents from attacking commuters and communities along the 132-kilometre highway, insisting that the attack at Auno was due to the excesses of drivers and transporters, emphasizing that the daily closure of the road would now be at 4pm.

Speaking on the rescue of students of Government College, Maiduguri, Adeniyi said: “Yesterday (Sunday), Boko Haram came with 15 gun trucks along Maiduguri/Gubio Road and in two minutes, they kidnapped three students of the Government College, Maiduguri.

“The insurgents quickly fled the road but Lt. Col. I. Yusuf mobilised other soldiers and pursued the terrorists.”

According to him, while engaging the insurgents, troops skillfully rescued the students without harm to them.

The Army General however warned school authorities against students wearing school uniforms on Sundays in the affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, saying school uniforms make students vulnerable to terrorists and kidnappers.

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