The troops of the Nigerian Army have foiled a planned suicide attack by the Boko Haram sect, resulting in the death of eight suicide bombers in Borno State, Punch reports.
The acting Director, Army Public Relations Unit, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the troops foiled the suicide attempt at a checkpoint in Gubio, Gubio Local Government Area of the state.
He said that the troops stopped the eight suicide bombers who drove to the checkpoint in a Bedford van loaded with Improvised Explosive Devices and suicide vests.
Usman said that the suicide bombers blew themselves up while resisting the directive of the soldiers to screen the vehicle.
However, the statement was silent on whether the military suffered any casualty or not.
“The troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at a checkpoint in Gubio, Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State at about 9.15am today, foiled a suicide attack on Gubio town by eight Boko Haram terrorists.
“The suicide bombers, who came in a Bedford van loaded with Improvised Explosive Devices, attempted to force their way through the checkpoint but met a stiff resistance from troops, who insisted that the vehicle must be thoroughly checked.
“The suicide bombers refused and blew up themselves by detonating one of the suicide vests, killing all the eight Boko Haram terrorists in the van.” the statement read.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Makarfi has condemned the multiple bomb attacks in Borno State, which occurred on Saturday and Sunday.
It described the attacks, which took place in Maiduguri, killing about six people on Saturday, as unfortunate.
It also said that the ambush of some troops the following day in Damboa, Borno State, by the Boko Haram sect, was barbaric.
A statement issued by the spokesperson for the faction, Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja, on Tuesday, commended the Special Operation Unit of the military known as ‘Operation Lafia Dole’ for their courage and commitment to the security of lives and property in the North-East.
Adeyeye also commended the military for averting another attack late Sunday.
The statement said, “While we applaud the dexterity of our officers and men in the field, we wish to further advise the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to stop the needless and diversionary propaganda on the issue of insurgency in the North-East and rather concentrate more on providing all the moral and technical support needed by the military to end this campaign of terror.”
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