Gombe under attack

Gombe, the capital of Gombe state, is under attack by Boko Haram
terrorists.
The insurgents, according to witnesses from Gombe, are currently
being repelled by soldiers some three kilometres away from the
town.
A source from Gombe, Mallam Hassan, told PREMIUM TIMES on
phone that “we’ve all rushed back to our homes now. our town is
under attack; we heard that Boko Haram terrorists, in their
hundreds, are trying to invade the town”.
“Everywhere is quiet now, but the sounds of shooting and
explosion is deafening. We hear the soldiers are battling to stop
them”.
Another resident of the town said the sect members are engaged
in exchange of fire with a combined team of Nigerian military and
mobile police force in Linji village, on the outskirts of Gombe.
A resident, Ahmed Hamza, told PREMIUM TIMES that some young
men from Dadin Kowa town earlier informed him that the sect
members are attacking their town.
“We can hear sounds of gunshots from a distance and everybody
has gone indoors now,” he said.
Another source who declined to be named for security reasons
also said the insurgents headed towards the Army Barracks along
Dadin Kowa road when the Nigerian Army troop engaged them
while a detachment of mobile police officers provided back up.
The spokesperson of the Police in the state, Fwaje Atajiri, could
not be reached for comments at time of this report.
The Boko Haram terrorist group has repeatedly attacked the town
bombing bus stations and other locations.
Saturday’s attack is coming less than two weeks after a suicide
bomber struck in the city shortly after President Goodluck
Jonathan campaigned.
Mr. Jonathan was in Gombe for a rally that February 2, when a
female suicide bomber struck shortly after the campaign train
departed.
The female suicide bomber and a passerby died in the attack,
while six persons were injured, the police said at the time.
In December, the Nigerian military said it killed 67 of the
insurgents, who, in a convoy of over 30 vehicles and motorcycles,
were on a mission to capture Ashaka, another Gombe town, the
host community of Ashaka Cement Plant, were
The defence headquarters, which admitted losing 10 soldiers in the
battle, said troops got intelligence report on their mission and laid
ambush for them.