Military Takes Over Security In Kano

In apparent reaction to the recent well-coordinated bomb attacks by the dreaded islamist fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram which killed over 180 people in Kano, military men have taken over the security of Kano City in Kano State.

This followed the series of attacks by Boko Haram in the city between last Friday and Tuesday.

Sources told The Tide that military men were now patrolling the city day and night.

Some are reported to have erected checkpoints for stop and search.

A source told The Tide from Kano on telephone: “The town is now heavily militarised. Even at junctions, you find them controlling the traffic.”

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it had become obvious that the police had been overwhelmed by the dreaded sect, Boko Haram.

The source added, “you need to come and see how these guys operate. They are usually young men whose age can be put at between 18 and 25.

And they come with machine guns and other heavy guns apart from the bombs. How do you expect the police to be able to cope? “I am sure that must be the reason the military was drafted in.

“And there is a relative sense of security now, I must confess.”

The Tide could not confirm the veracity of the claim that another bomb exploded in Kano yesterday afternoon.

As at press time, it was still unclear if the noise that was heard from the Sabongari area of the town was a bomb explosion or a tyre burst.

A source said it was the trye of a luxury bus that gave way that afternoon and not a bomb explosion.

Few hours after the appointment of Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, the Nigerian Police Force has arrested about 200 people, including 160 from neighboring Chad, suspected of involvement in last week’s bombings that killed over 250 people in the ancient city of Kano.

Nigeria’s government has informed Chadian authorities to investigate the possibility the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the attacks, of having training facilities in Chad, a Police official said in Kano, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak with newsmen.

As the search for bombs and Boko Haram members intensified, the Federal Government had earlier deployed more soldiers and other security personnel to the troubled city.

Boko Haram, which draws its inspiration from Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, is responsible for a surge in violence in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. The group, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege,”claimed responsibility for church bomb attack on Christmas Day that killed 43 people.

Chad’s government told Nigerian authorities that President Idriss Deby had asked for security forces in the country to investigate and dismantle any training camps, if found, the Nigerian police official said.