A raid carried out on suspected members of the Boko Haram sect resulted in the killing of undisclosed number of the sect members yesterday, while several others were injured in a pre-dawn operation carried out by the Joint Security Task Force at Sabuwar Gandu area in Kano municipality.
Similarly, several women and children believed to be wives of the sect members were arrested during the operation. Some of the weapons seized from them, LEADERSHIP SUNDAY gathered, are two AK47, 81 rounds of 7.2MM ammunition, 36 rounds of 5.56, ammunition, two magazines, one pistol, with several other items.
The operation, which was conducted about 1am yesterday, was as a result of a series of security surveillance carried out by the Joint Task Force on the house raided in the night.
As a result of the late pounding of the house, the guns and ammunitions were recovered while several bodies were shattered following a heavy explosion from a bomb-laden car parked at the premises of the suspected house.
A heavy exchange of gun fire between the suspects and members of the Joint Task Force lasted over five hours, but the JTF routed the suspects in the duel that lasted till dawn.
Brigade Commandant of the 3 Brigade Command Kano, Brigadier-General Illiyasu Abba, told journalists that there was a series of surveillance on the house until when the JTF identified and marked the house, for the operation.
He said that when members of the Joint Task Force approached the house there was resistance from the suspected members of the Boko Haram sect who he said, fired provocative gunshots at the soldiers and other security operatives in the operation.
He said a Honda Civic, 86 model car was detonated with bomb which went off and injured some military men and killed so many of the Boko Haram members inside the house.
He said bodies of the suspected sect members were seen outside the house, while the car that was detonated was still at the garage of the demolished house with several guns and ammunition.
Brigadier-General Abba noted that the operations carried out by the JTF in some parts of the state had started yielding positive results, adding that stop and – search at checkpoints mounted by the JTF will continue to further maximize security in the state.
General Abba hinted that some people who hid guns inside a mat while riding a motorbike were arrested, adding that they are already helping the security with vital information.
On his part, Kano State director of security services, Mr. Bassey Etan, said for sometimes a trail and monitoring was going on and they have information that some people were trying to carry out another serious attack that could cause serious damage to the state.
Meanwhile, as terrorists continue to threaten the security of some parts of Nigeria, the Obama-led US administration has adopted guidelines that will enable it combat threats from Boko-Haram and also from other terrorist groups across the world.
Our correspondent reported that the United States director of national intelligence James R. Clapper, attorney general Eric Holder, and National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) director Matthew G. Olsen at the weekend signed the updated guidelines which have been designed to allow NCTC to obtain and more effectively analyze certain data in the government’s possession to better address terrorism-related threats in the United States and its allies including Nigeria, while at the same time protecting privacy and civil liberties.
The “Guidelines for Access, Retention, Use, and Dissemination by the National Counterrorism Center (NCTC) of Information in Datasets Containing Non-Terrorism Information” effective Mar. 22, 2012, update November 2008 guidelines that governed NCTC’s access, retention, use, and dissemination of “terrorism information” contained within federal datasets that are identified as also including non-terrorism information and information pertaining exclusively to domestic terrorism.
According to note made available to our Correspondent on Friday, the updated Guidelines provide a framework that allows NCTC to obtain certain data held by other U.S. Government agencies to better protect the nation and its allies from terrorist attacks.
In coordination with other federal agencies providing data to the NCTC, NCTC will establish the timeline for the retention of individual datasets based upon the type of data, the sensitivity of the data, any legal requirements that apply to the particular data, and other relevant considerations.
According to our Correspondent, the revised Guidelines will permit NCTC to retain certain datasets that are likely to contain significant terrorism information and are already in the lawful custody and control of other federal agencies for up to five years, unless a shorter period is required by law.
It will also permit NCTC to query this data only to identify information that is reasonably believed to constitute terrorism information and as well provide that all data obtained by NCTC from another federal agency pursuant to the Guidelines, will be subject to appropriate safeguards and oversight mechanisms, including monitoring, recording, and auditing of access to and queries of the data, to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Furthermore, it will require NCTC to undertake a number of additional compliance and reporting obligations to ensure robust oversight.
The updated Guidelines do not provide any new authorities for the U.S. Government to collect information, nor do they authorize acquisition of data from entities outside the federal government.
All information that would be accessed by NCTC under the Guidelines is already in the lawful custody and control of other federal agencies.
In a related development the spokesman of JTF in Borno State, Lt Col Sagir Musa has confirmed to our reporter that this evening, some Boko Haram members attacked a JTF operation location along Abbaganaram and Railway quarters. The attack was repelled. Three Boko Haram members were killed. 1 AK-47 rifle with200 rounds of.722mm special ammunition recovered.
He said: “our men are in pursiut of the sect members and further details will be communicated to you as they unfold. Asked about the reported attack on the Lamisula Police Division , the JTF spokesman added ,”I am not the police spokesman so findout from them”.
Although all efforts to reach the police spokesman were not successful, a reliable source at the Police Division told our reporter that 6 sect members were killed today when they attacked the Lamisula Police Division”.