From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi, Mustapha Kwaru, Maiduguri with agency reports
Gunmen killed a five year old girl yesterday morning when they attacked and set fire to houses in the staff quarters of Government Girls Secondary School, Yana, Bauchi State.
This is coming as the Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, yesterday confirmed that seven more girls have escaped from kidnappers’ den in the state; bringing the total number of those found increasing to 52 with 77 others still missing. But in what turned out to be a mass attack on the local government, the gunmen also targeted the Local Government Authority secretariat, a First Bank branch, Police Quarters, burning a telecommunication mast in the process.
Our correspondent gathered that the attackers set ablaze and sprayed bullets into the staff quarters of the school, LGA secretariat, Police Houses and telecommunication masts.
A statement signed by Bauchi Police Public Relation Officer DSP Haruna Mohammed and made available to news men in Bauchi yesterday said the incident occurred during the early hours of Sunday at about 2: 30 am.
It stated that unknown gunmen stormed Yana Town at Shira LGA and set ablaze Staff quarters, School of Business of GGSS Yana, Eight man block rank and file quarters, GSM masts for MTN, Glo, and Etisalat networks.
He said the suspects further attacked a branch of First Bank, destroying the bank’s vault.
“Apart from a 5yr old girl who was burnt to death, there were no other casualties as all the students are intact while the private vehicle of the school principal was taken away by the hoodlums.”
Mohammed said about 15 vehicles were also burnt at the Shira LGA secretariat, adding that combined security forces are on the suspects’ trail.
A security source, said” There are 195 girls writing WAEC in the School but they are intact they didn’t even know what happened.” The source, whose identity has been withheld said soldiers from Bauchi and Jigawa state ambushed them and recovered some motorcycles, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and a green Toyota Hilux.
The attack is coming less than a week after gunmen abducted 129 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, though it is still not clear whether the two attacks on government girls schools are related.
On April 17, the police said a team of security forces foiled an attack by some unknown gunmen on Misau town, Misau Local Government Area of the state.
On April 15 also, the police confirmed that some gunmen snatched two vehicles, marked 206 UN and 139 UN in Soro, Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state, belonging to the United Nations. Mohammed said some suspected armed robbers had recently snatched a vehicle belonging to the Bauchi State Television Authority, marked 04C-04 BA.
