Members of the Military Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday killed 14 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect at Layin Yanawaki in Unguwa Uku quarters in Kano. It was also gathered that a woman, a child and two soldiers died during the attack.According to eyewitnesses, explosions and gunfire rocked Filin Kashu, a notorious area of Unguwa Uku quarters, early yesterday morning, while thick black smoke could be seen in the sky.
A mortuary attendants at the state government-owned Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, also confirmed to LEADERSHIP that operatives of the JTF and State Security Service (SSS) had deposited in the morgue 14 bodies suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect killed during the raid.
Residents of the area told our correspondent that members of the JTF had, on Saturday night, cordoned off Unguwa Uku area and its neighbourhood and also sealed off two major entries into the city, main Zaria road and Maiduguri road. They confirmed that shortly after, the JTF embarked on a random house-to- house search.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Filin Kashu, Unguwa Uku area and their neighbourhood were hot spots for the activities of the Boko Haram militants and had been the scenes of several killings, explosions and gun battles and attacks on police checkpoints as well as the recent killing of a female divisional police officer (DPO) and her daughter after they stopped to change a flat tyre.
A resident of the affected area, Iliya Shehu, said he was going to buy bread last night when he realised that the streets were deserted and subsequently noticed the mass movement of soldiers and their armoured tanks.
“I quickly went back,” he said.
Another resident, Tanimu Sadi, confirmed that members of the JTF fired several warning shots into the air and advised residents to cooperate with them, promising that they would not be harmed.
He noted that though not all houses were tampered with, the JTF operatives entered many houses in the area to check for members of the sect.
Malam Nasiru, who lives in the community, told LEADERSHIP that he was asleep when he heard an explosion and gunfire not far from his house.
According to him, he could not say whether his house was under attack and by whom, as he had no knowledge of the presence of the JTF in the area.
Wife of Boko Haram member narrates experience
When our correspondent spoke to a woman, Maryam Inusa, who claimed to be the wife of a Boko Haram member, she said she was lucky to survive the raid.
Inusa, who is now receiving treatment at an emergency unit of Murtala Muhammed Hospital in Kano, told LEADERSHIP that she sustained broken arms.
She said: “I just paid a visit to my husband’s brother from Abuja whom I lost contact with for the last three months since the security checked on him in our house at Abuja. They killed my husband’s brother, too, today.
“We are married for 13 years now and we have four children. JTF took away my three year-old-child and the three others.
“Soldiers beat me severely and broke my arms. They just brought me here alongside many dead bodies they killed during the raid.”
Inuwa also claimed that her husband, Muhammad Yusif, had run away from her.
JTF confirms killings of 14 sect members
Confirming the incident, the JTF spokesperson, Ikedechi Iweha, stated that 14 members of Boko Haram and one soldier were killed while two persons were injured during the incident. He added that the affected houses were under security surveillance while the killings were as a result of exchange of fire.
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