Tell a Tale

Houses were razed by the deadly Boko Haram fighters in Babbangida, Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State on Sunday during an attack, a resident Maimunat Abubakar, said on the telephone. Babbangida is the headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of the state and shares border with Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. It is 50 kilometres north of Damaturu and has experienced several cases of Boko Haram invasion in the past. Abubakar, who fled with two of her children to Damaturu as a result of the attack, lamented that “the nsurgents attack our town in the early hours of today (Sunday).” She said the militants had on Saturday attempted to attack the town but their plan was thwarted by the military. Abubakar said, “Yesterday (Saturday) being the market day, there were apprehensions of a possible attack on the town but security forces were fully aware and such purported attack was thwarted.” She said residents had stayed through the night in bush fearing that the tow...

FEW days after a petrol tanker exploded in Onitsha, killing many residents , another tanker explosion occurred, yesterday, in Lagos. Although no life was lost, millions of naira worth of goods were destroyed. The explosion, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday at Idimu, Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the state, left scores of residents devastated, as no fewer than 20 houses were affected . When The Guardian visited the scene at dawn yesterday, several spare-part shops, provisions outlets, raw food kiosks, food canteens, beauty shops, and other business premises were completely raized. According to officials of the Lagos State fire service, 34 houses and 70 shops and kiosks were completely burnt to arches. One of the houses raised belongs to the mother of the former Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Waheed Bello. It was the third of such tanker explosions Lagos in the last six days. Eyewitnesses recounted that the explosion was caused by some de...