Gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect yesterday night attacked police facilities in Damagum, the headquarters of Fune Local Government in Yobe State and freed 14 prison inmates at the satellite prison facility.
They also burnt down a police station, a police report stated.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Gbadegesin Toyin, said, “A joint operation has been lunch for the manhunt of the assailants.”
He also informed that a temporary military camp at the town and a settlement occupied by Korean doctors working at the Damagum General Hospital was among the places attacked by the gunmen, adding that during the attacke, three of the gunmen were killed while a senior staff of the hospital also died in the attack.
According to Toyin, “Yes, we have gone and conducted an on- the spot assessment of the damage and from the information we got, it is true that the assailants attacked the Damagum police station and burnt it down with explosives, and three of the assailants were killed, one policeman was shot on the leg and he is recovering at the hospital. The rest of the other gunmen fled to the bush.
“A satellite prison facility in the town was also attacked where 14 inmates were set free and two refuse to go, a temporary army camp was also attacked; an army hilux and unserviceable police vehicle was also burnt,” the police image maker said.
He further confirmed that a senior staff of the Damagum General Hospital was also killed in the attack, while a staff quarter housing Korean Doctors working for Yobe State Government was equally torched.
“We recovered one AK47 and a red Golf Salon car which was used by the gunmen,” the PPRO further informed.
However the newly posted CP, Moses Onireti who was at Damagum on Thursday morning has vowed that “bad times await criminals in the state.”