GUNMEN early Monday attacked the family residence
of the Vice-President Namadi Sambo in Tundun-
Wada, Zaria, Kaduna State, injuring the two mobile
policemen guarding the house.
A cobbler attending to one of the mobile policemen
as of the time of the attack was reportedly hit and
died on the spot. The attack on the VP house
occurred at 11 o'clock in the morning.
Also, suspected suicide bombers launched attacks on
the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police
in charge of Zone 10 in Sokoto, Muhtari Ibrahim, and
a shop owned by the Police Officer Wives'
Association, adjacent to the Unguwar Rogo police
station, Marina, Sokoto.
Dead victims of the Sokoto attacks included a
hairdresser, a policeman, and the two suspected
bombers.
The attacks in Sokoto and Kaduna came on a day the
police announced the casualty figure of Sunday
night's bombing in Kano. The police said four persons
were killed in the blast that rocked the Kano-Gwarzo
Road but residents insisted on Monday that the
casualty figure was higher.
In Tundun-Wada, Zaria, unknown gunmen on a
motorbike fired at Sambo's residence under
rehabilitation and injured the policemen on guard.
The house had remained uninhabited by the VP
family since it was attacked during the 2011 post-
election violence in Kaduna State.
Ibrahim confirmed the attack on his office and the
death of a policeman, a Corporal; and the suicide
bomber. He said eight policemen and a civilian were
injured as a result of the attack.
The AIG said that five offices and other parts of the
one-storey building, the gate, and some
neighbouring houses were shattered. The official car
of the police chief was also reportedly damaged.
He was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as
saying that the suicide bomber who attacked his
office drove a Honda Accord car and forced his way
into the premises after he was denied entry.
Ibrahim said that only the dead suicide bomber was
in the vehicle, adding that investigations would
continue on the development.
He asked members of the public to provide security
agencies with useful information to curb the trend.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kudu Nma, who
confirmed the attack on the Unguwar Rogo police
station, said the attacker could not gain access into
the police station .
According to Nma, only the attacker died at the
Unguwar Rogo police station after he struck a nearby
POWA shop.
Spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command,
Sani Salisu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police,
confirmed the death of the hairdresser at the POWA
shop near Unguwar rogo police station.
The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba,
who also confirmed the attacks, said security had
been beefed in the areas.
"Security has been beefed up in Sokoto and Zaria
and men of the Anti-Terrorist Squad have taken over
the areas," Mba told The PUNCH.
The violent attacks in Sokoto and Kaduna, analysts
said on Monday must have taken security agents by
surprise given the expectation that the attackers,
believed to be members of the violent Islamic sect,
Boko Haram, would cease fire during the Ramadan
season.
The attacks also came barely 24 hours after two ex-
heads of state, Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim
Babangida, in a joint statement lamented the
worsening state of security in the country. Obasanjo
and Babangida said Nigerians were living in fear and
uncertainty.
The Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr Ibrahim Idris
had also confirmed the attack on the city on Sunday
night.
He said that some gunmen attempted to attack a
mosque in Jan Bulo quarters around 10:30 p.m. on
Sunday.
An official statement by the command on Monday
said, "The Kano State Police Command wish to inform
the general public that on 29th Day of July 2012 at
2030hrs, unknown gunmen on three motorcycles
attacked a patrol team attached to Rijar Zaki
positioned at 2nd Gate JamblockEstate.
"The police patrol team responded and in the
ensuing gun duel, two of the attackers were gunned
down by the police, while two died from explosives
they were carrying.
"One of them was burnt beyond recognition. There
was no police or civilian casualty. Recovered at the
scene of the incident were three motorcycles, one AK
47 rifle, an assault rifle and 50 rounds of
ammunition.
"Officers of the Command Anti-Bomb Squad combed
the entire area and further recovered 10 undetonated
explosives. The area is now calm."
However, residents of the area insisted on Monday
that the casualty figure was higher because it was a
densely populated area.
"Whoever claimed that only four people (attackers)
died is telling a huge lie. Some civilians were victims
too. The area was busy with people; some were still
breaking their Ramadan fast. Some were already at
the mosque for prayers," a resident who did not want
his name mentioned told our correspondent in Kano
on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, David Mark, has
condemned the Sokoto attacks and asked security
agencies to come with new strategy to deal with the
worsening insecurity in the country.
Mark said the attacks were an assault on the peaceful
co-existenc among the people of Sokoto and begged
religious leaders to continue to appeal to members of
Boko Haram to accept the dialogue offer from
government.
He said, "The Federal Government will not dialogue
with itself. It has to dialogue with those who are
disenchanted with the system, particularly,
leadership and members of the Boko Haram sect.
"We also urged our political and religious leaders to
continue to appeal to the sect to listen to the voice of reason.
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