Nine Missing Policemen Return To Camp After ISWAP Attack

File image As numerous as 9 police instructors reported missing after scores of Islamic State West Africa Province fighters attacked the Police Mobile Force Training College, Limankara, Gwoza, Borno State, have actually returned to their camp.

A senior policeman validated to The PUNCH that the guys, who were earlier thought to have been abducted by the insurgents, discovered their method to the camp on Saturday.

The insurgents had released a ferocious attack on the police college on Thursday, with many Rocket-Propelled Guns for practically two hours before they overwhelmed the beleaguered police officer inside the school.

The Borno State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdu Umar, had actually verified the attack to journalists in Maiduguri on Friday however denied the abduction of the police officers.

Reputable police sources explained that nine out of the 21 trainers in the school were reported missing out on after the insurgents broke into the college when the policemen ran out of ammunition.

Our reporter was notified that the military stopped working to send supports regardless of the fact that an army checkpoint lay not far from the school.

Shedding light on the attack, a senior law enforcement officer stated the opponents came from 3 angles, including that they would not have actually overrun the school had actually there been reinforcement.

The source mentioned that the police officers lacked ammunition and later on turned to smoke gas which prevented the terrorists from going into the college for a long time.

He said, “From Gwoza town to Limankara is just 15km and there is an army formation there. The police officers said they required reinforcement however there was no action. 9 instructors were abducted out of the 21 instructors in the camp.

“The place wasn’t strengthened, the authorities just repaired the fence that was damaged by the terrorists during previous attacks. They were about rebooting training there before this latest attack.”

Another source stated the school was not correctly fortified, keeping in mind that the police officers could have effectively warded off the attack if they had a practical armoured tank.

He also lamented the failure of the military to send out reinforcement, noting that assistance could have come for the policemen within 5 minutes.

The officer added, “If there was coordination among the forces, reinforcements can get to the training school within five minutes because there is an army checkpoint around that place. You understand it is between Madagali and Gwoza, that place is the border in between Adamawa and Borno but it is under Borno. There is a checkpoint close to the location. If the school has a basic armoured tank, there is no way the insurgents can breach the camp.” The senior officer recalled the short time reinforcements took during a peacekeeping operation in Mali.

He noted,” When we remained in Mali on a peacekeeping operation, when we called for reinforcement whenever we were under attack; from Bamako to our place is one hour, 45 minutes however within a few minutes, the reinforcement will exist. But in Nigeria, it is the next early morning support would come.

” The trainers lacked ammunition and the insurgents were utilizing RPGs and the cops did not have any RPG. It was the smoke gas that assisted the trainers to withstand the attacks for a long time. Rivalry (between the security forces) is the problem. No one pertained to the rescue of the men from 8pm when the attack began till around 10pm.” ToriNG