Troops
Fear-gripped
residents were yesterday leaving Damaturu, the Yobe State capital,
following Monday’s attack on the town by Boko Haram insurgents.
Normalcy is, however, gradually
returning to the town after the 24-hour curfew was relaxed to 12 hours
by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.
Many residents are also leaving town
with their families either to their villages or other safe cities amid
rumours of an impending attack.
Some travellers were sighted on the
Potiskum-Kano road. Other routes, apart from Gujba road, which leads to
the stronghold of the insurgents, have been busy with vehicular and
human movement. The three major motor parks in Damaturu are full of
would-be passengers with travellers heading in various direction.
Residents who were almost running out of
foodstuff in their homes trooped out to the markets to make purchases
before the 6pm curfew.
Some of the residents expressed shock
over the level of attack on the town. They, however, praised the brave
soldiers for repelling the insurgents.
Shaibu Musa, a civil servant, said that
he was pleased that the soldiers fought in, unlike other towns where
soldiers reportedly ran away.
“ Contrary to what we have been hearing
from other places, that soldiers usually run away from this kind of
attacks, the soldiers here were brave. They stood their ground and
fought very well to repel the insurgents. The jet that came to help them
did a very nice job. We salute the soldiers for keeping Damaturu for
us,” Musa said excitedly.
Abdulhameed, who sells used clothes
near Forte Oil filling station on Gujba road lost everything as the
insurgents burnt his shop which, according to him, was stocked a day
before they struck the town. He estimated his loss at over N3 million.
“I just came back from market on Sunday,
a day before these useless boys’ attack. Look at what they have done to
me. I lost over N3 million in this shop. Where will I start from now,
for Allah’s sake?” Abdulhameed asked, throwing his hands in the air.
Banks in Damaturu have remained closed to customers. Our correspondent saw customers at ATM paying points.
Thousands of university students were
trapped in their school on Gujba road. Reports indicated that the
insurgents came and camped at the administrative block of the
institution at about 3.30am before lunching the first onslaught on the
police mobile base in Damaturu at 5.30 spreading to other security
formation, including the Government House.
Some of the residents are stranded, having no money to travel or buy foodstuff.
Halima Jatau, a housewife called on the banks to load their ATM even if they cannot open for customers.
“We are in dire need of cash. Some
people here want to travel but they don’t have cash on them. Some of us
need cash for food but we can’t get because the ATMs are empty. We are
pleading with them to please put money for us so that we can withdraw to
buy food for our families,” She said.
At the popular Abacha market, most traders have opened their shops, waiting eagerly for customers.
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/mass-exodus-hits-yobe-capital-damaturu/
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