A son of former President Olusegun
Obasanjo was on Monday shot during a battle between the militant
Islamic sect, Boko Haram and troops near Michika in Adamawa State.
A highly reliable security source said
that Adeboye was injured in the leg by the insurgents during the
encounter. He is an army engineer at the 3rd Division in Jos, Plateau
State.
The source said that the former
President’s son was being treated at a military facility which identity
was not revealed for security reasons.
“He was shot by Boko Haram in the battle
to reclaim Michika from the insurgents. But there is no cause for alarm
as he is responding to treatment,” he added.
A top military source confirmed the shooting of Adeboye.
A family friend of Obasanjo, Mallam Mohammed Kebbi, told BBC Hausa Service that “Col. Adeboye, son of Obasanjo, was shot by the insurgents in Bazza on their (platoon) way to Michika.”
Adeboye married Daisy Nyada in February 2008 at the Hilltop mansion residence of his father in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
During the Nigerian Civil War, Adeboye’s
father commanded the Army’s 3 Marine Commando Division that took Owerri,
effectively bringing an end to the civil war.
Meanwhile, soldiers launched an offensive
on Sunday night against Boko Haram insurgents in their bid to recapture
Michika in Adamawa State.
Security sources told our correspondents
that the battle, which continued on Monday forced more residents of the
town to flee to Yola.
The insurgents, who overran Michika and Uba on Sunday, had on Saturday taken over Gulak, Bama and Gwoza in Borno State.
It was learnt that more troops and tanks
were deployed from the military formation in Yola to complement the
effort of those engaged in the battle to recapture Michika.
One of the sources said that another set
of troops deployed from military formations within Adamawa State and
other parts of the North-East, successfully took over Gulak from the
insurgents.
Investigations revealed that Mararaba and Uba were also recaptured.
The source said that some soldiers from
Borno State were involved in the battle for the liberation of Uba, a
border town between Adamawa and Borno states.
He said that the insurgents fled Uba because the soldiers attacked from the Adamawa and Borno sides of the border community.
The source added that fighter jets and
helicopters featured prominently in the encounters between the military
and the insurgents.
The Fighter jets, according to him,
bombed the hideouts of the insurgents while foot soldiers attacked their
locations near the Michika LGA secretariat.
He said that the troops from Borno and Adamawa states blocked many of the routes used by the insurgents to enter into Cameroon.
The source added, “I can confirm to you
that troops are taking on the insurgents. They have not yet retaken
Michika, but a serious operation is going on there.
“They have taken Uba and Gulak. Soldiers
from Borno and Adamawa states were involved in the operation in Uba. You
know that it is a border community between the two states.
“As we are talking now, the soldiers are
taking on the insurgents in Mararaba which is between Michika and Mubi.
The soldiers have also blocked most of their routes to Cameroon while
the Air Force is carrying out aerial bombardment.”
The PUNCH learnt that the rush by residents to leave the affected communities resulted in a sharp increase in transport fares.
For instance, those fleeing Mubi to Yola paid as much as N3, 500 for a journey of N1000.
Investigations also revealed that
ground operation for the liberation of Bama had not been launched even
though the Air Force had continued aerial attacks on the area.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.
Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not be reached for comment on the
confrontation between the troops and the insurgents in Adamawa State as
the calls to his mobile telephone line did not connect.
Boko Haram’s caliphate, a declaration of war –NLC
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria
Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, has said that the recent
declaration of an Islamic Caliphate by Boko Haram must not be
allowed.
Omar said in an electronic mail on Monday
that the increasing spate of attacks by the insurgents amounted to an
unacceptable declaration of a republic within a republic.
He warned that ceding any part of the
country to the insurgents was inimical to the well-being of the nation
and the growth of democratic governance.
He said that the NLC was concerned about
the speed with which the insurgents had been taking over communities in
the country in spite of the heavy security presence in the areas.
Omar said, “The NLC is worried about
the recent incursion into some towns and villages, especially in Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe states by Boko Haram.
“These violent attacks and reported
seizures and declaration of an Islamic republic remain unacceptable and
must never be allowed, as a republic cannot exist within a republic.
“While we appreciate the commitment of
Nigeria’s security agencies, particularly the Armed Forces, to the
battle against insurgency in Nigeria, we strongly warn that the
consequence of allowing any part of the country to be forcefully seized
by any group will be overwhelmingly harmful to our collective unity and
socio-economic advancement, just as it would also endanger the growth of
democracy.
“We are worried at the speed with which
the insurgents are taking over communities even in areas reported to
have heavy security presence.”
