Not fewer than 12 persons were killed and a school completely razed in the renewed violence that shook Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

The mayhem happened in three separate areas of the state when gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram slaughtered five people in Jiddari Polo, gunned down four others in London Ciki area and also killed yet another person at Baga Road area of the state.

The JTF in a statement claimed to have killed two of the suspected Boko Haram terrorists and arrested 13 others in Polo and Shehuri ward following the violence and explosion that rocked the state capital at the eve of Eid-El- Maulud celebration.

Our correspondent gathered that at about 10:00 pm on Tuesday, gunmen in large number attacked some houses at Polo Jiddari ward in Maiduguri where they slaughtered five people. It was also learnt that another set of the attackers gun down four people in London ciki area and one person at Baga road at about 5:00 pm.

A resident of Federal low cost housing estate, who did not want his name in print, told newsmen that, three golf cars and three Keke Napep belonging to the gunmen who abandon their ride and run into some houses in Jajeri ward were burnt down by soldiers who pursued the gunmen and also shelled the houses where they took cover.

“Nobody knows the number of gunmen or the people killed in the raid at the residence where the gunmen took cover but we believe many people perhaps innocent ones inclusive might have been trapped in the houses while JTF was shelling the house. Many we believed have died,” he asserted.

However, when the Joint task Force on Operation Restore Order in Borno state sent in their release confirming the incident, the statement reads: “Information available to the Joint Task Force Operation RESTORE ORDER indicated that some suspected gunmen killed three people at about 3.am today Wednesday, 23 January, 2013 in Jiddari – Pulo, Maiduguri metropolis. The JTF was alerted; it cordoned off the area, arrested three suspects and recovered one assault rifle with ten rounds of ammunition. Two gunmen lost their lives and a soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire. The suspects are in JTF custody and effort is on to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.”

A relation of two of the victims slaughtered in Jiddari Polo, Hajiya Uwani Shuiabu told newsmen that, she received a call from one of the deceased’s wife at about 10:00 pm on Tuesday that, “they came and they have killed your brothers.”

According to her, they died a brutal death because they cut off their heads. She also called on government and security agencies to come to the aid of unarmed residents and beam their search light particularly in Jiddari Polo where it is believed that a lot of gunmen have relocated and are killing innocent people.

In another development gunmen attacked Binta Sugar area of Maiduguri and burnt down Gomari II Primary School in the area at about 7:00 pm on Tuesday evening.

Also at about 11:00 am violence erupted at Shehuri Ward of Maiduguri metropolitan following a bomb blast, which was believed to have been planted by suspected members of Boko Haram.

While confirming the incident, spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa said, “Information available to JTF Operation Restore Order revealed that there was an IED explosion at about 12:00 Wednesday, January 23, 2013 in Shehuri ward of Maiduguri Metropolitan. The JTF rushed to the scene, cordon and search the area and arrested 10 suspects. Operation is ongoing, the suspects are in JTF custody undergoing interrogation, no life was lost and nobody was injured.”

The Department of Security Service (DSS) has apprehended two suspected fraudsters who specialize in sending threat text messages or letters to un suspecting individuals, business men and politicians, demanding huge sum of money from them.

The Director of SSS, Mr. Abdullahi Ahmed who disclosed this while parading the suspects arrested by his men in Maiduguri said “the perpetrators of such crime who operate in clichés, explored the security situation in the state to intimidate their targeted victims, while many masquerade as members of the Jamatul Ahlis Sunnah Lid Daawa wal Jiad issuing letters and text messages, asking their victims to comply with their demands or face death threat”.

He said leaders of the two different syndicates, Mohammed Garba, 39 was born and bred in Kano and Luka Dogonyaro 39, a dismissed police Corporal from Adamawa state were arrested while trying to execute their criminal acts.

He added that the DSS had embarked on a painstaking and careful trail of members of this syndicate which yielded positive results.

“The suspects specialize in extorting money from private individuals, business men and government functionaries at all levels, several of whom have their victims conned or intimidated into paying huge sums of money into the accounts given to them by the suspects”.

Mr. Ahmed stated that among the victims of the arrested suspects were present and past chairmen of local government councils in Borno state, including those of Biu, Bayo, Mafa, Hawaul, Kwaya-Kusar, Konduga, Mobbar, Bama, and Chibok local government areas.

The DSS boss therefore advised the general public to always exercise restraint in giving their personal account numbers to second and third parties, except to their trusted friends and relatives. He also called on receivers of such text messages not to pay money into any account, as paying such money will amount to the encouragement of the extortion and other crimes, stressing that those victims should instead report such cases to law enforcement agencies nearest to them for necessary action.

He advised that members of the Jamatul Ahlis Sunnah, Lid Daawa wal Jihad should consider dropping their weapons and to embrace dialogue, so that peace will reign in the land, adding that already, the Federal Government has offered the group the platform to express their grievances.

In an interview, one of the suspects Mohammed Garba admitted extorting money from his victims through threat text messages but denied being member of the Jamatul Ahlus Sunnah lid Daawa wal Jihad, adding that he has extorted money from so many people that he cannot remember their numbers.

While the other arrested fraudster, a dismissed police Corporal Luka Dogonyaro denied being involved in defrauding people but accepted that his account number was used by One Mamman who fled to Chad Republic to avoid being arrested.