Boko Haram storm Ashaka cement, cart away explosives, five soldiers killed in Nafada

Emboldened Boko Haram insurgents stormed the premises of Ashaka Cement Plc. in Funkaiye Local Government area, Gombe State Tuesday evening and carted away eight Hilux vans belonging to the factory after loading them with dynamites used for blasting and flattening rocks and stones for cement production.

“When we heard that they were in town, some of us ran away but some of our colleagues stayed back and locked themselves inside the office,” an employee of the cement factory who requested anonymity told our reporter.

He said the insurgents who were heavily armed overpowered the factory’s security before gaining access to the heavily fortified factory.

The insurgents were said to have operated for hours with staff of the factory scared to death.

It was learnt though that they did not kill anybody in Ashaka, a distance of about 150 kilometres to Gombe, the state capital.

According to the source, the insurgents, “besieged the company after overpowering the security and confiscated Hilux vans and loaded with explosives used by the company in making cement. There were many of them

“They were patrolling the whole place. They were carrying heavy weapons. They came around 6:00 pm after they left Nafada.”

But the Public Relations Officer of the Gombe Police Command Atajiri Fwaje, told our reporter on phone that the insurgents did not succeed in entering the Adsaka town or the factory.

His words: “They were repelled. They were also unable to enter the Ashaka cement factory. They did not enter there.

“The situation is calm and everybody is going about his normal business now and the security agents are patrolling the area”

It will be recalled that Boko Haram had overran Nafada town and proceeded to the cement factory from there.

They stormed Nafada at about 12 in the mid-afternoon in four Hilux vehicles and over 50 Bajaj motorcycles.

They set ablaze the local government secretariat and the police station ablaze, carting away weapons from the armoury.

The also set ablaze a micro finance bank and the secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and killed five soldiers.

.Daily Sun learnt that in Nafada they killed well-known Islamic cleric Sheik Adamu Misira, his deputy and several of disciples and killed five soldiers.

It was reported that that they attempted to enter Bajoga but were repelled by the E 34 PMF MOPOL.

 The Sun