Nigeria : Sect claims Nigeria mobile phone tower attacks
on 2012/9/9 15:29:40
Nigeria

20120909
AP
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A radical Islamist sect claimed responsibility Friday for attacks on mobile phone towers which have crippled communications in Nigeria's northeast, as security forces struggling to control the violence said they had gunned down seven suspected sect members.

At least 31 tower attacks occurred since Wednesday in six northern Nigerian states, from the central state of Kano to the far eastern state of Borno. The radical sect known as Boko Haram threatened six months ago to attack mobile phone companies.

A statement attributed to Boko Haram and emailed to local journalists late Thursday said the group "launched attacks on mobile phone company establishments because of the help they are giving to security agents." The statement, in the Hausa language of Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, said the cooperation of phone companies had led to sect members being tracked down and arrested.

Authorities blame Boko Haram for killing more than 670 people in drive-by shootings and bombings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count. The sect has demanded the release of all its captive members and has called for strict Shariah law to be implemented across Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million people evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. Its deadly campaign has targeted mosques, churches, schools and government and security buildings, but for the first time the assailants turned their attention to dozens of mobile phone towers, crippling communications in parts of this mobile-reliant West African nation.

At least two people were shot dead in an attack that left a tower burned in the northeastern town of Mubi, police said. Another five corpses were discovered in the nearby city Damaturu Thursday morning, said local police chief Patrick Egbuniwe, but he couldn't say if the deaths were linked to the tower attacks that occurred there.

The overall damage is likely worth millions of dollars, as experts say a tower costs about $450,000 alone and the attachment of antennas, generators and transmission equipment can push that cost to more than $1 million. The damage to the towers could knock out communications for months in a region where even police and soldiers rely on mobile phones to coordinate their efforts.

In response to the attacks, Nigeria's Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar said in a statement Thursday night that a special unit would be put together to ensure round-the-clock surveillance of all telecommunication equipment and installations across the country. It was not immediately clear when the unit would be formed and begin operating.

Maiduguri, which appears to have been the worst hit city, was still reeling from a partial communication blackout when gunshots rang out Thursday night in the northeastern city's busy residential area of Gwange. The exchange of fire, which started hours after the tower attacks Thursday, pitted suspected Boko Haram members against a special unit of police and army, military spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa said in a statement Friday. Seven suspected sect members were killed and 13 others were arrested, Musa said. He did not say if security officers suffered any casualties in the attack.

Previous article - Next article Printer Friendly Page Send this Story to a Friend Create a PDF from the article


Other articles
2023/7/22 15:36:35 - Uncertainty looms as negotiations on the US-Kenya trade agreement proceeds without a timetable
2023/7/22 13:48:23 - 40 More Countries Want to Join BRICS, Says South Africa
2023/7/18 13:25:04 - South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy
2023/7/18 13:17:58 - Too Much Noise Over Russia’s Influence In Africa – OpEd
2023/7/18 11:15:08 - Lagos now most expensive state in Nigeria
2023/7/18 10:43:40 - Nigeria Customs Intercepts Arms, Ammunition From US
2023/7/17 16:07:56 - Minister Eli Cohen: Nairobi visit has regional and strategic importance
2023/7/17 16:01:56 - Ruto Outlines Roadmap for Africa to Rival First World Countries
2023/7/17 15:47:30 - African heads of state arrive in Kenya for key meeting
2023/7/12 15:51:54 - Kenya, Iran sign five MoUs as Ruto rolls out red carpet for Raisi
2023/7/12 15:46:35 - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Gupta Travels to Kenya and Rwanda
2023/7/2 14:57:52 - We Will Protect Water Catchments
2023/7/2 14:53:49 - Kenya records slight improvement in global peace ranking
2023/7/2 13:33:37 - South Sudan, South Africa forge joint efforts for peace in Sudan
2023/7/2 12:08:02 - Tinubu Ready To Assume Leadership Role In Africa
2023/7/2 10:50:34 - CDP ranks Nigeria, others low in zero-emission race
2023/6/19 15:30:00 - South Africa's Ramaphosa tells Putin Ukraine war must end
2023/6/17 15:30:20 - World Bank approves Sh45bn for Kenya Urban Programme
2023/6/17 15:25:47 - Sudan's military govt rejects Kenyan President Ruto as chief peace negotiatorThe Sudanese military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected Kenyan President William Ruto's leadership of the "Troika on Sudan."
2023/6/17 15:21:15 - Kenya Sells Record 2.2m Tonnes of Carbon Credits to Saudi Firms

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.