The joyous atmosphere at a wedding at Sabon Layi, Gwange area of Maiduguri turned to a mourning field on Saturday when three guests were shot dead in a crossfire between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents. Several others, including two of the soldiers also sustained varying degrees of injury in the gun duel.
It all began when a detachment of JTF invaded the wedding at Sabon Layi, Gwange area following a tip-off that Boko Haram members on its wanted list would be attending the function. On sighting the military men the Boko Haram members at the wedding opened fireand the JTF operatives responded in a staccato of bullets.
JTF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa confirmed the incident in a statement he issued yesterday and that the task force recovered an AK37, 20 rounds of ammunition and vehicle used by the terrorists for operation..
According to Musa: “Credible information at the disposal of the JTF Operation Restore Order revealed that two top Boko Haram terrorists on the wanted list of the task force sneaked into Maiduguri to attend a wedding Fatiha of one of their own in Sabon Layi, Gwange in Maiduguri metropolis.
“Consequently, at about 0835 hours today (yesterday), the task force mounted surveillance about 200 metres away from the wedding venue.
“The terrorists within the Fatiha sensing danger opened fire sporadically on the surveillance team and the area. This led to the death of three civilians and two wounded from the fire of the terrorists and two were arrested.”
Musa warned members of the public not to attend any wedding organized by suspected members of Boko Haram to avoid the ugly consequences of such a seemingly innocent act.
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