How Fatima, others were killed in Auno’s Boko Haram attack

Fatima Babagana was one of those killed recently in the Boko Haram attack in Anuo in Maiduguri last week

The 19-year-old had started a political science degree after a diploma in mass communications at the University of Maiduguri.

The University of Maiduguri student was one of at least 30 people killed when militants set fire on stranded travelers caught in a roadblock in the remote village of Auno village.

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Most of them were asleep in their vehicles at the checkpoint when the attackers ambushed them, according to Babagana’s uncle.

Babagana had hitched a ride from Maiduguri with her uncle and his friend on Sunday.

Her uncle told CNN that he was going to drop her off at Potiskum during his journey to another state, where she was planning to visit a relative.

But soldiers at a roadblock in Benisheikh town — around 45 miles west of Borno State capital Maiduguri — ordered them to go back for their safety.

The officers warned they could be ambushed by Boko Haram, said Babagana’s uncle, who drove the car.

Babagana’s uncle — who has witnessed many of Boko Haram’s attacks in Maiduguri, an area where he has lived most of his life — said they heeded the military’s advice and quickly turned back.

They traveled for another hour before encountering another military blockade in Auno village, one of the gateways into Maiduguri, he said.

This time, the soldiers told them they had missed the 4 p.m. curfew to enter the village, and they would not be allowed to continue their journey.

Babagana’s uncle said they decided to stay the night in their car by the checkpoint and continue the trip the following day. A handful of soldiers patrolled the area, and dozens of motorists and passengers were stranded at the checkpoint, he said.

But late into the night, dozens of heavily armed men descended on the roadblock, shooting everyone in sight.

“Fatima was sitting in the backseat and typing on her phone. They saw the light from the phone because it was very dark. Next thing I knew, they had shot her in the head,” her uncle said.

The attackers kept shooting at people fleeing into the bushes, he said

Babagana’s uncle said he was able to escape with his friend. They later saw flames and smoke billowing from where they had fled. The attack lasted more than four hours.

“I wept all night. I kept thinking about what these terrorists would have done to her and others that were there,” he said.

“All the cars were still burning. People were stuck in cars, dead. We tried to put out the fire, but we were helpless. It was just too hot,” he said.

“They had traveled from different towns, villages, and states before they got stranded there that night. It’s so sad,” he added.

Babagana’s remains, which were recovered from the burnt car, have been buried, her uncle said.

President Buhari has commiserated with family of victims of attacks at Auno village, along Damaturu – Maiduguri Road, assuring them that his administration will continually frustrate the devilish operations of Boko Haram, and bring it to an end.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari condemned “murderous and cowardly” attack on innocent passengers by the Boko Haram terrorists near Maiduguri.

According to him, his administration is ever determined to frustrate their goal to hold Nigeria to ransom.

He said: “The commitment of this administration to protect the lives of Nigerians will not be derailed by the cowardly and indiscriminate violence against innocent people by Boko Haram terrorists.”

The president, who also condoled with Borno State Government over the attacks, warned that ”terrorists are clearly on a back foot and their days are numbered”.

He added that: “As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed.

”The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our Armed Forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of humanity.”

Culled from CNN