Thirty Boko Haram fighters killed one another yesterday in Madagali, Adamawa State, during a leadership tussle over who should succeed Abubakar Shekau, shot dead by the Nigerian military last week.Madagali is one of local government areas of Adamawa State occupied by the insurgents. This is even as about 21 people were killed by terrorists in an attack on two Borno communities on Wednesday while in Abuja, the Senate approved $1 billion dollar loan requested by President Goodluck Jonathan to tackle insecurity and terrorism in the country.

In the Madagali incident, trapped residents said a fight occurred over the disagreement on whether to pick a new leader or surrender to the military which killed their Amir (leader) in Bazza.

“From what we learnt, 30 Boko Haram fighters have been killed in Madagali town after a fight ensued between them over whether to surrender their weapons. They just kept shooting themselves freely,” one Mr Musa Audi told Daily Sun. According to him, there had been disquiet in Boko Haram camp with some calling and agitating for a ceasefire.

Another resident, simply called Stephen, who corroborated Musa, said already, there is also leadership crisis over who should emerge the new leader in Madagali. For almost three weeks now, Madagali, Gulak, Shuwa and Michika towns have been under the control of Boko Haram.”

He said residents told him anybody who violates the rules have his/her fingers cut off or flogged according to the offence. “They cut-off fingers, flog offenders and marry off spinsters,” he said.

The military spokesman in Yola, Capt. Jonathan Nuhu, was yet to react to the development as at press time.

Meanwhile, a security source in Borno State said the insurgents who rode to Shaffa and Shindiffu in Hawul Local Government, launched coordinated attacks at about 10pm on Wednesday, lasting till midnight.

The source said the insurgents shot sporadically as soon as they arrived in the communities, about 230 kilometres from the capital, Maiduguri. The development forced hundreds of people from their homes into the bush even as the insurgents pursued the residents and opened fire on them.

About 21 people, including one Pastor Eliud Mshelizza attached to the local assembly of Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel), and a teacher at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Shaffa, died in the attacks, a resident of Biu, who lost a family member, stated. He said the insurgents burnt public buildings, hospital, churches and many houses in both communities.

However, a military source said soldiers from the Biu Artillery and neighbouring Adamawa State were mobilised to repel the attack, adding that the insurgents were intercepted on the way by the soldiers who engaged them in fierce battle. “Our troops rounded up the terrorists and almost all of them were killed,” the source said.

The southern part of Borno has witnessed series of attacks since April when insurgency heightened in the state. Wednesday’s attack was the third time Shaffa came under Boko Haram siege, leaving tales of woes; death and destruction of property.

Also yesterday, the war against insurgency received a further boost as the Senate finally approved $1 billion dollar loan requested by President Jonathan. The approval, however, did not come easily as some lawmakers argued that Jonathan breached the constitutionally laid down process of requesting for extra budgetary funds.

President Jonathan had written a letter asking the Senate in July to approve a $1 billion (about N165) loan for the fight against terrorism. He said he needed the cash to upgrade military equipment and for training as well as logistics for the Armed Forces. This is in addition to N968.127 billion voted for defence in the 2014 budget by the Federal Government.

•Pieced together from reports in Daily Sun and Channels TV. Photo shows a group of Boko Haram fighters.

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