BY Umar Yusuf, Suzan Edeh & Emma Una, yola
Ten persons including four policemen have been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in Bauchi and Adamawa States.

In Cross River State, a 16- year old female student of the University of Calabar, (name withheld), was also raped to a state of unconsciousness by armed robbers who raided one of the private female hostels in town on Tuesday night.

Four policemen were killed in an ambush in Bauchi, while two others were seriously injured just as six other people were killed when some unidentified gunmen invaded Yola, the Adamawa State capital Thursday night and unleashed terror on the inhabitants. The policemen in Bauchi were ambushed along the Bauchi- Gombe road.

The gunmen also reportedly destroyed an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, belonging to the military  parked along the roadside as well as the police patrol vehicle in which the deceased policemen were travelling at the time of the attack.

Also, sources told Saturday Vanguard that hell was let loose in Yola, the Adamawa State capital Thursday night when suspected Boko Haram insurgents unleashed terror in the state capital.

During the attack which lasted several hours, at least six people were reportedly killed, while many others sustained injuries.

Eyewitness told Saturday Vanguard that a large number of the insurgents stormed the popular Kasuwar Gwari Market along MubiByePass, where they identified their targets and shot them at close range.

It was gathered that the incident led to stampede as people ran helter-skelter for their lives as the news spread to other parts of the state capital like wild fire.

The military men enforcing the state of emergency in the state later launched a man haunt for the fleeing suspected Boko Haram members, leading to the closure of all roads leading to and from the state capital thereby creating long queues along the major roads.

As at the time of this report, all the major markets in the state capital have remained closed, even as most shop owners were not operating.

The Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Yola, Brigadier General Fattai Alli declined comments on the issue when newsmen approached him, saying he was too busy to talk to the press.

The Federal Government had announced the renewal of the six months state of emergency imposed on Adamawa alongside Borno and YobeStates due to activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East part of the country where the three states belong.

In Bauchi, police sources confirmed that the four policemen who were on night duty were killed by unknown gunmen while two others sustained injuries.

“It is quite unfortunate that the four police men were ambushed and killed by gunmen in the state. Two other policemen also sustained injuries during the attack. Furthermore, the gunmen damaged the police patrol vehicles and an armoured personnel carrier belonging to the military but parked at the roadside.

There was no soldier inside the APC but security personnel had been deployed to restore law and order in the area even as the “police were able to counter the attack by hitting the gunmen and recovering one of their guns.’’

Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed refused to either confirm or deny the incident , but said that ‘’we received a report about an incident’’ but that he was trying to get the details before briefing reporters.

Residents of the area and other passers by said they heard sporadic gunshots and exchange of fire that lasted between 30 minutes to one hour leading to pandemonium among the residents.

When Saturday Vanguard visited the area, it was observed that although everywhere was calm, shop owners were yet to open for business just as there were few vehicular movements as other residents stayed indoors for fear of the unknown.

However, In Calabar, the robbers, according to a fair complexioned male student who gave his name as Ngoli, attacked the hostel located at Mount Zion Road/ Inyang Edem Street at about 2am and raped most of the female students before carting away their laptops and cell phones. The robbers, sources said, gained access to the sprawling edifice by scaling the fence.

“As you can see the rooms have no burglary proofs and the landlord said anyone who could afford it should fix one on the door of his or her room as he claimed he has no money; see what has happened now.

“They then stared by firing warning shots into the air to warn us that they came for serious business and thereafter went from room to room battering everybody and raping the female students one after the other,” Saturday Vanguard learnt.

He said the girl that went into coma was still a virgin, hence all the robbers wanted to have her. “The first one to pounce on her announced to the rest that she was still a virgin and that made everyone of them go after her and in the process she bled profusely, yet they would not allow her go.”

The girl, our source said was later revived when the robbers left as sympathisers poured cold water on her before being rushed to hospital at dawn.