Boko Haram Turns Police College to Training Camp – Survivor

The police college overrun by Boko Haram sect over a week ago has been converted into the base of the terrorist group, according to the Director, Catholic Social Communications, Maiduguri Diocese of the Catholic Church, Gideon Obasogie, who narrated the account of a survivor to Saturday PUNCH on Friday.

The clergyman in both telephone chat and e-mail to Punch, said:

“I am sad, really sad to my bone marrows about this ugly development. The world must know the truth; people were captured and taken to the police training ground for serious training as combatants. It is now one of their strongest bases. The missing policemen have joined the Boko Haram instructors. The guys are multiplying in number, weaponry and geographical expansion.”

When asked how he got the knowledge of happenings in the captured police college, Obasogie revealed that he was briefed by a member of his church who was one of the policemen being held captive at the college by the group, but had managed to escape through the hills into Yola, Adamawa State capital.

The college is a riot police academy in Liman Kara, on the outskirts of Gwoza, a hilly town in Borno State, North-East Nigeria. It is one of only two riot police training colleges in Nigeria.

The Boko Haram insurgents had on Wednesday, August 21, 2014 attacked the Police Academy, Gwoza, Borno State, and seized not less than 200 assault rifles from the riot policemen on training.
It was learnt that the police authorities resumed the suspended training with the batch of 159 personnel from the Police Mobile Force only for them to be attacked a week into the exercise on Wednesday.

Investigations further revealed the insurgents did not encounter any strong resistance from the police personnel as the riot policemen were directed to keep all their guns at the armoury of the academy before Boko Haram attacked the academy and captured the armoury.  

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