One killed as bandits engage soldiers in gunfight

One person was killed on Monday night when some suspected armed robbers engaged some soldiers in a gunfight in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The bandits were said to have blocked the Ningi – Misau road, attacking motorists and other passersby. The incident, which caused pandemonium among students and residents, was said to have occurred near the College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau. The students were said to have fled the college as guns boomed around the school, creating fears that the college was under attack by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram. An attack by the sect’s members on the Federal Government College, Birni Yadi in Yobe State claimed the lives of no fewer than 29 students of the school. A source in the military told newsmen that soldiers at checkpoint received a distress call from people in the area that bandits had blocked the Ningi-Misau road. It was learnt that in an attempt to open the road, the hoodlums started shooting sporadically but were repelled the soldiers, leading to the killing of one of the suspected robbers. Others were said to have fled into the bush while the soldiers recovered one motorcycle, one bicycle and mobile phones from them. The Police Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi State Command, Haruna Mohammed, said he had yet to be briefed on the incident. The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Misau LGA, Alhaji Ibrahim Wasiri, confirmed the incident, adding that the college was not the target of the attack.