SUSPECTED terrorists attacked a residential compound in Bolori ward of Maiduguri,  Borno State and killed nine people in the early hours of yesterday.
The attack came barely 48 hours after the National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) held a closed door meeting with traditional and religious leaders, including the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai
El-Kanemi and Governor Kashim Shettima over the insurgency in the North.
Also, gunmen killed a policeman in the early hours of yesterday at Chiranchi quarters in Kano while he was getting his motorcycle repaired.
Sources said that the policeman was attacked by men in green clothes who were on a Lifan motorcycle.
An eyewitness Sani Ibrahim said around 7:20 a.m. some men who were on a motorcycle began to shoot a man until he fell and they kept firing to scare away the onlookers before riding away.  A passerby was injured at the scene.
The police arrived later at the scene and took away the body.
The police pubic relations officer Rilwanu Dutse could not confirm the incident at the time of filing the report but insisted that investigation was going on and that the command would respond.
An eyewitness of the attacks and killings in Bolori ward, Maiduguri said that the terrorists, numbering about 12 with Kalashnikov rifles,  knives and swords, slit the throats of their victims without firing a single gunshot.
He said: “We were shocked and terrified with how the gunmen entered this compound, without firing a single shot at any of us living in this compound. They threatened us by wielding their AK 47 rifles and asked some of us to lie down with our faces on the ground. But I had to flee through the fence and hid in a neighbour’s toilet for six hours this morning (Monday).”
Another resident, Mallam Hamidu Usman also told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday that “at about midnight I heard the crying and wailings of some people in the neighbouring compound. I thought it was a fire outbreak, but I could not see any fire or smoke coming out from the compound. Thirty minutes after I started hearing some people crying and wailing…..wayoo… Allah na….wayoo till this morning by 6.30 a.m. when soldiers started shooting in the Bolori area and condoned it off.”
He said that 11 people were killed in the compound, stating that the throats of the victims were slit with knives and swords by suspected gunmen at about 2p.m.
Confirming the incident, spokesman of Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col Sagir Musa in a statement said that nine people were killed at  the compound in Bolori ward of Maiduguri metropolis of Borno State.
He added that the victims of the terrorists’ “attacks and massacre,” were construction workers at the uncompleted Borno Central Mosque of Shehu’s palace.

Police chiefs decry pensions scam
Blame graft on transfer of office to civil service
DETERMINED to address the security challenges facing the country, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) yesterday adopted a novel approach with the management team led by the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, holding a marathon session with his predecessors in office and working out some strategies.
This came as former IGPs described the alleged fraud in the police pensions office as a monumental loss to the force.
But despite the prevailing security challenges in some parts of the country, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Bala Mohammed has declared that Abuja remains a safe place for investment, business and tourism.
He spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a new United States (U.S.) Embassy Annex Building, which held in Abuja at the weekend.
The meeting of the police chiefs began at the Force Headquarters in Abuja at about 10.30 a.m. with Abubakar expressing his gratitude for the large turnout of his predecessors in office.
Sources close to the event told The Guardian that Abubakar said the meeting “has become necessary because of the grave security situation and since security is everybody’s business, we have called you so that all of us can put heads together to collectively proffer a solution.’’
It was further learnt that the IGP appealed to his predecessors not to turn their attention away from the force but should make whatever contributions they could to improve the system because  “things work better in atmosphere of consultations.’’
The league of former police chiefs commended the IGP for his gesture and assured that they would stand by him since he thought it wise to seek contributions from them. The meeting resolved that the meeting be held periodically to assess the security situation in the country with a view to discussing emerging challenges.
After the meeting, former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Gambo-Jimeta, alongside his other colleagues, blamed the alleged corruption in the police pensions office on the removal of the office from the police. Gambo-Jimeta recalled that a couple of years ago when the office was controlled by the police, it ran efficiently.
“In this case, it is very clear that the police have not been in control of their funds. Until about 13/14 years ago, the police fund was centrally managed by the police. It is  monumental theft. It never happened during our time. It happened when the fund was transferred to the civil service and the office of the Head of Service of the Federation’’, he said.
He called for prosecution of the perpetrators of the alleged fraud.
Also, speaking yesterday, another former IGP, Sunday Adewusi said terrorism being experienced in Nigeria was not  “peculiar to Nigeria but a world wide phenomena.’’
He said the security challenge was a function of population explosion and unemployment.
Other former IGs that attended the meeting were Mohammed Dikko Yusuf, Aliyu Attah, Ibrahim Coomassie, Musiliu Smith, Tafa Balogun, Sunday Ehindero and Mike Okiro.
While commending the United States (U.S.) for its partnership with Nigeria in her efforts against the common enemies of mankind such as poverty, disease and terrorism, the minister said the FCT Administration viewed the embassy development project as a clear message to the world that Abuja was safe and conducive for investment and tourism, adding that people had nothing to fear in the FCT.
In his remarks, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terrence McCulley described the $119 million project as a signal that Washington considered Nigeria an important partner, and understood that its presence in the country was critical to maintaining that partnership.
He said the project was also a sign that the U.S. was solidifying its commitment to staying engaged in Nigeria.
He listed the features of the Embassy-Annex to include 7,500 square metres of new office space; marine security guard quarters; a swimming pool and recreation building; and a five-level parking garage plus additional parking areas.
McCulley stated that the embassy expansion project became imperative because of the growing size and diversity of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria (operating from Abuja and Lagos), which is made up of over 900 full-time employees working for almost a dozen different U.S. government agencies on a wide variety of initiatives.
Several dignitaries from Nigeria and the U.S. witnessed the ceremony. Among them, on the Nigerian side, were state governors, members of National Assembly and ministers.