Mandera commissioner denies three teachers missing after terror attack

Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha has denied police reports that three teachers went missing after a terror attack at a primary school on Wednesday.

Mr Kyatha confirmed reports of an attempted attack in Libehiya, Arabia sub-county, but denied earlier police reports that three teachers had gone missing.

“I can confirm that there was a terror incident in the Libehiya area but no teacher or government officer is reported missing,” he said.

He said no injuries were reported and the attackers targeted a communication mast.

His statement contradicted an earlier report made to the police by the assistant deputy county commissioner for Libehiya division.

Citing a preliminary report from that administrator, a police report said suspected militants “attacked Libehiya Primary School, targeting three non-local teachers residing in the school compound”.

National Police Reservists (NPR) responded to the attack and secured the school. The three teachers could not be accounted for after they ran in different directions.

Mr Kyatha said the reports had caused unnecessary fear and despondency in Mandera.  

The armed militants destroyed a communication mast in the town of Libehiya with rocket-propelled grenades and other explosives.
Mr Kyatha, who is the Mandera County Security Committee chairman, maintained that the county was secure despite isolated incidents.

Very safe

“We have no report of any missing teacher and all the reports on the same are incorrect. All teachers and other government officials in that area have been accounted for and they are very safe,” Mr Kyatha said.

Mandera had seen a lull in attacks, especially near the Kenya-Somalia border.

“We have not recorded a terror incident for the past four months but the security situation remains stable despite these isolated incidents. The government is dealing with the situation,” he said.

He said his team receives intelligence on movements of militants into Mandera and are always ready for the enemy.

“We have always planned both defensively and offensively every time we receive information on the militants’ movements towards our side,” Mr Kyatha said.

Areas near the border with Somalia, he said, continued to report terror activities but security agencies are alert.

Libehiya MCA Mohamed Abdikarim urged the national government to hire more police reservists to secure the area.

“I am calling on the national government to hire and equip police reservists for Libehiya as they plan on establishing a security camp in the area as a long-term solution to this problem,” he said.

Reports of sightings of Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera are on the rise. In Mandera South, the government had to halt relief food supply, fearing attacks.

“We cannot release vehicles supplying relief food to areas affected by drought in Mandera South at the moment because the militants are on almost every road we intend to use,” a government officer told Nation.Africa on the condition of anonymity. 

“We fear losing both food and vehicles to these groups because we don’t know their motive.”

Asked about this, Mr Kyatha said he was not aware that distribution of relief food had been halted in parts of the county but promised to act.