Agbimuddin escaped before bombardment?

Villagers claim that militant leader Agbimuddin Kiram, the ex-Kudat Assistant District Officer, is always guarded by four men including a mystic.

LAHAD DATU: Agbimuddin Kiram, the elderly leader of of the armed group of Filipinos who invaded Sabah last month, is thought to have escaped the dragnet for him and the remaining members of his band and is within the prohibited ‘Red Zone’ area around Tanjung Labian.

Malaysian security forces also believe that the 72-year-old could be hiding in the area of the mopping-up operation known as Ops Daulat which entered its 10th day yesterday. Heavy bombardment on kg Tanduo began on March 5.

“We are confident he is still here because, we believe as (their) leader, he won’t run away. He won’t leave his followers or leave them alone. He must lead them,” Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib said during a media briefing.

Abraham Idjirani, the spokesman of self-proclaimed Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Manila has also claimed he spoke to Agbimuddin for “20 seconds” on Tuesday night but gave no hint of where he might be.

“He only spoke to me briefly because of security reasons. He is afraid that his phone call is tracked,” Idjirani said in a phone conversation in Manila.

Villagers claim that Agbimuddin, a former Kudat Assistant District Officer known locally as Datu Puing, is always guarded by four men including a mystic called Datu Titing.

They claim that they were last seen near Kg Sungai Bilis where the Bajau sea-gypsies dock their ‘pelahus’. A couple of these boats were seen heading out to sea after the assault on Kampong Tanduo began.

Agbimuddin and his group of about 200 are believed to have split up prior to the Tanduo bombardment and slipped into neighbouring Kg Tanjung Batu, Kg Tanjung Labian and Kg Sungai Bilis area where security forces are focusing their mopping up operations.

Police are still verifying the identities of many who have been displaced by the ongoing security operation especially those from Kg Tanduo.

“It has to be ascertained if the land they had occupied is private or if it belongs to the government. If they have no rights on that land, we may not allow them to return,” Hamza said, adding that the police were still trying to verify of the identity of the boy who was shot dead near Sungei Bilis on Monday.

The Philippines media, meanwhile, reported that the navy had seized firearms and ammunitions from two boats with 35 people including a woman that was preparing to sail to Sabah.

Navy spokesperson Lt-Commander Gregory Fabic was quoted as saying that at least one of the boats was heading towards Sabah.