Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search
News  

Three councils, 21 communities still in insurgents’ control, says senator

By Bertram Nwannekanma
08 February 2016   |   1:29 am
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists kill 10 in Borno BARELY a week after theyattacked Dalori village in Borno State, Boko Haram terrorists in a convoy of 10 bicycles laden with explosives and petro-bomb raided Alomari and Malari communities in the state, killing 10 people, including four women, while also setting fire to buildings at the weekend.…
Boko Haram

Boko Haram

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists kill 10 in Borno

BARELY a week after theyattacked Dalori village in Borno State, Boko Haram terrorists in a convoy of 10 bicycles laden with explosives and petro-bomb raided Alomari and Malari communities in the state, killing 10 people, including four women, while also setting fire to buildings at the weekend.

The insurgents, according to Tijani Ahmed of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) burst into the two villages through the northern flanks that adjoin Mafa-Dikwa axis in Konduga Local Government Council of the state.

“We alerted the military by phone in the evening of Friday at 6.35pm, but before the soldiers reached the villages from their Alau Dam military post, the gunmen had fled, after several houses were set ablaze. The terrorists abandoned the food items they had snatched,” said Ahmed.

A soldier, who was not authorized to speak on the twin village attacks, revealed, “The insurgents have resorted to guerrilla warfare. Before our troops reached the affected villages, ten kilometres from this post, the terrorists fled towards the Mafa-Dikwa axis on bicycles by 9pm.”

He said the terrorists, have resorted to ‘hit and run’ tactics of terrorizing villagers that surround Maiduguri metropolis for the last two or three months now.

As fears of reprisals heightened on Saturday, over 1, 755 residents were seen trooping to Maiduguri for safety and resettlement in the various camps of the metropolis.

Bukar Modu, a villager with two wives and nine children also told The Guardian yesterday that only God saved his life and family members, because he had to flee through the bush, before trekking to Maiduguri in the afternoon.

Spokesman of Borno State Police Command, Isuku Victor in a telephone interview, also confirmed the twin village attacks however, maintaining that the attack claimed five lives.

He said the suspected insurgents operated on bicycles in the night to attack the two villages on Maiduguri-Bama road.

“Many houses and shops, including the market square was razed to the ground, and attempted to snatched food items into awaiting pickup vans, but abandoned them and fled towards the Alomari- afa dirt road,” said Victor on how the insurgents escaped troops’ repulsions.

To assess the situation, Senator Babakaka Bashir Garbai yesterday visited the village to sympathise with the fleeing villagers at Alomari and Malari.

“I came here with other representatives from the National and State Houses of Assembly to sympathize and condole these villagers that were attacked and sacked by Boko Haram insurgents yesterday, Friday. The people have lost everything, including their livestock, grains and other food items,” said Garbai

He further disclosed that despite the claims of the Nigerian Army reclaim several captured Borno communities; three councils Mobbar, Abadam and Kala/Balge are still under the control of Boko Haram.

Sen. Garbai said: “The facts on ground indicated that the military has to rise to the challenges of these insurgents that are still occupying some of our communities in 21 Local Government Areas of Borno state.

The only council areas in this state that are liberated by the military; and safe for our people to live and carry on their various socio-economic activities without fear of any attacks, are Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Bayo and Kwaya/Kusar.”

0 Comments