Gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect, have again invaded the Borno villages of Ngoshe and Kaigamari, in Gwoza and Konduga local government areas, respectively, killing 38 people.
The insurgents also set ablaze several houses and shops in addition to destroying telecommunication masts in the area.
Ngoshe is located east of the hilly Gwoza town in the Cameroon border with Nigeria, while Kaigamari is a remote settlement in Konduga, a town which has constantly been under the siege of the Boko Haram terrorists.
A source told one of Punch correspondents that “the gunmen, armed with Improvised Explosives Devices, petrol Bombs, AK 47 rifles and rocket propelled grenades, invaded Ngoshe at about 10pm on Saturday and opened fire on the sleeping and unarmed residents, killing 30 of them and inflicting injuries on several others, before setting ablaze some residential houses”.
Also in Kaigamari, no fewer than eight people were said to have been killed on Sunday when another set of gunmen attacked the village and set ablaze some houses and shops.
An eyewitness, who was lucky to escape the attack in Ngoshe, Mallam Usman Jidda, told journalists in Maiduguri on Sunday that the gunmen, who were sighted a few days ago in the mountainous areas of Ngoshe and Limankara villages, had a field day in the killing spree as they were not confronted by security operatives in the area.
“I thank God for sparing my life and members of my family as we were able to escape the deadly attack. We are now settling with one of my relatives in Gwoza council area. I can confirm to you that more than 30 people were killed by the insurgents in Ngoshe, apart from the destruction of property worth millions of naira,” Jidda stated.
The attack in Kaigamari village near the state capital was said to have forced surviving residents to flee the area to Maiduguri on Sunday for safety.
The insurgents were also said to have attacked Hamsa in Gwoza Hills in the state.
Investigations revealed the attackers came to the besieged area through Kwatara and encamped against the community at Tate.
The source said the operation started around 5pm on Saturday and lasted all through the night.
Although, the source could not give the casualty figure in the latest attacks, it was stated that a relative of the leader of the Church of Christ in Nations in the area was among the dead.
But the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Chris Olukolade, said on the telephone on Sunday that the operation to flush out the insurgents in the Gwoza hills was still ongoing.
He stated that the area was very vast as it extended to Adamawa and Cameroon.
He said, “The Operation to flush out the insurgents is still going on. That place is very vast. The Special Forces have taken over a part of the hill; you know that it extends to Adamawa and, Cameroon.”
However, Olukolade said in a statement on Sunday that several makeshift insurgents’ camps in the forest and mountains had been dislodged in the reported ongoing ground and aerial bombardments.
He stated that the security forces had noted the “presence of unarmed members of terrorist groups in some villages.”
He said the Special Forces had been directed to ensure aggressive patrol of local communities to complement the ongoing assault on the insurgents.
Olukolade stated further that the insurgents had carried out attacks on travelers along the highways in Borno State such as the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, the Gwoza-Bama Road and some villagers where they looted food stores.
He added that the insurgents had been carrying out attacks on soft targets in retaliation for the casualties they incurred in the combined operations against them.
The insurgents also set ablaze several houses and shops in addition to destroying telecommunication masts in the area.
Ngoshe is located east of the hilly Gwoza town in the Cameroon border with Nigeria, while Kaigamari is a remote settlement in Konduga, a town which has constantly been under the siege of the Boko Haram terrorists.
A source told one of Punch correspondents that “the gunmen, armed with Improvised Explosives Devices, petrol Bombs, AK 47 rifles and rocket propelled grenades, invaded Ngoshe at about 10pm on Saturday and opened fire on the sleeping and unarmed residents, killing 30 of them and inflicting injuries on several others, before setting ablaze some residential houses”.
Also in Kaigamari, no fewer than eight people were said to have been killed on Sunday when another set of gunmen attacked the village and set ablaze some houses and shops.
An eyewitness, who was lucky to escape the attack in Ngoshe, Mallam Usman Jidda, told journalists in Maiduguri on Sunday that the gunmen, who were sighted a few days ago in the mountainous areas of Ngoshe and Limankara villages, had a field day in the killing spree as they were not confronted by security operatives in the area.
“I thank God for sparing my life and members of my family as we were able to escape the deadly attack. We are now settling with one of my relatives in Gwoza council area. I can confirm to you that more than 30 people were killed by the insurgents in Ngoshe, apart from the destruction of property worth millions of naira,” Jidda stated.
The attack in Kaigamari village near the state capital was said to have forced surviving residents to flee the area to Maiduguri on Sunday for safety.
The insurgents were also said to have attacked Hamsa in Gwoza Hills in the state.
Investigations revealed the attackers came to the besieged area through Kwatara and encamped against the community at Tate.
The source said the operation started around 5pm on Saturday and lasted all through the night.
Although, the source could not give the casualty figure in the latest attacks, it was stated that a relative of the leader of the Church of Christ in Nations in the area was among the dead.
But the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Chris Olukolade, said on the telephone on Sunday that the operation to flush out the insurgents in the Gwoza hills was still ongoing.
He stated that the area was very vast as it extended to Adamawa and Cameroon.
He said, “The Operation to flush out the insurgents is still going on. That place is very vast. The Special Forces have taken over a part of the hill; you know that it extends to Adamawa and, Cameroon.”
However, Olukolade said in a statement on Sunday that several makeshift insurgents’ camps in the forest and mountains had been dislodged in the reported ongoing ground and aerial bombardments.
He stated that the security forces had noted the “presence of unarmed members of terrorist groups in some villages.”
He said the Special Forces had been directed to ensure aggressive patrol of local communities to complement the ongoing assault on the insurgents.
Olukolade stated further that the insurgents had carried out attacks on travelers along the highways in Borno State such as the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, the Gwoza-Bama Road and some villagers where they looted food stores.
He added that the insurgents had been carrying out attacks on soft targets in retaliation for the casualties they incurred in the combined operations against them.
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