Armed men suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists, on Wednesday morning, returned to Foduma Kolomaiya – a remote village in the northern part of Borno State – less than 24 hours after killing no fewer than 69 people in same village, sources said.
The insurgents had reportedly killed 69 persons in the community, 11 kilometres away from Gazaure town of Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State on Tuesday.
Gubio, 96 kilometres away from Maiduguri, is in the northern part of Borno State.
Early Morning Raid
According to a security source, the invaders returned to the village at exactly 6:00am on Wednesday.
“We got a distress call this morning that they arrived at the village where dozens were killed on Tuesday, I cannot ascertain the situation now, but the troops would respond swiftly,” a security source said.
Vigilante source said many might have lost their lives in the early morning raid.
“We are helpless now, the victims plan to bury their people this morning but the insurgents are back after killing nearly 70 people on Tuesday.
“Many houses were razed down during the morning raid,” vigilante source told Daily Trust on the phone.
In his reaction, the Chairman of Network of Civil Society Organization, Borno State, Amb. Shehu Ahmed said it was a sad incident and called on the military to make the place a no go area for insurgents.
“There is urgent need for the protection of the vulnerable civilians and local Aids workers because they have no option than to fly the route as helicopters space are limited,” he said
How 69 were killed on Tuesday
Credible sources and residents told the Daily Trust that Tuesday’s attack, which was launched around noon, lasted two hours before the terrorists retreated.
Besides the people killed, the attackers reportedly killed over 300 cows and rustled nearly 1000.
It was learnt that the insurgents again stormed the village on Wednesday morning, shooting sporadically before setting houses ablaze.
According to a security source, who pleaded anonymity, the invaders returned to the village exactly 6am on Wednesday.
“We got a distress call this morning that the evil arrived at the village where dozens were killed on Tuesday.
“I can not ascertain the situation now but the troops would respond swiftly,” the security source said.
A vigilante told our reporter that many might have lost their lives in the early morning raid on the civilians.
“We are helpless now.
“The victims plan to bury their people this morning and now they [insurgence] came back again after killing of nearly 70 people.
“They arrived at 6am wrecking havoc on the civilians.
“Many houses in the community have been razed down now,” the vigilante source told Daily Trust by phone.
Military operations will continue – Buratai
The Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, had told reporters at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday that the fight against Boko Haram insurgency is still ongoing.
After briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on his two months’ sojourn in the theatre of war, he said tremendous achievement had been recorded in the fight against insurgency in the northeast with the killing of 1,429 Boko Haram insurgents and the arrest of 116 of their associates.
Buratai, who returned to the headquarters in Abuja on Sunday, said Buhari was happy with the performance of the military when he briefed him on the operations in the northeast for the past two months.
He said the army would continue to deal with the security situation in the northeast and all other parts of the country.
“The fight is still ongoing and over 1,429 of this Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralised and we’ve arrested over 166 Boko Haram terrorists’ informants, their spies, couriers on logistics and their coordinators in the villages, the towns and even the forest,” Buratai said.
Boko Haram changing tactics
Speaking on the situation in the community, the Chairman of Network of Civil Society Organization in Borno State, Amb. Shehu Ahmed, said it was a sad incident and called on the military to sustain the tempo of operation in the northern part of the state.
“It is a very sad news”, he said.
“It seems like we are going back to the old days where the insurgent engaged in killing and abducting soft targets in villages and along major roads.”
Of recent, Northern Borno route has become a no go area for the ‘BOKOS’ as they popularly called educated and civil servants.
Ahmed added that: “The insurgents mount road blocks along the highway, screened commuters and kidnap humanitarian workers and those they think are essential to their operations.
“Last week, five people were kidnapped in same processes.
“On Sunday, the route was again attacked and commuters were assembled and strategically engaged in video recorded discussions by the insurgent for almost an hour.
“From the information available, civil servants and teachers’ documents were seized and later returned and four people were abducted.
“There is urgent need for the protection of the vulnerable civilians and local aid workers becouse they have no option than to fly the route as helicopters’ space are limited.
“Based on information released by the security agencies, the insurgents are being destabilize and of course they have to change strategies and tactics and ensure the soft target suffer the consequences.
“There is the need to engage the communities, protect the aid workers and ensure peace in the route, especially in moments like this.
“Let us not allow the successes we recorded to slip between our fingers,” Amb. Ahmed said.
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