At least two people have been killed and six others abducted including two traditional rulers by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the southern part of Borno State.
Our correspondent gathered that ISWAP has been on a rampage in the last one week in Damboa Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that ISWAP attacked a remote village of Burum, 20 kilometres along Damboa/ Biu highway, where two traditional rulers were forcefully taken away after troops had killed an unspecified number of ISWAP in ambush last Thursday in the area.
An impeccable source said ISWAP fighters came back to the village and took away people as revenge for leaking their movement to troops.
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“They forcefully took two traditional rulers (Wakinlin Lawan and Bulama of Burum village), the representatives who stood in for Ward Head and Village Head respectively. Since their abduction, we haven’t heard of their whereabouts.
“They blamed the villagers for leaking information to the troops who had earlier ambushed and killed an unspecified number of ISWAP fighters in the general area.
“It is four days now, we are seriously worried about their safety and this ugly development. We are begging the government to intervene,” the source said.
Similarly, the fighters of ISWAP attacked two villages on Sunday night where two persons were shot dead and others sustained various degrees of injuries in Damboa villages.
A member of a vigilante group revealed that five persons were abducted by the invaders in the wee of the night.
“In Mugule village, one was killed, three abducted and one other sustained a gunshot wound in the abdomen on Sunday night.
“Also, in another Azir village, one person was killed, one wounded and two equally taken by the attackers two days ago,” a vigilante source revealed.
Meanwhile, the Boko Haram Commander in charge of Sambisa and Gwoza axis, Ali Gana Alhaji Ali, has been killed by ISWAP fighters on Gwoza hill, Gwoza LGA of Borno State.
Security source told Daily Trust that Ali, one of deadliest terrorist leaders in Borno, was killed during an ambush by the ISWAP fighters on Sunday.
“He was the deputy of the late Ali Ngulde, and apart from Shekau, nobody killed human beings like him from Sambisa forest, Banking, and Bayan Dutsen Gwoza.
“He was a crude killer. His foot terrorists in Gwoza areas constantly instill fear upon communities, farmers and commuters along Pulka, Banking, Bama, Gwoza Mubi routes.
“They take no prisoners, people are slaughtered in their farms on a weekly basis. Gwoza people will surely celebrate his demise,” he said.
This is coming over two years after the leader of Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau blew himself up during a deadly confrontation with the ISWAP fighters in May 2021.
Last week, the member representing Goza, Damboa and Chibok federal constituency in the National Assembly, Usman Ahmed Jaha decried the killing of ten farmers in 10 days in the Goza axis.
He also complained that farmers were being killed on a daily basis in the area to scare them from harvesting their food crops.
