Barely a week after Dalori village in Borno state was attacked, Boko Haram insurgents in a convoy of 10 bicycles laden with explosives and petro-bomb also attacked Alomari and Malari communities, killing 10 people, including four women and torching two villages, The incident happened on Friday by 8.30pm.
The insurgents, according to Tijani Ahmed of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), burst into the villages through the northern flanks that adjoin Mafa-Dikwa axis in Konduga Local Government Area of the state.
“We alerted the military on phone in the evening of Friday, but before the soldiers reached the villages from Alau Dam military post, the gunmen fled after several houses were set ablaze, and abandoned the food items they snatched yesterday,” said Ahmed on Saturday.
A military personnel, who was not authorized to speak on the twin incidents, also said: “The insurgents have resorted guerrilla warfare, without attacking any military post or base in the theatre war of Operation Lafiya Dole. Before our troops reached the affected
villages, ten kilometres from this post, the terrorists fled towards the Mafa-Dikwa axis on bicycles.
He said the terrorists are adopting the ‘hit and flee’ tactics of terrorising villages that surround Maiduguri metropolis for the last two or three months now.
As fears of reprisal attack heightened yesterday, many fleeing residents were trooping to Maiduguri for safety and resettlement in the various camps of the metropolis.
Bukar Modu, a villager with two wives and nine children told Our Correspondent yesterday that it was God that saved the lives of his family members, because he had to flee through the rare bush of the village, before trekking to Maiduguri in the afternoon.
The spokesman of Borno State Police Command, Isuku Victor in a telephone interview, also confirmed to DAILY POST that the attacks claimed 10 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 were razed to the ground, and attempted to snatched food items into a waiting pickup vans, but abandoned them and fled towards the Alomari-Mafa dirt road,”msaid Victor on how the insurgents escaped troops’ repulsions.
Senator Babakaka Bashir Garbai has visited the village to smypathise with the fleeing villagers at Alomari and Malari yesterday.
“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 that they have reclaimed 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.”
He said it is not yet ‘urhuru’ for both the Federal Government and the military on degrading Boko Haram terrorists’ activities in Borno state.
“The level of devastation to both lives and property in these two villages, is beyond one’s imaginations. Already, all the villagers have fled to Maiduguri for safety; and you are saying that the military have liberated all Borno communities, and asking them to relocate their displaced persons camps this month,” said Sen. Garbai
DAILYPOST
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