It was gathered that the insurgents returned to Gwoza town, a border community with Cameroon, Southeast of Borno in the early hours of yesterday, killing many residents.
Sources also said the insurgents set ablaze some public buildings including the local government secretariat and a police station, though the claim could not be independently verified by the reporter as at press time due to poor communication in the area.
However, a security source said the terrorists would have wreaked more havoc had the troops in the area not moved in later.
A source, who did not want his name in print, said the insurgents had been planning more deadly attacks on Gwoza for a long time, adding that the authorities ought to put more security measures on ground to prevent further attack.
“The insurgents started shooting sporadically and setting houses, shops and government’s building ablaze, including the council’s INEC Office, a situation that forced us to flee the town and run to the top hills and mountains. As I am speaking to you now, I am on the hill top.
“They also tried to attack the policemen at the Gwoza Divisional Police Headquarters by throwing explosives and using other dangerous weapons, but I don’t know whether the police station was destroyed or not,” the source, a resident of the area, said.
The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idriss Timta, was recently killed in the area by the insurgents, who had also destroyed bridges linking the area with other parts of Borno State.
Gwoza, about 135 kilometres from Maiduguri, Borno State capital has been under Boko Haram siege since late 2013, when the insurgents carried out coordinated attacks on communities in the area, forcing residents to flee to the mountains. Already, Senator Ali Ndume, an indigene of Gwoza, who also represents Borno South in the Senate recently told journalists in Maiduguri that about 2,000 displaced Gwoza residents were taking refuge in Maiduguri.
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