Suspected Boko Haram insurgents in gun trucks and motorcycles on Wednesday recaptured two Borno council areas, after torching the secretariat complexes and houses in Magumeri and Gubio towns.
The insurgents simultaneously attacked the two council headquarters by 6.30pm, after performing their evening prayers in mosques with some residents.
Magumeri and Gubio, 40 and 88 kilometres north of Maiduguri, the state capital, were severally attacked in 2017 and this year, before Wednesday’s recapture that forced many residents to flee to the state capital.
The recaptured townships; have no forward operational base (FOB) of Army, as troops were withdrawn recently for routine operational changes as contained in its rules of engagement.
“The insurgents stormed Gubio town at about 6 pm, performed their evening prayers at about 6:30 pm and wreaked havoc on innocent civilians by torching several houses and public structures,” Usman Zannah, representing Magumeri/Kaga/Gubio federal constituency, said while confirming the attack.
“No life was lost or wounded any resident. The insurgents abducted a member of Civilian JTF in uniform in Gubio,” he said.
They also carted away several tractor tyres and food items in Magumeri, after torching the houses and other public buildings in the two council headquarters.
He said tens of thousands of residents have been displaced; while others are under the captivity of Boko Haram, particularly the ones that failed to flee for safety and being abducted.
He said after carting away these items, Modu Fantami, a resident told the Guardian that the insurgents on Wednesday evening invaded the council headquarters shooting sporadically, before torching the secretariat and several houses in the night.
Another security source said, “the insurgents were not on a killing mission. They kept on telling us not to flee during the attacks and torching of structures, but to accept their ideology on Islam.”
Caretaker Chairman of Gubio, Zannah Gubio said: “It is unfortunate that a week after a deadly attack which took place in Gubio that led to the withdrawal of troops, other armed insurgents stormed Gubio town at about 6pm.
“I am presently in Maiduguri for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Commissioners, and all of a sudden, I started receiving distress calls that my people are being attacked by Boko Haram.
“I cannot give you the actual number of casualties for now, but from all indications and the reports I have so far, the insurgents have taken over Gubio shooting at sight and burning structures without confrontation.”
Meanwhile, thousands of Nigerian citizens were feared trapped on Wednesday after Boko Haram fighters attacked two local government areas in northern Borno and held control without immediate push back from the military, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
In Gubio, the insurgents operated for several hours from 5:30 p.m. Wednesday until 2:00 a.m. Thursday without any resistance, carting away drugs, food items, fuel and other valuables, PREMIUM TIMES.
“The military patrol vehicles from Damasak at that time abandoned the populace to their fate,” sources said.
Another team of terrorists operating near Gubio also moved from their base to Magumeri, about 50 kilometres south, raiding the local government area and traumatising its population.
The insurgents arrived Magumeri town, the local government headquarters, and set ablaze the local government secretariat, a public health clinic, community leaders’ houses, vehicles used by NGOs and telecommunication masts.
“It is not clear what they intend to do with the people,” a military source said.
The terrorists, mostly of the Boko Haram ISWA affiliate, have remained in control of Gubio, Magumeri and contiguous communities, controlling large swathes of northern Borno where the military has largely pulled out amidst relentless deadly attacks on troops and their bases.
The attack comes barely days after Boko Haram fighters attacked the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade in Gubio, killing four soldiers. The military relocated the entire brigade from Gubio following the attack, and no contingent arrangement was immediately put in place to secure its population.
A senior military source who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES after the August 10 attack expressed fears that the entire stretch between Maiduguri to Damasak, spanning over 160 kilometres, had been left without military presence and may be vulnerable to attacks.
Villagers in Gubio were keen on moving out of the community after the brigade was closed, but the state governor, Babagana Zulum, asked them to remain there because security measures had been improved, Daily Trust reported. But thousands have fled, nonetheless,
Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai later sanctioned the commanders overseeing the brigade, but security analysts recognised the war situation was too dire for cosmetic interventions.
Sagir Musa, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, did not comment on the sack of 5 Brigade. He also declined multiple requests for comments on the latest seizures of Gubio and Magumeri by terrorists.
