Residents Flee To Niger Republic As Boko Haram Raid Leaves 15 Dead In Borno Border Villages
Category: Boko Haram News
No fewer than 15 persons have been feared killed in the past few days
when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents attacked villages
close to Nigeria’s border with Niger Republic, Information Nigeria has
just learnt.
It was gathered that on Thursday, seven people were killed and three
others drowned in a river while trying to escape from a night raid
launched by the insurgents in Gashigar village, a fishing community in Borno State close to the Niger border.
Speaking yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the immediate
past Vice Chairman of Mobbar Local Government, Alhaji Talba Gashigar,
said that most residents of the village had fled to neighbouring Niger
Republic for fear of more attacks.
Police authorities in Maiduguri also confirmed the incident on Sunday
even as villagers said they were under siege and had to cross over to
Niger Republic every night to have a safe sleep.
The villagers pointed out that they were being attacked constantly
because of total absence of security in the border communities, a claim
strongly refuted by the police.
Talba said the attack on Gashigar came about four days after a
similar one on two neighbouring villages where five people were killed.
“Just last week Sunday, they attacked Yawuma-ango and killed three
people. They also went to
Jabulam and killed two people”, Talba said.
Recounting what happened in his village, the former vice chairman
said, “The attackers invaded Gashigar village at about 7pm of Thursday
in a convoy of three rugged vehicles and countless motorcycles. They
destroyed over 60 residential houses and shops. On the day of the
attack, we all had to flee; men, women and children had to cross-over to
Niger for our dear lives because the gunmen had no consideration for
anyone, they set everything ablaze.
“Sadly, seven of our fellow villagers, most of them businessmen, were
shot dead. They spent about two hours operating in the town and also
burnt eight cars. Unfortunately, our town has no security operatives to
protect us. Right from Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar, through
Gashigar and up to Malumfatori town of Abadam LG, there is no single
government security personnel guarding or protecting about six villages.
“You should know that from Damasak to Gashigar is about 50km in a
dusty Sahara desert road and half way before you get to Dusi, there is a
feeder road that leads to Diffa in Niger Republic. The attackers come
into Nigeria freely and escaped.
“We are in a state of fear and confusion because we cannot sleep in
our villages here on the Nigerian side; once the night is approaching,
everyone must leave, we must vacate our houses, board canoes and cross
the borders…it is safer to live on the other side”, he said.
Police-Public Relations Officer, Borno, Gideon Jibrin, who confirmed
the incident in Gashigar, however faulted the allegation that there was
no security presence in the attacked area.
“If we don’t have security presence in Mobbar and surrounding
villages, there is no how the report of the incident would reach the
Commissioner of Police within a short time. Our men are there and doing
their best in safeguarding lives and property”, he said.
The villagers called on the federal government to mobilize troops to
the area and also urged the state government to assist the local youth
vigilantes also known as ‘Civilian JTF’.
“The reason for these attacks is because our young men have joined
the Civilian-JTF and the Boko Haram fighters are not happy; perhaps that
is why they are attacking us left, right and centre”, Talba said.
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