56 including 24 youths killed as Boko Haram assail Borno LG

Atleast 57 people including 24 vigilante
youths (Civilian JTF), 16 Shuwa Arab
herdsmen and 17 civilians were killed by
suspected Boko Haram terrorists in three
different Local Government Areas of
Monguno, Damboa and Nganzai in Borno
state.
This ugly development is coming barely
one week after the withdrawal of Joint
Task Force ‘Operation Restore Order’
which was replaced by a Military Division.
It was also observed that Governor
Kashim Shettima on Saturday afternoon
had a marathon meeting with security
chiefs and traditional rulers in which the
Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn
Garbai Elkanemi was in attendance.
Although, Journalists were prevented
from the meeting, it was gathered that the
meeting dwelled extensively on how to
review the security challenges currently
going on in villages, towns and Council
areas of the state, in which, all the
affected local government chairmen used
the opportunity and briefed the governor
on the recent Boko Haram attacks in their
domain.
Our Correspondent authoritatively
gathered that the incident has put fear in
the minds of the Vigilante youths,
specifically those in Maiduguri Metropolis,
as the state capital has within the last one
week witnessed a drastic reduction of
vigilante youths from the streets of
Maiduguri.
The incident in Monguno according to
sources said, “the 24 vigilante youths
numbering over 100 were on a mission to
capture some Boko Haram terrorists in
their camps around Kaleri, Shuwari,
Maganari and Nannari villages before
they were ambushed by the terrorists
which led to the death of 24 vigilante
youths, while about 36 were still missing.
“ infact, there was an initial arrangement
with military troops that they will
accompany the vigilante youths to the
said Boko Haram camps in Monguno, and
when the youths waited to see the arrival
of military for some hours without
response, they took liver to visit the area
with a view to arrest the suspects, but
unknowingly to them that the armed Boko
Haram sects were disguised in Military
Uniform with three captured patrol
vehicles of the security agencies which
lured the vigilante youths to conclude that
it was the military troops that went to the
camp ahead of them.
“So as they approached the camps, the
terrorists opened fire and killed about 15
of the Civilian JTF, while the other nine
who were spiritually charmed against
gunshots were killed by using their
vehicles in crushing them. But as I am
talking to you now, about 36 of the
volunteered youths were still missing,
while we received an unconfirmed report
that five of the vigilante youths who
escaped the attack with broken legs and
hands injuries were rescued by some
good Samaritans and are in one of the
villages close to the camps which they are
receiving treatment by the villagers”. The
source disclosed.
Another reliable source in Gajiram of
Nganzai Council area which has a
boarder with Monguno told our
Correspondent that 17 people were killed
out of over 50 by the terrorists after they
mobilized themselves with the intention of
assisting/rescuing the vigilante youths in
the area.
A top politician and close associate to the
state governor who did not want his name
mentioned in print for security reasons
confirmed the Monguno, Nganzai and
Damboa coordinated attacks. He said,
“there was a massive killing of vigilante
youths who were on a volunteered
mission to arrest Boko Haram terrorists in
Nganzai and Monguno, presently, the
Chairman of Nganzai, Comrade Ajimi
Badu and that of Monguno, Alhaji
Mohammed Nur Monguno as well as the
Vice – Chairman of Damboa, Honourable
Ali Garba have all rushed to Maiduguri
(Saturday) to brief governor Kashim
Shettima on the separate incidents”. He
stated.
Although, all the affected Caretaker
Chairmen were sighted at the Government
House after the meeting, they all
confirmed the incidents, but declared
further comments on the number of
casualties.
On the Damboa fresh attack, our
Correspondent gathered that Boko Haram
terrorists who reside in their camps
between Kafa and Yajiwa villages of Kaga
and Damboa Council areas on the fringes
of the Sambisa Forest attacked Shuwa
herdsmen in one of their communities and
killed two, before they fled back to their
camps.
Sources in Damboa told our
Correspondent that “we suspects that the
Boko Haram terrorists who are hiding in
their camps in Sambisa thought that the
Shuwa herdsmen who also lived close to
their camps are informants to military
forces which led to the military raid in
some of their camps before they fled to
another camps without being arrested”.
However, it was gathered that the
aggrieved Shuwa Arab herdsmen later
mobilized on horses to revenge the killing
of their two people, but unfortunately,
when they approached the terrorists’
camps on the following day, the terrorists
succeeded in killing 14 of them, while
others escaped with gunshot wounds.
Owing to lack of telecommunication
services in Borno for the past three
months, the Military authorities and Police
Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon
Jubrin could not be reached for
confirmation as at the time of going to
press. End.