Suspected Boko Haram insurgents
on Wednesday launched a fresh
attack on Maiduguri, the Borno
State capital from a cashew
plantation a few kilometres from
the Giwa Barracks.
Maiduguri has not experienced an
attack since two major takeover
attempts in late January and early
February as well as several
bombings in March.
The insurgents have been fighting
to create a Islamic state in the
North-East along the border with
Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Residents said on Wednesday that
they heard heavy shooting and
explosions on the outskirts of the
city and began fleeing their homes.
The shooting, which was still heard
as of 8pm, according to them,
began around 6.45pm.
A security source, who participated
in the operation, said they fought
off several hundred insurgents,
which included suicide bombers.
“Some civilian youth vigilante who
went to battle may have lost their
lives,” he said.
The source explained that they
were “trying to evacuate some
women from a community behind
the Giwa barracks when a bomb
exploded from a woman suspected
to be a suicide bomber.”
One of the residents said, “We
were around Galtimari in Maiduguri
behind the Giwa Army Barracks
around 6.45pm when we started
hearing gunshots from afar. The
Nigerian soldiers were repelling
the attacks.
“From what we learnt, the soldiers
had surrounded Maiduguri town
and Sambisa Forest and were
attacking the insurgents. The
gunshots were so loud that we felt
it was happening where we were.
We were so terrified. We are now
wiser as many stayed indoors.
“The gunshots lasted for two hours
but it has subsided owing to the
inability of the Boko Haram fighters
to withstand the soldiers. We learnt
some of the insurgents are
sneaking back into town disguised.
With this it will be difficult to
identify them.”
Another resident, Kabir Olaoye,
who said they were caught
unawares, told Reuters that he
was “trapped near the University
of Maiduguri now.”
Abdul Musa said the fighting had
dwindled to a few intermittent
gunshots
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
