300 insurgents ‘currently attacking’ Damboa

More than 300 members of the Boko Haram sect are “currently attacking” Damboa local government area of Borno State, Alhaji Kassim Ciroma, head of the local vigilante group known as ‘Civilian JTF’, told TheCable on Friday evening.

According to Ciroma, the attackers first laid siege to the area on Thursday, killing many people and burning houses.

He said they returned at about 3am on Friday and have continued operating unchallenged since, as soldiers have deserted Damboa.

“They came here around 6pm yesterday evening and about 20 people were killed and many houses destroyed,” he said.

“As I am talking to you, they have burnt over 200 houses and killed many people, and the complete information about the number of those who have died is not clear.”

Ciroma lamented that efforts to get help from security agents have not been responded to.

“Over 300 Boko Haram men are attacking villages in Damboa now and we cannot challenge them. No security, no soldier, no police — only members of civilian JTF. We are just here,” he said.

“Boko Haram has taken over everywhere: Sambisa area, Damboa Road. Everywhere. They have finished us. They are even in Maiduguri. We want government to take action.”

A resident of Chibok confirmed the attack, but like Ciroma, he had no figures of the casualty toll.

“It is true but I don’t have clear information. A man who escaped told me that they have been operating there since yesterday,” the resident said.

“It is a serious attack. No security. Since that attack when soldiers were killed, they have deserted the village. It is only Civilian JTF that is on ground. We are tired.”

Damboa has recently emerged as one of the hot spots of terrorist attacks in Borno state.

On July 6, the military said it repelled a “daring attack” by suspected Boko Haram men and killed “more than 50” of them, losing five soldiers in the process.

However, a military source claimed that “close to 40” soldiers were killed in the attack.