Boko Haram attacks Borno towns

Boko Haram insurgents may have regrouped and begun the battle to regain towns they lost to the military recently. A member of a youth vigilante group, Abba Modu stated that two towns in Borno, Marte and Mafa were attacked by the insurgents between Thursday and Friday. He said over 2,000 Boko Haram members who were armed with sophisticated weapons on Thursday laid siege on Marte. Marte, is a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon in northern part of Borno State. It is located in the western coast of the Lake Chad, and this will be the third time the insurgents will take over Marte, first in 2012 but were chased out by Nigerian troops shortly after the declaration of State of Emergency in 2013. They also launched a major attack on the town in 2014 when they captured it but they were pushed back before the last elections. Modu said some of the local vigilante group in Kirenowa, the major town in Marte, reported to them in Maiduguri that the insurgents invaded the town from various locations and succeeded in dislodging Nigerian troops stationed in the area. He said scores of people were killed in the attack and some structures destroyed. He said, “We were told the insurgents wreaked havoc in Kirenowa and environs this time around, it was unfortunate that this came when the residents that fled the area were beginning to go back. “The fighting continued till early Friday when the soldiers retreated. The town has fallen and insurgents are fully in charge, they are more than 2000 in number.” The fall of Marte, a military source, who spoke anonymously, said was not true, insisting that there was still on-going battle between the troops and the insurgents. He said: “It is true the military and the insurgents were drawn in battle at Marte, but I can tell you that the operation is ongoing, we would not allow any part of this country to be held hostage by any hoodlums.” On the attack on Mafa, Modu said the insurgents came in a large number at about 6pm but met a stiff resistance from the military. He added that when the insurgents were not making a headway, they retreated back. When our correspondent contacted the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, on the reported invasion of Marte by insurgents, he said he intended to get more details on the true situation in Marte. The Defence Spokesman said the on-going counter terrorism operation was progressing in all fronts. He said, “We will not be distracted and our mission is progressing very well in all the fronts. “I would get more details on what is exactly happening in Marte.”