BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS – Despite spirited efforts by the Nigerian troops, at least five soldiers have reportedly been killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in a coordinated attack on three Military bases in the North-east state of Borno in the last 48 hours.
The affected formations are the 3 Battalion, a military formation in Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge, another base in Gajiram town of Nganzai Local Government Area, and the 24 Task Force Brigade in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.
While Rann is a remote town in Kala-Balge Local Government Area, located in Borno Central, approximately 200 kilometers east of Maiduguri and borders the Republic of Cameroon, Gajiram is in Borno North, about 82 km from the State capital, and Dikwa is located roughly 90 km east of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
With security and local sources confirming that all the attacks by the armed terrorists suspected to be members of Boko Haram/ISWAP were launched in the early hours of Tuesday, access to these areas presents a laborious task due to the poor condition of the roads and insecurity within the region.
Coming barely 24 hours after the terrorists raided the military base in Marte, which left an unspecified number of soldiers dead, and many still missing, reports indicated that the insurgents lost many fighters in Dikwa and Gajiram, where the military effectively repelled their attacks.
According to security sources, in the terrorists’ renewed onslaught on military bases, the attack on Rann left five soldiers dead and six others injured, with strong condemnation from the State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
In Gajiram, troops reportedly offered tactical resistance and repelled the assault, forcing the terrorists to retreat, especially when a fighter jet arrived at the military location
One of the sources lamented thus: “We lost four soldiers while four sustained gunshot wounds. They also set ablaze MRAP, a gun truck, and a Russian-made T-72.”
Also recounting their horrible experience, a community member informed some reporters that terrorists invaded the military location around midnight and engaged the troops for hours before overrunning the base.
“The military retreated while the criminals looted weapons, including gun trucks, before leaving the area. What we could see were the corpses of five soldiers and other injured soldiers, but one cannot be too sure of the number affected.”
“Armed with heavy and sophisticated weapons, the terrorists nearly overran the Rann base before troops of Operation Hadin Kai fought back spiritedly to repel the deadly attack”, another Military source confirmed
The simultaneous attacks, which occurred around midnight on Tuesday, came just hours after another group of insurgents stormed a military base in Marte, killing several soldiers and looting arms and ammunition.
It was reliably reported that the attack on Gajiram was unsuccessful, as the terrorists were forced to retreat after more than an hour of fighting with Nigerian troops. One of the soldiers volunteered that, “The terrorists suffered heavy casualties and retreated during simultaneous attacks they coordinated in Rann, Gajiram, and Dikwa.
“The ISWAP attack on Gajiram indicates that their goal is to take over Monguno. They may be attempting to isolate the town before launching a major offensive. The Air Force must remain on high alert for any eventuality.”
Rann and Gajiram have experienced a series of deadly Boko Haram attacks recently. Before now, Rann hosted a significant population of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), especially during the peak years of the Boko Haram crisis. Among the humanitarian organizations that were active in the area, providing food, shelter, and medical aid, were the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), various United Nations (UN) agencies, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
However, due to increasing security concerns, the presence and activities of these agencies have become irregular and, at times, have been completely suspended following attacks on aid workers and their facilities.
Meanwhile, the Military was yet to issue an official statement on the reported attacks as of press time.
