Boko Haram fighters regroup on mountains

Hundreds of the Boko Haram fighters, who had been dislodged from their camps in northern and central parts of Borno State, have regrouped on the mountains that lie between Adamawa, Borno and the Republic of Cameroon in southern part of the state, have killed some people and sacked communities, locals and security sources said.

Locals living on Mandara Mountains and Gwoza hills near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon said suspected Boko Haram assailants had between Thursday and Friday appeared with sophisticated weapons and sacked many villages, including Kunde, Hwa’a, Gathahure and Gjigga.

Mountain dwellers Tada Garuta, Samuel Pwa said Garuta said apart from killing retired Reverend Jacob Kwiza of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Hwa’a, the attackers also carted away livestock and grains in all the villages they visited.

They said in separate attacks, the district heads of Kurana Bassa and Damboa were also killed by the gunmen.

Garuta said the principal of Government Day Secondary School, Izge was also trailed and killed.

It was gathered that the insurgents attacked the villages with guns and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), burnt four churches and killed a retired pastor. Mountain dwellers who escaped to safer locations said despite the grounding of mobile communication (GSM) in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, the Boko Haram fighters had during their operations used mobile phones and reached out to their colleagues.

Getting confirmation from the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri is very difficult in recent times because of absence of GSM services.