By Obinna Uballa
Senator Ali Ndume has called for urgent and decisive military action following a deadly attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on a military base and an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Ngoshe town, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Confirming the attack, Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, said the killing of soldiers and civilians was deeply troubling.
The lawmaker urged the military to launch a major offensive in the Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains, which are believed to be strongholds of the insurgents.
He also suggested that the attackers may have been reacting to the government’s resettlement programme in the area.
According to Ndume, the insurgents appear uncomfortable with the ongoing efforts to resettle displaced communities, which may have prompted them to burn houses and businesses during the assault.
Local residents and security sources said the attack occurred on Wednesday evening shortly after Muslims broke their Ramadan fast, when a large number of heavily armed terrorists stormed the community.
The insurgents reportedly launched a coordinated assault on a military facility belonging to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion and also targeted an IDP camp within the town.
A security source said the attackers overwhelmed the troops during the raid. “The militants invaded the military base and attacked the IDP camp in the community. They overpowered the soldiers and pursued residents who were trying to escape,” the source said.
According to him, the exact number of casualties remains unclear, but at least nine soldiers have so far been confirmed dead.
“We cannot state the exact number of soldiers and civilians killed, but nine bodies of soldiers have been recovered,” the source added.
The attackers, according to a report by Daily Trust Newspaper, were also said to have set ablaze armoured tanks and military vehicles while carting away a large quantity of ammunition.
Residents said the terrorists subsequently moved into the town, where they killed the community’s Chief Imam and abducted more than 100 women and children.
One local source described the attack as devastating, noting that many residents had only recently begun returning from neighbouring Cameroon after years of displacement, according to the newspaper.
“People have fled Ngoshe to the nearby town of Pulka. The situation is terrible, especially because refugees had just started coming back,” the source said.
He also suggested that informants within the community may have aided the attackers.
“It is difficult for such a large-scale attack to happen without insider information. The Chief Imam was killed and more than 100 women and children were abducted,” he said.
