More than 2,000 Nigerians living in
border villages in Borno State have reportedly fled as a result of the
ongoing military operations targeted at routing insurgents from the area
under the emergency rule.
The fleeing villagers were said to have headed to the neighbouring Niger Republic.
“Most of the residents of border
villages of Borno have fled to Niger. About 2,000 people from Abadan,
Malam Fatori and other villages are now refugees in Difa, Niger
Republic,” a top security officer told one of our correspondents on
Sunday.
The source said that the Joint Military
Task Force was on the trail of members of the Boko Haram sect, who were
dislodged from the Sambisa Game Reserve and other camps on Thursday in
Borno State.
It was learnt that residents of
Maiduguri and other communities far from the border, who did not want to
be caught in the cross-fire had also fled to some neighbouring states,
including Kano and Bauchi.
The Director of Defence Information,
Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not confirm
whether the Nigerian villagers had fled to Niger Republic.
“I will have to find out,” he said.
As the time of sending this report, he had yet to comment on the development.
Also, Nigerian Immigration Public
Relations Officer, Ekpedeme King, promised to find out if any Nigerian
villagers fled to Niger Republic.
However, he did not respond to subsequent calls and a text message sent to his phone.
Olukolade, in a statement on Sunday,
said, “A total of 20 terrorists were apprehended as they fled.
Altogether, three soldiers died, while seven are wounded and are being
treated in military medical facility, one soldier is missing.”
According to Olukolade, patrols are also ongoing to secure towns and villages from infiltration by the terrorists.
He added that the curfews imposed on identified flashpoints were being enforced.
The military spokesman said that
dislodged terrorists had been in disarray with a large number of them
heading for various borders.
He said, “Their bases are being deserted
but they are making efforts to evacuate most of the large stock of
logistics, including scores of vehicles in their holdings.
“In the course of special forces and operations, a number of encounters have ensued since yesterday (Saturday).”
The military had on Saturday said 10
Boko Haram members were killed, while 65 others were arrested during
encounters with the terrorists on Friday.
On Sunday, Olukolade said, “The required
reinforcement and logistics have been delivered to forces in fronts
where they have been engaging a large number of heavily armed terrorists
since yesterday.
“Defence Headquarters is quite satisfied
with the high standard of compliance with operational order and strict
observance of the rules of engagement so far.
“The forces have been directed to
maintain the robustness of the patrols and enforcement of curfews where
emplaced and ensure that civilians are kept out of harms as much as
possible.”
A 24-hour curfew had on Saturday been imposed in parts of the city of Maiduguri.
In Adamawa State, the curfew imposed in
parts of the state has been biting harder on residents, especially those
living in the capital city, Yola, and the border towns of Mubi and
Maiha.
A resident of Jimeta-Yola, Ms. Rifkatu
Iliya, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the telephone, said,
“The curfew is still on and we are learning to live with it, those of us
who go to work leave earlier than usual so that we are not caught up.
“For those who are trading, it is more
difficult because their trading hours have been reduced to between three
to five hours a day.
“I will be lying if I say we are not
living in fear, we have heard of the atrocities of Boko Haram in some
parts of the state and we have seen an increase in the number of
security forces.”
But a security source in Yola, who asked
not to be named because she was not authorised to speak to the media on
the issue, said the military crackdown, had been concentrated in Borno.
The source said, “The military operations are targeted largely at terrorist training camps and strongholds in Borno.
“However, we in Adamawa are also on the
alert because we are aware that the insurgents who are under intense
pressure in Borno may want to seek a safe haven here.
“We are under instructions not to allow this to happen.
“The pains of the checkpoints and the curfew are temporary; residents will have to bear with us.”
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