By Sadiq Abubakar
Maiduguri
Residents of Bama town in Borno state, woke up early yesterday morning gripped by fear as the entire town was thrown into another pandamonium when over 200 Boko Haram terrorists attempted to capture the town.
The insurgents stormed the town through Bama-Banki-Gwoza road but they were repelled by gallant military troops near the Bama Mobile Police Unit located about five kilometers from Bama town.
The Boko Haram insurgents were said to have tactically attempted to enter Bama town in a convoy of military vehicles and motorcycles in military uniform armed with sophisticated weapons and improved explosive devices (IEDs).
The ensuing battle of gun shots and sounds of Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) as well as bomb explosions, sent hundreds of residents fleeing through the bush and by road or vehicles to neighbouring villages and towns including Maiduguri and Konduga.
A resident of Bama, one Malam Mohammed Bunu Ahmed told Blueprint on phone from Bama that, “Yes, there was an attempt by the Boko Haram people to enter Bama town to capture Bama as they did in Gwoza some weeks back, but thank God for the good efforts of the military troops stationed near the mobile police unit who repelled the attack in a joint effort with their colleagues from the 21 Brigade Billion of the Nigerian Army who gallantly succeeded in repelling the Boko Haram attack, killing over 59 insurgents and wounding over 30.”
Mohammed added that, “the situation actually scared many of our people and even force some of them to run to Maiduguri town for safety while some are in Konduga and others are said to be in the rural villages, hiding.”
Another resident of Bama, who fled to Maiduguri and presently on refugee camp at Konduga motor park in Maiduguri along Bama road opposite the University of Maiduguri where over 200 internally displaced persons from Bama town are hanging around, awaiting the intervention of the state and local governments as well as NEMA, one Alhaji Masa Bukar, told Blueprint in an interview that “we are here because we woke up this morning during the Subh prayer hearing gunshots and RPGs shots around the Bama Technical College and mobile police unit Bama along Banki road. We were advise to even leave the town by the military and civilian JTF. They asked us to leave Bama to give them the chance to fully fight the Boko Haram people without any fear or favour. So we have to leave. Nobody was killed. We did not even see the military or Boko Haram fighting but we were advised to leave the town and allow the military give the insurgents a better fight that is why we are here because we don’t have anywhere to go.
“Yes some of us stopped over along the way because may be in the villages, some in Kawuri or Goniri or Konduga but we have to come to Maiduguri straightaway where the military presence is high. We are scared. Our people are still coming from Bama, as you can see people are still coming out from Bama town. Many military vehicles and armoured cars have passed to Bama this morning to join their colleagues in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents”.
Bukar said they will continue to hang around till government comes to their assistance with food and alternative accommodation or camp, pointing out that their fear now is outbreak of diseases like cholera or Ebola or meningitis due to the gathering of large crowd in one place without healthcare facilities and services.
Another source told our correspondent in Maiduguri that the road linking Bama from Bankin and Gwoza has since been blocked and it was a no-go area for some time now since the last attack by the insurgents in Bama town. This may be the reason for the success of the military troop who repelled the attack Boko Haram insurgents launched with the aim of taking over Bama town as they did in Gwoza which is about 50 kilometers from Bama town and 100 kilometers from Bankin.
A traditional title holder in Bama told our correspondent in Maiduguri that the people of Bama are highly excited with the new efforts of the military in the area and relocation of the 21 Armoured Brigade Battalion to Bama.
“Even the reinforcement being done by the GOC now is a clear indication that the military is serious and ready to rid the state of the insurgency unlike in the past”.
Efforts to get the new Army PRO of the 7 Division Nigerian Army Maiduguri Colonel Usman Sani on phone at the time of filing in this report failed as his MTN line was not going through because it was switched off but a convoy of over 25 military vehicles and armoured cars were seen moving speedily towards Bama town from Maiduguri town between 10.30 am and 11.48 am when our correspondent visited the internally displaced persons from Bama at the Konduga motor park along Bama road where they converged and decided to take refuge before the intervention of the state government.
