While the military was announcing its killing of 200 Boko Haram insurgents in Sambisa forest in Borno state on Saturday night, fleeing members of the sect attacked three churches, a police station and a court in Fota town of Gombi local government area of Adamawa state, killing seven police officers.
The insurgents also attacked a wedding gathering in nearby Bisir village in a shooting spree.
A source in Fota, who simply identified himself as Musa, said the incident occurred in the night as the sect members in their dozens opened fire on the policemen at the local police station, killing seven policemen, before attacking three churches, a pastor’s house, a store and later razed the court.
Musa said: “It was in the night, while we were busy at a wedding ceremony, at about 10-11 p.m., when the gunmen, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, struck in. They first attacked the area police station, killing seven police officers instantly, including mobile policemen.
“They later set ablaze the court house and three big churches. Not only that, they looted and burnt down a church’s foodstuff store.
“The gunmen drove in dozens on bikes and other vehicles, chanting Allahu Akbar many times, before fleeing.
“Those gathered at the wedding ceremony all ran for their lives. No one was attacked at the gathering.”
The witness said that more reinforcement was later deployed as many villagers were said to have spent the night hiding in the hills.
Reports said that the policemen that were killed had earlier engaged the attackers in a gun duel that lasted almost 30 minutes. A source said one gunman was critically wounded but was taken away by the insurgents.
Reports also said that the fleeing insurgents, after Fota, had a stop-over at a nearby village, Bisir, where they attacked another wedding gathering and killed one civilian. Many others sustained injuries.
A victim, who was admitted in a private hospital in Gombi, the administrative headquarters of the area, said: “While we were about to round up the celebration, we just started hearing gun shots and before you know it one of the attendants was shot dead, and many got bullet wounds.
“At least eight persons are now in hospital for treatment.”
The injured victim called for reinforcement as, according to him, “there is still tense situation. Many people have fled into the bush and we don’t know what will happen again. The attackers have vowed to come back.”
Another resident, identified as Maman Bebi, said the attackers seemed to be impregnable as they came in a convoy of Hilux pick-up vans, shooting sporadically as people scampered in different directions.
The source maintained that the military personnel manning different check-points in the area staged a retreat as the gunmen laid siege on the border villages for more than five hours.
When contacted, the Adamawa state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Muhammed Ibrahim, confirmed the attack but did not specify the casualty figures. He, however, said the details of the incident could be obtained from the military, who were saddled with the responsibility of surveillance in the state.
Similarly, the Army Public Relations Officer of the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Captain Jafaru Nuhu, confirmed the incident but could not ascertain the number of casualties.
“I didn’t get the details for now, but I will call you back,” he said.
