…As Gwoza Falls To The Insurgents In Dawn Attacks
BEVERLY HILLS, August 06, (THEWILL) – The Borno town of Gwoza has been taken over by Boko Haram gunmen.
The gunmen took over the town Wednesday after overpowering the residents in a renewed attack, forcing many of them to flee into the hills and neighbouring Cameroon.
The hilly town is the second Borno town to be captured by the insurgents following last month’s take-over of Damboa by the terrorists.
Local sources told THEWILL that the insurgents stormed Gwoza in many sport utility vehicles and armoured cars and simply sent the military and the residents packing with their superior gun fire.
The gunmen were said to have attacked the town Tuesday evening but were repelled. They later went back to reinforce and launched a renewed and more deadlier attack early Wednesday with more sophisticated weapons as they ran over the town. They were said to have killed eight persons in the attack on Wednesday as they also set the Divisional Police Station, council secretariat complex and other buildings on fire.
One of the residents who fled into the mountains told journalists over the phone that “The insurgents started shooting sporadically and setting houses, shops and government buildings ablaze.”
He said: ” This situation forced us to flee the town and run on to top of the hills and mountains. As I am speaking to you now, I am on the hill top.
“They also attacked the policemen at the Gwoza Divisional Police Headquarters throwing explosives and using other dangerous weapons but I don’t have the details whether the police station was destroyed or not.”
In his account, a bus driver at the Gwoza motor park, Yuguga Ibrahim, said: “We had to run for our dear lives this morning (Wednesday), when the gunmen attacked this motor park, and warned us not to panic, but surrender all the vehicles; including the ones being loaded with passengers. Some of us fled, while others took cover behind the buildings shivering, fearing they were going to shoot us.”
Another resident of the town, Yahaya Mbursa, said the gunmen also torched two churches, and snatched an unspecified number of vehicles at the Motor Park near the burnt police station before fleeing into the hill tops of Mandara Mountains and Sambisa Forest.
“The Boko Haram dawn attacks were very shocking and terrifying as the gunmen burst into the town through the mountain tops and western forest of Sambisa, 18 kilometres from this town. Some of the residents had to flee into nearby bushes and the hills, near this market square.
“I cannot tell you the exact number of people killed yesterday, while fleeing, but about a dozen were shot dead,” Mbursa said.
The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP Gideon Jibrin, could not be reached for a confirmation of the attacks when filing this report.
But confirming the incident in Maiduguri, the state capital, on Wednesday, the former vice-chairman of Gwoza Council , Mr. Francis Mbala, said the insurgents attacked Gwoza town and torched a police station, churches and other public buildings, before snatching some vehicles at the motor park.
“I am yet to get the exact number of people killed in attacks, but the report being sent to me on my phone indicated that there were casualties in the multiple attacks. They are yet to furnish me with the number of our people killed by suspected gunmen that burst into the town through the hill tops, the southern entry point on Gwoza-Madagali road; and Damboa road that leads to Sambisa Forest,” Mbala said.
Military sources in Maiduguri also said troops in the Bama-Gwoza axis and those in Damboa town and Bulabulin Ngarwa village in Borno State have commenced special military operations against the gunmen and were already closing on them.
“The insurgents are on rampage, as they have no any other place to hide now, other than to attack vulnerable towns and villages near the mountain tops and Sambisa Forest,” a military source, craving anonymity, said.
Gwoza is a border council headquarters and shares border with neighbouring Cameroon and surrounding Adamawa State. It is situated some 135 kilometres southeast of Maiduguri, the state capital.
Gwoza villages have been under the siege of the gunmen for some time now, with the insurgents also blowing off the bridge linking Gwoza to Madagali, in Adamawa State.
The Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrisa Timta, who was also killed by the insurgents during a highway raid had earlier warned that the insurgents might capture the town, calling on the Federal Government to do something urgent to protect his people.
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