SAN FRANCISCO, September 08, (THEWILL) – In continuation of their isolated target killing of unsuspecting members of the Borno youth vigilante group members, a.k.a Civilian JTF, whom they accused of collaborating with the military to hunt them down, suspected members of the Boko Haram group, in the early hours of Sunday, stormed Benesheikh, the headquarters of Kaga Local Government Area, killing 12 members of the Civilian JTF but lost five of their members to the clash. One other person was also said to have died of injuries.
During the attack on the village, which is located at about 72 kilometres west of Maiduguri on the Maiduguri/Damaturu highway, 18 other persons were also injured and had to be taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for treatment.
Narrating the incident, two of the injured persons, Modu Abuwar and Zanna Fannami, said at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) that “we had received information early in the day on Saturday that the Boko Haram would attack Beneisheikh after they had attacked Damboa and Gajiram.
“To this end, we were ready for them but they outwitted us by climbing trees in the night and started shooting at us killing 12 of our members and injuring 18.”
Abuwar, who identified himself as the leader of the Civilian JTF in Beneisheikh, said: ” Even though we were outnumbered, we succeeded in killing five members of the Boko Haram sect and collected their pump action guns.”
He added that the insurgents had to flee into the bush when they saw the resilience of the youth vigilante members.
A Special Adviser to Governor Kashim Shettima, Comrade Garba Ngamdu, who is from the area, and came to check the condition of the injured at the hospital, said the Kaga Local Government Council had already settled all the hospital bills of the injured.
More members of the Civilian JTF from Maiduguri were seen mobilising to the troubled village to hunt for the fleeing insurgents when filing this report.
Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, who confirmed the attack, said information available to the Division revealed that at about 12:30 am on Sunday, some suspected members of the Boko Haram sect who disguised as members of the Civilian JTF attacked Benesheikh in Kaga Local Government and in the ensuing confrontation with the members of the youth vigilante group, killed about six of the youths.
“Some elements of 21 Brigade troops have been drafted to the area and the attackers had been repelled,” he however added, saying “troops were still combing the general area in search for fleeing terrorists.”
Musa said the Damaturu/Maiduguri road that was barricaded at Benesheikh by aggrieved youths of the town has been opened , stressing that normalcy has since returned to the village.
The spokesman also confirmed the killing of five insurgents, bringing the number of total deaths to 11.
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