The spate of insecurity is still a major challenge in Nigeria. Boko Haram militants on Saturday launched fresh attacks on communities in Borno and Yobe states, killing scores of people, including children.
The attack on Borno State was on a military base at the fishing community of Baga, near Lake Chad.
The base is used by the Multinational Joint Task Force which was established in 1998 to battle cross-border crimes but whose mandate was expanded to fighting Boko Haram.
“It was an ugly development in Baga on Saturday morning, when the Boko Haram insurgents attacked the base there and practically dislodged the soldiers. I can tell you that it was really bad.”
The force is made up of troops from Nigeria as well as Niger and Chad.
Hundreds of fear-stricken residents of Baga and five other towns and villages were reported to have poured into the neighbouring Chad in fishing boats to escape being attacked too by the sect members.
According to Punch, a military source said the soldiers in the base were caught unawares by the terrorists.
A resident, Usman Danssubdu, told the AFP that the insurgents seized the base after several hours of gun battle with the troops.
He added that most of the residents of the community were “now seeking refuge in Gubuwa, Kangallam and Kaiga villages inside Chad, near the border with Nigeria.”
Another resident, Yunus Ali, told Punch in Maiduguri that the Boko Haram boys captured the community and hoisted their flag at the military base.
Ali, who arrived Maiduguri around 5pm on Sunday, said he slept in the bush and trekked many kilometers before he got a bus to the state capital.
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