The militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has carried out a second attack in a week on the key north-eastern town of Baga, Borno State.
With this new development, Baga has come under the full control of the terrorist sect.
Some of the people who fled the town after the Wednesday attack told journalists in Maiduguri on Thursday that, “The militant came down hard on the town on Wednesday, setting many houses on fire.”
One of the fleeing persons, Modu Gana, said he saw many corpses on the streets, adding that some of the bodies were decomposing.
He said, “We had to flee into Maiduguri through the bush path and I saw many corpses laid on the streets, with many of them decomposing.”
The BBC also reported on Thursday that the Boko Haram fighters burnt down almost the entire town on Wednesday.
A senior government official, Musa Alhaji Abubakar, told the BBC that the militants attacked the town after over-running a military base on Saturday.
But the Federal Government assured Nigerians that security forces were working hard to reclaim Baga and other surrounding villages.
The BBC report stated that corpses littered Baga’s streets, amid fears that some 2,000 people had been killed in the raids.
On Monday, lawmaker, Maina Maaji Lawan, told the BBC that Boko Haram controlled 70 per cent of Borno State, which is worst-affected by the insurgency.
Bukar told the BBC that fleeing residents told him that the town, which had a population of about 10,000, was now “virtually non-existent”.
“It has been burnt down,” he said.
Those who fled reported that they had been unable to bury the dead, and corpses littered the town’s streets.
Boko Haram was effectively in control of Baga and 16 neighbouring towns, Bukar said.
Government troops abandoned the military base in Baga on Saturday, when the militants launched an assault against it.
Baga hosts the Multi-National Joint Task Force, made up of troops from Nigeria, Chad and Niger.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh, had on Wednesday said that Chad and Niger had pulled out of Baga
The Multi-National Joint Task Force was set up in 1998 to fight trans-border crime in the Lake Chad region, the force more recently took on Boko Haram.
Thousands have fled Baga — many to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, and others to Chad.
The Federal Government has however assured that security forces will recapture the town and other surrounding villages.
The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, said this at the briefing on security matters in Abuja on Thursday.
The Director General of the National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, who also addressed the press conference, disclosed that the commission was deploying mobile equipment to ensure that internally displaced persons and Nigerians in the Diaspora are captured in their database.
Omeri also warned Nigerian from making incisive statement, adding that citizens of the country do not have to wait until they are in position of power before they can make contributions that save the lives of their fellow citizens that in the captivity of insurgents.
He said, “While confirming the presence of Boko Haram in some locations in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states, the centre wishes to inform that the situation in Baga has improved since the last attack on the town.
“Security forces are working hard to ensure the full liberation of the strategic town and other places close to it. As you are aware, full details of military operations cannot be discussed until an appropriate time.
“Equally, government is constantly reviewing the situation with regards to the fight against insurgency in order to improve logistics requirement and support for the security forces to enable the defeat of the insurgents. Officers are being trained and re-trained to up-grade their skills and capacity while increase surveillance, intelligence sharing and synergy are being enhanced.”
He added, “Also and evidently, consultations with security chiefs (serving and retired), traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders with a view to bringing their varied experiences to bear on the fight against the insurgency are ongoing.
“We want to encourage well-meaning leaders to emulate friendly countries who have thrown their weight behind Nigeria in this fight. The path of patriotism and honour is not to wait until we get into government before we can contribute to save the precious lives of our citizens.
“We want to assure citizens in all the troubled areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa that government is working steadfastly to stabilise these areas. Top most in our concern is that this be achieved with minimal, if any, loss of precious lives of our citizens. Nigerians should remain strong, hopeful and united in the fight against terror.”
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