After parts of a major bridge linking Gujba local government area of Yobe State to other parts of the state had been blown by men of the dreaded Boko Haram sect on Monday, residents of the local government area have been advised to leave the area because of an impending follow-up attack.
Security operatives issued the warning on Tuesday evening.
Earlier on Friday, the terrorists had blown a bridge in Katarko town in the same local government, killing eight people in the process. Eyewitnesses report that the sheer population of the bridge-blowing terrorists had crushed all the manoeuvres of the soldiers saddled with the task of protecting the area.
In a manner reminiscent of what they did in Damboa, Borno State weeks earlier, the terrorists had returned to unleash more terror on the villagers that were quietly mourning and burying their dead. Witnesses said the gunmen returned in full force, sacking both Katarko and Gulani vilages, in turn causing the villagers to run to Damaturu, the state capital.
Some Katarko residents who had sought refuge in Gujba, 45km away and sight of the new attack, had to move again when the terrorist struck.
Rabiu Buni, a resident fleeing the area recounted his experience. He said he ran through bush paths to Damaturu.
“When they bombed the bridge on Monday night, it only destroyed one side, but they bombed it again when they returned this (Tuesday) afternoon,” he said.
He said the gunmen came in about a dozen vehicles at about 3pm shooting and setting homes ablaze.
A Gujiba resident, Malam Muhammed, also recounted his narrow escape. He was able to escape in his car with all his immediate family.
“It was a deadly return that they made today (Tuesday) after the initial attack on Monday; the entire village of Gujba is now deserted as everyone including women and children took to the bush,” Buni said. “But the danger is that hardly will many of them make it to Damaturu safely because the bridge is bombed and the attacked village is being surrounded by water, which would make it difficult for women and children to wade through.”
Many rural dwellers in the state have now become internally displaced. Without any concrete support or emergency facilities, many of them wander the streets of Damaturu helplessly.
There are reports that the military has initiated the process of building a fortress around Damaturu to prevent the attackers from invading the state capital.
Military aircrafts were seen hovering around the attacked village before dusk, but it was not certain if the soldiers had mobilised to engage the daring Boko Haram terrorists.
