Residents of Geidam have reported that Boko Haram insurgents are still engaging the Nigerian troops in a gun battle in Geidam town.
The residents made the disclosure after military sources claimed that the troops had foiled the attack, which began on Friday.
Some of the residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES Saturday morning said they were still in hiding because the gun battle was still raging.
Idriss Geidam, in a whatsup message to PREMIUM TIMES reporter, said the insurgents had taken over Hausari Primary school in Geidam as their operational base.
Another resident, who corroborated the report, said many of the insurgents gathered in the Hausari area on Friday after one of their vehicles broke down.
“We gathered that one of their vehicles developed a fault at the Hausari area yesterday so it is possible they have taken over the primary school for their operational base,” the source said.
Another source also said another group of the attackers have moved to the Fulatari area of Geidam town.
A local vigilante told PREMIUM TIMES that dozens of Boko Haram fighters had been killed but added that innocent civilians too could be among the casualties.
He said a military artillery fired in the direction of the insurgents hit a residential building, causing an unspecified number of casualty.
“An artillery gun was dropped at a civilian residence at Aungar (area) Samanaka where an unspecified number of people are believed to have been killed.
“That gun was fired in that place because the insurgents came and started engaging the military from that place. I am sure some Boko Haram too were killed,” the source informed.
A security source also told PREMIUM TIMES that the insurgents had taken two gun-trucks to the Geidam police station and engaged the officers in a gun duel.
Yobe lawmaker speaks
ADVERTISEMENT
Although the Nigeria Army says it inflicted heavy casualties on Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters who launched an attack on Geidam, Yobe State on Friday, a federal lawmaker disputes this.
The lawmaker said the insurgents were still in charge of the town “while Governor Mai Mala Buni has called for more military presence in Geidam and the northern part of Yobe.”
The spokesperson of the army, Mohammed Yerima, in a press release Saturday evening, had attributed the success of the operation to the “air component of Operation Lafiya Dole.”
He said a gun-truck and assorted weapons were recovered from the insurgents during the fight. He also commended the efforts of the soldiers for successfully engaging the insurgents.
However, the lawmaker representing Geidam, Yunusari and Bursari Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Lawan Shettima, said the insurgents were still in control of Geidam town.
“Authoritatively I can tell you that these insurgents have taken over Geidam. You can see the videos and the pictures as they move about burning what they want,” Mr Shettima said.
The lawmaker also said his constituents “have been under the mercy of Boko Haram for more than 24 hours without any credible challenge”.
“My people are helpless, you can’t imagine that as a full Nigerian citizen you can be at the mercy of Boko Haram for the past 24 hours and nobody cares to do anything about it. They will send jet that will go and bomb innocent people instead of the Boko Haram. This is the kind of thing that is going on now.
“The military formation that is stationed there does not care to react to what is happening or to counter them. They military are sitting at the western side of the town while Boko Haram are busy moving round town destroying government structures and other things belonging to our people, attacking or harassing innocent people sent out of their houses. The only word I can use here is that people are helpless in their motherland. This is very terrible,” he said.
Credit: Premium Times
