Soldiers win in Maiduguri, but Boko Haram takes over Monguno

Barely hours after President Goodluck Jonathan declared in Maiduguri that the Boko Haram Islamic sect would be crushed, the terrorists have raised the tempo of their attacks in the North-east with multiple attacks on Borno and Adamawa States.

On Sunday, it was battle royale for the soul of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, as the Nigerian troops, for over 10 hours engaged the insurgents who looked bent on over-running the town.

At the end of the battle, nine soldiers and 56 insurgents had been felled by bullets.

Besides the loss of 56 of their fighters, the insurgents also lost some of the prized equipment which they abandoned following the heavy bombardment from a co-ordinated operation by air raid and the relentless firing of the ground troops.

Although the insurgents were markedly repelled from Maiduguri, Mungono, another major town which shares boundary with Baga, was captured yesterday by the Islamist terrorists.

The attack on Maiduguri, the capital of the esteemed Kanem Bornu empire and modern day Borno State, has been on the plans of the terrorists as they have always wanted to make the city the capital of their proposed Islamic state or caliphate.

It was gathered that hundreds of heavily armed insurgents tried to gain entrance into the town through Jinikin-Moronti, at the outskirts on the road leading to Damaturu along Jos-Kano highway and close to two major housing estates 1,000 and 707.

The terrorist group was confronted by Nigerian soldiers and other security operatives at the 33 Battalion Barracks at the entrance to the town.

The ensuing battle raged from 12:30am till about 3:30am with the soldiers at the barracks assisted by other soldiers at various facilities within the town.

Other security operatives and members of the youth vigilante group joined in the operation as the insurgents were successfully repelled.

Just when everyone thought the insurgents had been beaten, they re-emerged with renewed, determined and stronger firepower which caused the entire people of the town to notice that a major battle was raging. It lasted between 5:40am till about 11am.

Residents were left terrified and could not venture out of their homes, not even for the Sunday worship service.

Narrating their experience, a member of the youth vigilante, Modu Baana, who spoke to journalists, said: “It was around 2am when we were alerted of the deadly move by the terrorists to enter Maiduguri through the Jimtilo outskirts. We learnt that over 100 heavily armed men with armoured tanks and Hilux jeeps were about coming into the town.

“Heavy shelling ricocheted all around the town as the military had to deploy both ground and aerial battle to suppress the determined insurgents, which looked recharged and motivated to take over the town.”

Some members of the youth vigilante that were involved in repelling the attack, revealed that nine soldiers who were killed in the attack were evacuated from the ‘battle front’  by a military patrol Hilux van to the Garrison Command along Pompomari area near the Military Anti Bomb Squad Unit around 12.30 pm.

Some of the Air Force surveillance jets were still hovering over the town until late afternoon yesterday, as some pockets of insurgents who were believed to be in the town were still being trailed and tracked.

Baana added that the fighter jets deployed really helped and that was why the insurgents scattered and some ran away into the neighbourhood as they were overwhelmed.

Many residents of the areas under siege were seen moving into different parts of the troubled town, while many residents of the two housing estates — 707 and 1000 — have begun to move out in droves.

Meanwhile, the military authority has slammed a 24-hour curfew on the town. This is to enable security operatives smoke out any remaining terrorist in the town.

In a text message to journalists, the Army PRO, Colonel Sani Usman of the Division 7 of the Nigerian Army, said a 24-hour curfew was on and advised people of the town to stay indoors.

Confirming this, the Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said curfew had been imposed. According to the Defence authorities, several attempts by the terrorists to attack and take over the town in the past had been successfully repelled through intelligence gathering and pre-emptive strikes by the troops.
The DHQ gave an update on the on-going operation around Maiduguri and Mongunu through its twitter handle.

“Troops are repelling a simultaneous attack on Monguno and Maiduguri by terrorists.

“Coordinated air and land OPs being conducted now.”

Apparently, the tweet was much before Mungono eventually fell.
Although the Boko Haram insurgents failed to capture Maiduguri, they were able to overrun Monguno, a town that shares border with Baga.

The town was attacked at about the same time with Maiduguri yesterday morning.

According to security sources, the soldiers that fled the town were seen in Maiduguri. Also with the fleeing Nigerian soldiers were some Camerounian soldiers who had assisted to keep the place secured before the attack.

It was also gathered that some of the people that were killed were Customs officers who were deployed to the entrance of Maiduguri.

Also killed were some residents of the town that fled their homes during the attack on Maiduguri into the streets. They were said to have been hit by stray bullets.

It was learnt that some of the insurgents who fled into some neighbourhoods in the town were picked up by the youth vigilante and soldier

by Thisday