By Our Reporters
Over 100,000 residents of Damasak town in Borno State, one of the northern states in Nigeria have escaped to the neighboring Niger Republic yesterday following multiple attacks by Boko Haram fighters.
Reports from sources revealed that many persons have been displaced and rendered homeless following the attack with at least 10 people killed while many persons were wounded and thousands wandering in the bush.
Government sources told our reporter that alot of civilians lost their shops and homes while some government buildings including police divisional headquarters were burnt and destroyed by the invaders.
It would be recalled that this is the sixth time in the last two weeks that Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar LGA have been attacked.
Meanwhile in the last four days, Nigerian ground troops supported by their air component have been battling for the control of the community, which has survived nearly 11 years of intermittent onslaught by terrorists.
Damasak, situated 188 kilometres from Maiduguri, is a strategic town in the northern part of Borno, bordering Niger Republic and other LGAs in the shores of Lake Chad.
The latest attack was carried out less than 24 hours after a similar one on Tuesday.
Reports revealed that during the previous attack which occurred on Tuesday, the terrorists were reportedly repelled by the Nigerian troops but not after they inflicted serious damage on the town.
There was another attack on Saturday, April 10, during which 6 people including two women, a man and three soldiers were reportedly killed.
Some locals, security sources and government officials said during yesterday’s siege after they were chased away on Tuesday, the terrorists, firing from all directions of the town, forced distressed families to flee and also took the troops by surprise.
The fighters, who are loyal to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), reportedly drove in gun trucks in the afternoon while others rode in threes on motorcycles wielding Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs).
Completely confused, some of the residents headed for relatively safer villages in Nigeria and others crossed over to neighbouring towns in Niger Republic and adjoining villages.
Women, some of them pregnant and others carrying babies on their backs, with smaller children trailing them were reportedly the worst affected as they left their homes completely unprepared and trekked many kilometres in search of safety.
It was learnt that as the victims flee, the Nigerian troops redeployed to take charge in Damasak engaged the invading terrorists to no avail.