Videos of the devastation that trailed a terror attack on a military base in Borno State emerged on Monday.
Terrorists suspected to be affiliated with Boko Haram, one of the terror groups operating in northern Nigeria, attacked the army base on Saturday.
A source, who did not want to be named, told FIJ on Monday that the attack happened in Sabon Gari Damboa Local Government Area.
Video footage posted on X by Sahara Reporters reveals multiple burnt buildings, with some still emitting smoke. One of the clips also shows the bodies of slain soldiers wrapped in clothes.
“These people burnt everything in this town. Thank God for life, but all our people that have entered [the] bush are coming back one by one,” stated a voice in one of the videos.
In another clip, a voice is heard saying, “See our men o. See our soldiers Almost six…seven soldiers…na im dem kill for here.”
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‘These people burnt everything’
‘See our soldiers…dem kill for here’
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FIJ understands that Sabon Gari is home to a Forward Operating Base (FOB), which refers to any secured forward operational level military position, such as a military base, used for strategic goals and tactical objectives.
Checks by FIJ also reveal that as of May 27, 2019, the military had relocated over 9000 displaced residents from the Sabon Gari community, where Saturday’s attack happened, to Damboa Town due to terrorist activities in the area.
FIJ’s source disclosed that Damboa town, which is about 60 kilometres away from Sabon Gari, serves as the headquarters. He said he heard that there were plans by the state government to resettle civilians in the Sabon Gari village.
“Sabon Gari is a village in Damboa LGA, and Damboa town is the headquarters of the LGA. Sabon Gari was attacked on Saturday, and it is mainly occupied by the military. While I cannot say exactly if civilians are there, I know for sure that the military predominantly occupies the community for military purpose.” the source said.
“The civilians they were planning to move back to the community should be the same people who were displaced in 2019.
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“The thing is the whole of Damboa has been terrorised. It is only in the headquarters, Damboa town, that we have a civilian population in large numbers.
“Even though there are settlements that people occupy, these settlements are very dangerous.”
FIJ called Nwachukwu Onyema, the spokesperson of the army, for comments on Monday afternoon, but he did not answer his calls. The messages sent to him via SMS and WhatsApp had also not been responded to at press time.
Abimbola Abatta is a reporter with FIJ, writing reports in partnership with Report for the World which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.
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