Suspected Boko Haram fighters had launched a heavy attack in Mainok, a community under Konduga local government area of Borno state on Sunday afternoon, killing several Nigerian Army soldiers and a commander.
Local sources from the community confirm the incident noting that the terrorists were disguised in army uniform with a convoy and headed straight to the Nigerian Army Base before started shooting sporadically.
According to The Cable newspaper, about 13 Army personnel were killed during the attack and one commander, a lieutenant conel among them, whose identity is not yet known.
The report added that the army at the base couldn’t repelled the attack due to the heavy weapons the terrorist are wielding and were overpowered.
A reenforcement by the Air Force was said to have also came to help repel the attack but couldn’t hit it’s target.
The terrorist burnt down vehicles of the Nigerian army and a police station among other things, while looting away weapons from the base before leaving.
Other reports has shown that the Army had been in continues gun battle with the terrorist around the area following the attack. It says they had been responding to the terrorist near their trench outskirt the village.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army had not issued any official statement on the attack at the time of filling this report and effort to reach them by the media didn’t yeild tangible result.
Mainok is a village 58 kilometres away from Maiduguri, capital of Borno state. It is one of the notorious village that experience frequent Boko Haram attacks, along with other communities like Benisheik and Makintamari which is under Kaga local government area of the state, all along Maiduguri to Damaturu road.
Nigerian military had earlier last year made a move to relocate the people of Mainok to other places, alleging that it is a major hideout for the insurgents but the idea was achieved after an appeal by Borno State governors, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum had last year appealed to federal government to nullify the idea.
According to the governor while, relocating the residents to IDP camp may mean closing the major road that link the state to Yobe and other neighbouring states.
This reporter also understands that the relocation, which will logically mean displacement of the people, may sabotage the effort of the government in it’s effort to reintegrate IDPs into their ancestral homes. The decision of the governor to make that appeal may have been informed also by that reality.
