A yet-to-be-identified terror group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where scores of soldiers and civilians were killed and more than 300 residents abducted on Wednesday night .
In a video obtained by journalists on Friday morning, five armed men dressed in military camouflage claimed responsibility for the assault and declared their intention to occupy the community .
Speaking in Hausa on behalf of the group, one of the men said they had already taken control of the town and planned to celebrate the upcoming Eid-el-Fitr there.
“We thank God Almighty for helping us to succeed in our mission in Ngoshe. Today we are inside the central mosque in Ngoshe,” the speaker said .
“People in this town are saying that we cannot conquer Ngoshe. With the help of God, we have already conquered the town. By the grace of God, we are going to stay in Ngoshe and make it part of our province and we are going to do the Eid-el-Fitr Salah after the end of Ramadan in Ngoshe,” he added .
The group also claimed responsibility for killing residents during the attack and abducting others, stating that some residents were taken away with the intention of converting them into slaves.
“We have slaughtered males and females in Ngoshe and we have enslaved the others. It was Almighty Allah that said that we should enslave them and go with them,” the spokesperson stated .
The attackers also released disturbing footage from the scene showing victims being killed during the assault . The group further vowed to extend its terror activities to Maiduguri and Abuja .
The assault began around 1 a.m. on Wednesday when the insurgents first stormed a military base in Ngoshe before unleashing violence on residents . The attack lasted several hours before the air component of Operation Hadin Kai mobilised and forced the attackers to retreat into nearby forests .
Sources told AFP that at least 18 people, including seven troops, were killed when the jihadists raided the base and nearby community . Shu’aibu Habu, a local ranger in the area, said 11 people were killed in Ngoshe village and that rangers and volunteers recovered bodies of at least “seven soldiers” killed by the jihadists .
“We recovered the bodies of three soldiers inside the base and four others in the bush. Eleven residents of Ngoshe, including women and children, were killed,” Habu said .
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) confirmed that the Chief Imam of Ngoshe, some elders, and soldiers were among those killed during the attack, with over 100 persons still missing . He lamented that the military base in the area was dislodged, with some major equipment destroyed, while residential houses and property worth millions of naira were set ablaze .
However, the District Secretary of Ngoshe, Shuaibu Dabawa, alleged that the scale of the abduction was much larger, claiming that more than 300 residents were taken away by the insurgents .
“When they attacked, we heard sporadic gunshots and immediately fled into the bush for safety, where we spent the entire night. More than 300 people were abducted by the terrorists during the attack. There is currently no military presence in Ngoshe, which has heightened security concerns,” Dabawa said .
He also expressed deep concern about the fate of elderly residents left behind in the town.
“Our immediate worry is that some elderly people remain trapped in the community alongside several dead bodies. Many of us escaped with nothing except the clothes we were wearing. The town has been completely deserted,” he added .
Thousands of survivors have fled to the neighbouring Pulka community, where many displaced persons are reportedly sleeping on roads and inside school buildings for fear of further attacks .
The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the attack and said several residents were still missing.
“Although some unknown number of civilians yet to be ascertained were also affected or killed. Some are still missing and probably some were abducted and taken towards the Mandara Mountains,” he stated .
Daso added that authorities were still working to determine the full extent of the abductions.
“As of now, we have not completed the process of establishing the total number of those taken away. If reports about the Chief Imam being missing are confirmed, we will verify and update you accordingly,” he said .
The Borno State Commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, told journalists that the state had intervened and provided support for the survivors.
“There is a standing protocol by the state government for providing support to people that are affected by conflicts. In the case of Ngoshe, the people were assembled at Pulka, a nearby town, and immediate support came from the local government,” Tar said .
“In addition, the state government, through the State Emergency Management Agency, has dispatched palliatives to all the victims and each household. The items include rice, sugar, millet and blankets. They will arrive tomorrow,” he added .
Tar assured that healthcare and sanitation officials had also been dispatched to the location to prevent a disease outbreak, while the military continues to secure the corridor for the delivery of aid to survivors .
On the number of missing persons, the commissioner added, “We are in the process of verification; the actual figure is yet to be ascertained” .
Survivors described the attack as devastating and appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance.
One survivor, Audu Bello, said it was difficult to immediately determine the exact number of those abducted without proper verification from affected families.
“It was a mass abduction. Only families whose relatives were taken can give a clearer picture of the number of victims. For many of us, we managed to escape after hearing sporadic gunshots. It was an unfortunate incident that has devastated many families. Several households have now been split apart, with some members in Pulka while others are scattered in unknown locations seeking safety,” Bello said .
Another survivor, Amina Halidu, lamented the harsh living conditions confronting displaced residents who fled to Pulka.
“Many people are now camped at Central Primary School in Pulka. There is no water, no food and no proper shelter. Most of the displaced persons are women and children. We are appealing for urgent government intervention,” she said .
Hindatu Musa Yahaya, a Ngoshe resident, said her sister was killed when “a stray bullet hit her in her bedroom” during the attack, though her four children were unharmed .
Following the attack, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai reportedly tracked the fleeing insurgents along known escape routes and carried out precision airstrikes on their positions, killing more than 50 fighters .
Security sources said the insurgents launched the assault shortly after residents broke their Ramadan fast, overwhelming the military formation with superior firepower .
Senator Ndume recommended that the ongoing Operation DESERT SANITY in Sambisa Forest by troops, which has started yielding positive results, should be continuous rather than intermittent . He also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to equip security agencies with fighter jets and other advanced technological weapons to end the lingering terrorist onslaught .
Ndume alleged that security agencies lack sufficient Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and rely mainly on AK-47 rifles with limited equipment at the frontlines, while terrorists deploy sophisticated Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Anti-Aircraft Machine Guns (AAMGs), drones and other technologically advanced weapons to attack targets .
Sources told our correspondent that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Waidi Shuabi, was expected to visit the Ngoshe community on Friday to interface with the victims and assess the situation .
The attack is one of the deadliest in recent months in Borno State, which has been at the epicentre of a 16-year insurgency that has left more than 40,000 dead and two million displaced in Nigeria’s northeast, according to the United Nations .
