Boko Haram Invades Adamawa State, ‘Kills Many’, Burn Houses

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have killed many people in Garkida, a town in Gombi local government area of Adamawa state, northern Nigeria, residents of the area have said in a fresh report monitored by NewsOne Nigeria.

A report monitored on a digital media company in Nigeria, TheCable by NewsOne Nigeria, quoted a source to have said that the insurgents broke into the town around 7 pm on Friday, February 21, shooting sporadically.

This online news platform understands that soldiers of the Nigerian Army who were said to have engaged the Boko Haram terrorists in a gun battle later pulled back for reinforcement.

NewsOne Nigeria learned that after the security operatives beat a retreat, the insurgents were said to have moved into the town fully, setting many houses on fire.

“Garkida is currently on fire… many people have been killed and their houses covered with smoke,” the source said.

The source told the online newspaper that the Boko Haram terrorists, having wreaked havoc on Garkida, the insurgents advanced to neighboring towns.

Another source corroborated his account but said the security operatives have returned to the town. The source added that the insurgents hoisted their flag in the town, a report which is yet to be verified by NewsOne Nigeria.

“People ran to hide inside the mountains while they watched their houses being burnt by the insurgents,” another resident said.

Also speaking on the attack, a former chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Adamawa, who is a native of Garkida, said he got the information that Boko Haram fighters overpowered soldiers in the town.

Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, Sagir Musa, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, was yet to issue a statement regarding the incident which occurred hours after Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff, wrote a letter to the troops, expressing confidence in their ability to end the war against Boko Haram.