Villagers Flee Five Borno Communities over Boko Haram Threat

About 2,000 residents in eight communities of the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State have so far fled to Benishek, the headquarters of the LGA, following a quit notice served to them by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. The PUNCH dependably gathered that the terrorists, about 10 days ago, warned residents of the eight villages to leave in three days or face total extermination.

At the expiration of the three-day ultimatum, The PUNCH further gathered that the terrorists stormed the villages about a week ago, chasing out the residents and killing several. While fleeing, the villagers left behind their farm produce, on the stern warning of the terrorists. They, therefore, arrive at Benishek without any food. The terrorists had accused the communities of betraying them by refusing to report to them about the recent operations of troops in which several of their combatants were killed. “It is over one week now since the terrorists warned the villagers to vacate and while leaving, they should leave all their farm produce behind,”  a resident of Benishek, Baba Goni, told The PUNCH in Maiduguri on Monday. He identified some of the affected villages as Bololo, Ganga and Shuwari. “The villagers have since been trooping to Benishek as IDPs with their families, and on their way to Benishek, they have to be manoeuvering through bush paths to avoid coming across the terrorists, who have already killed some of them.”The Chairman of Sector 6 of the Borno State quasi-military vigilantes, Umar  Harka, who also confirmed to attack to The PUNCH, said, “About 2,000 have so far fled to Benishek.” “Quite sure, they have been trooping to Benishek.  “Right now a combined force of troops and members of the CJTF have been deployed to the area to comb the bush and trace the locations of the insurgents,” he added.

Source: Punch