SAHARANEWS – Residents of Garkida town in the Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State were on Sunday fleeing the area, following a fresh threat by the Boko Haram insurgents to attack the town.
A resident of Garkida, in an interview with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, monitored in Kaduna on Sunday, said the insurgents had threatened to launch another attack on the town.
Also residents, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, recounted their ordeals when the insurgents attacked the community on Friday.
They lamented that the military did not come to their rescue.
For six hours on Friday night, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Garkida, which is located on the Gombi-Biu-Damaturu road.
During the attack, the insurgents burnt down a police barracks, a police station, two churches; the Living Faith Church and the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).
The resident, who spoke to the BBC Hausa Service, said many residents had fled the community on foot, noting that even with money, there was no vehicle plying the area.
The source said, “Many have fled on foot. Even if you have the money, there are no vehicles because of the high number of people on the run now. Everybody is scared because the Boko Haram sent a new message that they are coming back.”
Police seek hunters’ assistance
But the Adamawa State Police Command said there was the need to engage local hunters in the fight against the insurgents.
The Police Public Relations Officers in the state, Suleiman Ngoroji, said the local hunters had knowledge of the terrain that the police did not have.
Ngoroji, who also spoke on the Hausa Service of the BBC, noted that the local hunters could show the police all entry and exit points in the area. He said, “Hunters who reside in the locality know the terrain” better.
The police spokesman also said security operatives(police) could succeed if the residents volunteered to expose strange faces amongst them.
Military didn’t not come to our rescue, Garkida residents recount ordeals
Meanwhile, some residents of the town on Sunday criticised the military’s handling of the attack by the insurgents.
They said there was a delay in the deployment of troops when the town was being attacked by the insurgents.
The Public Relations Officer, 23rd Armoured Brigade, Major Haruna Sani, had commended the troops of 232 Battalion of 23 Armoured Brigade under Operation Lafiya Dole.
He said the troops, who were deployed in Garkida, eliminated many insurgents, while others (insurgents) fled.
However, a resident, Esther Garnvwa, who is a member of the EYN, said the insurgents operated unhindered for many hours.
She said, “No single insurgent was killed in Garkida. The insurgents also deliberately didn’t want to kill civilians, only three persons, including a girl, sustained bullet wounds. Others got injured because they were frightened into running helter-skelter.
Angry residents wondered why the military did not send troops to the town on time thus allowing the terrorists to operate till 3am on Saturday. “Where is the air force if the ground troops are overwhelmed