The Boko Haram insurgents have captured all local government councils in Borno north, according to Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Abuja yesterday.

The report indicates that the local councils are now under the sect’s control.

Boko Haram militants stormed a key multinational military base in Baga, Borno State killing undisclosed number of people and seizing weapons and vehicles as soldiers and the residents fled the area for safety.

A senator representing the constituency, Sen. Maina Ma’aji Lawan confirmed to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that the insurgents’ attacked Baga and surrounding towns.

He added that military troops and youth volunteers, popularly known as ‘civilian JTF,’ had attempted to repel the onslaught, but were overpowered by the invaders.

“This is indeed a sad moment for my people who were plunged into bloodshed by the insurgents. “Security forces with active support of the youth have been working hard to protect the area from several attacks in the past. But due to the large number of the terrorists and dangerous weapons they used in the latest onslaught these patriotic persons were unable to resist them,” Mr. Lawan said.

Confirming that the military had abandoned the base, he said people’s frustration knew “no bounds” over the fact that the military had not fought back.

“There is definitely something wrong that makes our military abandon their posts each time there is an attack from Boko Haram,” the senator said.

“The soldiers were trying to repel the attack but that wasn’t going to happen because a lot of the soldiers were without their guns and some were running into the town,” the senator added.

Local councils in Borno north include Marte, Magumeri, Mobbar, Gubio, Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, Kag, Nganzai and Monguno.

The fleeing residents told the BBC that some military officers later joined civilians fleeing into the bush and across nearby Lake Chad in canoes.

“The canoes were overloaded and some people were drowned,” they said.



18 Female Soldiers Feared Kidnapped In Baga

The Boko Haram sect may have kidnapped 18 female soldiers in Baga, Borno State, military sources told SaharaReporters.

According to the sources, out of 26 female soldiers posted to the military base of the Multinational Joint Task Force, only eight have so far been accounted for.

The commander of the troops in the area, Colonel Kuti, has also not been found since the insurgents attacked the town on Saturday.

Nigerian army residents in Baga told the agency that the Boko Haram invaded the town and killed at least 55 people, including soldiers attached to MNJTF.

Both residents and security sources said the insurgent attack lasted close to 18 hours before the Islamist terrorists overpowered the troops and seized the military base.

a fisherman who fled from the town, Bukar Kaka said no fewer than 50 villagers, including five soldiers, were killed while others sustained wounds in the attacks. He said he saw soldiers fleeing. A military source disclosed that some fleeing sources were headed for Monguno barracks near Maiduguri, the State capital.

The fisherman said Boko Haram militants sacked the troops from the barracks, with the soldiers fleeing into various locations.