There was wild jubilation in Biu town Saturday evening following the defeat of suspected members of the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) by combined team of the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Taskforce (CJTF), in an attack on Yamarkumi, five kilometres away from Biu town in southern part of Borno State.
In two separate videos obtained by LEADERSHIP in Maiduguri, the state capital, the residents were seen waving and hailing troops and members of the CJTF as they move through Biu township roundabout after their success against the insurgents.
A CJTF source who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the insurgents came with about six gun trucks around 4:05pm
“We overpowered the terrorists group under 45 minutes. It was the best outing in recent times, we killed more than four Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists,” the source said.
Our correspondent reports that the attack occurred barely 20 hours after suspected ISWAP terrorists attacked kautikari community near Chibok and killed three villagers and burning down several houses.
Another source said the terrorists stormed Yamarkumi village and started shooting sporadically.
The source added that troops swiftly moved in to tackle the attackers with a fighter jet hovering over the demobilised gun truck belonging to the suspected ISWAP fighters.
The source added that the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists who are based in Talala and Ajigin axis of Mandaragirau fled back towards the directions.
ISWAP had sustained attacks around Biu town since the attack on the Nigerian Army Onstitute of War in Buratai village. The insurgents had on Friday made a failed attack on Kautikari village which is also a few kilometres away from Biu.
Biu town is the seat of the Nigeria Army University established about three years ago by the former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
It could be recalled that Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, had on Wednesday raised fresh concerns over increasing activities of ISWAP terrorists especially in the southern and core parts of Borno State.
This is even as the governor added that two local government areas of the State, Guzamala and Abadam were still controlled by the terrorists.
Zulum, who disclosed this when a delegation of Senate Committee led by Senator Ali Ndume and Senator Balogun paid a courtesy call at his Council Chamber in Maiduguri, further said that ISWAP terrorists were having checkpoints in Damboa and Biu local government areas of the southern part of the state and collecting taxes from communities.
The governor said that ISWAP terrorists were better equipped, more sophisticated and trained than the defunct Boko Haram terrorists led by late Abubakar Shekau, hence he called on the Nigerian military authorities to be more decisive in dealing with the terrorists.
