Group claims responsibility for Borno massacre, abduction of over 300 residents

A group of armed insurgents has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where scores of soldiers and civilians were reportedly killed and more than 300 residents abducted.

The terrorists had on Wednesday night stormed the community, burnt down a military base, and set several homes and shops ablaze while firing sporadically.

In a video obtained on Friday, five masked men speaking in Hausa claimed responsibility for the assault, declaring that they had taken control of the town.

One of the men, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the attackers intended to remain in Ngoshe and celebrate the forthcoming Eid-el-Fitr prayers at the town’s central mosque.

“In the name of Allah, the most merciful and most beneficial. We thank God Almighty for helping us succeed in our mission in Ngoshe. Today we are inside the central mosque in Ngoshe,” he said.

“People in this town are saying that we cannot conquer Ngoshe. With the help of God, we have already conquered the town.

“By the grace of God, we are going to stay in Ngoshe and make it part of our province and we are going to perform the Eid-el-Fitr prayer here after Ramadan.”

The spokesman further admitted that the attackers killed both men and women during the raid and abducted several residents whom they intended to enslave.

“We have slaughtered males and females in Ngoshe and we have enslaved the others. It was Almighty Allah that said that we should enslave them and go with them,” he said.

The group also threatened to extend its attacks to Maiduguri and Abuja.

Videos shared by the attackers reportedly showed scenes of violence, including the killing of young men and civilians during the assault.

Residents who fled the community expressed concern over elderly people and corpses left behind in the village as they escaped for safety.

Many survivors are currently scattered across neighbouring communities after fleeing with little or none of their belongings.

Eyewitnesses said the attack lasted several hours before the air component of Operation Hadin Kai intervened and forced the terrorists to retreat into nearby forests.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said several residents were still missing.

“Although some unknown number of civilians yet to be ascertained were also affected or killed. Some are still missing and probably some were abducted and taken towards the Mandara Mountains,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said authorities were still verifying the exact number of casualties and missing persons.

“On missing persons, we are in the process of verification; the actual figure is yet to be ascertained,” he said in a telephone interview.

Tar added that the state government had begun providing humanitarian support to displaced residents who are currently taking refuge in Pulka, another town in Gwoza LGA.

According to him, relief materials including rice, sugar, millet and blankets have been dispatched through the State Emergency Management Agency to support affected households.

He also noted that health and sanitation officials had been deployed to the area to prevent possible disease outbreaks among the displaced population.