Over 2,000 Nigeria Civilians Displaced After Borno Attack

At least 2,000 civilians have been displaced following a fresh attack on a community in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State by Boko Haram militants, a local official said Tuesday.



Deputy governor of the embattled Borno State Alhaji Zanna Umar Mustapha told reporters that residents of Bama fled the town following fierce clashes between army forces and attacking Boko Haram militants.



Scores were said to have been killed in the Boko Haram attack though the authorities are yet to give an official confirmation of the death toll.



The official asserted the army is in control of the situation in contrary to reports which suggested the insurgents may have taken over the area.



"Bama has not fallen in the hand of the insurgents. The military are in control," he said.



"The attack on Bama town yesterday was very unfortunate, but I want to reassure our people that the government is on top of the situation," he said.



"Already those [displaced] … are being taken care of and our security forces are engaging the insurgence in a fierce battle which is worthy of commendation," he said.



He appealed to the local residents to desist from spreading information in the media that could create "unnecessary panic."



He said the displaced residents have been moved to an existing internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp and a public school in the provincial  capital Maiduguri.



Bama is located in the central part of Borno, about 85 kilometers of Maiduguri. The Monday attack was the third by Boko Haram against the town since 2009.



Militants attempted to take Bama in 2013 and again in February of this year. Both attempts were thwarted by the army, however, leaving casualties on both sides.



Boko Haram has already overrun the towns of Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa and Gwoza, all in Borno; Buni Yadi in the neighboring Yobe State; and Madagali in Adamawa State.



The group's elusive leader, Abubakar Shekau, recently declared all territories under Boko Haram control to be part of an "Islamic caliphate" in northern Nigeria.



The Nigerian military, for its part, rejects the group's claims, insisting that no part of the country had – or would be – conceded to Boko Haram.



Since May of last year, the three northeastern states – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – have all remained in a state of emergency imposed by the government with the stated aim of curbing the Boko Haram "menace."



By Olarewaju Kola



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Borno