Reports say that at least 100 young men were abducted by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State on Sunday, August 10, 2014.
The alleged abduction was said to have happened at Hadaija community, Doron Baga in Kukawa local government area of the state when the insurgents unleashed mayhem in the community, killing at about 6 people in the area.
According to reports, thousands have been displaced by the attack, with many seeking respite in other parts of Borno state while others have fled to neighbouring Yobe state.
Nigerian Tribune reports:
Speaking with some of the victims of the attack, who had fled their homes and headed for Gashua in Yobe State at the Borno Express terminus, Maiduguri, a young woman, Halima Alhaji Adamu, told the Nigerian Tribune that she lost her husband and six people from her immediate family.
She also said Hadaija community had about 100 of its young men abducted by the insurgents for recruitment.
According to her, several other communities within Doron Baga also lost many people, just as many were abducted by the insurgents.
Speaking on why she and the rest of her family could not take advantage of the refugee camps, she said she had her family members in Gashua, where they intended to go and stay before the unfortunate incident occurred.
Meanwhile, victims of insurgency attacks in Gwoza town, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, have said contrary to claims that military men were in Gwoza, fighting terrorists, realities on ground states otherwise.
The victims, who were brought into Maiduguri on Thursday, August 14, 2014 by one of the renown activists, Professor Hauwa Biu, gave the revelation on arrival.
According to one Zakariya Ibrahim, there was no military presence in Gwoza town in the last 10 days, “except the military authorities wanted to tell Nigerians that those occupying the troubled town were not Boko Haram insurgents.”
Speaking to newsmen, Ibrahim said it was only God who knew why they were still alive.
“What we have seen with our eyes is something we never thought we could see in our lifetime. Corpses are littered everywhere in Gwoza and every street has been turned into a graveyard. It was the women burying corpses, as no able-bodied man is spared by the sect members, who took control of our town.”
Narrating their ordeal, he said they started hearing gunshots at about 5.00 p.m. that fateful day while sitting in front of their shops and before they knew it, the sect members were everywhere and “we took to our heels. We could not wait to carry those who fell by their bullets; we did not know how we made it to the mountains.
“We got there anyway; some with broken limbs, others with torn muscles, broken arm or wounds. They pursued us to the mountains and we continued through the night until God, in his mercy, helped us to escape.”
He said anyone that came from behind came with a news.
According to them, the last of their group met them at Madagali on Wednesday and the news remained the same -that there was no soldier in Gwoza, as the sect members continued to kill whoever they sighted.
Another victim, Binta Sani, told the Nigerian Tribune that she ran with her sisters because the sect members told them that they were bringing their women to settle with them in Gwoza.
According to her, they left their aged parents and their sick brother at home with faith in God for their safety.