Suspected Boko Haram militants have abducted more than 300 residents during a deadly overnight attack on Ngoshe community in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state, forcing thousands of survivors to flee to a nearby town, residents and officials said Thursday.
The attackers stormed the community in Gwoza Local Government Area around 1 a.m. Wednesday after first targeting a military base in the area, witnesses said. The assault lasted several hours, leaving homes burned and residents fleeing into surrounding bushes for safety.
Survivors said many residents later escaped to the nearby town of Pulka, where displaced families have been sleeping along roads and inside school buildings out of fear of further attacks.
Nigeria’s military later deployed air support to repel the attackers, according to local sources, while surveillance aircraft tracked the militants along known escape routes and carried out airstrikes that killed more than 50 fighters.
The spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the attack and said the number of casualties and abducted residents was still being determined.
“Some civilians whose number is yet to be ascertained were affected or killed during the attack,” Daso said. “Several others are still missing and may have been abducted and taken towards the Mandara Mountains.”
Local lawmaker Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, condemned the attack and said insurgents overran the military formation in Ngoshe before unleashing violence on the community.
“The military base in the community was dislodged, with some major equipment destroyed,” Ndume told journalists. “Residential houses and property worth millions of naira were also set ablaze.”
Ndume said several community leaders, including the chief imam, and some soldiers were among those killed. He added that more than 100 residents remained missing following the raid.
Local officials and residents, however, said the number of abducted people could exceed 300.
District secretary of Ngoshe, Shuaibu Dabawa, said many residents fled into the bush when gunfire erupted.
“More than 300 people were abducted by the terrorists during the attack,” Dabawa said. “There is currently no military presence in Ngoshe, which has heightened security concerns.”
Many displaced residents are now scattered across Pulka, with some sheltering in open spaces and others staying at the town’s Central Primary School.
Survivors described dire conditions at the temporary shelter and appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance.
“Many people are camped at Central Primary School in Pulka,” said Amina Halidu, a displaced resident. “There is no water, no food and no proper shelter. Most of the displaced persons are women and children.”
The Borno State commissioner for information and internal security, Usman Tar, said the state government had begun providing assistance to the displaced residents.
He said emergency supplies, including rice, sugar, millet and blankets, had been dispatched through the state emergency management agency, along with health and sanitation teams.
“The military is on top of the situation and making sure there is a security corridor for the transportation of the items to the victims,” Tar said, adding that authorities were still verifying the number of missing residents.
Security sources also said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shuabi, is expected to visit Ngoshe on Friday to assess the situation and meet with affected residents.
