A recent Boko Haram attack on the Gartamawa community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State resulted in the tragic loss of twelve lives, with two others sustaining injuries.
Located 125 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, Chibok LGA in Southern Borno has witnessed devastation from terrorism over the past 14 years, marked by numerous abductions by Boko Haram insurgents.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the attack to Channels Television on Wednesday, stating that it occurred on Monday evening.
According to Police Public Relations Officer Nahum Daso, the assailants, arriving in large numbers with Hilux vans and motorcycles, indiscriminately fired shots.
The incident resulted in the tragic loss of twelve lives, with two others sustaining injuries. While further details were not provided by Daso, reports from residents suggest that the terrorists, armed with rifles, attacked the community, targeting mourners.
“The terrorists stormed the community of Gatamarwa around 5 pm on Monday during the New Year celebration heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, came on motorcycles and Hilux vans and opened fire on mourners returning from Gatamarwa.
“They later attacked another Tsiha community near Shikarkir and killed three people and abducted a young lady burning houses and looting their foodstuffs,” the source said.
Monday’s incident occurred approximately a month after terrorists destroyed four electric towers along the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway. This act followed a similar attack in 2021, eleven months after power was restored to Maiduguri.
Over the past two years, jihadist attacks have extended beyond their stronghold in northeast Borno State, affecting various sectors such as farmers, loggers, herders, and fishermen.
These groups are accused of espionage, providing information to the military and militias combating the insurgency. The region has witnessed a shift in tactics, with militants targeting civilians.
Notably, the 2020 massacre in Zabarmari’s Koshobe village marked a new level of brutality, claiming the lives of 76 farmers.
While attacks in Nigeria’s northeast have diminished since the conflict’s peak, insurgents still engage in raids on rural areas, target military bases, and ambush convoys. The ongoing insurgency crisis has resulted in the death of 40,000 people and displaced approximately two millio