Residents of Mubi, the second largest town in Adamawa State, trooped to the streets of the town on Thursday when a team of local hunters, youth vigilante group and soldiers chased out the members of the Boko Haram militant group that captured and ruled over the town for about a month.
Sources said that the jubilation was wild by the residents, who continually marched on the streets and sang different songs of praises to the Lord.
It was learnt from the residents of the town, who spoke on the telephone to our correspondent that the battle to reclaim the town was fought by the military, local hunters and youth vigilante group members on one side against the heavily armed members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect on the other side.
After victory was recorded against the insurgents in a battle that took hours and left many residents of the town shell-shocked and shaken, they trooped to the streets and centre of the town to sing choruses of praises to the Lord, whom they said reclaimed their ancestral home for them.
Some of the residents said they were excited that their homes had been liberated from the hands of the Boko Haram insurgents, who had either been killed or chased out.
A resident, who identified himself as Adamu Bello, explained that most of the local hunters and youth vigilante groups were mobilised from as far as Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Borno states by some top politicians in Adamawa State.
He said the politicians saw that if they did not act on time, the entire Adamawa might fall into the hands of the insurgents in less than a month.
Bello claimed that over 30,000 persons were engaged to disperse the insurgents, revealing that the idea was initiated and supported by the Emir of Mubi, who saw his kingdom taken over by the terrorist group.
Residents of Mubi told our correspondent that about five Military Armoured Personnel Carriers and other war equipment were recovered from the terrorists.
A source said the 234 Army Battalion as well as other security formations in the area, which fell into the hands of the insurgents a month ago, had been recaptured.
The soldiers were said to be trooping in and out of the barracks taking strategic positions against any eventuality.
It was also confirmed that all the flags, hoisted by the insurgents in some government quarters, were destroyed and replaced with Nigerian flags while the Emir’s palace in Mubi, a town which the hoodlums renamed ‘Madinatul Islam’’, had been taken over by the Nigerian team.
Confirming the recapture of the town by the Nigerian troops, state Governor James Ngillari said in Yola on Thursday
that the insurgents had been flushed out of Mubi and had fled towards Mubi South.
Ngilari added that others had followed the tracks to Askira as a result of the tremendous efforts of the military, para military and local hunters.
Follow Us