The Senator representing Borno Central in the National Assembly, Ahmed Zannah, on Wednesday raised the alarm that Boko Haram insurgents had started massacring teenage and adult males in its drive to expand its caliphate in the North –East.
Zannah also insisted that the insurgents had taken over Bama, a town less than 78 kilomitres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The Senator, who is a native of Bama, spoke just as Reuters news agency reported that the terrorist sect seized Bara, a community in Yobe State.
Recounting how he lost two of his nephews to the Monday/Tuesday attacks on Bama, Zannah said, “As I am speaking to you, Bama has been captured and the insurgents are on the prowl for any male on sight. Everyone is a target as long as you are a male but for now, women and children are being spared.”
He challenged the military authorities and the Borno State Government to take the media to Bama to cross-check his claims on Tuesday that Bama had been captured by Boko Haram.
The lawmaker said, “Both the military and Borno State Government are lying to Nigerians. To prove that I am the one misinforming the public, they should take journalists to the town to cross-check the fact.”
However, a top military officer told one of our correspondents that the troops were as of Tuesday night still in firm control of Bama, stressing that the insurgents were repelled from Bama with fighter jets and ground troops of the Nigerian Army.
The officer, who did not want to be named because he was not permitted to speak on the matter, added that the military had since deployed more men and weapons in Bama.
He said, “The soldiers are in control of Bama and they are in the barracks now. Even the soldiers that came to Maiduguri from Bama who were at Sector 9 and Sector 10 are back there.
“The commanders have also deployed more men; more arms and ammunition have also arrived so the soldiers are in the barracks now.
“Last night, two Air Force fighter jets and ground troops were used for the operation which led to their being dislodged from the town.
“It is not correct to say that only soldiers are there; Not all the residents fled to Maiduguri, some that relocated temporarily are back to their houses. The air strike affected only military and security formations where the insurgents launched attacks.”
The officer threw Zannah’s challenge back at him to take journalists to the town to verify his claims, adding that in a situation like this, it was easy for politicians to be involved in all “manner of cheap talks.”
Another security source said that some soldiers who retreated from Bama when they ran out of ammunition and were quartered at sectors 9 and 10 had all gone back on Wednesday.
The source said that the soldiers were in control of the Bama barracks and other security formations within the troubled town.
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