No fewer than 70 Boko Haram fighters were
killed by a combined force of local vigilantes
and hunters in Maiha Local Government area
of Adamawa State, as the insurgents
attempted to install an Amir (leader),
residents of the area have said.
Maiha town, which is about 25 kilometers
from Mubi – the hometown of the Chief of
Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh
– which was captured about two weeks ago,
and about 200km from Yola the
state capital, has now been liberated from
the stranglehold of the insurgents.
Maiha fell to the insurgents on Monday after
they launched an offensive, which claimed
the lives of several soldiers, including a
lieutenant colonel, while those that managed
to survive the onslaught, reportedly deserted.
Afterwards, local hunters and vigilante
groups mobilized themselves and took the
war to the insurgents, who were on the verge
of establishing their authority in the town.
The local hunters and vigilante groups were
reported to have overwhelmed the insurgents
as they confronted them in their hundreds,
killing dozens of the terrorists and
recapturing the town. They also vowed to
repel any further attacks on their town.
A resident, Mallam Sani Pella, said that
before the attack on the insurgents, he saw
about 10 truckloads of the local fighters
heading towards Maiha.
Another resident of the area, who affirmed
that about 75 insurgents were killed in the
battle, said no member of the Boko Haram
sect has been sighted in Maiha as they had
all retreated to Mubi following the crushing
defeat they suffered.
Confirming the development to PREMIUM
TIMES , a local hunter, Baba Dauda, said that
the hunters made up their minds to fight
because the insurgents had been killing and
maiming far too many people.
“We had to wake up and fight the bastards
that keep plaguing our societies killing
innocent souls.
“People should brace up and start fighting
them; we killed many of them. We are not
afraid of being killed”, he added.
Following the attack, it was gathered that
remaining residents, who were trapped when
the insurgents captured Maiha town, have
now started fleeing to Yola, the Adamawa
State, in fear of reprisal by the insurgents.
Information Nigeria reports that the Boko
Haram insurgents have taken over many
towns and villages in Adamawa State,
including Madagali, Michika, Mubi (North and
South).
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