Terrorists Overrun Resettled Borno Community
Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters have dislodged a military base and slaughtered dozens in the resettled community of Ngoshe, Borno State. Senator Ali Ndume confirmed on Thursday that the insurgents launched the assault on Tuesday evening, precisely as residents were breaking their Ramadan fast. The attackers overwhelmed the local military formation with superior firepower, including rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns. Over 100 people are currently missing or abducted, while thousands have fled to the nearby Pulka community.
The Chief Imam of Ngoshe, several community elders, and an unspecified number of soldiers were among those killed in the raid. Insurgents set fire to residential houses and destroyed millions of naira worth of property before retreating toward the Mandara Mountains. While the air component of “Operation HADIN KAI” reportedly neutralised some fleeing terrorists, the ground base remains heavily damaged. Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu of the 7 Division is currently on-site to assess the carnage and attempt to restore civil authority.
The fall of Ngoshe represents a significant setback for the government’s flagship resettlement programme. Governor Babagana Zulum has spent years encouraging displaced persons to return to liberated ancestral lands to restore normalcy. This attack proves that “liberated” is a relative term in Southern Borno. The insurgents reportedly used drones and sophisticated technological weaponry to coordinate the strike, highlighting a growing equipment gap between the state and the sect.
Senator Ndume has lambasted the federal government for failing to provide adequate hardware to frontline troops. He alleged that Nigerian soldiers are often left to face rocket launchers with only AK-47 rifles. The Senator further criticised the relocation of attack helicopters and fighter jets to the North-West and Central regions, leaving the North-East vulnerable. Without stationed aerial support, the rugged terrain of the Mandara Mountains remains an easy sanctuary for the insurgents.
The humanitarian fallout is already straining local resources in Pulka, where survivors are arriving with nothing. The Gwoza Youth Forum has launched an emergency appeal for clothes, food, and medicine to support the displaced women and children. State emergency agencies (SEMA) are now liaising with local leaders to move relief items into the area. However, providing aid is a temporary fix for a much deeper security failure that has once again emptied a “secured” town.
President Bola Tinubu is now under fresh pressure to intensify “Operation DESERT SANITY V” in the Sambisa Forest. Ndume insists that military operations must be continuous rather than intermittent to prevent terrorists from regrouping. If the government cannot protect its newly resettled communities, the entire return-to-farm policy faces collapse. For the people of Ngoshe, the promise of safety has once again proven to be a thin and deadly illusion.