The Army has denied reports that it has closed the Maiduguri/Monguno highway to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, following the ongoing onslaught on Boko Haram insurgents in Baga town by troops.
Theatre Command (Operation LAFIYA DOLE) Deputy Director, Public Relations, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, dismissed the reports and insinuations as untrue in a statement yesterday.
Col. Usman noted that troops have dominated the road with aggressive patrols to keep the highway safe for road users.
The statement: “The attention of the Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to the information making the rounds in the social media and some online blogs that the road connecting Maiduguri and Monguno town in Borno State, has been closed to motorists and other road users. This is untrue, as no such closure has been imposed by the Theatre Command.
“Contrary to the insinuation, Maiduguri -Monguno road remains open to motorists and all law abiding citizens. Troops are dominating the road with aggressive patrols, while clearance operations to flush out Boko Haram terrorists are ongoing in Baga general area.”
The statement also corroborated reports that some hunters in Yobe State dealt a heavy blow on the insurgents that invaded the town on Sunday night.
“Suspected Boko Haram fighters who invaded Buni- Gari, a town in Yobe state, got more than they bargained for when some hunters engaged them in a fierce battle on Sunday,” Col Onyema explained.
It was, however, learnt that all the soldiers at Buni Gari fled their camps after getting privileged information that the insurgents were coming to raid the camp.
The insurgents allegedly wrote a letter on their plan to raid the community.
A resident of Damaturu, who travelled to Buni Gari on Monday to check on his parents after the attack, told our correspondent on phone that he was informed that the military base in the town had been attacked.
The source said no house belonging to civilians in the village was torched.
The source also claimed that political posters and billboards, including those of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mai Mala Buni, who hails from the village, were destroyed by the insurgents.
“Some people are leaving for Damaturu and Buni Yadi, some are moving towards Biu area while others are heading towards Gulani,” the source said.
Buni Gari town is the home of the Yobe State APC governorship candidate. It is a small town in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, less than four kilometres to the 27 Taskforce Brigade in Buni Yadi, about 53 kilometres to Damaturu, the state capital.
