A yet-to-be-identified group has claimed responsibility for the attack on Ngoshe, a community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where scores of soldiers and civilians were killed and over 300 abducted on Wednesday night.
PUNCH had reported that on Wednesday night, the terrorists stormed and burned down a military base in the community, shot sporadically and burned down homes and shops.
In a video obtained by our correspondent on Friday morning, the group, comprising five men, said they were determined to claim the territory and would celebrate the coming Eid-el-Fitr in the central mosque located in the community.
Speaking in Hausa on behalf of the group, one of them acknowledged that they beheaded men and women during the attack.
He said, “In the name of Allah, the most merciful and most beneficial.
“We thank God Almighty for helping us to succeed in our mission in Ngoshe. Today we are inside the central mosque in Ngoshe.
“People in this town are saying that we cannot conquer Ngoshe. With the help of God, we have already conquered the town.
“By the grace of God, we are going to stay in Ngoshe and make it part of our province and we are going to do the Eid-el-Fitr Salah after the end of Ramadan in Ngoshe.”
He also disclosed that many residents were abducted, with the intention of converting them into slaves.
“We have slaughtered males and females in Ngoshe and we have enslaved the others. It was Almighty Allah that said that we should enslave them and go with them,” he stated.
The group further vowed to extend its terror activities to Maiduguri and Abuja.
The men also released videos from the scene of the attack, showing them beheading young men and killing children and women.
Following the attack, PUNCH reported that residents of the Ngoshe community expressed strong concern over the condition of elderly people and dead bodies left in the village after the terrorists dispersed residents.
The survivors, who are currently scattered across communities in the local government, said they left behind all their belongings during the escape.
The attack, according to eyewitnesses, lasted for hours before the air component of Operation Hadin Kai mobilised to disperse the terrorists into the forest.
The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the attack to PUNCH, saying many residents were still missing.
“Although some unknown number of civilians yet to be ascertained were also affected or killed. Some are still missing and probably some were abducted and taken towards the Mandara Mountains,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, exclusively told PUNCH that efforts were ongoing to determine the actual number of victims.
“On missing persons, we are in the process of verification; the actual figure is yet to be ascertained,” he said in a telephone interview.
According to him, the state government had rolled out palliatives to support the survivors currently taking refuge in Pulka, another town in Gwoza LGA.
He said, “There is a standing protocol by the state government for providing support to people who are affected by conflicts. In the case of Ngoshe, the people were assembled at Pulka, a nearby town, and immediate support came from the local government.
“In addition, the state government, through the State Emergency Management Agency, has dispatched palliatives to all the victims and each household. The items include rice, sugar, millet and blankets. They will arrive tomorrow.”
“Currently, the people are comfortable and the military is on top of the situation, ensuring a security corridor for the transportation of items to the victims,” Usman assured, adding that healthcare and sanitation officials had also been dispatched to the location to prevent a disease outbreak.
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