Mars, the Dikva community in Borno three days later is still ruled by Boko Haram, war source, Cleric Say

Three days after Army Chief of Staff Ibrahim Attahiru gave the troops 48 hours to reclaim the rebel-held settlements and enclaves in Boko Haram, Sahara Reporter learned that towns and villages in the Mars and Dikwa Local Government Areas of Borno State are all are still under the control of terrorists. …

SaharaReporter said the terrorists also raised their flag in many places in the population centers.

Boko Haram terrorists
Boko Haram
On Sunday, Attahira, during an operational visit to Dikwa, presented troops with a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the release of Boko Haram rebels from the occupied areas of the state.

He said: “The areas around Mars, Chikingdu, Vulgo, Cyrene and Kirta must be cleared within the next 48 hours. You mustn’t let this nation down. Come back and do what you need to do and I’ll be right behind you. …

“You have to make sure you get all the support you need for this very difficult task. Whether you are aware of the recent attack on Dikva and Mars, you must not let it happen again; follow them and chase those bastards away. “

According to Sahara reporters, 72 hours after the order, most of the villages on Mars, including Kyrenova, the largest city in the LGA, are still under the control of the Boko Haram sect.

The villagers are also being used by militants as human shields to avoid air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force, according to a military source.

However, a source told Sahara Reporter that the military hopes to expel the rebels from the designated areas in the next 24 hours.

“Dikva is no longer under attack, just Mars and a few villages, and we will return it today or tomorrow,” he said.

On Monday 15 February, the rebels invaded the communities, and while most of the villagers escaped for safety, some were detained by the rebels.

SaharaReporter learned that the militants came with heavy machine guns and trucks to undergo military training on Mars, including combat vehicles and high-end vehicles.

Although a military source said Dikwa had not been attacked, Pastor Callamu Musa Ali Dikwa, director general of the Nigeria Justice Center for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, who was born in the local government area, said some villages were besieged by Boko Haram by terrorists. more than six years, and that nothing has changed since the ultimatum given by the army chief of staff.

According to him, the military forces suppressed the Boko Haram terrorists in the city of Dikwa, especially at the local government headquarters, but the villages are still under the control of the rebels.

Dikwa said this in response to a 48-hour ultimatum presented to Attahir by Operation Lafia Dole troops to return Cyrene, Kirta, Vulgo, Chikingudo and other communities under Boko Haram’s control.

The priest said: “Boko Haram failed to capture the city of Dikva, they tried to enter, but met resistance from the soldiers, but terrorists took control of our villages. This happened six years ago, and the servicemen were unable to break into our villages to take them out of Boko Haram, they are sitting in the city. Soldiers at the headquarters of local government.

“There is a place in Dikva called Banks; The servicemen are there, but there are no villagers, they all moved to camps for internally displaced persons.

“These terrorists have also taken over Mars. Like this morning (Tuesday), Mars is still overtaking Boko Haram, there is no military intervention yet. “

He said the military should stop deceiving Nigerians by giving soldiers a 48-hour ultimatum to return these parts of Borno State from the Boko Haram terrorists.

Dikwa said the troops cannot return the aforementioned areas within 48 hours.

The priest questioned the COAS directive when his predecessor, Tukur Buratay, earlier stated that the uprising in the northeast would take 20 years.

He said: “When Buratai said that it would take more than 20 years to fight the uprising, he knew what he was talking about. All of these military orders, which order soldiers to return to the area in less than 48 hours, are being deceived.

“For a person to say that it will take 20 years to fight the uprising, they know what they have done, they know what they have done. They give orders only formally. There is an NGO negotiating with Boko Haram to release the people after paying the ransom, which Buratai is believed to be sponsoring. The current chief of staff of the army and the former general staff, how are they different? “

According to reports, the governor of Borno Babagan State Umar Zulum expressed confidence that Nigerian troops will return Mars and its surroundings within 48 hours, put in front of them.

SaharaReporters recalled that in 2012 Mars was captured by Boko Haram fighters, who held power for more than two years in the midst of their territorial conquests.

However, on February 2, 2015, the Nigerian army recaptured the city from terrorists, including such large cities as Gambooru, Mafa, Mallam Fatori and Abadam.

Boko Haram and its offshoot, the West African province of the Islamic State, have become more ferocious lately.

The Nigerian military has repeatedly stated that the uprising was largely suppressed and often underestimated the losses.

The terrorist group killed more than 40,000 people and displaced millions, mainly in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Source: – Sahara Reporter.