Nigerian Military Reclaim Bama

Following a week of fierce battle with Boko Haram insurgents, Nigerian military have reportedly reclaimed Bama, Borno State.

Nigerian soldiers

According to Vanguard, the success of the operation was on yesterday confirmed by the military sources in Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
“Our tactical aerial attacks to reclaim this town had been effective and yielding the desired results. This will enable the fleeing residents and villagers to return within the shortest period of time.”

Mustapha Modu, who had fled to Maiduguri in fear for his life, said, however, that weekend clashes claimed a lot of lives of civilians and caused serious damage to the property as the militants used residents as human shields.



One of the sources narrated how the troops prevailed:
“The first attacks didn’t really make the expected impact but the second round of bombardment really injured those Boko Haram boys, which is why they are retreating now. They are no deeper into Bama, while our people are advancing and gaining territory. The Boko Haram boys are right now retreating.”

While Bama has been returned, the situation in some other parts of the state is still “volatile” and the battle is ongoing, another source said.

Top military officer revealed:
“We don’t want to say anything official but there are still fights going on in different places and on different scales, especially by air. This is a critical and unusual time,” the senior military officer said.
He also added that both aerial and ground campaigns contribute to the effectiveness of the operations.
Speaking about the situation in Gwoza, the first town claimed by Boko Haram leader as part of the caliphate, a source from Maiduguri said:

“Gwoza is still a no-go area, I must tell you the truth, as the town is firmly in hands of the Boko Haram terrorists. We are currently focusing on Bama before advancing to other areas in northern and southern parts of Borno state.”

It would be recalled that the fight for Bama had continued for about a week. Within this period sketchy information was provided on the issue. While some source claimed the town had been freed, the other official source insisted it was still under control of insurgents.
Meanwhile according to the latest update, militants have overrun the key town of Adamawa State, Michika in a weekend raid.