Another Boko Haram attack rocks Adamawa community

Barely two days after a deadly incursion in Bangah, another brutal attack by Boko Haram insurgents has struck Dabna village in the Yadim/Dugwaba District of Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State.

Eyewitnesses reported that the insurgents stormed the community in large numbers late Friday night, wielding sophisticated weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and hoisted their flag after unleashing destruction.

The attack, which began around 10pm, lasted into the early hours of Saturday, leaving houses and properties in ruins.

A local source explained that the attackers operated just three kilometres away from Garaha, the hometown of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), where the situation threatened to escalate further.

“It took the combined intervention of the military, mobile police and vigilante groups to repel the Boko Haram attackers,” the source said. “They would have taken over Garaha too if not for that effort.”

The fresh onslaught follows a similarly violent attack on Bangah, a suburb of Garaha near the Sambisa forest and close to the Borno State border, where several lives were lost and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

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Dr Raymond Chidama, a prominent political figure from the area and the State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed grave concern over the frequency of the attacks. Speaking with our Yola correspondent, he said the continued violence had plunged the region into fear and uncertainty.

“These attacks have now become a daily affair, bringing terror and panic to the few residents remaining in the area,” Dr Chidama lamented. “Ninety percent of the residents have fled, leaving behind ghost communities with no clear hope of return.”

He noted that Dabna is facing repeated attacks, with this being the second major assault in less than a year, raising questions about the effectiveness of the government’s response.

A concerned resident from Hong Local Government also condemned the repeated incidents, calling them an attack on the entire community’s existence. “This is worrisome,” he said.

At the time of this report, fears are mounting that Boko Haram may be regrouping in the region for more coordinated and strategic offensives. Locals worry the current pattern of attacks is reminiscent of the lead-up to 2013–2014, when insurgents overran large parts of Borno, Yobe, and seven local government areas in Adamawa, including Hong.

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