Nigerian soldiers: praises from residents of liberated towns

Residents of Damaturu, Yobe, have commended security agencies, especially the military, for repelling the insurgents’ attacks on the town on Monday.

Dozens of people were killed and many others sustained injuries during the attack which lasted for several hours before the Boko Haram sect members were defeated.

Malam Usman Kabir, a Damaturu-based trader, said the military did a great job by repelling the invasion.

“The soldiers have demonstrated commitment and determination in defeating the Boko Haram insurgents,” Kabir said.

Mr Jacob Sunday, a plumber, said that the success of the military had enhanced public confidence in the ability of the soldiers to defeat the insurgents.

Sunday appealed to fellow residents of the town to continue to support and cooperate with the security agencies to restore peace and harmony in the state.

Hajiya Aisha Umar, a civil servant, commended the security agencies for defeating the insurgents.

“The soldiers have done us proud by repelling the Boko Haram attack.We really appreciate their sacrifice,” Umar said.

Residents of Gombi and Hong local government areas of Adamawa have also started returning home after the military in collaboration with local hunters and vigilante groups cleared the areas of insurgents.

The inhabitants had deserted the areas following insurgents’ attacks about a month ago.

The Secretary of the Joint National Association of People with Disability (JNAPD), Malam Mohammed Ardo, who resides in Gombi, said normalcy had returned to the town.

“Things have normalised in Gombi; shops are opening for business and many people who left for the past one month due to the insurgents’ attacks are now returning,” Ardo said.

Ardo who spoke to NAN on telephone from Gombi said, however, that there was heavy military presence in the town with check points mounted at strategic places to forestall any attempt by the insurgents to return.

People are also returning to Hong, though not as many as those of Gombi due to the restriction of vehicular movement in the area.

Hussaini Musa, a resident of Hong, said normalcy was returning to the town as people were returning in trickles.

“People have started returning though some of them only come to assess the situation in the town to pick a thing or two and go back to Yola because of this restriction of movement of vehicles,” Musa said.

NAN also reports that most residents of Song Local Government Area who had fled for fear of possible insurgents’ attack, have returned.

“Things are back in shape in Song. Work has resumed fully at the Local Government Council secretariat and market activities have picked up,” Jonathan Isa, a staff of Song Local Government, said.