Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima heard yesterday that Boko Haram members invaded Gamboru, a commercial town near the nation’s border with Cameroon last Monday, with armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
The residents said the sect members invaded the town at 1am and operated till 9am without being challenged by security agencies.
Last Monday, Boko Haram killed over 300 people and burnt the markets in the town in a daring overnight attack.
Shettima commiserated with the bereaved families and promised to assist the traders to return to business.
He said: “If a trader lost goods worth N100 or even N10 million, we will try our best to augment with the little resources at our disposal. We may not be able to meet all your expectations at this trying time, but I assure you we will do our best.”
The governor cautioned that the task of rebuilding Gamboru should not be left to the government alone.
He said all should work together to restore the town’s commercial strength which had given it an international status.
A resident, Musa Gamboru, told our reporter what the town experienced during the hours of Boko Haram siege.
He said: “They (Boko Haram members) burnt down the market and most structures of economic value to the people. All the trailers waiting to carry goods from here to Cameroon and other states of the country were equally burnt down.
“We are not happy about the way they laid siege on our town and render us economically useless. The soldiers had a clear signal that the sect members were coming, because they came with four small sized armoured tanks. They were shooting from afar such that the residents of Ngala (a neighbouring town) could hear the artillery. Most of us took off before they surrounded the town.
“My brother, you can’t believe this: they took several bags of beans and assorted grains and burnt down the remaining so that the people would not be left even with crumbs to eat or sell the next day.
“That was the fourth time they visited us and the only time they succeeded in penetrating the place, killing over 200 of our people.”