KANO, Nigeria (AFP) ― Boko Haram on Monday overran a border town in northeast Nigeria, forcing residents and soldiers to flee in the latest indication of the militants’ growing ability to strike at will and unchecked.
The attack on Gamboru Ngala came after the town was almost entirely destroyed in a devastating assault in May that left more than 300 people dead and prompted outrage at the lack of military response.
Many residents sought refuge from the latest strike across the border in the northern Cameroon town of Fotokol, where Cameroonian troop reinforcements were sent, a security service source said.
Nigerian soldiers were said to be among the exodus, according to locals and the Cameroon military, which said “more than 450” had fled their posts on Sunday from elsewhere in Borno state in fear of Boko Haram attacks.
Nigeria’s military dismissed the claims and maintained that the troops were “charging through the borders in a tactical maneuver” when they found themselves on Cameroonian soil.
Several residents who made it across the frontier said the militants had taken over the town after the assault began at about 5:30 a.m., with fierce gunfire throughout the day forcing some frightened residents to lock themselves in their homes.
In Fotokol, residents also reported hearing “intense” fighting.
“Boko Haram is in control of Gamboru Ngala. They have taken over the Harmony (military) camp, the police station and the customs barracks near the border,” Idris Gwoni said Monday evening, in an account supported by other locals.
“They encountered stiff resistance from the military, who engaged them in gun battle for several hours, but the soldiers were subdued and forced to flee into Cameroon.
“The insurgents have not touched any civilians and allow residents to stay or leave. I decided to leave because I can’t trust Boko Haram.”
Cameroon said on August 18 that it had closed its vast border with Nigeria to guard against the spread of Ebola, which has caused five deaths in the country’s financial capital, Lagos, in the far southwest.
But few believed that Cameroon had the resources needed to seal all the possible crossing points along the roughly 1,600-kilometer frontier.
