Several rocket-propelled grenades were launched into a community in Borno State by insurgents, resulting in at least five fatalities and 11 injuries.
Numerous fighters attempted to attack the town of Damboa late on Friday but were greeted with fierce opposition by the paramilitary group that supports the armed forces, according to two anti-insurgents militia commanders who spoke to newsmen on Sunday.
The attack is the most recent in Nigeria’s northeast’s 14-year insurgents struggle, which has claimed 40,000 lives and forced more than two million people from their homes since 2009.
“Out of desperation, the insurgents fired an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) on the town from a distance, which killed five people and injured 11 others,” said Babakura Kolo, a militia leader in the region.
According to Ibrahim Liman, a second militia commander, the five deceased victims were laid to rest on Saturday while the wounded were transported by helicopter to the regional capital Maiduguri for medical care.
When contacted for comment, the army, whose soldiers were in the town defending the military base, did not immediately return the call.
A wildlife reserve that has turned into an insurgents stronghold, Damboa is located about 90 kilometres south of Maiduguri. Fighters have routinely attacked locals and a military post there.
Although the Boko Haram and its rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), commonly launch RPG attacks on military targets, they rarely use them on civilians.
Boko Haram has often launched rocket-propelled grenade volleys against Maiduguri in an effort to seize control of the city; the most recent attack occurred in February 2021, when, according to officials, 10 people were killed and about 60 were injured.
At least five people were hurt when jihadists opened fire with several mortar bombs on voters in February on the day of a presidential election from mountains overlooking the town of Gwoza on the Cameroonian border.
Seven people were killed in September 2017 when Boko Haram extremists in two pickup vehicles launched a rocket-propelled grenade into a camp for displaced people in the town of Ngala, which is also close to the Cameroonian border.
