TheCable

Boko Haram insurgents are still in control of Bama, a town in Borno state, north-eastern Nigeria, contrary to recent media reports.

Yobe, though, is now free from the grip of the insurgents.

The Nigerian military on Monday announced that Goniri, the last stronghold of the terror group in Yobe state, had been retaken.

Bama, the second largest town in Borno, was seized by Boko Haram in September 2014. Since the capture of the town, attempts by the Nigerian military to expel the militants have failed.

But last Tuesday, news filtered through different media that the town which is 70 km away from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, had been retaken by Nigerian troops.

To verify the fusillade reports, TheCable contacted Chris Olukolade, a major-general and director of defence information, and he refuted the reports.

“That is not true for now,” he had said. “Please wait a while. We will tell you when it is duly accomplished.”

A security source directly involved in the Boko Haram battle then confirmed that the town was still in the grip of Boko Haram.

“We are not yet in control of Bama because of the mines on the land,” he said.

The Nigeria military has retaken 37 towns in the northeast, including Gamboru, Ngala, Kala-Balge, Marte, Abadam, Monguno, Kukawa, Damasak, Mafa and Dikwa.

Bama and Gwoza remain the two major strongholds of the insurgents, who have laced the towns with mines.

Adamawa, one of the three states under the threat of Boko Haram, was freed of the militants last week. However, the vanishing vestiges of the terror group are still visible in Borno.