Nigerian troops ‘chase Boko Haram out of Mubi’

Residents of Mubi in Adamawa state are saying Nigerian troops have recaptured the town, lost to Boko Haram fighters in an October 30 raid.

According to one of the residents, the Boko Haram militants are on the run, as the army has intensified its counter-attacks .

“Earlier today, soldiers launched a fierce attack, which saw the Boko Haram militants retreating,” he said.

“They have chased them away, but I’m not sure how far they went‎. Right now, people are still afraid of returning to the town because of the shock of the capture.

“And some are afraid that Boko Haram may return, that’s why the news is not being celebrated‎.”

The attack on the second largest town in the state forced thousands to flee, while those who could not escape were subjected to extreme hardship.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) said an estimated 13, 000 residents fled to Cameroon, as a result of the attack.

Boko Haram renamed the town Madinatul Islam and operated strict Sharia laws.

But Bala Ngilari, governor of Adamawa, told journalists on Thursday that an alliance including the military, local hunters and vigilante groups known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, chased the militants out.

“The insurgents have been flushed out of Mubi and are on the run,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Local hunter James Tutu also told the news agency that more than 75 militants had been killed in Maiha and several wounded.