22nd December, 2019
An attempted invasion of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state in Nigeria’s north east was thwarted by Nigeria’s military on Sunday.
According to residents, the insurgents suspected to be members of the ISWAP, attacked Babbangida town, some kilometres away from the capital, seizing Gashua Road near the Police Force Headquarters around 5:30 pm on Sunday.
The Assistant Director of Army Pubic Relations Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, Captain Njoka Irabor, confirmed the attack in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria.
He gave the precise location as Gonar Bukar settlement on Gashua Road on the outskirts of Damaturu.
He said the jihadists attempted to infiltrate Damaturu metropolis.
He said that troops engaged the insurgents “with the timely arrival of air taskforce and that troops “are on top of the situation’’.
The insurgents, he said, were forced to beat a retreat.
” Damaturu is not under attack, people are quick in spreading fake news. Damaturu is safe”, tweeted Shehu Zubair, a likely resident of the Yobe capital.
“The place under attack is Babban gida town, which is far from the metropolitan (Damaturu). The Boko Haram were attempting to invade Damaturu”, he added.
The attack on Sunday was the third by ISWAP in two months.