Soldier Opens Up On Gamboru-Ngala Attack

22 May, 2014

A Nigerian soldier currently serving in Borno State, on Wednesday, told an international media that soldiers were on ground when Gamboru Ngala, a neighbouring community in the Nigeria-Cameroon border was attacked by the Boko Haram sect on May 5.  

* Gamboru-Ngala Burnt Market
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 The soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity with the BBC Hausa Service said, they (soldiers) couldn't repel the attack because their commander didn't give them the order to do so, adding that aside the foot soldiers, choppers were also seen hovering the air while over 300 poor villagers were massacred with several buildings and market completely burnt. 
The soldier who confirmed that no help was rendered to the people during the attack said: "What I saw the day the attack took place really surprised me. Not only me, even my other colleagues were surprised, and we were all afraid. We entered Gamboru Ngala town few minutes to 5pm, we heard loud sounds and saw thick smokes from around the Gamboru market. We then realized that it was the market that was set ablaze. As we got to our camp at Gamboru, before our commander went to his office, he told the soldiers that nobody should dare go close to the town. He further said an all-round defence be deployed to guard our camp. But even when we were coming, we saw that soldiers with armoured tanks and all the weapons, police and members of Civilian JTF had already surrounded our camp".
He noted that: "Instead of him to direct us to go and face the insurgents, since we’re soldiers who know how to attack them, and the Civilian JTF are from the town who know where we would follow to enter the town so that the insurgents would not see us, that was not done".
The source while answering question on if he suspected any conspiracy said: "Exactly, we thought it was a set up. If he had allowed us to go into Gamboru town, I’m sure no member of Boko Haram would have escaped that day, because we soldiers were more than 200, and the Civilian JTF told us that only about 50 of the insurgents had guns. But we were shocked when our CO asked us not to go".

He revealed that insurgency can only be wiped out from the country when their high ranking officers disassociate themselves from it.
"If our superiors don’t remove their hands from this issue, I can assure you the Boko Haram insurgency would not be tackled. We saw a chopper right at the point the insurgents were operating giving them cover. We learnt those in the chopper were instructed to attack the armoured tank brought by the insurgents, but that was not done. If they didn’t allow us to face the insurgents, why didn’t the chopper attack? That is where you’ll see complicity clearly" the soldier said.
When contacted, Mike Omeri, the chairman of the National Information Centre on security and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, he said the allegations were untrue and baseless.
"You know Nigerian soldiers are experts; they know what they’re doing. If they ever get such information, they immediately swing into action and do the right thing" Omeri said. "We heard about the incident of Gamboru Ngala that soldiers were initially told about the attack. But we later discovered it wasn’t true. I am sure whatever comes to our soldiers, they investigate to see what it is and tackle it".   

Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad popularly known as Boko Haram in Hausa which means "Western education is sin”. The terrorist group which has its strong hold in the northeastern part of the country, Cameroon and Niger, has carried out several attacks and bombings which have claimed thousands of innocent souls in their quest to Islamise the country and put an end to what they described as westernisation.

The sect, who is also responsible for the abduction of over 234 school girls from GGSS, Chibok, Borno State is suspected to be responsible for Tuesday’s twin bomb blast in Jos, the capital of Plateau State where over 200 lives were lost. The militants also killed about 20 people in another attack launched in Alagarno village in the same state.   
The sect’s menace has however, attracted the attention of international communities like France, U.S, China, Israel among others, whom have all volunteered to help the Nigerian Government in flushing them out as well as rescuing the kidnapped school girls. 
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READ MORE:  https://news.naij.com/66837.html Soldier Opens Up On Gamboru-Ngala Attack