Residents of Chibok and Damboa in Borno State have raised the alarm over a possible attack by the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) faction of the Boko Haram terrorists.
Some of the residents who called to The Cable on Tuesday morning said they had been noticing how the terrorists gathered at Gumsuri Litawa since Christmas eve.
Gumsuri Litawa is an area between Chibok and Damboa — and about 22 or 12 kilometres away.
The residents said such gatherings are usually prior to an attack on the communities.
“When they gather like that, they start to infiltrate the towns and before you know it, they have launched an attack,” one of the residents said.
The residents added that they had already informed the army formations in the area but no action had been taken yet.
While the army’s 25 brigade is headquartered in Damboa, the 28 taskforce brigade is in Chibok.
“Troops normally patrol this general area, but they have stopped and we don’t know why,” one of the residents in Chibok said.
The army’s spokesperson, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, was not immediately available to comment on the development.
In October, the insurgents attacked Damboa with about 15 gun trucks.
Dzarma Zirkusu, commander of the brigade in Chibok, was killed by the insurgents in November.
Two days to Christmas, ISWAP launched multiple attacks on Maiduguri, the state capital, as President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting the state.
