Taiwo POPOOLA
Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have killed a vigilante commander and four civilians in an attack on Wumbi community, Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, saying a vigilante leader and four others were killed in the attack.
Daso said further details would be provided when available.
Sources said the attack occurred on Monday, September 21, but information about the incident was delayed due to the lack of telecommunications services in the area.
According to a source, the attackers arrived in large numbers armed with rifles, improvised explosive devices and other weapons, forcing many farmers to flee.
The source said the vigilante commander was left behind and subsequently surrounded and killed by the attackers, who allegedly placed an explosive device on his remains before fleeing the scene.
CJTF members, vigilantes and civilians later mobilised to evacuate the remains, but the device exploded, killing four additional people and injuring scores of others.
Wumbi, an agrarian community near the Cameroon border, has been largely deserted because of insecurity. Some residents have reportedly relocated across the border and returned to farm under the protection of CJTF members and vigilantes.
The circumstances surrounding the attack could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Bama/Ngala/Kala-Balge Federal Constituency in the 2027 elections, Mustapha Babani, expressed condolences to the affected families and residents of Wumbi.
