Prosper Okoye
A group of suspected militants has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Ngoshe, a community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, where scores of soldiers and civilians were reportedly killed and more than 300 people abducted.
Residents said the attackers stormed the town late on Wednesday, setting a military base ablaze and opening fire on homes and shops. The assault forced many villagers to flee into surrounding communities, leaving behind their belongings.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn a video circulated on Friday, five armed men claiming to be behind the attack said they intended to seize the territory and remain in the town. Speaking in Hausa, one of the men declared that the group had taken control of Ngoshe and planned to observe the upcoming Eid-el-Fitr prayers in the town’s central mosque.
“We thank God for helping us succeed in our mission in Ngoshe,” the speaker said in the recording, adding that the group intended to incorporate the town into its territory.
The militants also claimed they had abducted residents during the raid and threatened to expand their activities to other areas, including Maiduguri and the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
Residents who fled the attack said the violence lasted for several hours before air support from Operation Hadin Kai, the Nigerian military’s counter-insurgency operation in the northeast, forced the attackers to retreat into nearby forests.
The spokesman for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed that the attack had occurred and said several residents remained unaccounted for.
“Some civilians were killed, although the exact number has not yet been determined. Some people are still missing and may have been abducted towards the Mandara Mountains,” he said.
Local survivors said many elderly residents and bodies were left behind as people fled the village in panic.
Authorities say efforts are underway to verify the number of casualties and missing persons.
Borno State’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said the government had begun providing relief to displaced residents who had gathered in the nearby town of Pulka.
According to him, emergency supplies including rice, sugar, millet and blankets have been dispatched to affected households through the State Emergency Management Agency.
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Health and sanitation officials have also been deployed to the area to prevent the outbreak of disease among displaced residents, he said.
Northeastern Nigeria has faced a prolonged insurgency by armed groups for more than a decade, with attacks frequently targeting villages, security forces and civilian infrastructure.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
