DAMATURU — Tragedy struck in the early hours of Friday as Boko Haram insurgents launched coordinated midnight raids on two strategic security formations in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, leaving at least 36 security personnel dead.
The coordinated strikes, which began around 1:00 a.m., targeted the Theatre Training Centre in Buniyadi and the 27 Task Force Brigade located in Buni Gari—the ancestral home of Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.
The Theatre Training Centre bore the brunt of the onslaught. Sources within the facility, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed a harrowing scene where 17 Mobile Police officers and 10 soldiers, all undergoing specialized training, were gunned down. Six regular soldiers stationed at the centre also lost their lives in the desperate attempt to repel the invaders.
Simultaneously, the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari came under heavy fire. While the troops there managed to put up a stiff resistance, the attack claimed additional lives, bringing the total confirmed casualty count to 36.
“It was a bloodbath,” whispered a survivor from the 27 Task Force Brigade. “They came from the darkness with heavy weapons, and the gunfire was relentless. We fought back, but the initial shock was devastating.”
While the military high command and the Yobe State Government are yet to release a formal casualty list or detail the extent of equipment lost, high-level security sources confirmed the figures to our reporter.
The audacity of the attack on Buni Gari, a town that has repeatedly suffered at the hands of insurgents despite its high profile, has sent shockwaves through the region. Local residents, many of whom were jolted awake by the sounds of explosives and heavy artillery, are once again living in fear.
This latest breach comes as a grim reminder that despite sustained military offensives in the Northeast, the insurgents still retain the capacity to strike deep into fortified positions. As at the time of filing this report, security forces in Damaturu and surrounding local governments remain on red alert, with reinforcement patrols dispatched to the Gujba axis.
