Report says Boko Haram has captured Marte, Borno town

Boko Haram terrorists, believed to be backed by Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), are said to have captured Marte, headquarters of Marte Local Government Area of Borno State.

The development reportedly happened on Sunday after the terrorist group stormed the Marte military base, 153 Task Force Battalion, and had upper hand over soldiers in the area who tried to repel them.

Quoting reliable resources, Daily Trust said the insurgents shot sporadically as they stormed the town and in the process razed “everything.”

A military source told the newspaper, “The insurgents seem not to have intended harming any civilian, but only to capture the town; so they stormed the military base, taking troops there unawares at about 6pm, much less than an hour to break fast time.”

“We engaged them in a fierce encounter for about an hour. Initially, we were about getting victorious over them, but they overpowered us, and all troops in the burning base were set asunder, with all of us fleeing in all directions in the bush.

“I can tell you that we were about defeating them; but God knows the tactics they later deployed and the defeat turned against us; we all fled; they are in control of the town now.

“Many of us who are lucky to find our way to Maiduguri or any safe community will elope to their home states across the country to relieve themselves of the trauma for a few weeks before returning to Maiduguri for the convergence of the troops.”

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Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, had recently boasted that Boko Haram had been defeated and will never again return in the North East.

He had, however, noted that reports of attacks still occurring in North East is coming from Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), which he said is a group of international criminal organizations that are only trying make use of openings created by the breakdown of law and order in some neighbouring countries to perpetrate criminality in the West African sub-region.

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