Troops overpowered as ISWAP reportedly attacks town in North-East Nigeria

Suspected members of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) in the early hours of Monday attacked Rann, a town in Borno State.

Residents told journalists the insurgents stormed the town at 1:30 a.m., shot sporadically, and forced the people to scamper for safety.

The hoodlums also overpowered troops who attempted to engage them in a gun duel.

“The insurgents have taken over control of the town,” a resident said.

Rann is the headquarters of Kala Balge local government area of Borno State.

The town had recorded a few cases of violent attacks in the last years.

READ ALSO: Destroy Boko Haram, ISWAP’s enclaves, COAS charges troops

The Nigerian Air Force on January 17, 2017, mistakenly bombed an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Rann, leaving at least 52 people dead and over 100 others injured.

Two years later, the town was overrun by Boko Haram insurgents who forced many residents to escape across a border community in Cameroon.

Although the Nigerian military and allied Cameroonian Armed Forces subsequently retook Rann, they later abandoned it.

The insurgency launched another raid on the town on January 29, 2019. The militants set the settlement ablaze, murdered local elders, and caused tens of thousands to flee the town.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now