Score of residents are feared dead with the destruction of several telecommunication masts in Geidam town of Yobe State where suspected Boko Haram militants on Sunday carried out a prolonged attack.
Witnesses in Geidam town said that the attackers, who came in large numbers, launched a sustained attack on the community around 4:30 in the evening and it lasted throughout the night.
“I can confirm to you that so far, five people I know where killed by the attackers as I run out of the town. Before running out of the town I heard of the five deaths but I am sure several people were killed during the attack,” a witness said.
It was confirmed that the Divisional Police Station in the area, the Local Government secretariat and the Geidam central market were burnt by the attackers, as many food items as well as valuables were looted by the hoodlums.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Markus Danladi, who confirmed the attack, said that he was not authorized to speak on the attack as only the Defence Headquarters can give details on the attack.
The attack has displaced several residents from the town and the destruction of telecom masts in the area has further caused serious setbacks to the commercial town where exchange are carried out by the people of Nigeria and their Niger counterparts.
Geidam is a Local Government headquarters in Yobe State and located some 180KM away from Damaturu the state capital and 18Km to the Nigeria-Niger border.