× 1 of 3 Expand Locals figting against Boko Haram Rann locals fighting back × 2 of 3 Expand Borno Locals Locals preparing a resistance × 3 of 3 Expand Abubakar Shekau Prev Next

By Peregrino Brimah

The rise of civilians against terror has taken the Boko Haram saga to a new turn.

Citizens of Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge a local government area in northeast Borno, received intelligence of an impending Boko Haram attack and decided not to remain sitting ducks but prepare for battle.

According to reports received from Civilian sources in Borno, over 400 Boko Haram terrorists stormed Rann and neighbouring villages in the early hours of Tuesday. They proceeded with their usual convoy of Hilux trucks, motorcycles and APC (Armored Personnel Carriers) only to be met by villagers ready for them. The civilian villagers pounced on the terrorists with mere rocks, bows and arrows, local Dane guns, swords and “charms”. The battle raged till the sunrise and ended with the civilians killing over 200 Boko Haram terrorists, capturing several prisoners and recovering several of their vehicles.

A civilian, who participated in defending the neighbourhoods, said, “Our people also recovered over 70 motorcycles that the attackers came with. They also collected 2 Hilux vehicles and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) while some of the attackers were captured alive”.

This amazing victory of good over evil, promises a new direction in the war against terror that has wrecked hundreds of farming villages in the north of Nigeria in the last four years, largely unchecked by State security. Civilians are determined to arrest a situation they believe the Nigerian security services has allowed to destroy their farming villages. They have now apparently decided take up a fighting posture against Boko Haram terrorists instead of waiting for a military response that rarely comes.

Last week, Boko Haram terrorists ravaged the town of Gondura Ngala, without any obstruction from the Nigerian military drafted to the North. Decimating the entire town and killing over 300 residents in the process. A month ago, the terrorist group stormed Chibok and abducted over 200 girls. Amnesty International reported that the Nigerian security services were fully informed of the impending attack, by civilian vigilantes and other Intel several hours before the attack took place. Despite this, they did not alert or defend the village nor engage the terrorists for a full eight hours of the abduction, looting and destruction of the village.

A mother from Chibok reportedly told CNN, “if the army is not ready to fight Boko Haram, then we will fight them ourselves”. Apparently that day has come.

The Civilian-JTF and ENDS.ng civil rights group are pressing the Nigerian government for the civilians to have the right and government support, to bear arms, to end the terror scourge once and for all. The government is yet to officially respond to this urgent request as villagers remain at the mercy of Boko Haram terrorists.

The Shehu of Bama is reported to have ordered his citizens to go get guns, after his town was completely decimated twice by Boko Haram terrorists with no military response for the full eight hours of butchery. More towns are expected to follow suit as the nation's leadership sleeps and permits terrorists the largely unhindered freedom to operate, massacre and destroy Nigeria’s farmers and northern farming villages.