suspected Boko Haram insurgents are back in control of Marte, Borno State, a border town along the shores of Lake Chad, after forcing soldiers to flee.
It is among several retaken in recent weeks by Nigerian troops, who have launched an offensive against the insurgents as part of a regional operation supported by Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
The terrorists stormed the town on Thursday, a local official and witnesses said.
“The terrorists, numbering over 2,000, appeared from various directions on Thursday and engaged the soldiers in Kirenowa town and adjoining communities in Marte,” said Imamu Habeeb, a local community leader.
Fighting raged all night on Thursday and continued on Friday.
Local fighter Shehu Dan Baiwa said the more than 2,000 fighters had been armed with bombs and tanks. “They used the weapons without restraint and succeeded in killing several people,” he said.
This is the third time Boko Haram has seized control of Marte.
But Boko Haram has been fighting back, and Nigerian troops were also forced to retreat from Boko Haram’s Sambisa Forest stronghold last week after a landmine blast killed one soldier and three vigilantes.
A senior local politician confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that the insurgents had retaken Marte.
“We lost many (people) because some of our people that fled to Chad and Cameroon have return after Nigerian troops recovered the town recently,” he added.
A senior military official confirmed the attack on Marte, but refused to say whether Boko Haram had retaken the town, describing the army’s retreat as “strategic”.