More than 2,000 Nigerians living in
border villages in Borno State have reportedly fled as a result of the ongoing
military operations targeted at routing insurgents from the area under the
emergency rule.
The fleeing villagers were said to
have headed to the neighbouring Niger Republic.
“Most of the residents of border
villages of Borno have fled to Niger. About 2,000 people from Abadan, Malam
Fatori and other villages are now refugees in Difa, Niger Republic,” a top
security officer told one of our correspondents on Sunday.
The source said that the Joint
Military Task Force was on the trail of members of the Boko Haram sect, who
were dislodged from the Sambisa Game Reserve and other camps on Thursday in
Borno State.
It was learnt that residents of
Maiduguri and other communities far from the border, who did not want to be
caught in the cross-fire had also fled to some neighbouring states, including
Kano and Bauchi.
The Director of Defence Information,
Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not confirm whether the
Nigerian villagers had fled to Niger Republic.
“I will have to find out,” he
said.
As the time of sending this report,
he had yet to comment on the development.
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Politics