Brief – Soldiers foiled an attack on Damboa in Borno State on Thursday, June 16, by stopping members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS) in their tracks before they could even enter the town – and then chased them away.

Abubakar Fetkema, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, told RNI reporter Fanna Usman that the attackers arrived in two military trucks and on three motorbikes along the Biu Road.

The military, using heavy firepower, stopped the attack and sent the JAS, better known as Boko Haram, packing before they could reach Damboa. There were no casualties.

Fetkema urged the Borno State government and the military to reopen the Maiduguri-Damboa Road which has been closed for three years because of security concerns. He said people travelling to Maiduguri or Damboa had to find different routes which sometimes made it a 24-hour trip instead of one hour. They were also exposed to attacks.

ZAINAB ALHAJI ALI