The effort by Boko Haram insurgents to install a leader, or Amir, in Maiha town of Adamawa State following its annexation of the town has suffered setback as about 75 members of the sect were allegedly killed by a combined force of hunters and a local vigilante group who subsequently liberated the town.
Maiha local government had fallen into the hands of the insurgents on Monday after they launched an offensive which claimed the lives of several soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel while others fled.
Afterwards, local hunters and vigilante group mobilized themselves and took the war to the insurgents who were already basking in their easy victory.
The local hunters and vigilante group were reported to have overwhelmed the insurgents as they confronted the militants in their hundreds, killing dozens of the Islamists and recapturing the town. They also vowed to repel any further attacks on their town.
A Maiha resident, Mallam Sani Pella, said that before the attack on the insurgents, he saw about 10 truckloads of the local fighters heading towards Maiha.
Another resident of the area, who affirmed that about 75 insurgents were killed in the battle, said there is no member of the Boko Haram sect anywhere in Maiha local government as they had all retreated to Mubi following the crushing defeat they suffered.
Another resident of Maiha told reporters in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, that the remaining residents who were trapped when the insurgents captured the town, have now started fleeing in their numbers in fear of reprisal by the insurgents.
Source: Leadership
