Gunmen Claim Responsibility for Deadly Borno Community Raid, Mass Abduction of Residents

A group of armed men has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on Ngoshe Community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, where several Soldiers and Civilians were reportedly killed and more than 300 residents abducted.

According to information gathered by Global Mirror News, the attack occurred on Wednesday night when the assailants invaded the community, reportedly destroying a Military base and setting homes and shops ablaze while firing sporadically.

A video circulating online on Friday showed five armed men claiming responsibility for the raid. In the footage, one of the men, speaking in Hausa, said the group had taken control of the community and planned to remain there.

He stated that the attackers intended to observe the upcoming Eid-el-Fitr prayers at the central mosque in Ngoshe, insisting that the town had already been captured by their group.

“We thank God Almighty for helping us succeed in our mission in Ngoshe. People believed we could not conquer the town, but with the help of God we have already taken it,” the spokesman said in the video.

The speaker also claimed that many residents were abducted during the attack and alleged that the captives would be enslaved.

Reports monitored by Global Mirror News indicate that the attackers also threatened to extend their activities to other cities, including Maiduguri and Abuja.

Eyewitness accounts suggest that the raid lasted several hours before troops under Operation Hadin Kai responded with air support, forcing the attackers to retreat into nearby forest areas.

Residents who escaped the violence said they fled without their belongings and are currently taking refuge in nearby communities, expressing concerns about elderly people and victims left behind in the village.

The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident, noting that several residents remain unaccounted for.

He said some civilians were killed while others were believed to have been abducted and possibly taken toward the Mandara Mountains.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said authorities were still verifying the exact number of victims affected by the attack.

Tar explained that the State Government had already begun providing relief materials to displaced residents who sought refuge in Pulka, another town within the Gwoza Local Government Area.

According to him, the intervention was carried out through the State Emergency Management Agency, which dispatched food items and other relief supplies including rice, sugar, millet and blankets to the affected households.

He added that health and sanitation officials had also been deployed to the area to prevent the outbreak of diseases among displaced residents while security forces continued operations to stabilise the community.