5 killed, 4 NGO offices burnt, vehicles stolen as terrorists attack Damasak town

It was another sad weekend for the folks in Borno as members armed opposition groups believed to be of ISWAP faction staged another slightly resisted attack on Damasak, a border community, north of Borno state, sources said.

The Humanitarian Times has been monitoring the attack since Saturday night bet restrained from reporting without detailed fact; until the early morning of Sunday when workable pieces of intel were obtained.

A source working with one of the local NGOs in Damasak told our reporter that the attack which lasted several hours had claimed the lives of five persons comprising 3 special forces troops and two civilians who were found beheaded.

The source said the UN hub lit with fire after the attackers set three other NGO buildings on fire. The attacked NGOs include ACTED, INTERSOS, AAH, and NRC.

The source who craved absolute anonymity because they warned not to speak on the details of the attack, hinted that there wasn’t much resistance to the invasion of the attackers.

“They had what looked like a field day because they freely moved around Damasak burning offices, residentials and a police stations,” the source said.

“They spared the hospital from being burnt to save the lives of the patients on admission, but they looted the pharmacy and left with the ambulance of the hospital.”

The source said an airforce jet later hovered over the town and dropped bombs targeting the insurgents; but “it fell on a residential home where the occupants were having a naming ceremony.”

“Many persons were killed in the house, but I do not have the actual number for now.”

The UN has not issued any statement concerning the Damasak attack, even though an officer in charge of public information, Sandy Maroun, said a statement would be issued when they obtain tangible information.

Damasak is the home of Senator Abubakar Kyari, a former Senate Committee chairman on army.

Neither the military nor the Borno state government has reacted to the sad incident at the time of filing this report.

Damask, headquarters of Mobbar LGA, and a border town near the Niger Republic are one of the communities that were completely sacked and remained unoccupied for many years until 2019 when it was fully reclaimed and IDPs returned to live within headquarters.

More updates later…