Fears grow about whether elections will hold in Adamawa town of Michika after Boko Haram attack

FEARS are growing that Saturday's planned supplementary elections in the town of Michika in Adamawa State may not hold now following a brutal attack by Boko Haram earlier this week that resulted in numerous deaths and residents fleeing.

 

This weekend, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) plans to hold supplementary elections in five states where the March 9 governorship polls were inconclusive. Adamawa is one such states and Michika is one of the affected towns as the elections there were cancelled due to several malpractices and irregularities including over-voting and ballot box snatching.

 

Nigerian Army spokesman Col Sagir Musa, said the attack on Michika was effectively repelled to by government troops whom he said inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. However, local residents said the attackers did not only force them to flee their homes but also killed many of them.

 

According to witnesses, many displaced residents of Michika fled to Mubi, Uba and some to Yola, the state capital, as the Boko Haram attackers shot sporadically, looted houses and set buildings ablaze. One witness, who identified himself simply as Bala, said he knew four people who were killed.

 

He added: “I may not know all of those who lost their lives but I am sure of four persons whom I know personally, that were killed in the attack. My aunt’s husband and their daughter were killed and I also know of a retired soldier and local businessman that were killed in front of their houses.

 

Col Musa said: “At about 7.20 pm, gallant troops of 115 Task Force Battalion deployed at Lassa in Borno State received a distress call from vigilantes at Maikadiri village on movement of suspected Boko Haram terrorists along the Maikadiri-Shuwari road en-route Michika. Consequently, the gallant troops with reinforcement from 143 Battalion, Gulak engaged the terrorists on two frontal coordinated attacks and the Boko Haram terrorists were completely routed by the troops, neutralising many of them, while others fled in disarray due to superior firepower.

 

“As a result, they hastily evacuated most of their corpses under the cover of darkness. The entire area has been dominated by our troops and the situation is completely under control."

 

He added that items captured from the terrorists include one Ford vehicle, two Toyota Starlet vehicles loaded with foodstuffs, one motorcycle and one tyre inflating machine. According to the army, calm has since returned and inhabitants of the town are enjoined to report the presence of strange faces in their localities.

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