Thousands of residents from Gubio town
in Borno State yesterday fled to
Maiduguri, the state capital after
suspected members of the Boko Haram
sect reportedly sent them a letter warning
of an imminent attack.
The fleeing residents, who arrived
Maiduguri on lorries, vans and trucks,
were seen in their numbers heading
towards the direction of the Shehu of
Borno’s palace as well as towards the
city centre.
One of the displaced residents, Fannami
Abuwar, said “We have been threatened
with letter by the Boko Haram insurgents,
saying that they would attack us soon
and we all have to flee for our lives
having heard of what happened to
communities like Damasak and
Malumfatori where similar threat were
made and carried out”.
Confirming the development, a
spokesman for the Vigilante Group in
Borno State, Muhammed Gava, said: “We
were all disturbed by the development
because Gubio, though not too far away
from Maiduguri, has been very peaceful
and calm all this while”.
Meanwhile, there has been no official
reaction to the situation from officials of
the state government and aid workers.
Gubio, which is about 96 kilometres away
from Maiduguri, is an agrarian town and
headquarters of Gubio local government
area.