Eleven persons including four soldiers have been confirmed dead as Boko Haram insurgents attacked and chased Military troops from their base at Molai Community, an outskirt of Maiduguri on Tuesday night.
Several houses and shops were burnt down by the terrorist group.
The incident which started at about 6:30pm lasted for hours and forced many residents at the outskirts of Lawanti Kura, NNPC Depot and Molai axis to scamper for safety, as many fled into the main town for safety.
According to a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force domiciled in Molai, Mohammed Abdul, the “terrorists stormed in military-style convoys with explosives and threw them into residential houses.
His words: “We lost 11 persons in the attacks, four civilians in Molai and seven others at checkpoints including four soldiers.
“We don’t know how many people are currently at the hospital but many were wounded, we are still looking for our families now since last night, many are yet to reunite with their families.”
Our Correspondent who visited the scene on Wednesday morning reports that the entire Molai Market square was set ablaze as six people and an unspecified number of animals /livestock were roasted in the firepower of the insurgents.
A resident of the area, Adamu Isa, who lost his brother in the attack, said, “I was surprised to see soldiers running into the town from terrorist attacks. I have been hearing that when Boko Haram attacks Military formations, the soldiers abandon their duty post and flee, until this attack in Molai when I saw with my eyes soldiers taking to their heels with their AK47 rifles hanged at their back”.
Molai is situated along the recently closed down Maiduguri-Damboa- Chibok- Biu Road and about 10km drive to Maiduguri city. Just last week, three suicide bombers wreaked havoc at a missionary hospital in Molai Village, living scores injured, while the suicide bombers died at the spot.
It could be recalled that this was the third time the insurgents were attacking that axis in the last two years, as the insurgents attacked the areas in 2017 and 2018 at exactly time when Muslim faithful were breaking their Ramadan fast.