Boko Haram’s attempt to plunge Damaturu, the capital city of Yobe State in Northeast Nigeria, into darkness was thwarted this weekend thanks to a joint effort by Nigerian troops and local hunters.
The insurgents planned to cripple the city’s power grid by blowing up high-tension pylons but were stopped in their tracks on July 6th.
Tip-offs from vigilant residents led to an ambush by the 27 Task Force Brigade. A fierce gunfight erupted as the terrorists approached their target in a suspicious vehicle. Outnumbered and under fire, Boko Haram fighters abandoned their vehicle and fled into the night, likely with injuries.
A search of the abandoned vehicle by the security forces yielded eight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with detonating cords, leaving no doubt about the terrorists’ intentions to cause widespread power outages.
The military and local hunters combed surrounding bushes for the fleeing terrorists, but no contact was made.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
