Thousands of people in Adamawa have fled their homes as Boko Haram sect members got more daring in their attacks. The proscribed Islamic sect seized Kirchinga, hometown of the acting Governor of the state, Umaru Fintiri.
Residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika towns and nearby villages fled their homes Friday through Saturday following a Boko Haram advance after repelling a military offensive to retake Madagali town, seized by the militants last month.
In a similar development, the authorities of Adamawa State University, Mubi, has announced indefinite closure of the institution due to the fear of possible attack from Boko Haram insurgents.
Malam Hassan Tanko, Acting Registrar of the institution, announced the closure in Yola yesterday.
The statement, which directed students to go home, stated that the university was closed indefinitely for security reasons.
Mubi, 25 kms from Gulak which was annexed Saturday by Boko Haram Islamic Caliphate, appears to be the next target for the militants.
It provided a refuge for residents and soldiers who escaped from the besieged town of Gulak yesterday. But the prevalent wisdom is that it may not be long before the town also falls to the rampaging militants.
Reports indicated that residents of Mubi jam-packed the motor parks to escape from the town and students therefore found it difficult to leave the town.
Some students of the university, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that they were stranded due to residents rush to leave the town.
One of the students who identified himself as Ali said many commuters were now stranded in the commercial border town due to lack of vehicles.
“The Motor park is now jam-packed with stranded passengers with no vehicle to move them out,” Ali said.
A resident who spoke on the condition anonymity recounted how the residents of the affected towns fled.
“All the residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika have fled their homes to the mountains and Mubi town after soldiers retreated from Madagali where they made a failed attempt to push out the insurgents and the recapture the town,” said Bello Alaramma who also ran away from Gulak to Mubi, 76 kilometres (48 miles) away.
“Boko Haram are now in control of Gulak,”
Meanwhile, the Defence headquarters spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, declined to comment on Boko Haram seizure of more towns in the region.
Residents of Gulak became apprehensive when troops drove into the town in vans, trucks and armoured cars firing shots in the air in retreat after they were overpowered by the militants in Madagali, 20 kilometres away, said Ayuba Daniel, a Gulak resident.
“Around 5:00pm (1600GMT) yesterday (Friday) we started seeing hordes of soldiers in vans, trucks and armoured cars driving through Gulak firing shots in the air and soon afterwards people from Madagali started trooping in telling us Boko Haram were on their way,” Daniel said.
“This forced us to flee to Mubi and nearby mountains to escape Boko Haram attack,” he said.
Residents of Mubi, 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the state capital, Yola, said the town was “flooded” with people from Michika, Gulak and Madagali.
“Mubi is now flooded with people from Michika, Madagali, Gulak, Uba and other villages who have been trooping in since last night,” said Muhammad Maishanu, a Mubi resident.
“The influx is causing apprehension among people in Mubi who fear the influx would attract Boko Haram who have attacked Mubi before,” he said.
Mubi, the commercial hub of the state, has seen several attacks blamed on Boko Haram.
