Boko Haram Kills Pastor and Launches Multiple Attacks in Borno State

On Tuesday evening, members of the Boko Haram terrorist group invaded Mathdaw village in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State. The group shot and killed a pastor who was in charge of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria, also known as EYN Church in Hausa parlance.

The pastor’s name has been withheld, but his wife was also shot and injured in the attack. She is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

The terrorists also launched attacks on Njimtilo, Pulka, and Ajiri Mafa. However, the troops were able to repel them and killed many terrorists in the process. Madthaw is a remote village located around the Sambisa forest axis, and it is approximately 9 kilometers from Miringa town. In addition to the pastor’s killing, some civilian casualties were also recorded, and there was destruction of buildings and looting of foodstuff and livestock in the community.

In a related development, Nigerian troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled three separate attacks by Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East of the state, killing many of the insurgents. Intelligence sources indicate that the separate attacks were launched on Tuesday in Njimtilo, Pulka, and Ajiri Mafa, but the troops swiftly repelled them.

According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the terrorists attempted to attack troops of 73 Battalion deployed at a vocational training center (Morocco) ahead of Njimtilo, close to the restive capital of Maiduguri. This attack resulted in a heavy gun battle between the troops and the terrorists. The timely intervention of the troops prevented a possible massacre.

The Boko Haram insurgency has continued to pose a significant security threat in the North-East of Nigeria. The Nigerian government, with the help of the international community, has been fighting the group for over a decade. Although significant progress has been made in degrading the group’s capacity, the insurgents continue to launch sporadic attacks on communities, military and civilian targets.