Boko Haram abducts customs officers, loots hospitals, others in attack on Yobe

Armed insurgents, Boko Haram, again struck in Geidam, Yobe State on Tuesday evening, abducting three customs officers and carting away foodstuff and medicine.

Residents described the attack on them as devastating as it wiped off their food supplies and robbed them of their means of livelihood.

According to a resident of Geidam in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, the insurgents came from the Maine Sorowa road in the northern part of the town, shooting sporadically.

Maine–Sorowa is on the Nigeria-Niger Republic border and is about 45km from Geidam town. Geidam is about 182 km away from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

Residents said it was the fourth attack on Geidam by Boko Haram this year. The insurgents also struck in January abducting the District Head who has never been seen till date.

There was response from state forces on Tuesday both on the ground and in the air forcing the insurgents to withdraw earlier than they planned.

Residents said the insurgents abducted three officers of the Nigerian Customs Service, who had just been transferred from the Bauchi command.

The State police command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Abdulkarim Dungus, referred media enquiries on the abduction of the Nigerian Customs officer to the command.

The abducted officers were said to be on duty at a checkpoint on the road when the insurgents attacked.