Boko Haram planning to overrun and capture Maiduguri

Militants belonging to the Islamist terror group, Boko Haram are planning a major assault to attempt the takeover of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, a senior military source in Abuja has told SaharaReporters “We have identified that one of their major operational bases is 10 miles from a major [Nigerian] army barracks, known as Giwa barracks,” said the officer. The source however asserted that the Nigerian army was closely gathering intelligence on the attack, and would be prepared to repel any attack on the important northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri. He also disclosed that the Islamist insurgents had been moving arms and some of their most experienced fighters to locations near Maiduguri in order to facilitate the attack. He also stated that army officials in Abuja became aware of the plan to attack Maiduguri after Boko Haram operatives stormed and took over the town of Dikwa in Borno State shortly after the Nigerian military withdrew most of the soldiers previously stationed in the area to Bama in preparation for a major attack on Gwoza.
The source also said the militants were also stockpiling weapons in Uye, Dafarda and Yamtake. “We are aware that Boko Haram is using their Camp 4 in Gwoza to train a special unit for the attempt to take over Maiduguri,” he said. The army officer disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents have devised a plan to use Sojiri, a town about an hour’s drive from Maiduguri, as a staging ground for their planned major attack on Maiduguri. “I can assure you that the Nigerian Army is ready to defend Maiduguri,” the officer said, adding that the residents of Maiduguri have no reason to panic. According to him, the army is gradually improving its intelligence gathering on the activities of Boko Haram. He said the military would use ground troops as well as aerial bombardment to scuttle the insurgents’ plots.