"We returned home this morning to see that our food stuffs have been carted away by the terrorists. We lost two of our aged fathers due to high blood pressure. Our only surviving bank (Union Bank) was robbed."
The Union Bank in Michika town of Adamawa State has been bombed and looted, SaharaReporters can report.
SaharaReporters had reported on Monday night that suspected Boko Haram terrorists in their droves were on the rampage in Michika town, forcing residents to take refuge on the mountains.
The residents, who returned to their homes on Tuesday morning, met a looted and vandalised town, with Union Bank suffering the worst devastation.
Patience Kilba Kwache, a resident, said: "We returned home this morning to see that our foodstuffs had been carted away by the terrorists. We lost two of our aged fathers due to high blood pressure. Our only surviving bank (Union Bank) was robbed. Food items taken, but no one was shot to the glory of God.”
Colonel Sagir Musa, Acting Director, Public Relations of the Nigeria Army, issued a statement saying the terrorists had been repelled.
According to the military, calm had been restored to the town.
The statement read: “Boko Haram terrorists met their waterloo and suffered heavy casualties yesterday evening, 18 March, 2019, when they attempted to infiltrate Michika in Adamawa State.
"At about 7:20 pm, gallant troops of 115 Task Force Battalion deployed at Lassa in Borno State received a distress call from vigilantes at Maikadiri village on movement of suspected BHTs along Maikadiri–Shuwari en route Michika.
"The troops immediately organized blocking positions and swooped on the terrorists which led to exchange of fire. The terrorists attempted to escape but were intercepted and suppressed with heavy volume of fire.
"Consequently, the gallant troops with reinforcement from 143 Battalion Gulak engaged the terrorists on Two Front Coordinated Attacks. The BHTs were completely routed by the troops, neutralizing many of them, while others fled in disarray due to superior firepower.
"As a result, they hastily evacuated most of their corpses under the cover of darkness. The entire area has been dominated by own troops and the situation is completely under control.
"Items captured from the terrorists include one Ford vehicle, two Toyota Starlet vehicles loaded with foodstuffs, one motorcycle and one tyre inflating machine.”
Noting that it would continue to monitor the situation on Tuesday, the statement added that “Calm has since returned to the city and inhabitants of the town are hereby enjoined to report the presence of strange faces in their localities and go about their normal businesses.”