Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) insurgents, a faction of Boko
Haram, overran the town of Rann, Borno State, on the evening of Monday,
January 14, 2019, as soldiers took to their heels, according to a report
by Reuters.
ISWA, the Abu Mus’ab al-Barnawi
faction of Boko Haram, has become the dominant terrorist group in
Nigeria’s northeast. A surge in ISWA attacks in recent weeks have
renewed debates around security in the run-up to Nigeria’s general
elections slated for February 16 and March 2, 2019.
Quoting sources, Reuters
writes that Nigerian government forces fled along with residents of the
town as ISWA invaded Rann. The report added that the militants also set
buildings ablaze.
“The terrorists have invaded Rann, they’ve taken over, our guys are retreating,” Reuters quotes one military source as saying on condition of anonymity.
In December, ISWA launched a series of attacks
that saw them take the town of Baga, the Nigerian headquarters of a
multi-country force formed by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger to fight
the extremists, sending more than 30,000 people fleeing.
Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman (The Nation)
The Nigerian military retook Baga last week, boasting that it had handed the terrorists “a bloody nose”.
President Buhari won the 2015 election partly on the back of a promise to deal with terrorism in Africa’s largest economy.
The Nigerian government and military is yet to
react to reports bordering on the take over of Rann by terrorists, at
the time of filing this story.
Boko Haram has killed more than
50,000 people and displaced millions since it commenced an insurgency
against the Nigerian state in 2009.