Refugees: we saw helicopter supplied bokoharam food and weapon

REFUGEES from Boko Haram's recent attack on Monguno in Borno State have revealed that they saw helicopters dropping arms and food items for the insurgents during the fighting that was the insurgents take over the town.

Over recent weeks, Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks across Borno State, seizing Baga, Munguno and attempting to take the state capital Maiduguri. It was reported that over 2,000 civilians were massacred in Baga alone as the terrorist sect sacked a military facility and forced local resident to flee as soldiers abandoned them.

According to local survivors who witnessed the attack on Monguno, Boko Haram's ranks included several foreign fighters and the sect received external support. Muhammed Sani, the leader of the Nigeria Vigilante Group in Monguno, said he had, on several occasions, spotted unusual delivery of items in big wooden boxes by air.

He added that sacks being dropped in the bushes around Marte and Monguno where Boko Haram terrorists were camped. According to Mr Sani, those that attacked Monguno comprised hundreds of foreigners who looked like Chadians.

Mr Sani said: “Even during the attack on Monguno, there was an aircraft that came but did not do anything, not even dropping a single bomb before it left, then another one later came around the Monguno barracks and we saw four men alighting from the aircraft, using a rope. The aircraft left but we doubt if they were soldiers.

“Even before then, some of my colleagues and I have been sighting helicopters dropping items in sacks and some in boxes to them at the camp of Boko Haram near Chikungudu and Kwalaram villages. Many helicopters came to drop items packed in boxes and sacks to the Boko Haram insurgents at a bush camp between Monguno and Marte and then we would see the Boko Haram gunmen rushing to the spot to pick the dropped items.”

He added that many of the foreign fighters looked like Chadian Arabs as they were light-skinned with coiled hair. Also, there were many young men from Monguno who Boko Haram had abducted when it attacked last year, who were now active members of the sect.

“While Boko Haram members that are former youths of Monguno were leading other insurgents to attack Monguno town, the foreigners were the ones engaging soldiers near the barracks,” he explained. Mr Sani, 50, who said he had lived in Monguno for the past 20 years, said he fled amidst the hail of bullets when the terrorists became irritated by his anti-bullet charms that rendered their ammunition ineffective.NIGERIAN WATCH