By Sam Kayode
Residents of Pulka who ran to the bush yesterday night have returned home even as the troops of the Nigerian military repelled attempts by insurgents from sacking the town.
The insurgents too residents hinted did not leave without injecting their trade marks on the base of the military in the community leaving about three soldiers dead.
A source who wanted anonymity said that she had to run out of her house with her neighbors at about ten pm wednesday evening into the thick savannah to hide so that they are not attacked, killed or abducted when the criminals entered the community.
“We were all relaxing in our homes when the sounds of gun fire rented the air. Not knowing what to do we locked our doors and waited indoors while praying that the worse should not happen to us residents.
” Towards 10.30 pm the artillery blasts became intensified. Then suddenly, we heard the voices of soldiers telling us to run away into the bush showing us the safe direction to go into the dark while they stayed back to face the criminals.
” We stayed in the bush untill around 1 am when word reached one of our neighbors that the coast was clear to return to base. So by two am some of us were back into our residences trying to survive as usual.
” Nobody could sleep in the bush regardless of our tiredness which we were going through. We came back only to hear that the base of our military protectors was sacked and burnt down leaving three soldiers dead in as at the wee hours of the night.
” Very sad indeed. I feel for them because they are going to start a fresh. Sadly, this has been the routine which we have been following since a couple of years ago, I started working for my agency in this town.” She lamented.
Pulka which is about 109 km is at the foot of the Mandara mountains which is the hot bed of Boko Haram in Borno State.
