The Northern Senators Forum has called for an urgent military reinforcement in parts of Adamawa State after suspected insurgents attacked two military battalions, leaving soldiers and civilians dead and forcing residents to flee their communities.
The forum said the attacks on the 226 Battalion in Garkida and 232 Battalion in Garaha had raised fresh concerns about the security of communities along the Kopre-Sambisa corridor.
Led by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, the senators urged Defence Headquarters to deploy additional troops and intensify operations against insurgent enclaves in the affected areas.
According to the forum, the attacks reportedly killed three soldiers, a forest guard and several civilians.
It said residents had also reported killings, abductions of women and children, destruction of property, burning of places of worship and mass displacement.
The senators listed Garaha, Dabna, Bangna, Mubang, Zah, Bitirhuya, Kwapre, Mayo Ladde, Gaya-Dlang, Garkida, Boima and Guyaku among communities affected by the violence.
The forum warned that continued attacks could further deepen insecurity and displacement across the region, particularly as Nigeria approaches its 66th Independence anniversary.
It called on the National Emergency Management Agency and the North East Development Commission to urgently provide relief to displaced residents.
The senators also urged security agencies to coordinate their operations and adopt a proactive strategy capable of preventing further attacks and dismantling the criminal enclaves blamed for the violence.
They appealed to residents to provide timely intelligence to security agencies to support counter-insurgency operations.
“We call on the Federal Government and Defence Headquarters to urgently reinforce security presence in the Kopre-Sambisa corridor and adopt a unified, proactive strategy to flush out these criminal enclaves,” the forum said.
The Northern Senators Forum expressed solidarity with affected communities, saying residents should not be left to face the attacks alone.
“We condemn in the strongest terms these cowardly acts,” the senators said.
