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Boko Haram has embarked on poisoning water sources in some communities in Borno State where they were either dislodged or threatened by a military offensive, the army has said. It is suspected that the terror group would rather kill the villagers even if they have to leave their abodes. This latest onslaught comes in the wake of the recent upper hand being gained by the Nigerian military on the fight against the terror group. In recent times, the military had been able to dessimate the insurgents and they had recaptured many of the former strongholds of the terror group to the extent that the lives of many living in those areas that were earlier captured by boko haram had returned to normal.

The recent destructive strategy embarked upon by boko haram seems to be in retaliation to the recent battering by the Nigerian army on the insurgents and their hiding places. In some instances, the terror group would poison water in these villages as they are on their way to escape from the advancing Nigerian army.  The insurgents poison both well and stream waters in these villages. Some cattle have become victims of these dastardly acts and they were found dead near such poisoned wells. The number of cattle lost to this incidence has increased many folds in recent times and it is causing the affects communities lots of concerns.

Deputy Director Army Public Relations and spokesman of the 7th Division Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Colonel Tukur Gusau, in a statement yesterday in Maiduguri said the insurgents “have now resorted to poisoning water sources like wells and streams” in some villages especially in the northern part of the state where some cattle were found dead by troops after drinking water from the poisoned streams and wells. Though, no human life had been recorded to be victims of this recent acts by the boko haram insurgents.

“Some cattle were killed after drinking water from some poisoned sources. The latest being the poisoning of the cattle water ponds in Kangallam village along Marte and Abadam axis in Borno State where a large number of cattle died after drinking water from the ponds,” Col. Gusau said.

He said that no human life has been lost as a result of the “terrorists barbaric act”, adding that the Theatre Command of the counter-insurgency operation in the northeast has “credible information” that Boko Haram had “resorted to poisoning water sources like wells and streams in areas they were dislodged by gallant troops in areas threatened by offensive operations.”

The army spokesman said the insurgents’ action was aimed at “taking their own pound of flesh on innocent citizens and livestock as a result of the unbearable offensive operations through the combined effort of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force to rout them completely from their enclaves and hide-outs all over the northeast.” He urged the people in the affected areas to “avoid as much as possible drinking water from unverified sources especially in locations that troops routed out Boko Haram terrorists.”