Troops, vigilantes take back Nigerian town seized by Boko Haram

 Nigerian troops backed by civilian vigilantes reclaimed the northeastern town of Chibok late Saturday, a militaryspokesman and a community leader said Sunday. The town had been seized by Boko Haram militants on Thursday.

Chibok is the scene of the April 14 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram, which sparked global outrage.

"Our troops have recaptured Chibok from Boko Haram terrorists who invaded it on Thursday," said Col. Sani Usman, military spokesman for Borno state.

"The town was retaken late Saturday by troops working alongside civilian vigilantes after crushing the terrorists. Continue...

"Troops are still conducting mop-up operation in nearby villages to flush out remnants of the terrorists," Usman said.

Scores of Boko Haram militants drove into the town around 4:00 p.m. Thursday and engaged soldiers protecting the town and local vigilantes in a fierce gunfight, forcing re‎sidents to flee.

The militants blew up‎ all telecommunications towers in the town ‎with rocket-propelled grenades, making the town unreachable by telephone.

Pogu Bitrus, head of the Chibok Elders Forum, confirmed the takeover of the town from Boko Haram but gave credit to the vigilantes for the victory.

"I can confirm that Chibok has been reclaimed from Boko Haram by our vigilantes with the assistance of soldiers," Bitrus said.

"I spoke with the leader of the vigilantes via satellite phone and he confirmed the good news to me," said Bitrus, who lives in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.

"The vigilantes entered Chibok and fought Boko Haram from inside while soldiers laid siege outside the town and take down any fleeing militants," he said.

Chibok was strewn with weapons, vehicles and other personal effects abandoned by the defeated insurgents, Bitrus said.

Civilian vigilantes have in recent days taken center stage in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists, who have seized over two dozen towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria in the past two months.

Bitrus said soldiers fled when Boko Haram attacked Chibok, leaving the vigilantes to fight. The vigilantes had to withdraw when they ran out of ammunition for their shotguns.

On Thursday over 200 vigilantes and local hunters clawed back the town of Mubi, the commercial hub of Adamawa st‎ate, which was seized by Boko Haram two weeks ago.

The vigilantes on Wednesday reportedly took back the town of Maiha after a prolonged gun battle ‎in which scores of the insurgents were killed.

The fleeing Islamists regrouped and took over the towns of Hong and Gombi as well as Chibok. Hong and Gombi are still under Boko Haram control, according to residents.