Kano, Nigeria (CNN) -- Boko Haram fighters late Thursday took over two towns in northeast Nigeria, fleeing residents said, after they reportedly were forced out of a key town by local vigilantes and hunters.
The militant Islamist group raided the towns of Hong and Gombi in Adamawa state, 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) from Yola, the state capital. Local hunters and vigilantes had pushed them out of Mubi, which lies near Nigeria's border with Cameroon and is the commercial hub of the state.
Boko Haram seized Mubi two weeks ago and renamed the town 'Madinatul Islam' ('City of Islam' in Arabic). The militants began administering strict Sharia punishments, including public floggings and amputations.
With the invasion of the two towns, the militants inched closer to Yola, where thousands of residents from areas seized by Boko Haram are taking refuge.
'Boko Haram are all over the town firing heavy guns as they patrol the streets,' said Gombi resident Dahiru Sahabi. 'They have burned down the police station, the local government secretariat and the market after overpowering the police.'
Residents moved indoors or fled into the bush to escape the insurgents, said resident Rabi Tanimu.
'We are all indoors and all we hear is sounds of heavy guns and explosives,' she said.
The insurgents had earlier raided the town of Hong, where they burned down a police station and hoisted their black flag outside the home of a retired military general, said fleeing residents.
Before attacking Hong, the militants, riding in vans and on motorcycles, sacked a military checkpoint at nearby Marabar Pella village, where they converged following their ouster from Mubi and Maiha, said Hong resident Luka Buba.
Chibado Bobi, chief of staff in the Adamawa governor's office, confirmed that vigilantes and hunters had recaptured Mubi.
'The state government enlisted the help of the vigilantes and hunters to combat Boko Haram and it is paying off,' Bobi said.
A resident of Mubi said Boko Haram militants fled the town in droves following the arrival of some 200 vigilantes and hunters, who were armed with homemade guns, spears, clubs, bows and arrows and machetes.
The resident, who asked not to be named for personal safety, said hunters captured the ousted occupiers' leader 'outside the military barracks, which the militants (had) converted into their base.'
The militant leader's hands were tied behind his back and he was made to sit on the ground while his captors interrogated him, the resident said.
Vigilantes reportedly reclaimed another town, Maiha, from Boko Haram on Wednesday after a fierce battle in which dozens of militants were killed.
Posted by Unknown on Saturday, November 15, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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