Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have abducted more than 300 residents during a deadly attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State midnight on Wednesday, forcing thousands of survivors to flee to neighboring Pulka community, where many have been forced to sleep on roads and in school buildings for fear of further attacks.

The suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed an unspecified number of civilians and abducted several women after launching an attack on a military post in the community.

It was reported that the terrorists first stormed the military base in Ngoshe before unleashing violence on residents at about 1am on Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses said the assault lasted for several hours, leaving panic and destruction in its wake, before the air component of Operation Hadin Kai was deployed to repel the attackers and disperse them into the surrounding forest.

They added that the insurgents burnt several houses before retreating.

According to reports on Thursday, the Nigerian military also killed scores of the Boko Haram terrorists after their attack on the Ngoshe military base, which reportedly left nine soldiers dead.

After the raid, surveillance aircraft tracked the insurgents along known escape routes and carried out precision airstrikes on their positions, killing more than 50 fighters, the reports added.

Some eye witnesses said that many residents were still unaccounted for.

“Some civilians whose number is yet to be ascertained were affected or killed during the attack. Several others are still missing and may have been abducted and taken towards the Mandara Mountains,” he said.

Daso added that authorities were still working to determine the full extent of the abductions.

“As of now, we have not completed the process of establishing the total number of those taken away. If reports about the Chief Imam being missing are confirmed, we will verify and update you accordingly,” he said.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain an update from the spokesperson of the police and the spokesperson of Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, were unsuccessful as calls placed to his phone were not answered.