Hong, the Adamawa council haunted by insurgents, bandits
In this report, ONIMISI ALAO, Yola writes on the problems caused by the Boko Haram insurgents in Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State When suspected Boko Haram attackers visited Garha
In this report, ONIMISI ALAO, Yola writes on the problems caused by the Boko Haram insurgents in Hong Local Government Area, Adamawa State
When suspected Boko Haram attackers visited Garha Mojilli in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State last weekend, they left in their wake deaths and destruction.
Three soldiers who rose against them and a woman were caught up in the web of crossfire.
The woman was running away to escape the gunshots coming from the invading insurgents and resisting soldiers when she was hit by a stray bullet. She didn’t survive it.
Interestingly, an unaccounted number of the insurgents also paid the supreme price. Many others fled with gunshot wounds. Thanks to the soldiers and hunters who engaged the terrorists in a heavy gun duel.
This much was confirmed last Sunday when the Chairman of Hong Local Government Area, Inuwa Wa’aganda, and Hong paramount ruler, the Tol Huba, Tol Alheri Bulus Nyako, visited the affected place to assess the impact of the attack by the insurgents the previous night.
The chairman and traditional ruler expressed their sympathies to the bereaved families and military and pledged to work with relevant stakeholders to curtail the insecurity in the land.
The traditional ruler, who marked his first year of coronation earlier this month, was only a few months in office last year as the king of Huba Chiefdom when the problem reared its ugly head again. Then he had said he would not tolerate the constant harassment from Boko Haram elements.
In April, last year, fielding questions from reporters, who called at his palace over the frequent attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in communities around his chiefdom, the king said his people had decided that running from the terrorists was unhelpful.
Referring to an attack in 2023 involving the abduction of 53 people, 40 of whom were yet to return home, the monarch vowed that such would not be repeated.
“We have sent signals to the insurgents that Hong Local Government Area is a no-go area. When there was a threat of attack last month, the way we mobilised ourselves was unprecedented,” the king added.
Read Also: UCL: Club Brugge snatch late 3-3 draw against Atletico
Noting that he was working with the security agencies to ensure that his domain is safe, the king further said: “We have resolved not to run away from insurgents any more. We will henceforth be standing up to fight back. Historically, we are warriors who never lost any battle.We are determined to live true to that reputation going forward.”
He was deeply troubled that the resolve, proved by reports on the latest attacks telling of involvement of hunters in repelling the Boko Haram insurgents, still had not been sufficiently deterrent.
Hong Local Government Area has experienced a surge in attacks by suspected Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents, particularly in late 2025 and so far this year. The area, bordering the Sambisa Forest, is frequently targeted, causing significant loss of life, displacement, and destruction of assets.
Communities often invaded include Kopre, Zah, Kinging, Mubang, Dabna, Bangah, and Mayo Ladde.
On April 16 and 19, last year, insurgents attacked communities in Garage District, killing 17 people and destroying valuable assets, including churches of the ECWA, EYN, LCCN denominations that were burnt.
On April 26, 10 hunters on a rescue mission were killed in a gun battle in Kopre village. Later that particularly bloody month, the local government chairman reported that 17 people were killed.
On the last Christmas day, terrorists invaded Mayo Ladde in the Garaha District.
Between December 26 and 29, last year, a series of assaults occurred in Garaha and Mayo Ladde, and on December 30, suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed at least eight people in some villages, while on a January 1, 2026 New Year’s day attack, suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed at least 14 people in Mubang and Zah villages and numerous homes and businesses razed in the villages of Zah, Mubang Yadul, and Kijing.
The proximity of Hong communities to the infamous Sambisa forest in neigbouring Borno State is believed responsible for the frequent attacks.
Other interstate borderlines in Gombi, Madagali and Michika local government areas have at different times in recent years similarly suffered random attacks.
Further back in time, the Hong, Gombi Michika and Madagali local governments and the other councils in northern Adamawa, namely Mubi North, Mubi South, and Maiha, fell under Boko Haram control briefly in 2014 before they were liberated.
