Gwoza

Gwoza
LGA and town
An IDP Camp in Gwoza
An IDP Camp in Gwoza
Gwoza is located in Nigeria
Gwoza
Gwoza
Coordinates: 11°5′10″N 13°41′29″E / 11.08611°N 13.69139°E / 11.08611; 13.69139
Country Nigeria
StateBorno State
Area
 • Total1,113 sq mi (2,883 km2)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total388 600
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
Map

Gwoza is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gwoza, a border town "about 135 kilometres South-East of Maiduguri."[2] The postal code of the area is 610.[3]

The terrain is rocky and hilly.[4] The Gwoza Hills, with heights of about 1300m above sea level provides scenery and is made up of the Mandara Mountains, which form a natural barrier between Nigeria and Cameroon, starting from Pulka. They overlook the game reserves by meandering towards Mubi and beyond in Adamawa State.[5]

The Gwoza LGA has been called "a notorious hide out for the Boko Haram insurgents,"[5] who arrived in the area in 2009 from Maiduguri.[6] The area has suffered considerable violence as a result of the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, and in 2014, saw an influx of Boko Haram fighters fleeing Sambisa Forest.[citation needed]

As of 23 June 2014, "reports indicated that the whole of Gwoza was under attack. The report could not be substantiated because most telephone masts in Gwoza and surrounding villages have been vandalized by insurgents."[7] Deutsche Welle reported that "Roads out of the region are extremely dangerous and phone connections are poor to nonexistent."[8]

As of 19 October 2014, an estimated 3,000 Gwoza residents displaced by fighting are "squatting on the fringes of Abuja", according to a local relief committee spokesman, with "the need for shelter, food, clothing and medicare for the displaced also becoming dire."[9]

On 27 March 2015, the day before the Nigerian presidential election, the Nigerian Army announced that it had recaptured the town of Gwoza from Boko Haram.[10] According to AllAfrica.com, "Gwoza, one of the largest towns in Borno, fell under the control of Boko Haram terrorists on August 6, 2014."[11]

  1. ^ "Post Offices - with map of LGA". NIPOST. Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference naijagists was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Post Offices-with map of LGA". NIPOST. Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  4. ^ "Scores killed in attack in northeast Nigeria". Al Jazeera English. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b Bodunrin Kayode (29 April 2014). "Inside Nigeria's Sambisa forest, the Boko Haram hideout where kidnapped school girls are believed to be held". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Why has Borno become a stronghold of terror in Nigeria?". Deutsche Welle. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Nigeria: Three Soldiers Feared Killed As Bomber Hits Military Post". Daily Trust - allAfrica.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference deutschewelle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Terkula Igidi (19 October 2014). "Nigeria: From Gwoza Killing Field to Misery in Abuja". Daily Trust - allAfrica.com. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Boko Haram HQ Gwoza in Nigeria 'retaken'". BBC News. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  11. ^ Nnenna Ibeh (27 March 2015). "Nigeria: Finally, Nigerian Troops Recapture Gwoza Town". allAfrica.com - Premium Times. Retrieved 2 September 2015.