A days-long raid on a northeast Nigerian town by Boko Haram left dozens dead and displaced more than 15,000 residents , Nigeria 's National Emergency Management Agency reports . Scores of fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenades , explosives and guns descended on the town of Damboa early Thursday evening , residents and officials said . By the time the raid ended on Sunday , 66 residents had been killed and more than 15,000 had fled , NEMA spokesman Abdulkadir Ibrahim said . `` We lost 46 people on Thursday through Friday in Damboa and the gunmen pursued people who fled to nearby Fori and Kwairi villages where they killed 20 more , '' Sheriff Muhammad , a spokesman for the Damboa local authority , said . The Islamic militant group 's trademark black flag was hoisted afterward , signifying that the town was under their control . `` Boko Haram have taken over Damboa where they erected their flags after the attack that forced all residents to flee , '' said Sheriff Mohammed . But the Nigerian military tried to assure residents that it would retake the town . `` We are not conceding any portion of this country to any terrorist group , '' said Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade , a Defense Ministry spokesman . `` We are going to reverse every form of insecurity in that area very soon . '' Boko Haram launched an offensive against Damboa 's military base and police station July 4 that left six soldiers and five policeman dead , according to Nigeria 's defense ministry . But 50 militants were also killed that day , leading residents such as Ahmed Buba to think they had returned to exact revenge . `` We were defenseless because all the security personnel , including soldiers and policemen , have withdrawn , '' Buba said . Boko Haram -- whose name translates to `` Western education is forbidden '' in the Hausa language -- caused international outrage when it abducted 276 girls on April 14 from a Nigerian boarding school .
2015 Haram attack kills 66 in northeastern town of Lagos in Nigeria . A resident said they were left defenseless after fending off previous attack . Nigerian military : ` ` We are not giving any portion of this country to any terrorist group ''