Kano: Boko Haram gunmen killed dozens of people in four villages in northeast Nigeria, slitting some residents’ throats and opening fire on others, one resident and the police said yesterday.
“Boko Haram gunmen came into our villages at night, killing 43 people,” said Sheriff Kulo, from Kilwa village near Monguno, who escaped to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.
There was no corroboration of his death toll but the state police commissioner confirmed the raids, which happened last week .
Details have only just emerged because of poor to non-existent phone networks in the remote area.
Boko Haram has mounted almost daily raids, bombings and suicide attacks in northeast Nigeria since May 29, when Muhammadu Buhari became president vowing to crush the six-year Islamist uprising.
On last Monday, he sacked his entire military high command, who were appointed by his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan,
in the latest sign he is making a fresh start in the counter-insurgency.
Kulo said the gunmen seized food and cattle then set villagers homes on fire.
“In Kilwa alone, they killed seven people, including the village head and left one seriously injured with a fracture on his leg,” he added.
“They then proceeded to Gwollam, Misala and Magaram, where they did the same thing. In all they killed 43.
“They opened fire on residents and in some cases they used knives to slaughter their victims.”
Many women and children fled to Monguno but were living in the open air with little food, he said. Others made it to Maiduguri to raise the alarm.
The Borno state police commissioner, Aderemi Padokun, confirmed the attacks.
“From what we heard, the gunmen raided these villages.
They shot dead their victims and in some cases slit their throats.
They also carted away foodstuffs and livestock,” he said.
“We don’t have details of the actual number of people killed in the attack but I can confirm it happened.”
Meanwhile, in another incident, four people killed were killed on last Monday when a suicide bomber hit a military checkpoint on the outskirts of the
northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, civilian vigilantes said.
The blast happened at about 12:10 pm (1110 GMT) at the Jimtilo checkpoint, as passengers arriving in Maiduguri were being screened, they said.
“The dead included two civilian JTF (joint task force or vigilantes) and a policeman. Two immigration officers are among those injured.”
Last week, two people were killed in Maiduguri when two suicide bombers in a motorised rickshaw tried to target a busy bus station but were foiled by heavy security.
Maiduguri, where the group was founded in 2002, has been repeatedly targeted and since Muhammadu Buhari became president on May 29, nearly 570 people have been killed in Nigeria alone. Danlami Ajaokuta, another civilian vigilante, said the bomber struck in the middle of the crowd of passengers.
“It is standard procedure at the checkpoint for passengers to alight from their vehicles and walk some distance to a shed manned by the soldiers,” he explained. “They identify themselves before they trek some more distance past the checkpoint and then enter their vehicles and move on.”
Residents in Maiduguri have been on edge for months over the wave of new attacks and one, Ibrahim Buba, said the explosion rocked the city.AFP
