Bloody weekend: Again, 33 killed in Borno, Adamawa

Boko Haram yesterday killed 33 people in yet another at­tacks on villages in Borno and Adamawa states.

A source said the attack occurred in the morning at Kamuyya village in Biu Local Government Area (LGA), in the southern part of Borno State, a day after similar one in the area which led to the death of about 10 people.

It was learnt that unknown persons who claimed to be Boko Haram, had two months ago threatened residents of Kamuyya to unleash violence on the community “if the people failed to mobilise a large sum of money for them (Boko Haram) for Allah’s work.”
The development, according to the sources, allegedly prompted the community to gather all their meagre resources together which the insurgents reportedly described as unsatisfactory and as such, threatened to raid the town.


A source said the insurgents made real the threat as they stormed the com­munity yesterday, killing at least 20 villagers.

“The attackers were very armed and they operated for about one hour, shoot­ing anybody at sight. There was no pro­tection from any security, either in Biu or anywhere and about 20 of our people were killed mercilessly,’ a resident of Biu told Daily Sun yesterday.

A source claimed the insurgents chose to attack the village yesterday, being a market day. “They opened fire on people and would have killed more, had many villagers not fled the community. People have to run for their lives,” the source said.

Attacks on communities in the southern part of Borno appear to be on the increase recently as no fewer than 100 people have been killed in the last 10 days in attacks on communities in the area. Biu Local Government is near Sambisa, believed to be Boko Haram major hideout and Chibok where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by the sect on April 14.

Meanwhile, 13 people were also yes­terday killed as Boko Haram went on the rampage in two villages in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The terrorists torched houses, eyewitnesses said.

Sources said that the two attacks, which occurred on Saturday, began in the night and lasted till Sunday dawn in remote parts of Gubla and Wagra, caus­ing hundreds to flee for their safety.

However, a number of residents of the affected villages who fled the area, said they were attacked by gunmen sus­pected to be Boko Haram. “They used explosives during attacks on houses and many people lost their lives, I saw at least 13 corpses littering the ground,” villagers recounted, as one of the resi­dents, who identified himself as Apogu Heldia, said, “I cannot actually say how many people were killed, but I saw 10 dead bodies being evacuated and five others died in hospital.”

Those injured include a soldier who were taken to Gulak hospital, where some of the victims died.
Similarly, a resident said that some houses were also attacked by the gun­men who took some men as hostages.

“I saw some people crying, saying their relations had been taken away as hostages by the gunmen,” the resident, who craved anonymity, said.

The insurgents had on Saturday night attacked a military base at Gubla and later torched an armoured tank, though some of the attackers were said to have been arrested.

Efforts to get military and police authorities comment on the incident are futile at press time, but the Chairman of Madagali LGA, James Abawu Wathar­da, confirmed the two attacks, though he could not give further details.

The chairman said solders have sealed up the area and were hunting for the fleeing attackers, adding, “people were killed, and some houses were set ablaze by the attackers, while all the villagers have fled.”

Madagali Local Government is a boundary with Gwoza Local Govern­ment of Borno State, which has experi­enced series of insurgent attacks since the declaration of state of emergency last year.

Nigeria and its neighbours have said Boko Haram – which has killed thou­sands of people in its five-year-old insurgency in Nigeria, threatens the security of the entire region.

The terrorists initially attacked mostly security forces and government officials after they launched their uprising in Maiduguri, Borno State in 2009. When President Goodluck Jonathan ordered that the insurgents be flushed out last year, civilians formed vigilance groups to help, thus making them targets of the militants.