Boko Haram Kills 31, Injures 42 In Maiduguri

BOKO HARAM fighters in the early hours of yesterday attacked Malari village in Maiduguri, Borno State, killing 15 people, and wounding 19 others in the Bulunkutu Saleke, Gomari and Ajilari areas, even as newly inaugurated President Muhammadu Buhari promises the insurgents a tough time in the weeks ahead.

The sect, armed with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, reportedly stormed the areas in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vans and motorcycles.

A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Ibrahim Yakubu, said the dead were felled by sporadic gunshots and shelling by the insurgents between the hours of 12.35am and 2.45am yesterday.

“We were terrified and shocked at the killing of innocent people last night. Among the dead were five children and two women who had slept in the open because of heat in their houses,” Yakubu said.

He said the military with some CJTF members repelled the attack and prevented the insurgents from entering Maiduguri. “The damage to life and property would have been worse, had the gunmen crossed the trenches and launched an attack on people there,” said Yakubu.

Confirming the incident yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno Police Command said more than a dozen residents in Gomari, Bulunkutu Saleke and Ajilari wards were killed in the attacks.

“We are still monitoring the casualty figures. But 19 people have been hospitalized for injuries they sustained from gunshot and artillery fire that lasted over two hours in the western part of Maiduguri metropolis,” the police source said.

Yesterday also, a bomb exploded at the Adam Kolo Central Mosque at Maiduguri Monday Market (MMM) during afternoon prayer, killing 19 people and injuring 23 others.

According to Modu Fugu of the CJTF, the incident occurred when the prayer session was about to commence at around 3.25pm.

“The loud explosion shook everywhere, as people fled for their lives. But many were injured in the stampede that followed. There were no deaths recorded. The injured were rushed to the hospital for treatment,” Fugu said.

One Hamidu Isa, a shop owner near the mosque, said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was hid in a corner of the mosque in the morning.

The Borno Police Command yesterday confirmed the blast. “I can confirm to you that 16 people were killed in the incident, while many others sustained injuries from shrapnel,” said the police.