Boko Haram Kills Many In Fresh Borno Attack

SUSPECTED members of Boko Haram sect on Thursday afternoon attacked three communities of Gatamwarwa Lehu and Mbulakudika villages in Chibok and Askira/Uba Local Council Areas of Borno State, killing several villagers. The insurgents also torched some houses and shops before fleeing into Sambisa forest in the early hours of yesterday.

Military sources and residents told The Guardian yesterday in Maiduguri that the gunmen were on rampage because of the ongoing military operations in the forest that destroyed several Boko Haram camps and hideouts.

“Most of the insurgents have run out of arms and food and are desperate in attacking soft targets on the fringe of this forest to get food to survive,” said a military source yesterday on phone.

Chibok and Askira/Uba Local Council Areas share boundaries with Sambisa forest and had witnessed series of deadly attacks and abductions by the insurgents including the abduction of over 276 schoolgirls at Government Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014.

A reliable source also said: “The insurgents who were armed with AK47 rifles, petrol bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) launched simultaneous attacks on the three communities on Thursday afternoon living scores of innocent people dead.

“Also during the attacks, unspecified number of people sustained injuries, as hundreds fled their homes for safety. The attacks were unfortunate as the insurgents wreaked havoc and had a field day without confrontation from security operatives.”

When contacted, a Chibok elder, Mr. Amos Chiroma Modu, also confirmed the attacks on Gatamwarwa community and other villages of Askira/Uba. He, however, insisted that he was yet to get the number of casualties.

Modu said: “Yes, there was an attack by suspected insurgents in three villages of Chibok and Askira Uba Local Council Areas.

We learnt that many people were killed, with destruction of shops and houses. We are calling on security operatives to intensify more efforts to ensure that they cleared terrorists from their camps in Sambisa forest, as their continued stay in their hideouts and fortified camps have continued to cause much danger to our lives.”

All efforts to get official confirmation from the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Gideon Jubrin, proved abortive as his phone lines were switched off as at the time of filing this report.