In yet another attack in Borno State, Boko Haram militants dressed as soldiers have reportedly killed up to 200 villagers in three attacks.
The killings – in Danjara, Agapalwa and Antagara – are said to have taken place on Monday and a community leader who reportedly witnessed them said residents of the Gwoza local government district in Borno state had pleaded for protection from the army but no help had arrived.
The militants arrived in pickup trucks of the type often used by the military and told the civilians they were soldiers “and we are here to protect you all”.
Once people had gathered in the heart of the villages, as ordered, Boko Haram members began “to shout ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar’ on top of their voices, then they begin to fire at the people continuously for a very long time until all that gathered were all dead”, said one frightened witness who did not wish to be named.
It took time for survivors to get word of the killings to the provincial capital, Maiduguri, because of poor road conditions and limited telecommunications. But Local politician Mohammed Ali Ndume confirmed the attacks had taken place.
Gwoza is a regional political centre, whose emir – a religious and traditional ruler – was killed in a Boko Haram ambush on his convoy last week.
