Skip to main content

#Insurgency: Boko Haram kills 37 in five Borno villages


Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed no fewer than 37 people in five villages around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, a military source and a local village defence group said on Friday.

The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles and in four-wheel drive vehicles, fired into houses and shot fleeing locals on Wednesday evening and in the early hours of Thursday, the military source added.

“Reports indicated a total of 37 people were killed by the insurgents during the separate attacks,” said the source who asked not to be named.

A member of a village defence group known locally as the Civilian Joint Task Force, Malum Idrissa, also told Reuters that the death toll was 37 and that the affected villages were 56 miles from Maiduguri.

Details of the attack emerged a day after President Muhammadu Buhari held a summit with regional counterparts to set up a joint military force to counter Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram terror group has killed thousands and left about 1.5 million displaced in the last six years.

The military relocated its command centre to Maiduguri this week for a renewed effort to tackle the Boko Haram activities.

Over 80 people were killed in bomb blasts in the city last week by the insurgents.

Comments

Popular Posts

Africa celebrates one year without polio: UN

Africa has marked one year since the last case of recorded polio, with the United Nations celebrating Wednesday a key step towards eradicating the disease. The last recorded case on the continent was in Somalia in Aug. 11 2014, although health officials must wait two more years before declaring the continent free from the highly infectious, crippling virus.

We will work with Buhari to destroy BokoHaram, says US

The United States of America has said it will work with President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the menace of Boko Haram in Nigeria and its neighbouring countries. Erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan had complained during his tenure about the unwillingness of the American government to assist Nigeria in prosecuting the war against the terrorist group, especially in selling weapons to the country. But Washington said it would work with Buhari to likely increase the US’ level of support though it did not say whether that would include sales of lethal weapons earlier requested for by the Federal Government. The US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, during a telephone press briefing on Monday, held in South Africa at the 25th African Union Summit, and monitored by our correspondent in Lagos, stated that Washington was committed to ensuring that Nigeria wins its battle against the terrorist group. “Fighting terrorism is not easy. Since 2001 we have...

Facebook launches Drone to add Internet in Remote Areas

Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) announced on July 30 that a drone they have developed called Aquila will expand internet to remote areas of the world. Their goal with the Internet.org initiative is to to boost Internet access to those living in remote places without internet access, particularly poor countries. The company will test the large solar powered drone in the near future to ensure that it works properly.