Suspected Boko Haram terrorists in military uniform have killed 12 persons and abducted one in Gatamarwa and Tsiha communities in the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Borno State command, Nahum Daso Kenneth, who confirmed the attack, said 12 corpses were recovered.
“The gunmen shot sporadically at the people in the two communities. So far, 12 corpses were recovered and two were injured,” he told Daily Trust.
He said the police commissioner and other security heads had ordered a discreet investigation into the matter to bring the perpetrators to book.
The terrorists were reported to have stormed the community of Gatamarwa around 5pm on Monday, New Year’s Day.
Sources told Daily Trust on Tuesday that the gunmen stormed the communities in large numbers.
A source said, “The insurgents who were heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, came on motorcycles, in Hilux vans and opened fire on mourners returning from Gatamarwa.
They later attacked another Tsiha community near Shikarkir and killed three people and abducted a young lady. They burnt houses after looting their foodstuffs.”
The PUNCH reports that marauding Boko Haram insurgents killed 10 farmers and abducted several others in the Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State in September 2023.
A resident, Ya Kalu Bukar, told The PUNCH the number of abductees was four, but another resident, Goni Mohammed, said up to nine persons were abducted.
“They came roving across farms in search of food and cash,” Bukar told The PUNCH on the phone. “When the farmers said they couldn’t afford the amounts they requested, they killed 10 of them, all men, and went away with four.”
He said the insurgents killed the 10 farmers and abducted the other four to ensure that they did not leave anyone to report their operations immediately to the security agents, who could launch an immediate manhunt for them.
Sources: Punch Daily Trust