Militants kill 90 in Nigeria village raid: Reports
Iran Press TV
Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:44PM GMT
Suspected members of the militant group Boko Haram have killed at least 90 people, including women and children, in an attack on a village in northeast Nigeria, witnesses have said.
The attack took place in the village of Izghe in the troubled state of Borno in the early hours of Sunday, Reuters reported.
Witnesses said that the militants, armed with explosives and guns, surrounded the village and sprayed it with bullets. The gunmen also burned down dozens of houses, they said.
"As I am talking to you now, all the dead bodies of the victims are still lying in the streets,' resident Abubakar Usman said, adding that 'We fled without burying them, fearing the terrorists were still lurking in the bushes.'
Borno state Police Commissioner Lawal Tanko confirmed the attack but said details of the attack had yet to be verified.
The attack is the latest wave of violence to hit the restive northeastern region of the country.
On January 26, militants, armed with explosives and guns, attacked Kawuri village in Borno state as a busy market was packing up.
A state security official said that 52 people died and the entire village was burned down.
On the same day, militants stormed a church service in Wada Chakawa village in Adamawa state. They set off bombs and fired into the congregation, killing dozens of people, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during a five-hour siege, according to witnesses.
Local Chairman Maina Ularamu said officials recovered 45 bodies, including two police officers.
In May 2013, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa. UN figures suggest more than 1,200 people have been killed in violence in the country since the state of emergency was imposed.
Boko Haram -- whose name means "Western education is forbidden" -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.
MN/MAM/AS
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