Boko Haram kill dozens, torch over 300 homes, abduct more persons in Borno villages

By Blogger

The NNPC Chad Oil Exploration project office in Kukawa, feared
attacked by the Boko Haram terrorists (Photo by Blogger)   

As views of Nigerians and the rest of the world remain straddled over the purported ceasefire deal announced some two weeks ago, Boko Haram, the country's home-bread terror group have sustained its hostility in outright discountenance to whatever deal the government claims to be talking out with them. 

This blog can report authoritatively that more towns and villages have in the past two days came under the attacks of Boko Haram terrorists who had set ablaze over 300 houses and abduct scores of persons in different parts of Borno state, according to  security sources and eyewitnesses' accounts

It was gathered that while more persons were abducted within the last 48 hours in communities around the seized town of Gwoza, the ancient Kukawa town in the extreme northern part of Borno state was alos on Monday visited by the Boko Haram who burnt down over three hundred houses there. 

Official reports said at least three persons were killed in Kukawa town on Monday. But residents who managed to escape the onslaught said they have trampled over many corpses of persons killed in the attack as they flee their homes on Monday. 

A very senior official of the Department of Security Service in Maiduguri confirmed the incident to this Blog on phone even as he asked not to be quoted directly in this story. 

Baga town, 40km away from Kukawa after the April
2013 Boko Haram attack that destroyed over
2000 homes and 200 lives (Photo -Bloger)

According to a top official of the Nigeria Vigilante Group, Abbas Muhammed who also confirmed the Gwoza and Kukawa attacks, the Boko Haram had on Monday night invaded the Kukawa the headquarter of a Borno local government that shares similar name, and embarked on an all time arson targeting public buildings, privates homes and vehicles of fleeing residents. 

 Abbas said one his vigilante colleagues who made it back to Maiduguri after fleeing all Monday night confirmed to him that the insurgents in their dozens invaded the town driving on several pickup vans and motorcycles.

He said the attackers were all armed with heavy guns and other rifles that best fit the description of RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers). 

He listed areas targeted by the insurgents to include the Kukawa Divisional Police station, public buildings belonging to the local government and well over 300 houses of residents.

The vigilante official also disclosed that the towns of Gava and Zalidva located behind the rocky hills of Gwoza had also came under serious attack by the Boko Haram insurgents who maimed the hapless residents there and abducted several young men and women. 

Mohammed Maifindi, a resident of Kukawa told journalists that they all had to flee upon hearing the gunshots, but saw corpses of some civilians lying on the ground as they made attempt to escape the attack. 

“We cannot say how many persons got killed; but I now we may have lost large number of persons even though we saw some corpses while we were fleeing”, said Maifindi”. He added that “the Boko Haram people had burnt down the police station, the local government lodge, the town’s  clinic and even vehicles of the company exploring oil in the Chad Basin area.

“They started the attack at about  4:00 am till about 10 Pm on Monday and fled the town on their own after killing a lot of people and burnt over 200 houses and vehicles.

A typical day in Baga town in Kukawa local government
(photo by Blogger)

Caretaker chairman of Kukawa local government area Alhaji Modu Musa said over 200 houses and 300 vehicles comprising cars, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles had been burnt down. 

The council chairman who said a large number of persons have also been killed during the attack, however declined being specific with the actual figures of human dearth casualty. 

In Gwoza, Boko Haram had on Monday attacked Zalidva town and forcefully lead several youths - both male and female away to unknown destination. 

“They had abducted a large number of men and women including teenagers in Zalidva on Monday”, said Abbas. “The attack on Zalidva came shortly after that of Gava where they had also abducted several persons of the same age bracket and took them away”. 

Kukawa local government has again come under such heavy attack since April 2013 when Boko Haram gunmen and soldiers of the multinational joint task force engaged in a deadly shootout that led to the killing of well over 200 persons and torching of atleast 2000 homes in Baga, its largest town and fishing hub of Nigeria.