Four killed, eight injured in fresh Boko Haram attack

Atleast four civilians were killed while eight
others seriously injured when some
suspected Boko Haram sects invaded
Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area of
Borno state in the early hours of
Wednesday.
Gamboru Ngala is a boarder town with
Cameroun Republic, about 135 kilometres
away from Maiduguri, the state capital
which had witnessed series of bombing and
killings in recent past.
Our correspondent gathered that the
gunmen numbering about 50 rode on a
motorcycles armed with sophisticated
weapons stormed Flatari ward of the
council at about 2am on Wednesday and
ordered residents to come out from their
houses before they opened fire on their
victims, which led to the death of 4
residents with injuring of 8 others.
Also another account said that suspected
Islamist extremists dressed as soldiers
opened fire on residents of a town in Borno
on Wednesday after luring them out of their
homes, killing four people, residents said.
The incident involving suspected members
of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram
occurred around 1:00 am in the town of
Gamboru Ngala near the border with
Cameroon.
Residents said the attack appeared to be in
reprisal for the recent arrests of Boko Haram
members.
The gunmen dressed in military uniforms
went into the Fulatari neighbourhood and
called on residents to come out and see
Boko Haram members they claimed they had
arrested.
“They took up positions and shot whoever
came out of his house to see the Boko
Haram men they claimed they arrested,”
Musa Zango, a member of a local vigilante
group helping the military hunt Boko Haram
members, told AFP.
“They deceived the people in the area into
believing they were part of the (vigilante
groups) that have sprung up in the town
recently to fight Boko Haram.”
The gunmen shot dead three residents and
strangled another when the gun they fired
at him failed, Zango said.
On Monday, troops stationed in the town
arrested 17 Boko Haram suspects after a
shootout following a tip-off by residents
who feared an imminent attack, said Bukar
Galadima, a local youth leader.
It was unclear if anyone was killed in
Monday’s violence.
Wednesday’s incident occurred after
Nigeria’s military on Monday claimed that
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau “may
have died” from a gunshot wound suffered
during a clash with soldiers on June 30.
There has however been no further
confirmation and violence attributed to the
extremist group has continued.
Boko Haram’s insurgency has left at least
3,600 people dead since 2009, including
killings by the security forces.
The military launched an offensive in May
aiming to end the insurgency and has
encouraged the formation of vigilante
groups to assist them.