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Up To 150 Feared Dead In Boko Haram Attack On Yobe Village
The Nigerian Record
8/18/20152 min read
About 150 people are feared dead after Boko Haram terrorists attacked Kukuwa-Gari village in Yobe State last week, with many victims drowning in a river while attempting to flee the assault, according to multiple sources who spoke to SaharaReporters and AFP.
The terrorists, who arrived mainly on motorcycles and in a car late last week, opened fire on the village, sending terrified residents scattering in all directions. According to a spokesman, some of the fleeing residents died in the river while others were shot dead by the gunmen. The spokesman estimated the combined death toll from drowning and gunfire at about 150, including a fisherman who was shot while trying to rescue some of the drowning villagers.
The news of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants had destroyed telecommunications masts around the village, which is located approximately 50 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital. The destruction of infrastructure, a tactic employed by the insurgents since the beginning of the insurgency in 2009, has often delayed reporting and humanitarian response to attacks in remote areas.
Bukar Tijjani, a villager, told AFP that the gunmen attacked on Thursday, forcing residents to flee for their lives. "Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape. The gunmen opened fire on the village forcing people to run to safety," he said. "Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion. They were pursued by the gunmen, who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river, which was full to the brim."
A local government official confirmed the attack but placed the death toll significantly lower, at approximately 50. The discrepancy in figures could not be immediately reconciled, as the remote location and destruction of communication infrastructure have made verification difficult.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents perpetrated by Boko Haram in Nigeria's northeast, where the insurgency has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions since 2009. Despite repeated military operations aimed at degrading the group's capabilities, the terrorists continue to launch deadly assaults on vulnerable communities, often targeting civilians in remote villages with little or no security presence.