Boko Haram fighters have killed at least
55 people in Bale and Kayamla villages, two communities near Maiduguri,
the Borno State capital.
Residents who spoke with AFP
said the insurgents also burnt several homes after looting them before
proceeding to the outskirts of Maiduguri, where they were crushed by
troops.
“They killed 30 people in Kayamla and another 25 in Bale,” a vigilante official, Abacha Zinnari, said.
A resident of Bale, Husseini Ari, said
the community on Thursday buried 25 people killed in the previous day’s
raid while several others who were injured were taken to hospital.
“The village is mourning the death of 25 people killed in the Boko Haram attack who were buried yesterday,” Ari said.
A group of heavily armed Boko Haram
fighters late Wednesday had launched an offensive on Maiduguri city
which was repelled by troops from a military base on the outskirts of
the city, according to the military and residents.
At least three soldiers, six vigilantes
and dozens of Boko Haram insurgents were reportedly killed during
clashes in Maiduguri on Wednesday evening, it was learnt.
The assault was the first on Maiduguri
for three months and came after massive offensive attacks against Boko
Haram strongholds by combined troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and
Cameroon.
The insurgents had raided Bale and
Kayamla before the foiled assault on Maiduguri but the story was slow to
emerge following a round-the-clock curfew imposed on the city by the
military on Thursday, which restricted movements.
“The gunmen burnt around 50 houses and
looted food stores and livestock,” said Ari, adding that the insurgents
targeted homes they identified as belonging to vigilantes in the
village.
Musa Kumbo, a resident of Kayamla, said
at least 30 people were killed in the Boko Haram raid on the village and
surrounding settlements.
“The attackers were heard shouting they
would come back and finish their operation once they were done with
Maiduguri,” Kumbo said.
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