LAGOS
At least 40 people have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state.
"They came just minutes before late night prayer. They came fully armed with all manners of weapons. They also used petrol bombs to burn down our homes," Hassan Garba, a villager in the Jakana village, told Anadolu Agency.
"Now we are homeless. We have lost relatives, some of them our bread winners," added Garba, who lost seven relatives in the attack.
"I sustained injuries to my head while running for cover. Please help us beg our government to protect us. We are being left at the mercies of the terrorists."
Ndah Salami, another villager, said the militants came in buses and ordered people to come out "voluntarily or be forced out and killed."
"My worry is that our children are living in fear and despair," he told AA.
"We are pleading with the Boko Haram to consider these children and stop this terror campaign. We beg them in the name of God."
Police spokesman Gideon Jibrin confirmed the attack late Monday, but declined to give any casualties.
"We do not have the precise figure of the number of people killed but reports say scores were murdered by the terrorist," he told AA.
Boko Haram, a hitherto peaceful organization that had preached against corruption, suddenly turned violent in 2009 following the murder of group leader Mohamed Yusuf while in police custody.
In the years since, the group has been blamed for thousands of terrorist acts, including attacks on churches and security posts across Nigeria's northern region, especially the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Although it claims to want an Islamist government in the region, Nigerian Muslims – most of whom reject Boko Haram as un-Islamic – have also been targeted by the militant group.
By Rafiu Ajakaye
englishnews@aa.com.tr
