Suspected
members of Boko Haram sect again attacked Alau Ngawo Fatie village in
the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State, killing 18 people, late
on Sunday.
The attack came few days after members
of the violent Islamic sect laid siege on a fishing border community of
Gashigar and slaughtered over a dozen persons.
The incident has forced an exodus of residents of the community to neighbouring Republic of Niger.
The attack on Alau Ngawo Fatie occurred at about 10pm on
Sunday night.
The village head of Alau, Bulama Ibrahim
Alau, who spoke to journalists on phone, said, “The Boko Haram
insurgents came and launched the attack at about 10pm, shooting people
and burning houses. They were in the village operating for nearly two
hours without any security personnel coming to the aid of the villagers”
“I personally counted 18 bodies of
victims, made up of men, women and children after the Boko Haram members
had left the village. Most of those who survived the attack have fled
the village as they do not know if they will be attacked again in the
future.”
Asked if he knew why Alau was singled
out for the attack of the insurgents, Bulama Ibrahim said, “I think they
attacked us because our youths have joined the Civilian JTF.”
Another resident of the village,
Mustapha Galtimari, who was a former councillor in Jere local
government, confirmed that 18 bodies were counted by the villagers after
the siege by the members of the sect.
He alleged that several calls were made
to security operatives without response as they were left at the mercy
of the assailants for about two hours.
A source at the Public Relations
Department of the Borno State Police Command told our correspondent on
Monday that the command was “yet to receive any report of this incident
but we shall furnish you with details anytime we receive the report.”
The spokesman of 7 Division of the
Nigerian Army, Col Muhammadu Dole, confirmed to our correspondent on the
phone that there was an attack.
“Yes there was an attack on Alau but we don’t have the details yet,” he said.
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