When it looks like the Boko Haram threat has been subdued, the extremist group returns with a bigger attack. The latest of these attacks has been on Dalori, a village 10 kilometers from Borno’s capital, Maiduguri.
In an attack on Saturday, militants of the group attacked the village and reports coming through have stated figures between 50 and 80 lives were claimed.
The Area Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in Borno State, Mohammed Kanar, said 86 bodies were picked up in the village on Sunday while hospitals in the area have stated that at least 70 civilians have been brought in for treatment.
Witnesses said the attackers arrived on motorbikes and in lorries and were wearing military uniforms before they took to throwing firebombs into huts and burnt many to death.
A resident of the village, Mallam Abba Dalori, is quoted as having told The Punch, “We were helpless as no one came to our aid when the insurgents struck on Saturday night. I am still mourning as I lost 11 persons in the siege. At present, I am still looking for five of my children, who went missing during the attack.”
In a statement from the spokesman for the counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Mustapha Anka, while confirming the attack, withheld the casualty figure.
President Buhari has also released a statement stating that “Having lost the war, they (the insurgents) are seeking ways and means to gradually find their way back into society.”
How long shall Boko Haram continue to ravage the North Eastern states?
Story via BBC Africa & Punch