At least 24 people were killed on Sunday when Boko Haram
gunmen raided a village in northeast Nigeria, where the Islamists have stepped
up deadly attacks on villages in recent months, residents told AFP.
Dozens of motorcycle-riding gunmen stormed Kamuya village in
Borno state after sunrise as locals were heading to the weekly market, opening
fire on residents.
The attacks indicate how Boko Haram, who captured world
attention after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls last month, can attack
seemingly at will and the Nigerian military's fragile grip on security.
A state of emergency has been in place in Borno and two
neighboring northeast states since May last year.
"They came on motorcycles and blocked all routes
leading into the village and opened fire indiscriminately on people, most of
them traders from neighboring villages coming to the market," said
resident Bala Mshelia.
"They killed 24 people and took off into the bush. We
are sure they are Boko Haram."
Terrified residents fled the village to the nearby town of
Biu for fear of further attacks, Mshelia said by telephone.
"The gunmen said they would return for more attacks and
we felt we had to leave to save our lives," said another resident, Dauda
Ibrahim, who gave a similar account of the incident.
Boko Haram has escalated attacks in Borno's countryside,
raiding villages where they kill residents, loot food supplies and set fire to
homes.
On Wednesday suspected militant fighters killed 34 people in
raids on four villages in two districts of Borno state, according to figures
provided by residents.
Three separate raids on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
including two near the remote Borno town of Chibok where the girls were
abducted, were also attacked, killing more than 50.
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