Boko Haram kills 60 in Yobe village

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau

Over 60 persons have been killed by Boko Haram fighters in

Kukuwa – Gari in Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday, the

spokesman for the Yobe State Police Command, Mr. Toyin

Gbadegesin, confirmed the attack. But he did not give the

casualty figure.

He said, “I can confirm that there was an attack at Kukuwa

village and the police and other security operatives were able to

repel the Boko Haram attackers. We are not aware of the high

death toll.”

But a member of the local vigilance group, Abubakar Aliyu, told

our correspondent that over 60 people lost their lives in the

attack.

He said most of the victims were shot dead by the sect fighters,

while some drowned in a river while they were fleeing from their

attackers.

He said, “Most of the villagers were drowned in the river which

was flooded by the downpour while others were shot dead by

the terrorists. The terrorists invaded Kukuwa-Gari village and its

environs on motorcycles and trucks and started shooting at

every possible target.

“Some of us in the local vigilance group and some security

officials could not withstand the Boko Haram terrorists’

firepower as they were over 50 and were heavily armed.”

Aliyu said they were forced to go into hiding and when they

finally came out they counted 60 corpses, adding that most the

victims were found at the river bank.

Another resident of the area, Kashim Mohammed, who narrowly

escaped being killed in the attack, said the death toll had risen

beyond 60, insisting that many more corpses were seen at the

river bank after the initial count on Friday.

He said, “I was able to hide in the bush for two days, when I

came out, many dead bodies which is far more than 60 were

seen close to the river bank. Most of us could not communicate

with people in Damaturu, the state capital, because

telecommunication masks have been blown off by the

insurgents.”

Yobe State had suffered a series of attacks from insurgents in

the past and President Muhammadu Buhari had given a new

charge to the military to end insurgency in three months.

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