Scores of traders were on Friday killed when members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect invaded Mainok market, about 56 kilometres from Maiduguri, Borno State, in search of food.

A Maiduguri resident, who was travelling along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road, said the insurgents invaded the busy market at about 1pm, shooting sporadically into the air.

Our source said hundreds of traders and shoppers fled the market in confusion and that some of them were trampled to death in the ensuing stampede.

It was gathered that many more people were killed in the stampede than from the shots fired by the insurgents.
A security personnel who also travelled on the road confirmed the situation, saying that the attackers fired Rapid Propelled Grenade, RPG.

“The death toll may be high because there were many people in the market,” the security man who did not want to be named said.