By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri
Armed men believed to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram group, have killed ten persons and set several public and private owned buildings ablaze a village, in the Kawuri and Fori district areas in Borno State.
Three of those killed were members of the Civilian JTF who confronted the gunmen while the others were innocent villagers.
The attack reportedly occurred Sunday morning at the same time another group from the sect invaded Logomani in Gamboru/Ngala local government area of state killing 20 persons as reported yesterday.
Kawuri is one of the big villages in Konduga local government area and is about 20 kilometres away from Bama town where the sect has executed most of its most devastating attacks. It is about 60 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital.
A source who had just arrived Maiduguri from Mubi town in Adamawa State told journalists that as at the time she passed by the villages some houses were still in flames as security operatives battled to put out the fire.
“Yes I was among the passengers that boarded a taxi from Mubi to Maiduguri, and when we reached the villages along the main road, we saw some buildings being consumed by fire with the presence of security operatives and men of the vigilante youth popularly addressed as civilian JTF in the village not quite long after the attackers have fled into the bushes),” the source said.
Another unofficial account says the attackers numbered 30 and arrived the village in two Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles and were heavily armed with sophisticated guns, rocket propelled launchers and improvised explosive devices.
They were said to have instructed residents to come out from their houses into the open before they opened fire on them and later threw petrol bombs into some private and public buildings.
It was gathered that the three vigilante youths who confronted the invaders were also killed.
Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Aliyu Danja, and the state police public relations officer, Gideon Jubrin, a deputy superintendent of police, could not be reached for confirmation of this report as communication services remain shut down.