20 Shot Dead by Boko Haram

Twenty persons were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram gunmen on Wednesday on a road outside a village in Borno State, local sources said.

According to AFP, a large group of Boko Haram gunmen fleeing a military offensive on their camp in Nganzai district opened fire on four cars just outside Jingalta village, 70 kilometres north of Maiduguri, killing all 20 passengers inside, a vigilante and a villager said.

“We received information of an attack by Boko Haram gunmen on four cars near Jingalta village where they shot dead all 20 occupants of the vehicles before setting the cars ablaze,” said Babakura Kolo, a member of a local vigilante group assisting the military in fighting the terrorists Maiduguri.

The attack came as the Commanding Officer in charge of 28 Taskforce Battalion, Mubi, Adamawa, Brig.-Gen V. O. Ezugwu, yesterday confirmed the killing of two members of the sect and the rescuing of 16 families in Madagali.

Ezugwu told journalists in a telephone interview in Yola that the success was recorded on Tuesday night during an encounter with the insurgents in Madagali local government area of the state.

Ezugwu said more than 100 cows were recovered alongside two AK 47, six grenade, two pump action machine guns and 18 motorcycles from the fleeing insurgents.

He said the motorcycles were all destroyed.  The officer lauded the complementary effort of vigilante members in the area for their support to the military.

Of recent, Boko Haram insurgents had been attacking villages in Madagali local government area.Commenting on the development, Hon. Adamu Kamale of Madagali/Michilka Federal Constituency has commended the effort of the troops and urged the federal government to urgently deploy more troops to the area to effectively check the renewed menace of the insurgents.