Gunmen kill 9 in Borno village

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram Tuesday killed nine people in Huyim village of Askira - Uba LGA of Borno State.

The incident came a day after a similar attack in nearby Dille village which left 38 people dead.

The attack on Huyim was only heard yesterday as all telecommunication masts in the area have been vandalized.

Vigilante member, Musa Ado, said after killing nine people, the insurgents burnt many houses, places of worship and shops.

“The villagers have fled their homes and most of them are now in Lassa,” he said.

Umar Jar, an internally displaced person from Dille who now lives in Lassa said:“There are more than 1000 people, including women and children now taking refuge in Lassa. We need help from governments and spirited individuals because we have lost everything that we have”.

In a related development, there was fear among residents of Maiduguri and surrounding villages late Tuesday following what sounded like bomb blasts and sporadic gunshots. But senior military sources described the development as “friendly exhibition by troops.”

The source said the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army has started receiving new equipment from the Defence Headquarters to confront the Boko Haram insurgents.

Many people could not sleep throughout the night, thinking that that it was the insurgents that invaded the metropolis.

Mohammed Ari, a resident of Bolori, said he had to relocate his wife and children to a different house.

“I had to go to my friend’s house around 12pm because I was confused…my wife and children were all crying,” he said.

In the morning yesterday, some residents expressed reservations over the test-firing exercise by the military. “At least we should have been informed through the media that an exercise would be carried out and we should not panic, this is what obtains in ideal societies,” Rebecca Thompson, a civil servant said.

In the past few months, there have been apprehension in Maiduguri that insurgents are perfecting plans to attack the state capital after sacking most communities around it.