150 Shot, Drowned in Yobe River by Boko Haram Gunmen...

Residents of Kukuwa-Gari village in Yobe State have been thrown into deep mourning since Thursday last week when suspected Boko Haram members arrived on motorcycles and a car and opened fire on them.

“They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately, many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river, which is full from the rain. Many drowned,” Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, told newsmen.

“By our latest toll, we have 150 people either shot dead or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village,” he divulged.

According to AFP, Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were fished out by locals several kilometres away.

News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants destroyed telecommunications masts around the village, about 50 kilometres from the Yobe State capital, Damaturu.

“Boko Haram gunmen attacked our village on Thursday which led to the death of around 150 people. Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape. The gunmen opened fire on the villagers forcing people to run to safety,” Bukar Tijjani, another villager, told journalists.

“Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion. They were pursued by the gunmen who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape, they jumped into the river which was full to the brim,” he added.

A local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.