Boko Haram fighters attack villagers, kill six

Boko Haram jihadists killed six people in separate attacks in northeast Nigeria, looting shops and burning homes, residents said on Tuesday.

The latest attacks underline the threat to civilians in the region, with security high on the agenda as Nigerians prepare to elect a new president and parliament on February 16.

On Monday, fighters loyal to factional leader Abubakar Shekau stormed the villages of Shuwa and Kirchina, in the Madagali area of Adamawa state. Madagali is in the north of Adamawa, near the border with Borno state, which has been at the epicentre of the nine-year conflict.

Boko Haram “killed one person in Shuwa and two more in Kirchina”, said Maina Ularamu, a community leader and former political administrator in the district, said.

“The terrorists attacked Shuwa around 6.45pm, firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades and chased away the policemen in the town.”

The insurgents stole vehicles, including a police van, and looted shops before setting fire to buildings. Troops from Madagali, 13km away, deployed and engaged the militants in a fight, forcing them to withdraw.

The gunmen then attacked Kirchina as they fled towards the Sambisa Forest, which straddles Borno and Adamawa states, said local resident Sylvanus Waramulu.

“They killed two people, looted shops and burnt them along with several houses,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Boko Haram fighters from the same faction shot dead three goat herders near the village of Tubba, 8km from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

Two of the three were killed as they tried to recapture the herd of goats. Two others are missing and presumed captured, said local civilian militia leader Mustapha Muhammad.

Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted farmers, loggers and herders, accusing them of passing information on the group to soldiers and the militia fighting them. Last month, four farmers were killed as they worked near Molai village, 5km outside Maiduguri.

9 the number of years the jihadists have been waging their war in Nigeria

HARDLINE ISLAMISTS

Boko Haram’s decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in remote northeastern Nigeria has killed more than 27,000 people and displaced 1.8-million from their homes. The conflict has spilled into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

27,000 the number of people who have been killed in the conflict