Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants rode into a village in northeastern Nigeria on motorcycles, opened fire on a market and torched shops and homes, killing at least 37 people, a military official said.
Residents said the death toll could be even higher, with residents still missing and presumed dead after fighters chased them into the bush.
The attack took place on Sunday afternoon (1) in Yobe, one of three states on the frontline of a 15-year insurgency. Thousands of Nigerians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced.
Yobe police spokesman Dungus Abdulkarim said the attack in Mafa village in Yobe was apparent retaliation for the killing of two suspected Boko Haram fighters by local vigilantes.
After firing on the market and setting buildings on fire, the militants chased other residents into the bush and opened fire on them, Abdulkarim added.
“The terrorists killed many people, but we have not yet ascertained the actual number of victims,” Abdulkarim said.
A military officer who accompanied the army commander from Yobe to Mafa on Monday night (2) said the route to the village was rigged with explosives, which the troops managed to defuse.
“We recovered 37 dead bodies and took them to Babangida General Hospital,” said the official, who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Modu Mohammed, a resident, said several other residents were missing and put the death toll at more than 100. He said some bodies were still in the bush.
This content was originally published in Attack leaves 37 dead and dozens missing in Nigeria on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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