Gunmen suspected of being members of Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, have raided three villages in Adamawa State even as another group invaded Kwata Mai Kadir and surrounding villages in Askira-Uba local government area of Borno State, killing 40 people and injuring scores of residents. 25 were killed in the Adamawa weekend attack while 15 died in Borno.
The Adamawa attackers rode into the villages on motorcycles on Friday morning before gunning people down, according to residents and Maina Ularamu, the Chairman of the local government in the Madagali district. In the Borno incident, the insurgents went away with two vehicles, after looting foodstuff and animals in the attacked villages.
Askira – Uba is 240km south of Maiduguri, the state capital, and shares borders with Adamawa State and some parts of Sambisa forest, a fortified camp of Boko Haram. It suffered attacks by insurgents including the sacking of the whole council area, in the past, before it was liberated by the military.
A resident of Kwata Mai Kadir village, Mr. James Ayuba, told our correspondent that the insurgents came all the way from the Sambisa forest and killed 10 people before storming a nearby village of Yasa, about two kilometres to Mai Kadir, and slaughtering five residents.
A reliable source said the insurgents invaded the communities at about 8:30am on Friday in vehicles and motorcycles and armed with AK47 rifles and petrol bombs, wreaking havoc.
Efforts to get Borno State Police Commissioner, Mr. Aderemi Opadokun, for confirmation of the attacks failed as his cell phone was not reachable.
