As Nigeria were still basking in the euphoria of the military success in Gulak, Adamawa state, news reaching us reveal that the joy has just been halted.
Reports have it that about a dozen traders were reportedly killed on Friday at a market in Mainok village of Kaga local government of Borno state when Boko Haram terrorists attacked.
Witnesses and security operatives said a large number of Boko Haram terrorists invaded the town Friday afternoon and began shooting intermittently.
Premium Times reports that many people were killed in the process while several others were seriously injured.
According to the media outfit, the terrorists’ main targets were villagers from Jakana, which is about 16 kilometres away from Mainok and about 50 kilometres from Maiduguri.
Mainok, located some 65 kilometres west of Maiduguri, has a rural market holding every Friday and usually draws large population of traders from far and near who converge to buy and sell all kinds of farm produce – mostly grains as well as animals like cattle, sheep and goats.
The Boko Haram sect had on September 19 attacked the market in similar manner, killing about 36 traders.
An eye witness and a victim of the attack, Buji Muhammed (trader), told journalists in Maiduguri he was lucky to have escaped the Friday attack.
“In short I was really lucky that I was not in the centre of the market when the attack started and Boko Haram were busy shooting into the market. Instantly, many people were killed by gunshots as bullets hit them from all angle. I had to lie down on the floor and began to crawl vastly out of the market until I saw a pickup van driver who was trying to escape with his vehicle; I had to summon courage and stood up to run and jumped into the back of the pickup and that was how I and some other persons who also entered the pickup van were able to escape,” he said.
A police officer in Jakana village, which is just about 16 kilometres away from the attacked market, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on phone that many traders died during the attack.
“We saw many traders running into Jakana from Mainok, some with minor injuries, and they informed us that many people were killed,” said the police officer, who asked not to be named.
“After they shot severally into the market, they surrounded the market and began to do selective killing especially of traders that are from Jakana, they said some of the terrorists were heard shouting and instructing their colleagues not to spare people from Jakana”.
He said the Boko Haram terrorists were picking on traders from Jakana “because they had in the past suffered the lost of many of their members in Jakana following their repeated failure to take over the village.
“We the police and soldiers that are stationed here usually get the cooperation of the local people who would quickly feed us with useful information as soon as they hear about any plan to attack the town,” the police officer said.
However details of the actual casualty suffered in the market attack as well as the outcome of the military rescue mission to the area are still sketchy.
Meanwhile, this report looks like a big setback for the people of Adamawa as they were reported to be celebrating the Nigerian troops’ victory over the Islamist militants on Friday, February 27, and while the people of Borno continue to leave with the fear of the unknown.
Reports have it that about a dozen traders were reportedly killed on Friday at a market in Mainok village of Kaga local government of Borno state when Boko Haram terrorists attacked.
Witnesses and security operatives said a large number of Boko Haram terrorists invaded the town Friday afternoon and began shooting intermittently.
Premium Times reports that many people were killed in the process while several others were seriously injured.
According to the media outfit, the terrorists’ main targets were villagers from Jakana, which is about 16 kilometres away from Mainok and about 50 kilometres from Maiduguri.
Mainok, located some 65 kilometres west of Maiduguri, has a rural market holding every Friday and usually draws large population of traders from far and near who converge to buy and sell all kinds of farm produce – mostly grains as well as animals like cattle, sheep and goats.
The Boko Haram sect had on September 19 attacked the market in similar manner, killing about 36 traders.
An eye witness and a victim of the attack, Buji Muhammed (trader), told journalists in Maiduguri he was lucky to have escaped the Friday attack.
“In short I was really lucky that I was not in the centre of the market when the attack started and Boko Haram were busy shooting into the market. Instantly, many people were killed by gunshots as bullets hit them from all angle. I had to lie down on the floor and began to crawl vastly out of the market until I saw a pickup van driver who was trying to escape with his vehicle; I had to summon courage and stood up to run and jumped into the back of the pickup and that was how I and some other persons who also entered the pickup van were able to escape,” he said.
A police officer in Jakana village, which is just about 16 kilometres away from the attacked market, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on phone that many traders died during the attack.
“We saw many traders running into Jakana from Mainok, some with minor injuries, and they informed us that many people were killed,” said the police officer, who asked not to be named.
“After they shot severally into the market, they surrounded the market and began to do selective killing especially of traders that are from Jakana, they said some of the terrorists were heard shouting and instructing their colleagues not to spare people from Jakana”.
He said the Boko Haram terrorists were picking on traders from Jakana “because they had in the past suffered the lost of many of their members in Jakana following their repeated failure to take over the village.
“We the police and soldiers that are stationed here usually get the cooperation of the local people who would quickly feed us with useful information as soon as they hear about any plan to attack the town,” the police officer said.
However details of the actual casualty suffered in the market attack as well as the outcome of the military rescue mission to the area are still sketchy.
Meanwhile, this report looks like a big setback for the people of Adamawa as they were reported to be celebrating the Nigerian troops’ victory over the Islamist militants on Friday, February 27, and while the people of Borno continue to leave with the fear of the unknown.
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