40 killed as Boko Haram raids Borno villages

At least 40 people have been killed by suspected Boko Haram militants who torched houses and shot people as they fled the villages of Debiro Biu and Debiro Hawul in Borno state.

Witnesses told Reuters that the attacks happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The attackers were said to have arrived the villages on motorcycles and vehicles mounted with guns. They reportedly shot residents and looted shops.

Details of the attack did not emerge for several hours due to poor telecommunications networks in the remote villages.

“They were shooting sporadically and then they started looting shops and setting places ablaze,” said Hussaini Adamu, who fled with other villagers to hide in bushes after fleeing Debiro Biu.

The police confirmed the attacks but declined to give details.

An estimated number of 181 persons have been killed since President Muhammadu Buhari came into power over three weeks ago.

Buhari has promised to tackle insurgency and has taken some steps towards realising this objective.

The president directed the military command centre to relocate to Maiduguri, capital of Borno, which has been the hotbed of insurgency.

Buhari has also met with continental and world leaders all in a bid to bring the situation under control.

All efforts to restore normalcy to the northeastern part of the country, which has been ravaged by insecurity in the last six years, has not yielded the desired result.