SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, (THEWILL) – A fresh attack by Boko Haram gunmen in Logomani village in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State on Sunday has claimed the lives of no fewer than 20 persons while 10 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The gunmen who were said to have stormed the village early Sunday morning were however repelled by soldiers who pursued them to the surrounding Ngamboru/Ngala forest.
A resident of Logomani , Bukar Alhaji Gana, who gave a graphic account of the attack, said about a week before the attack, rumour was rife that some suspected Boko Haram members were seen in the area and were heading towards Marte area.
“We were told that some of the Boko Haram sect members came around and warned some people, but left almost immediately towards Marte. The people who said they saw them warned that people should stop coming to the trailer park in the area where truck drivers usually come to park and rest before continuing their journey towards Ngamboru/Ngala and Tchad,” he said.
The gunmen, who were said to have been dressed in military camouflage reportedly left with some prostitutes who normally service the truck drivers. They were also said to have extorted money from some of the truck drivers.
A passenger, who said he escaped being killed by the gunmen, said the terrorists stopped his vehicle, shot at three passengers and slaughtered 14 other persons before fleeing into the bush when someone alerted them that soldiers were on their trail.
“When they stopped us, we thought they were soldiers until they began to ask us to come out of the car. It was then we realised they were Boko Haram insurgents. They were dressed in military uniform and killed about 20 before they fled when they were told soldiers are coming,” he said
Men of the 7 Division Nigerian Army in Maiduguri had recently averted what could have been a twin attack in Konduga and Bama where over 40 terrorists were killed and unspecified numbers of arms and ammunitions recovered.
THEWILL was however unable to get an official confirmation of the Sunday incident from military authorities as the spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army Maiduguri, Captain Aliyu Danja, could not be reached for comments because of the telecommunication lockdown in Borno State.
