Armed men identified to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group on Monday attacked Beneshiekh town, the seat of Borno State’s Kaga Local Government Area, and assassinated the Chief Imam, Sheihk Baba Goni Muktar Malumti.
They also set fire to several of the deceased’s Islamic texts.
The dead was a well-known Islamic scholar and the Chief Imam of Beneshiekh’s Juma’at Mosque.
In separate attacks, another gang of terrorists raided Makinta Kururi hamlet in Beneshiekh and captured two hunters.
Recall that the Chief Imam’s younger brother was also slain by militants last month.
Beneshiekh is around 70 miles from Maiduguri on the important Kano-Damaturu-Maiduguri route.
Mustapha Baima, the Caretaker Chairman of Kaga Council Area, confirmed the occurrence, stating, “Yes, we received a distress call that Boko Haram terrorists gun down our Chief Imam of Beneshiekh Jummat Mosque in his house at about 1:15am on Monday.”
“The terrorists first invaded the house of one Islamic scholar (names withheld), but when they realised the picture they were carrying for execution did not resemble that of the Chief Imam as target, they asked him to go back to the house and remain quiet.
“Thereafter, they went to another house where the Chief Imam was praying. The terrorists then opened fire on their target. The terrorists also set ablaze some Islamic books after killing the Chief Imam.
“Another set of terrorists invaded Makinta Kururi and abducted two hunters. This is in addition to the killing of a younger brother to the late Chief Imam.”
