Relatives of victims reported that at least 25 people lost their lives when suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a town in northern Nigeria. This is the deadliest Islamist attack reported since US President Donald Trump ordered air strikes on Christmas Day.
The victims were labourers who had travelled to Sabon Gari town in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State to work at a construction site, when gunmen swept in on Thursday and opened fire, relatives Hassan Usman and Auwal Isa told Reuters.
Aliyu Ndume, a senator who represents the region, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the killing of his constituents.
In a separate militant attack, also on Thursday in Borno, at least nine soldiers and two members of a civilian task force assisting them were killed by fighters who launched a pre-dawn assault on an army base. A total of sixteen people sustained injuries.
Borno, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters have intensified attacks on military convoys and civilians, remains the epicentre of the 17-year Islamist insurgency.
Nigeria, plagued by Islamist attacks and mass kidnappings, is under additional pressure to restore security since Trump accused it last year of failing to protect Christians. US forces struck what they described as terrorist targets on December 25. The Nigerian authorities say they are cooperating with Washington to improve security.
Boko Haram is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State’s West Africa Province.
When the group was established, its primary objective was to “purify” Sunni Islam in northern Nigeria. They believed that jihad should be postponed until they had gained enough strength to challenge and overthrow the Nigerian government. The group formerly aligned itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The group has been known for its brutality, and since the insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians.
