According to reports, several residents were injured in the attacks on the villages of Koronginim and Ntsiha near Chibok town, where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted on April 14 by the sect and remain unaccounted for.
A source from Koronginim told the Punch, “The attackers are Boko Haram and they, over 20, came to Koronginim in two vehicles painted in army colours and they all carried different guns. They opened fire on people as soon as they arrived at about 7am.”
He also said, “Many people were just waking up while many were forced out of their houses. People fled into nearby bushes when they saw the attackers but they were pursued even into the bush.”
The source, who claimed he narrowly escaped death, added, “The insurgents razed the village and burnt all our livestock after killing many people.”
“The insurgents surrounded the village. They continued their attack till about 12pm. We lost many people. They killed my childhood friend and my uncle. I fled the house, leaving only my mother,” he said.
A hospital source said many of the injured persons were on admission at Chibok General Hospital.
A Chibok resident, in a telephone chat, said his relations were among the victims. “Some of our relations at Koronginim and Ntsiha have been killed by Boko Haram today.”
Another eyewitness who spoke to Reuters, said the gunmen who wore military uniform and drove in a convoy of sport utility and military vehicles, attacked the village.
The witness who declined to be identified said the gunmen screamed “Allahu Akbar” just before they started shooting and killing villagers.
“Two of their leaders gave orders that they should shoot anyone on sight. I crawled into the nearby bush and fled from there,” the witness said.
In another development, the President’s Senior Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Doyin Okupe boasted that Nigerian troops would have “smoked out” Boko Haram insurgents had they remained in the country without fleeing to Niger and Cameroon after launching their attacks.
Speaking in an interview to international broadcaster Aljazeera, he said, “What has sustained the war in favour of Boko Haram was their ability to strike Nigeria and go back in hiding in Niger or Cameroun. If they stay on this soil, we will smoke them out.”
