Borno: Weeping as six persons killed, several injured in fresh Boko Haram attack
The Borno State Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday confirmed that six persons were killed on Tuesday evening when Boko Haram attacked Moloi village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The agency’s Head of Rescue Operation, Mr Usman Kachalla, added that 15 other persons sustained injuries in the attack.
Kachalla said the deceased included four females and two males, adding that the women were burnt to death inside their homes as a result of the fire set to the houses by the insurgents.
He added that two males were hit and killed by stray bullets while trying to escape the scene of the attack.
He said the attack had displaced hundreds of persons in the area, but gave assurance that the agency would conduct emergency assessment to support the victims.
The Nigerian Army on Tuesday had said its troops successfully repelled attack coordinated by Boko Haram insurgents in Moloi.
The acting General Commanding Officer 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brig. Gen. Bulama Biu, said gallant troops repelled the attack when the insurgents attempted to infiltrate Moloi community.
Biu called on the residents not to panic, saying that the situation was under control.
Meanwhile, a resident of Moloi, a village about 10 kilometres away from Maiduguri on Damboa/Biu road, Abubakar Yusuf, told our correspondent on the phone on Wednesday that there was massive loss of property by both the residents of Molai and the military stationed in the village.
He lamented that the insurgents “attacked and destroyed a power transmission station and took away the military gun truck stationed there.”
Yusuf added, “They (insurgents) killed two persons in Maibukarti village, not far away from Moloi. And then, they killed two people in Moloi, one of them was a mad man.”
Biu, however, said on Wednesday that Maiduguri was never attacked as the insurgents were repelled at the outskirts of the town.
He said, “Troops neutralised a number of the insurgents and repelled the attack. The insurgents came and fired some shots but troops engaged and repelled them. Some disgruntled elements are peddling misleading information that Maiduguri is under attack. How can Maiduguri be under attack when we already repelled them?”
