About 30 persons, including women and children, have been confirmed dead following separate attacks by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Chibok and Kala Balge Local Government Areas of Borno State.
The incidents, which occurred on Monday, also left several others with varying degrees of injuries, local sources and security operatives confirmed.
In Chibok, suspected terrorists opened fire on mourners during a third-day prayer for a late community leader around 6 p.m., killing seven people on the spot. An update from local security sources later revealed that the death toll had risen to 14, as more bodies were recovered from the scene.
Several houses in the community were also set ablaze during the attack.
In a separate incident, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by the insurgents exploded near Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area, killing at least 16 commuters, including four women and six children. The explosion occurred when their vehicles, travelling toward Gamboru Ngala, hit the device about 11 kilometres from Rann.
According to members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), some of the injured victims, including a child, a woman, and a man, were evacuated to health facilities in Rann and Gamboru Ngala for urgent medical attention.
Governor Babagana Zulum, while receiving a federal government delegation led by the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff, expressed deep concern over the attacks. He blamed the porous nature of Nigeria’s borders for enabling terrorist movements and regrouping.
“The terrorists take advantage of the porous borders to freely attack residents. Until that is addressed, Nigeria will remain vulnerable,” the governor stated.
The latest attacks come just days after 16 people were killed in Gwoza and 10 CJTF operatives lost their lives in an ambush along the Hawul-Garkida axis.
