Gunmen with obvious imprints of the deadly Boko Haram militants have struck Gumsuri town, Borno State, 20 kilometers to Chibok, where more than 200 schoolgirls were taken hostage in April.
Reports indicate that 35 persons were killed and no fewer than 185 were anducted in the attack, with many residents fleeing into the bush.
No group took responsibility for the attack in Gumsuri, but it bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which abducted more than 200 girls in April from a secondary school in nearby Chibok.
The people kidnapped by the militants include women and children. The hostages were carted away on trucks towards Sambisa Forest, a notorious rebel stronghold, two local officials and a vigilante leader said.
Both officials, who requested anonymity, said the local government established the number of those abducted through contacting families, ward heads and emirs.
A vigilante leader based in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, Usman Kakani, told AFP that fighters who were in Gumsari during the attack provided a figure of 191 abducted, including women, girls and boys.
Gumsuri is roughly 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Maiduguri and falls on the road that leads to Chibok.
Those who fled the village said it was too dangerous to head directly to Maiduguri. Instead, they travelled several hundred kilometres in the opposite direction to connect with the main road that leads to the state capital.
Mukhtar Buba, a Gumsuri resident who fled to Maiduguri, also confirmed that women and children were taken. “After killing our youths, the insurgents have taken away our wives and daughters,” he said.
Other witnesses recounted the gory incident: A local government official who pleaded anonymity said: “Our youth that engaged the insurgents, in serious fight have been seriously injured because the attackers stormed the village in convoy of vehicles with petrol bombs and dangerous weapons.
“For the past one year, the insurgents have made several attempts to attack Gumsuri but were resisted by the gallant youths of the village who always had the upper hand during confrontation. It is sad that on Sunday, the village was subdued.”
Another official added: “They divided themselves into two groups. While the first group was fighting with the vigilantes, the second group launched simultaneous attacks from behind them . They killed 32 people, including the chief Imam and leader of the youth.”
Abdullahi Kolomi who could not explain how he escaped to Maiduguri said that more than half of the town was set ablaze.
“I am not sure what will be left behind in Gumsuri because more than half of the village was in flames when some of us decided to run. We just took that step thinking that we would die but only God knows how and why we came out alive.
The terrorists ruthlessly attacked us and killed at will. They had guns and bombs; they came with petrol in jerrycans which they used in setting houses ablaze. Many shops and foodstuff have been destroyed.
“I managed to escape and trekked throughout the night. I took refuge in Biu for three days before proceeding to Maiduguri, but I lost everything.”
Another eyewitness, Adamu Muktari, who has escaped to Gombe State said the insurgents came to the village in hundreds and ordered the villagers to assemble in an open place where they separated the women from men, the young girls and boys, before they opened fire on those that refused to join them on their mission.
The insurgents gathered the insurget ordered the people to assemble in a particular place outside the village.
“On noticing that the insurgents planned to kill the youths and abduct young ladies or girls, others started to run away. Some were killed, some injured and some escaped.
“We saw hell. We never expect they will turn against us in the village because they used to come and pass through the village and have never asked anybody to run away or hurt anybody until today we just saw them and they asked us to come out from our houses and assemble outside,” Muktari narrated.
Boko Haram has increasingly used kidnappings to boost its supply of child fighters, porters and young women who have reportedly been used as sex slaves.
The group has violated Nigerian security at ease in various bloody attacks, in which thousands of People have been killed and many hundreds abducted.
These attacks and abduction have raised questions about the ability of security forces to protect civilians, especially around the north Cameroon border where the militants are well established. The abductions have gained in frequency this year.
Helps from Us, Uk, France and other world powers which made promises in the wake of Chibok abduction have remained largely perfunctory.
Hope raised by their pledge and subsequent help overtures has been dashed as they have changed nothing in terms of regularity of attacks or the ability ward them off.
