Boko Haram Kills 29 Villagers After Extorting Cash From Them

Boko Haram militants today killed at least 29 people in an isolated village of Kanuyya in Biu LGA area of Borno.

A village source disclosed that the militants arrived in the early hours of today in three military vans and numerous motorcycles. They drove to the residence of the district head and demanded N250, 000 in order to spare the town and its inhabitants. When the community leader told the militants that he could not afford the sum, they asked him to summon other residents of the village to contribute the amount. The villagers were only able to N71,000.

Incensed by their failure to extort more cash from the villagers, armed gangs caught 29 villagers, tied their hands, and shot them in the head at point blank. They also set houses on fire and burnt some vehicles loaded with foodstuff.

Our source disclosed that the Islamist militants then threatened to come back to the village at a later date to collect the outstanding sum from the villagers. He said most villagers had fled the town in fear.

A Maiduguri-based political activist told SaharaReporters that Boko Haram militants had attacked at least 55 villages in Borno State since the beginning of this year, adding that military commanders keep restating that they are in control of the matter, but without stopping the sect’s incessant raids.
 

“Go to some of these villages in Borno and you will see that they are now desolate. Farmers are no longer able to continue farming in many parts of Borno State,” he said