by James Sambo

No less than 45 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in the village of Azaya Kura in the Mafa area of Borno state.

According to the caretaker chairman of Mafa local government area, Shettima Lawan, the “wicked and despicable” attack happened on Wednesday, 19 November.

Officials and eyewitnesses revealed that the heavily armed militants arrived on motorcycles at about 12:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Wednesday while most of the villagers were at work. Many villagers successfully fled from the attack of the insurgents, while others were not so lucky.

The chief of the village, Mallam Bulama stated: “We counted 45 bodies at the end of the attack.” But other residents said more may have died after they fled into the bush.

A resident, identified as Jabiru said: “So far, 45 men have been killed and there are others that died in the bushes as a result of bleeding from bullet wounds.”

Fifty people were said to have been injured in the attack, while locals recounted that the militants blocked exits from the town, to prevent people fleeing.

A trader who fled to Maiduguri, Musa Abbani said: “The attackers destroyed more than half of the houses in our village, burnt over 50 motorcycles and four cars before they took away foodstuff and animals.”

A village elder, Mohammed Bukar, said: “We are still picking our pieces and looking for our missing people, especially those who could not be seen in Maiduguri.”
Survivors, most of them the elderly, were seen making preparations to bury the dead.”

Mafa is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east by road from the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, and the surrounding area has been under continous attack by the Islamist insurgents.

Kolapo Olapoju