Boko Militants Haram Attack Villages In Nigeria, 37 People Died

UNSPLASH/Maxim Hopman ILLUSTRATION

Militant Boko Haram stormed a village in northeastern Nigeria on a motorbike, opened fire on the market, and burned shops and houses. It was reported that 37 people were killed.

Residents said the death toll could be more after reports of villagers were still missing.

The attack took place on Sunday afternoon in Yobe, one in three states on the front lines of the uprising that has lasted for 15 years.

Police spokesman Yobe Dungus Abdulkarim said the attack on Mafa village, Yobe, was suspected of being retaliation for the murder of two Boko Haram fighters by local residents.

After shooting at the market and burning buildings, militants chased other residents into the bushes and shot them.

"The terrorists have killed many people, but we cannot confirm the true number of victims," Abdulkarim said.

A military official who accompanied the army commander from Yobe to Mafa on Monday night said the route to the village had been fitted with explosives, which troops had successfully tamed.

"We found 37 bodies and took them to the Babakida General Hospital," the official said.

Modu Mohammed, a resident, said several other residents were missing and estimated the death toll to be more than 100. He said some of the bodies were still in the bushes.