Boko Haram kills 18 mourners, set houses on fire

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer

Ad

INEC Chairmanship: Amupitan in pole position as Tinubu set to name Yakubu’s successor

By Obinna Uballa Nigeria’s electoral body is on the cusp of new leadership following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu after a 10-year tenure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday. Multiple presidency and commission sources indicate that the frontrunner to succeed him is Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), Deputy Vice-Chancellor…

Peter Obi Condemns “Derogatory” Labels, Says His Supporters Are Not Street Urchins

By Abiola Olawale Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, has condemned the use of derogatory labels against his supporters, stressing that no Nigerian should ever be described as a “street urchin.” In a statement posted on his official X handle, the former Anambra State governor decried what he called…

Atiku blasts Tinubu govt over Nnaji scandal, says resignation ‘whitewash of forgery’

By Obinna Uballa Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the resignation of Uche Nnaji, erstwhile Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, describing it as “an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Nnaji resigned on Tuesday after an investigation by Premium Times alleged that he submitted forged academic and NYSC…

Ad

Boko Haram fighters have killed at least 18 people at a funeral in northeast Nigeria, a witness and a police official have said.

The attackers shot at mourners and set houses on fire after arriving on motorbikes in the village of Kuda near Madagali town of Adamawa state on Thursday evening, witnesses said.

At least 10 people were injured in the incident, one witness told the Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

Resident Moses Kwagh told the sources that people waited until three hours after the attack and then counted 18 women’s bodies. Some women were still missing, he said.

“When we said that Boko Haram is still in this place, some people sit in Abuja and claim that there is no more Boko Haram – but see what has happened,” Kwagh said.

Othman Abubakar, a police spokesman, said on Friday that the number of dead could rise.

State lawmaker Emmanuel Tsamdu told Reuters: “I am yet to get the details on how it happened and the real number of people killed. I have sent hunters to go to the area and get me the details because people are afraid to go to the village.”

Kuda is close to the Sambisa Forest, a vast colonial-era game reserve where Boko Haram fighters hide in secluded camps to avoid the Nigerian military. The village was previously attacked by Boko Haram in February.

Under President Muhammadu Buhari’s command and aided by Nigeria’s neighbours, the army has recaptured most of the territory seized by Boko Haram, but the armed group still regularly stages attacks.

Recent attacks in southeastern Niger bordering Nigeria killed more than 20 soldiers and displaced tens of thousands, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in the region.

Boko Haram pledged support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) last year. The Nigeria-based group’s nearly seven-year-old violence has killed some 20,000 people, forced more than two million from their homes and spread into neighbouring countries.

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp