A community leader who witnessed the killing of over 200 civilians by Boko Haram terrorists on Monday has alleged that the military was warned about the imminent attack, but they refused to act.
The witness, who said the killers were dressed in military garbs also revealed that residents of Danjara, Agapalwa, and Antagara villages in Gwoza local government district in Borno state, where the terrorists carried out the killings, had earlier solicited for military protection as soon as they got the hint about the militants impending attack, but that the help did not come.
“We all thought they were the soldiers that we earlier reported to that the insurgents might attack us,” the witness told Associated Press, after escaping to Maiduguri, Borno state capital.
He narrated that the militants came in Toyota Hilux pickup trucks — commonly used by the military. He revealed that they lied to the community residents that they were soldiers who have been drafted to protect the village.
After people gathered in the centre on the orders of the militants, “they begin to shout ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar’ on top of their voices, then they begin to fire at the people continuously for a very long time until all that gathered were all dead,” said the witness who didn’t want to be named for fear for his safety.
Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno and whose hometown is Gwoza, and security official in Maiduguri confirmed the story.
The witness revealed that he was not shot because he was going round to inform people that the soldiers had come and they wanted to address everyone.
“As people were fleeing, other gunmen lurked outside the villages on motorcycles and mowed them down,” he said.
More than 2,000 people have so far been killed this year by the terrorists, and an estimated 750,000 Nigerians have been displaced from their homes.
Though the area has been under emergency rule, giving the Military a large measure of liberty to deal squarely with the situation, it is revealed that the terrorists’ fire power and welfare far overwhelms that the Military’s.
The attention of the terrorists has been focused on Gwoza for some time now. Most of the attacks and killings have been carried out there. Just last week, the Emir of the region was killed in a Boko Haram ambush on his convoy.
Borno Gov. Kashim Shettima traveled to Gwoza on Saturday to pay his respects to the fallen emir and was quoted as saying it was a terrifying ride.
