LAGOS, June 12 — At least 55 civilians have been killed in two attacks by Boko Haram militants over the last three weeks in Nigeria’s restive northeast state of Borno, the police confirmed.
Addressing reporters on the sideline of security stakeholders meeting on Saturday in Maiduguri, capital of Borno, Abdu Umar, the state police chief, said the Boko Haram insurgents have killed 32 persons at Modu village in the Kala-Balge local government area while 23 others were murdered at Mukdala village in the Dikwa area, respectively.
Umar did not reveal the exact dates when the attacks took place but said the victims sneaked into the two villages in forests without informing the security agencies for scrap metal collection.
According to the state police chief, the state governor, Babagana Zulum, directed security agencies to adopt proactive measures to stop the killings and urged scrap metal collectors to avoid areas hardly reached by security forces.
“The state government is working to come up with a policy plan to checkmate these activities (scrap metal collection in areas with high risk),” he said.
Since 2009, Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin, where the group has posed enormous security, humanitarian, and governance challenges. (Xinhua)
Fifty five civilians killed in three weeks in NE Nigeria: police
