Kanyi Okeke
Suspected Boko Haram members have attacked a new town in Nigeria’s northeastern Bauchi State on Monday, burning houses and leaving many feared dead.
“We all ran into the bush early this morning as gun shots rented our community,” Jibo Samaila, a local resident of Bununu town, told by phone.
“They have burnt many houses with people inside,” he said. “We don’t know the level of casualty but we can see smoke all over the places.”
Sarah Ali, another resident of Bununu, said they have been awake all night after information had reached them that militants were planning to attack their town.
“The gunmen are already in Bununu and we heard that a contingent of them is advancing on Tafawa Balewa and Katagum,” she told.
“We pray they will not succeed because our men did not relax as they have been awake guiding the whole villages to stop them from gaining entrance,” said Ali.
The armed groups had advanced on the provincial capital Bauchi on Sunday but were reportedly repulsed by army troops.
They are believed to have later invaded Alkeleri and Kirfi towns from where they raided Bununu Monday morning.
Army spokesman Sani Usman could not be immediately reached for comment.
Bauchi state government had slammed a 24-hour curfew across the state Sunday in what it said was an effort to enable security forces to curtail the militants and safeguard lives.
