Meanwhile, President Buhari had implored the nation’s military officers to be mindful of their actions by taking into cognisance, the religious and ethnic sensitiveness of the country in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast, and other criminal elements across Nigeria.
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Local resident Haladu Musa, who fled the attack, told AFP that “large numbers” of fighters poured into the village, overpowering government forces deployed to prevent the insurgents reaching Maiduguri.
“Most of the casualties came from the suicide bombings”, he said, without being able to give a precise figure for the dead and injured.
The first attack happened at Malari village along Bama/Konduga highway when a female suicide bomber detonated Improvised Explosive Devise (IED), strapped to her body, killing herself and seven others. “A soldier also died”, the defence headquarters said in a statement of yesterday’s attack.
A campaign signboad displayed by the ruling All Progressives Congress stands in Ogijo, southwest Nig …
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Boko Haram has used both men and young women and girls as human bombs in the past.
The attacks were staged out from Wednesday in Borno villages as Ramadan worshippers, women and men were killed in mosques and in their homes.
Minimah, who spoke at the passing out parade of the newly commissioned Army Lieutenants at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji, Kaduna State, on Saturday, corroborated President Muhammadu Buhari’s comment that Nigeria was winning the war against Boko Haram.
The killings follow those of about 150 people in villages earlier in the week. The same day, Boko Haram militants stormed two nearby villages and opened fire at a mosque during evening prayers. This time killing almost 200 people in 48 hours of violence in north eastern Nigeria on Friday and beheading 11 of its own members as told by witnesses.
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He said that already, Federal Government and its allies had since put machinery in motion for the final onslaught on terrorists within and beyond Nigeria.
