Dozens killed in Boko Haram raid in Nigeria

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Suspected fighters from the Nigerian group Boko Haram have staged an attack on the northeastern town of Bama, freeing over 100 prison inmates and leaving 55 people dead, the military said.

Around 200 heavily armed members of Boko Haram arrived in buses and pick-up trucks and carried out the coordinated strike on Tuesday, first hitting the army barracks and the police station before breaking into the town’s prison, military spokesman Sagir Musa told the Reuters news agency.

Musa said 22 police officers, 14 prison officials, two soldiers and four civilians were killed, while 13 of the group’s own members died, in what was one of the rebel’s most deadly single strikes since a 2009 uprising.

Gunmen freed 105 prisoners during the raid which began at around 5am (0400 GMT) and lasted almost five hours, Musa said. He said some of the attackers were dressed in army uniforms.

Bama’s police station, army barracks and government buildings were set ablaze, he said.

“They came in army uniform pretending to be soldiers but were able to detect them,” Musa said.

Bama is a small, remote town in northeastern Borno state, Boko Haram’s home state and the nucleus of its attacks.

“The call to prayer was just being said at about 5am when the Boko Haram started shooting from all directions and we ran for our lives,” eyewitness Amina Usman told Reuters.

“One woman who could not run burned to death,” Usman added.

Boko Haram and offshoots such as the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru, as well as associated criminal networks, pose the main threat to stability in Africa’s top energy producer.

Western governments are increasingly concerned about Nigerian fighters linking up with other jihadist groups in the West African region.

Boko Haram wants to carve out an Islamic state in a country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims. One of its chief demands is that its imprisoned members and family members are released and it has carried out several prison breaks.

Attacks by Boko Haram have killed more than 3,000 people since 2009, based on figures from Human Rights Watch.

14 COMMENTS

  1. THIS IS NONSENSE……. LETS FIGHT THE SECOND NIGERIAN WAR TO END THIS RUBBISH OF KILLING BY USELESS FOOLS THAT CALL THEM SELF BOKO HARAM

  2. 2 me dat’s gud news,if all nigerians re killed who will stay put on d con3 leadership 2 loot our moni 4 dia unborn generations,i pray all nigerians shd die out n leave dis land desolate.

  3. i love wat jonathan is doing,helping the idiotic northerners destroy themselves before going into war wit them cos the con3 is long over due 4 a war

  4. Alie in Makeni Sierra Leone, let's don't forget what the late Lybian leader Mamar Gdaffi said the last time"Nigeria should be separated into 2 different state" mat be this is where they are heading to because the boko haram is perpetrating rampant killing at every corner of the country. God save our super Nigeria

  5. unless we tell ourselves the truth, we will continue deceiving ourselves. Nigeria can only be one if only d foolish ones will recognize themselves as fools. How do you describe the boko haram? Are they not foolish by destroying their heritage?

  6. boko haram is not fighting for the interest of islam. All geniune muslims who read and understand the holy koran know that this is the truth. They are a bunch of heartless and purposeless criminal elements trained and being used by politicians and religious bigots who wants to grap power at all cost.

  7. WELL GOOD NEWS. ATTACK SECURITY AGENTS, ATTACK ALL DS POLITICAL THEIVES CALLING THEMSELVES LEADERS, IF YOU DONT TOUCH D INNOCENT POOR MASSES AND YOU DONT DISCRIMINATE ON RELIGIOUS TERMS, NO ONE WILL COMPLAIN. PLS GO FOR THE LOOTERS AND WE WILL ALL HAIL YOU FROM ALL ANGLES OF THE COUNTRY. MAKE BH VS CURRUPT LEADERS PLS.

  8. Somebody tell me where we’r going from here.these people who are victims deserve to live.they’re somepeople’s loved ones.BUT IT’S HIGH TIME WE SPLIT DIS CON3 BCOS THIS PPLE IS BRINGING SHAME TO US. .

  9. Don't waste your time talking politics. See how a Pakistan poor woman became a millionaire just by buying and selling accidented cars, Very interesting idea. Go to (ACCIDENTEDCARS.COM) to see the various methods and companies she was using (ACCIDENTEDCARS.COM). A simple idea but who knew it before. WAKE UP . Don't waste your time talking politics. Life is too short. (ACCIDENTEDCARS.COM)

  10. When is this so calld boko haram goin 2 stop al this nonsense nd lyv a rightous life

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