Cameroonian troops have killed at least 70 residents while chasing Boko Haram insurgents in the Gwoza area of Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, fleeing villagers said.
Troops entered Kirawa-Jimni village on Sunday, asked where Boko Haram insurgents were and started shooting, residents said.
“We didn’t know what was going on but the Cameroonian troops suddenly appeared and began to ask us for Boko Haram terrorists,” said Muhammed Abba, a resident of the village and deputy commander of a local group of civilians set up to fight the extremists in Gwoza.
“Before we could say a word, they started firing. That scared most of us and we began to run.”
Abba said that when people returned Monday, they found 70 corpses littering the ground.
The Borno state spokesman for a civilian self-defence group, Abbas Gava, confirmed the reports, saying he received calls from residents of Ashigashiya village near the border with Cameroon.
“They said the soldiers were in hot pursuit of the Boko Haram terrorists who ran into Kirawa-Jimni. The soldiers did not waste time upon arrival as they immediately opened fire on the villagers,” he said.
Kirawa-Jimni is a border community near Cameroon, located around the area where Boko Haram insurgents once held sway.
