LAGOS
The death toll from two separate attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in northernNigeria have jumped to at least 140 people, according to residents and police sources.
"More bodies have been found in the nearby bush just as some persons who sustained life-threatening injuries in the attacks had succumbed," a police source who asked not to be named told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday from Maiduguri, capital city of Borno.
"The death toll in Kawuri has risen from the initial 52 reported to about 89 as at Tuesday evening," he explained.
Alleged Boko Haram militants attacked on Sunday Kawuri, a village 70kms from Maiduguri, capital ofNigeria's northeastern Borno state.
They reportedly razed the entire village, according to eyewitnesses and security sources.
Borno Police Commissioner Lawan Tanko had confirmed the incident but declined to answer questions about casualties.
Mohammed Tukur, a survivor of the attack, said many people are still missing.
"Maybe it is too early to conclude that they are dead," he told AA from a hospital in Maiduguri where he is being treated from wounds sustained during the attack.
"But for now, between 16 and 20 of our people are not accounted for. We strongly pray that they are safe," Tukur said.
He confirmed that the attacks came after "three separate warnings of impending attacks" which he claimed were reported to the security agencies.
The survivor said the insurgents burnt houses, mosques and a market square.
"They left after about four hours of free reign of terror before the security team arrived," he recalled.
The death toll in an attack on a church in Adamawa State has also risen.
"As at yesterday, the figure was put at 53. Some claim it is 54. But our figure at the council is 53 as I speak to you," Njoku Davis, an official at the Madagali logical government area of Adamawa, told AA.
"It was a pure massacre," he insisted.
"Two policemen were among the victims. They were stationed at the church as guards," Davis said.
Army spokesman Mohammed Dole could not be reached for comments on the attack.
Calls and text messages to his mobile were not responded.
Brig. Gen. Rogers Nicholas, Commander of the 23rd Armored Brigade in Yola, the capital of Adamawa, told reporters Tuesday he was yet to ascertain the death toll.
Gunmen believed to Boko Haram fighters have heightened their attacks in the hinterlands since early January; most times killing scores and burning properties often time without the security agencies able to stop them.
Outlawed by Nigeria, US and Canada, Boko Haram has been blamed for thousands of deaths and attacks on religious places, security formations and public places in Nigeria's northern region since 2009 when it launched violent campaigns.
By Rafiu Ajakaye
englishnews@aa.com.tr
