LAGOS
Suspected Boko Haram militants on Friday laid siege to the town of Damboa in northeastern Nigeria, killing scores of villagers and injuring several others, according to a local vigilante group.
"Victims who died cannot be less than 20 [in number] because the gunmen – who we believe to be Boko Haram terrorists – came just when people were set for dawn prayers," Khalid Yayi, a member of a local vigilante group, told Anadolu Agency from Damboa.
He said the town – located some 100km from Maiduguri, provincial capital of Nigeria's restive Borno State – "has been left in ruins because houses were brought down with explosives."
Nigerian defense spokesman Chris Olukolade failed to respond to an AA correspondent's requests for comment.
Abbas Gava, another member of the local vigilante group, confirmed Friday's attack.
"Casualties could be very high. My contacts in Damboa say they are still gathering the corpses," Gava said, adding that many homes in the town had been torched by the attackers.
Damboa has suffered repeated attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, including one attack last year in which over 200 villagers were massacred.
Borno is one three northeastern states to remain under a state of emergency that was imposed last year in an effort to rid the region of Boko Haram militants, whose activities have claimed tens of thousands lives since 2009.
By Rafiu Ajakaye
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
