It was a bloody weekend, with gunmen believed to be Boko Haram members killing 85 innocent Nigerians in Borno and Adamawa, two states under emergency rule. It was, however, not a win-win situation for the terrorists as 40 of them were reported killed across the border in Cameroun.

In the Borno attack, at least 45 people were killed and three villages burnt to ashes in separate attacks as sect members sustained their offensive on isolated towns and villages around the state, an eyewitness and officials said.

The first attack which took place at about 8pm on Friday was carried out on two villages, Wondula and Annari, all near Ngala town, while the second one occurred on Saturday morning in Warshele, another nearby hamlet.

“About 45 people died in the attacks and nothing that could be called building was spared as the gunmen set ablaze everything; they heaped food items into many of their vehicles and took away scores of livestock from the villages,” said a local vigilante member, Muhammed Gavva.

The House of Assembly member representing the area, Hon. Idrissa Jidda, who is also the majority leader in the Borno State House of Assembly, also confirmed the attack.

He said: “Dozens were killed and all the houses in the affected villages have been destroyed by the attackers. They went to the villages in a convoy of eight Hilux vehicles and many motorcycles and set buildings and stores ablaze. Most of our villagers have fled to nearby Cameroon and others have moved towards Dikwa in search of safety. We are in serious state of insecurity because the insurgents are killing our people with impunity,” the lawmaker said.

A top official of the Department of State Service who pleaded anonymity, said, “Our office has received that report from Gamboru-Ngala, but we are not sure of the actual casualty figure, even though we are aware many persons were affected.”

The officer said such isolated cases do occur “almost on daily basis, especially in remote and isolated villages and hamlets.”

In Adamawa State, the sect yesterday attacked a bar and brothel located near a major military base in popularly known Kaban area in Mubi, killing at least 40 people.

According to the sources, the explosion happened close to 6pm local time, adding that none of the casualties was a soldier, but the other stated that it was too early to determine whether any of the dead were soldiers.

The bombed facility is a short distance away from the headquarters of the Special Operations Battalion (SOB) of the Nigerian army in Mubi.

The battalion is at the centre of the Nigerian government’s counter-offensive against Boko Haram’s increasingly daring attacks on military and civilian targets.

Soldiers based in Mubi frequently join civilians to eat, drink and dance at the watering hole, sources said, adding that military commanders generally warned soldiers not to stay at the joint past 4pm.

Meanwhile, Cameroun’s security has moved to stamp out Boko Haram elements in its country, killing 40 of the terrorists in clashes in the country’s far north, state radio said yesterday.

This came on the heels of the release of two Italian priests and a Canadian nun suspected to have been held by the Islamist group since April.

According to Reuters, a Camerounian Presidency source confirmed the clashes, which took place west of the town of Kousseri, in the region bordering Nigeria and Chad.

Cameroun, which has been criticised by Nigeria for not doing enough to fight Boko Haram, it was gathered, deployed some 1,000 troops to the far north last week in its attempt to flush out the Islamist militants.

•Partly based on reports in LEADERSHIP and Daily Sun. Photo shows Boko Haram insurgents.

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