Forty people, including a traditional ruler, have been killed by insurgents and gunmen in Borno, Benue and Taraba states.

While 18 villagers of Wala Town were killed when suspected Boko Haram sect members attacked the area, the traditional ruler of Sabon-Kasuwa in Borno State and his guard were killed on Tuesday night and yesterday morning, respectively.

Similarly, 12 youths were killed during an attack on Obagaji, the headquarters of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State and nine others in Nwokyo village in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Fleeing residents said that the attack on Wala Village, where 18 people died and several others were injured took place at 7am yesterday.

Wala Village is located in Gwoza Local Government Area, some 130 km southwest of Maiduguri, the Borno capital.

Last week, Emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, threatened to flee Nigeria with his people if their security could not be guaranteed by the Federal Government.

Agency report said that a senior officer of the Department of State Security, DSS, confirmed the killing in Wala.

It was learnt that before the attack on Wala Village, gunmen had invaded Sabon-Kasuawa Village in Hawul Local Government Area, 210km south of Maiduguri, where they killed the district head and his guard.

According a resident, the insurgents walked right into the palace of the monarch and shot him in his bedroom and while leaving the premises they killed his guard.

Another account said that 15 people were killed in a fresh round of violence in Wukari Town of Taraba State and several property worth millions of naira were destroyed following the clash between the native Jukun and the Fulani herdsmen.

A witness said yesterday’s crisis followed a reported invasion of a Jukun village of Nwunkyo-Kura by Fulani herdsmen.

“The village is very close to Wukari and words got to the Jukun that it was under attack; so some of their fighters went there to support the villagers and in the end some of them were killed,” he said.

He also said 7 persons were killed in the village and when some of the corpses were brought back to Wukari, the Jukun retaliated.

Already, there is a restriction on movement in the area by the military task force to prevent the violence from escalating.

Spokesperson to the Taraba State Acting Governor, Kefas Sule, said that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, for Zone 7, Mohammed Abubakar, and the state Commissioner of Police, Kalafite Adeyemi, had relocated to Wukari.

In the Benue State incident, the Chairman Agatu Elders’ Committee, Mr. Sule Ngbede, said the slain youth went to fill a tipper with sand near a river when the gunmen killed them.

The state police command Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ezeala, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident. He said that the remains of the victims had been deposited in the mortuary.

•Text courtesy of Nigerian Pilot. Photo shows Boko Haram fighters.