Hungry Boko Haram fighters in search of food yesterday attacked a Borno market, killing scores of traders and marketers, a military source said.

The source claimed the insurgents, who were looking for food to sustain their terror acts, raided Mainok market, about 56 kilometres from Maiduguri along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, yesterday afternoon. He said the insurgents carted away foodstuffs and money belonging to the traders after killing many people.

A Maiduguri resident, Alloy Ikechukwu, who travelled along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road yesterday, told Saturday Sun the attackers stormed the market at about 1:30pm.

“I boarded a luxury bus from Lagos and as soon as we arrived Mainok at exactly 1:30pm, we heard heavy gunshots from the western part of the market and sporadic gunshots followed. Hundreds of traders and residents fled the market in confusion, running to cross the highway to the other side while vehicles passing through the town were also making attempts to flee the town. It was such a confusion,” he disclosed.

He said many fleeing residents were hit on the road by equally fleeing motorists in the midst of confusion that ensued, adding: “Many people may have died in the attack.”

“Many people may have been killed judging from the way the insurgents were shooting at the crowd,” he said. He also said he saw many of the fleeing residents who were hit by vehicles speeding off from the area, falling and bleeding. “Vehicles were hitting one another while the Boko Haram insurgents kept shooting,” he added.

A security personnel, who also travelled on the road yesterday, disclosed that the attackers first fired Rapid Propelled Grenade (RPG) into the middle of the market before they started firing gunshots into the midst of the traders. “The death toll may be high because there were many people in the market,” the personnel, who did not want to be named, said.

The Friday attack was the third by Boko Haram in the serene community. Early March, the insurgents killed over 20 people and destroyed the entire community including the market which was later rebuilt by the state government.

•Text courtesy of Saturday Sun. Photo shows Boko Haram terrorists with rocket launchers.