The killing of an Army officer prompted a military operation in Baga town of Borno State over the weekend, leaving at least 200 dead according to residents.
At least 10,000 people have lost their homes in the violence, which military authorities said started when troops surrounded a mosque that housed Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad members who had earlier killed an officer.
Hundreds of people have fled the town, which is about 180 kilometers north of the state capital Maiduguri, into neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
Military commander Brig-Gen. Austin Edokpaye said on Sunday during a visit to the area that insurgents used heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the assault in Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area.
“We lost an officer during the attack on our men on patrol. We’ve received intelligence that some suspected Boko Haram members usually pray and hide arms at a particular mosque in town. It was around that mosque that our men were attacked with several of them injured and an officer died,” he said while briefing Governor Kashim Shettima who visited Baga on Sunday.
“When we reinforced and returned to the scene the terrorists came out with heavy firepower, including (rocket-propelled grenades), which usually has a conflagration effect,” Edokpaye added.
Edokpaye is the commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) established by Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to maintain security at the border areas.
Conflicting death toll
There were conflicting figures of the dead yesterday with some accounts saying as many as 300 people were killed.
Local government official Lawal Kole told Governor Shettima on Sunday that at least 185 bodies were found and buried, and residents said yesterday more bodies were recovered from the bush.
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