Boko Haram kills 60 mourners in northeast Nigeria

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - At least 60 village mourners were killed by the Boko Haram terror group in northeast Nigeria during a burial rites.

A local official confirmed late on Sunday that motorbike-riding alleged members of the terrorist organization opened fire on dozens of villagers during a burial in Badu village in Borno State.

Chairman of the Ngazai Local Government, where the attack occurred, Mohammad Bulama said the insurgents shot at mourners at grave side at about 11:40 a.m. local time (1040GMT) on Saturday, two weeks after a previous attack had been repelled by local villagers.

"The villagers resisted the attack, killed 11 insurgents and recovered 10 AK-47 rifles in the encounter," he added.

"On Saturday at about 11:40 am, the insurgents came on a reprisal mission, attacking mourners at a grave yard in the area, killing over 60 persons and injuring 11 others," Bulama said.

The attack was not reported in Maiduguri, Borno provincial capital due to remoteness of the village and lack of communication services.

The state governor visited a public hospital at the local government headquarters where injured victims were being treated on Sunday afternoon.

About 20,000 people, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed and 3 million displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast since its start in 2009.