By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Boko Haram militants have razed a village in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least five people as well as several heads of livestock, according to official and local sources.
Yusuf Mohamed, head of the northeastern Madagali local government area of the Adamawa state, said the attack took place late Wednesday and led to hundreds of villagers deserting their ancestral community to avoid being killed or abducted.
“The entire village of Wuna was burnt down after the terrorists killed several livestock and carted away foods,” Mohamed told Anadolu Agency by phone.
He said some persons were reported killed but “I cannot say at the moment exactly how many people died”.
The attack again points up the unabated security threat by the militants. Aside from suicide bombings that killed dozens in recent weeks, attacks by Boko Haram have been rare over the past year, but analysts see rising attacks on villages as a sign the group is regaining confidence.
Quoting local sources, local news outlet Premium Times said five people died in the latest attack.
“They held sway for almost an hour during which they killed over five people, burning houses and foodstuffs and carting away domestic animals. Presently, we are hiding somewhere in a nearby village,” the online medium quoted a local as saying.
With one of its factions officially affiliated to Daesh, Boko Haram has waged violent insurgency across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger in a purported bid to return the area to so-called “pristine Islam” -- a claim most Muslims condemn.
Over 2 million people have been displaced and close to 20,000 killed in the violent campaign that started in 2009.
A few days ago, a suicide bomber killed at least 50 Muslim worshippers in an early morning attack on a mosque in the Mubi area of Adamawa.