Death toll from Boko Haram attacks in NE Nigeria hits 55

The death toll from recent attacks by Takfiri Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria has risen to 55, local sources say.

Abacha Zinnari, an official in the self-defense Vigilante Group of Nigeria, said Friday that the fatalities from the attacks by militants against Bale and Kayamla villages near the city of Maiduguri in Borno State, which were carried out on Wednesday, rose to 55 people.

He said 30 people lost their lives in Kayamla and another 25 in Bale during the raids.

A resident in Bale also confirmed the death toll in the village, saying the bodies of those killed were buried Thursday. Husseini Ari said several people were also injured in the raid.
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The raids on the villages came after Boko Haram militants failed in an attempted attack on the Giwa Barracks military base near Maiduguri as Nigerian forces using heavy fire to repel them the area.

“They came in through the Kayamla area at around 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), when residents were preparing for evening prayers, firing in all directions and hurling bombs,” local resident Ibrahim Sidi said Thursday, adding that the deadly offensive ended after forces from Giwa reached the outskirts of the villages and engaged in an hour-long exchange of fire with the militants.

Boko Haram says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government. It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of the country since the beginning of its militancy in 2009, which has so far left about 15,000 people dead and displaced about 1.5 million others.

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