21 die in Boko Haram attack on market

Over 20 people have been killed and scores of others injured in an attack by Boko Haram Takfiri militants on a local market in Nigeria’s restive northeastern state of Borno.

Bello Adamu, an eyewitness, said Boko Haram gunmen stormed the market, located some 56 kilometers (34 miles) from the capital of the state, Maiduguri, at around 1:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) on Friday as buying and selling was in full swing.

According to traders at the market, the attack lasted for about an hour.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least 21 people lost their lives in the assault, and attackers carted away some money and goods as they ransacked stores in the local market.

The source added that victims of the attack have been taken to nearby hospitals.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen people were killed and over 30 others wounded in a bombing and shooting attack by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

The group has claimed responsibility for many deadly shooting attacks and bomb blasts in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009. Over 10,000 people have so far been killed in the attacks.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, nearly 650,000 Nigerians have been forced from their homes by Boko Haram attacks and are displaced inside the country, while thousands more have taken refuge in neighboring countries.