Boko Haram militants kill 100s of civilians in Nigeria

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in attacks carried out by Boko Haram militants on four villages in northeast Nigeria, witnesses say.

Witnesses and local MP Peter Biye said on Thursday that the killings took place in the Gwoza district in Borno State on Monday and Tuesday.

The exact number of the victims is not known, but some leaders put the death toll between 200 and 500.

“The killings are massive but nobody can give a toll for now because nobody has been able to go to that place because the … [militants] are still there. They have taken over the whole area,” Biye said.
Locals said Boko Haram militants arrived in pickup trucks, which are often used by the military, and said to civilians they were soldiers and “we are here to protect you all.”

Locals also said they had asked the military to send troops to protect the area after they heard that armed men were about to attack.

The area, where the killings have occurred, are currently in the hands of Boko Haram militants. It took a few days for survivors to travel and inform people in the capital of Borno State, Maiduguri, of the killings.

Borno residents have faced almost daily raids in 2014, with reports saying that over 2,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the year.

The latest incident of violence comes as Nigeria is struggling to deal with the abduction of more than 200 female students by Boko Haram militants.

The kidnapping, which took place in the remote northeastern town of Chibok in April, has triggered an international outcry and protests in Nigeria, piling pressure on the government to free the girls.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a full-scale military operation against the Takfiri group, pledging to use all available means to ward off the threat of terrorism.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.