TheCable

Many people were killed while houses destroyed when Boko Haram insurgents invaded Kofa community in Konduga local government area of Borno state on Wednesday night.

Zannah Galadima, a resident, told TheCable that immediately the insurgents, in their hundreds, stormed the town, they started shooting people.

Galadima said those who could not escape were killed while many houses were set on fire.

“I ran into the bush for safety, leaving my family and my relatives. I hope they ran away too,” he said.

“They set all the village ablaze. I laid down in the bush for about two hours watching the village burn to ashes. From afar, I heard noise of people running helter skelter.”

A military source said troops were deployed in the village but that the insurgents had mixed up with the villagers by the time they got there.

“As I am talking to you now, we are close to the scene of the incident but we cannot strike because it is dark and we cannot differentiate between the insurgents and the villagers,” he said.

“For now, we have been told to be on the alert in case of any unsuspected attack. Troops in Maiduguri have also been briefed.”

In recent weeks, Boko Haram fighters have raided communities in the north-east, killing people and destroying their property.