Gunmen Kill Seven In Northern Nigeria, Boko Haram May Be To Blame

Gunmen have killed seven people in separate attacks in Nigeria’s north in the past two days, according to the country’s police and army.

The gunmen, suspected of belonging to Boko Haram, opened fire and threw explosives at several targets on Friday, including a police station, prison, and government offices in Maiha.

Friday’s attacks left two people dead, according to Al Jazeera. Adamawa state police spokesman Mohammed Ibrahim stated:

“Two people were killed in the attack. We lost a policeman in the attack on the police station and a civilian was also killed at the government lodge.”

So far, no one has been arrested in the attacks. Andrew Barka, the had of prisons in the region, acknowledged that some inmates were released during the attack on the prison Barka explained, “The satellite prison in Maiha was broken into and burnt by the attackers. They freed inmates before setting the prison on fire.”

The BBC notes that the second attack killed five people and was a raid on a village outside Maiduguri. The city is a stronghold of Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for either attack. Nigerian military officers were able to arrest three people and seize weapons after the second attack near Maiduguri. A school teacher in the village who witnessed the killing stated that the gunmen gathered people into a group before carrying out the massacre.

The teacher added that 15 people were killed in the attack — many of them had their throats slit. Violence linked to Boko Haram has claimed the lives of hundreds in 2012 alone. The group usually targets churches and is thought responsible for an attack on Easter Sunday, as well as one on Christmas Day.