Boko Haram Massacre: Market Goers In Borno Killed With RPGs And Gunfire

Boko Haram, the extremist Islamist group which operates in Nigeria, has struck again in a deadly attack on a market, which saw a number of people killed by RPGs and live gunfire while they were shopping.

According to an AFP report, the terrorists showed up dressed in military and police uniforms and began to kill people at the market in the northeastern state of Borno. They also stole food from vendors and carted it away in abandoned trucks.

Salman Lawan, a trader at the market who witnessed the Boko Haram attack, told AFP, “They struck around 1:30 pm (12 30 GMT) during peak hours by first firing a rocket-propelled grenade at the market before opening fire on traders. They killed several people in the attack but it is difficult to give a precise figure.”

Modu Kachalla another trader who witnessed the attack gave a similar but more detailed account of what happened.

“They robbed traders of cash and loaded food into trucks they seized at the market before fleeing into the bush. The market was full…when the Boko Haram gunmen attacked which explained the high casualties. The attackers killed many people at the market but it is difficult to give a toll because everybody fled to save their lives.”

The militants of Boko Haram have been very successful, having seized huge swathes of territory in Borno and in the neighboring Yobe and Adamawa states. There are now shortages of food in the areas they have taken, according to residents.

The market attack wasn’t reported immediately, as there was a severe disruption to the phone services in the region on Friday, with telecommunications only being restored on Saturday.

Boko Haram wishes to impose an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of the country, much like ISIS are doing in Syria and Iraq. They have already murdered more than 10,000 people since 2009, and have left an estimated 700,00 homeless.