At least 40 persons including over 30 civilians and five Nigerian soldiers were killed when suspected Boko Haram attacked a Military Patrol Vehicle with a local Bomb in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Visible angry Soldiers in retaliation of the killing of their colleagues started shooting sporadically, burnt down over 100 House and over 50 vehicles which were along the streets .
Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa confirmed the incident on phone from Maiduguri today but claim that ” two soldiers sustained injury during the incident”
Some displaced people, most of whom loved ones were killed by shooting from angry soldiers told the Deputy Governor of Borno State Zanna Umar Mustapha that their people were innocent and non of them are members of the Boko Haram sect
” Were also heard the blast and we all ran for our dear lives when we started hearing gunshots by the military and oue houses and vehicles set ablaze only to return and found the copses of our people” an eye witness Mallam Modu told the Deputy Governor
Although, the number of casualties from the side of the suspected terrorists who coordinated the attack could not be ascertained, because immediately after the blast, the whole area was cordoned off to prevent further attacks and killings, it was gathered that some suspected terrorists were also killed.
The Deputy governor while sympathising with the people affected in the incident promised that as soon as the Governor Kashim Shettima who was in a foreign trip to India, Pakistan and Turkey comes back, government will compensate them.