At least five men were reportedly shot dead Sunday when two rival militia groups commonly called “civilian JTF” clashed in Biu, Borno State. Both groups were reportedly searching for suspected Boko Haram members.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that trouble started when a group of civilian JTF from Maiduguri, the state capital, accompanied by soldiers invaded Biu town in search of suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The presence of Maiduguri civilian JTF in Biu was said to have angered the local arm of the civilian JTF, who reportedly asked them leave their town.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that an bitter argument ensued between both civilian JTF camps, and tempers flared. According to witnesses, a fight broke out and, in the attempt to stop the fight soldiers shot dead five of the young men.
Witnesses claimed that Biu civilian JTF suffered more casualty, and that at least one innocent passer-by was killed by a stray bullet.
“I saw five dead bodies before I was rushed to FMC (Federal Medical Centre) Gombe. It is possible the casualty figure may be more than five because only two of us survived the shooting from soldiers before we were taken to the hospital. I can’t tell where other dead bodies were deposited”, one survivor who identified himself as Abdullahi Mohammed said.
He disclosed that he was shot in the chest, but that doctors had successfully extracted the bullet.
“Allhamdulillahi I am still alive, I was shot on my chest by soldiers but Allhamdulillahi the medical doctors here have successfully removed the bullet from my body,” narrated Mohammed said from his hospital bed.
Last Tuesday, eight persons including a lecturer at the College of Education, in the same Biu were allegedly executed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
They were suspected to have invaded Biu after escaping from their camps in Sambisa and other parts of Borno and Yobe States in the wake of the recent military offensive.