One insurgent and two residents were killed and a woman was wounded by a stray bullet in an attack by extremists in the Dikwa Local Government Area in Borno State on Saturday, November 14.

The attackers were thought to be members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

RNI reporter Bintu A Goni said the attack took place when some Dikwa residents, including men, women and children, went to the bush to fetch firewood and others went fishing.

Ba’ana Yanaye, a Dikwa resident, said he and many others had gone to fetch firewood when the insurgents suddenly surrounded them.

“There were many of us working in the bush to find firewood when suddenly the insurgents arrived. At first they pretended to be part of the people looking for wood but then they surrounded us. We started running for our lives. Some ran home and others ran into the bush to save themselves,” he said.

“As we started running away from the insurgents they started shooting at us and killed two men. I ran far inside the bush and spent two days in a huge tree afraid of getting killed by either the insurgents or the troops.”

When the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force arrived they rescued most of the residents. In the process they killed one of the insurgents and helped a woman who was hit by a stray bullet.

The soldiers also identified two of the people as insurgents and arrested them.

A military source said many of the residents were still missing. They had either fled their homes and were looking for a safer place to stay or they were still in hiding, he said.