At least 10 people, who were collecting wood in the bushes, were slaughtered by insurgents, who sliced their necks and bodies as if they were animals.

The gruesome killing happened on Saturday, March 5, in the Grjang community in the Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

It was thought to have been carried out by members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly known as Boko Haram.

Habu Musa, a resident, told RNI reporter Aisha Jamal that the slaughter happened between 9am to 10am while the villagers were looking for firewood in the bushes.

“The insurgents gathered the villagers together and attacked them with knives and other sharp objects. At least five women and five men were slaughtered. But we don’t know the actual figures because many of those who went to the bushes have not returned. We do not know if the insurgents abducted or killed the missing people, or if they managed to run away.”

Security officials were still searching for the missing residents.

He said that many children were now orphans. “One of the slaughtered men had four kids and another had five.

“We know there are more children who are now orphans but we can’t tell for certain until we know how many people are still missing. The women in the community are looking after the orphans. The children are very distressed.”

In another attack on Sunday, three people were killed and two people were wounded when the driver of a car travelling on the Damboa-Maiduguri road rode over an improvised explosive device (IED).

A Civilian Join Task Force member, Modu Ali, told RNI reporter Alkali Mustapha that the incident occurred at about 11am.

“The wounded are being treated in the General Hospital in Maiduguri. The dead were returned to Damboa for their funerals.”

AISHA JAMAL