'Massive' numbers killed by gunmen in latest Nigeria attack, senator tells BBC

Makuochi Okafor,BBC Africa, Lagosand

Natasha Booty

A Nigerian senator has told the BBC that "massive" numbers of civilians were killed by armed men who attacked their village in Borno state on Wednesday, although he did not have the precise figure.

"The number of people killed actually is very massive but we don't know the exact number, because I rely on the information from the chairman of the local government and the locals there," said Nigerian lawmaker Mohammed Ali Ndume of the attack in the remote village of Ngoshe.

Ngoshe is a mainly Muslim community and the attack reportedly took place in the evening, while many people were breaking their Ramadan fast.

The BBC has contacted the Nigerian military for comment.

Local media report that suspected Islamist militants abducted more than 100 women and children during the attack - also targeting a nearby military base and camp for displaced people, killing several soldiers and civilians, including the village's chief cleric and some community elders.

Senator Ndume told BBC Hausa the suspected militants had seized control of the village for two days before being forced out by the military, which used air strikes as well as ground troops to dislodge them.

Not since the heyday of Islamist group Boko Haram over a decade ago, when it controlled many parts of Borno including Ngoshe, has the area seen such a "devastating attack", he said.

He also suggested that the attackers may have escaped with weapons stolen from the military base which could "reinforce them to attack the next location or target", saying this was a pattern in previous similar attacks.

Umaru Yakubu Kirawa, a local journalist in Borno, told the BBC that residents had confirmed that many people had been killed and hundreds abducted.

He said residents told him they were "calling for [security] reinforcement. They are fasting - some of them were able to break their fast, and unfortunately some could not" before the armed men attacked.

Kirawa said the village is very remote and that residents had previously been displaced due to insecurity in Borno state, but "this is the first attack there after their resettlement by the government".

For many years, Borno state has been the epicentre of Nigeria's Islamist insurgency, with repeated attacks by Boko Haram and fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

Boko Haram gained global notoriety in 2014 after abducting more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in the state.

Although lawmaker Ndume is from the same party as President Bola Tinubu, he has frequently criticised the government's handling of the security situation in the area.

He told the BBC that since the authorities had declared a "state of emergency on security, they should walk the talk.

"The major challenge that the Nigerian armed forces are facing is still lack of equipment, lack of ammunition, and lack of motivation on the part of the government."

The government has for some time been promising tougher action on insecurity.

The police spokesperson in Borno state, Nahum Daso Kenneth, told the BBC on Friday that the attack had happened on Wednesday night but said he could not yet confirm the number of people affected.

"I can confirm that there was an unfortunate incident and, due to the efforts of security personnel, we were able to repel the insurgents," he said, adding that a search and rescue operation was under way.

A spokesperson for Borno state Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said he had met survivors on Friday, offering food and other supplies, while promising them "we will do everything possible" to rescue the kidnapped and restore order.

More BBC stories from Nigeria: