Boko Haram kills dozens in Borno Market

Dozens of traders at a rural market in Borno State may have been killed and several others injured during an attack by Boko Haram members yesterday afternoon, eyewitnesses and security operatives have said.
.Gunmen in Borno, in their dozens attacked Mainok Village market, which is about 60km away from Maiduguri, at exactly 1:30pm. The attack seemed to be a desperate quest by the insurgents to get food and related consumables, as they were said to have carted away food items and money from the traders.
Mainok Village, which is in Kaga local government area of Borno State, has suffered several attacks, especially by Boko Haram gunmen who normally attack it on market days.
A traveller, Alloy Ikechukwu, who witnessed the incident told newsmen in Maiduguri that the gunmen commenced their attack on the market as the luxury bus he was travelling in from Lagos was passing through the village.

“I boarded a luxury bus from Lagos and as soon as we arrived Mainok at exactly 1.30pm, we heard heavy gunshots from the western part of the market and sporadic gunshots followed. Hundreds of traders and residents fled the market in confusion, running to cross the highway to the other side while vehicles passing through the town were also making attempts to flee the town. It was such a confusion,” he said.
“Many people may have been killed, judging from the way the insurgents were shooting at the crowd,” he said. He also said many of the fleeing villagers were hit by vehicles speeding away from the area. He said he saw them falling and bleeding. “Vehicles were hitting one another and the Boko Haram kept shooting,” he added.
A senior security operative in Maiduguri who confirmed the incident, as he claimed to have also witnessed the attack, said that from the sound of the first shot fired at the market, it was clear that there was danger afoot.
“The attackers first fired rapid propelled grenade into the middle of the market before they started firing into the midst of the confused traders,” he said.
The security operative added that many may have been killed, but that the actual number of casualties involved could not be ascertained.
“The death toll may be high, because there were many people in the market and the amount of shooting that we heard before we began to flee would certainly affect many people,” he said.
Confirming the incident from the police and officials of the Nigerian Army proved difficult, because telecommunication networks were shut down throughout yesterday.
Reasons for this could not be ascertained, but many residents concluded that the solders may have been carrying out a special operation in somewhere.Culled from LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER