B'Haram kills 56 in Borno mosque, village attacks

IN yet another bizarre occurrence, suspected
members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko
Haram, have reportedly gunned down 44
people praying in a mosque in Borno State.
Agency reports on Monday indicated that the
killings occurred on Sunday morning at a
mosque in Konduga town, about 35
kilometres outside Maiduguri, the Borno
State capital city.
A State Security Service agent and a member
of a vigilante group working with the military
told the Associated Press on Monday that
they counted the bodies at the mosque after
the attack.
A member of the vigilante group, Usman
Musa, said four of his colleagues were killed
when they responded to calls for help.
Musa said the vigilantes encountered "fierce
resistance from heavily armed terrorists,"
along the way from Maiduguri to Konduga.
The state security agent spoke on condition
of anonymity because he was not authorised
to talk to reporters.
Musa and the security service agent said the
attackers wore military camouflage uniforms
used by the Nigerian army, which they might
have acquired in one of their attacks on
military bases.
On their way back from Konduga, the
security forces came upon the scene of
another attack at Ngom village, five
kilometers outside Maiduguri, where Musa
said he counted 12 bodies of civilians.
Twenty-six worshippers at the mosque were
hospitalised with gunshot wounds, said a
security guard at the emergency ward of
Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. He and the
state security agent both spoke on condition
of anonymity because they were not allowed
to give information to reporters.
Agency reports also indicated that the leader
of the Boko Haram sect, Ibrahim Shekau,
boasted in a video that his members had
killed many soldiers.
In a video received by journalists Monday,
Shekau reportedly brushed off any gains
asserted by the security forces.
"You soldiers have claimed that you are
powerful, that we have been defeated, that
we are mad people," Shekau said in the local
Hausa language.
He added, "But how can a mad man
successfully coordinate recent attacks in
Gamboru, in Malam Fatori, slaughter people
in Biu, kill in Gwoza and in Bama, where
soldiers fled under our heavy fire power?
"We have killed countless soldiers and we are
going to kill more. We can now comfortably
confront the United States of America."
On Christmas Day in 2011, Boko Haram
members attacked St. Theresa's Catholic
Church in Madalla, Niger State, killing at
least 43 parishioners.
When our correspondent contacted the
Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen
Chris Olukolade, he said that he was not
aware of the killings in the Borno mosque.
"I am not aware of this incident. I have not
received any official briefing on this incident
you are talking about," Olukolade said.
The violent sect has been responsible for at
least 2,000 deaths since 2009 when it began
a violent campaign against the Federal
Government and its varied targets have
included churches, mosques, drinking joints,
military and police facilities.
Just last week, the terrorists attacked a
barricade mounted by the Joint Military Task
Force in Gonori, Yobe State, killing six
soldiers and two policemen.
A state of emergency to curb the sect has
been on in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states
since May 14.
Meanwhile, the United States government
has said that it has sent out invitations to
some of the 19 governors in northern Nigeria
to deliberate on ending the Boko Haram
insurgency.
The US Mission in Nigeria said a senior
delegation from the US State Department
expected in the country for the 9th meeting
of the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission,
scheduled for Abuja on August 15, would
hold discussions with the governors.
United States Consul-General, Mr. Jeffrey
Hawkins, stated this during a "Roundtable
with Opinion Leaders on the US-Nigeria
Bilateral Relationships" in Lagos on Monday.
Hawkins said the rationale behind the
planned meeting was to have the "inputs'' of
the governors as part of efforts by the White
House to collaborate with the Nigerian
government in ending terrorism in the
country.
He added that the discussions with the
governors would involve the leader of the
American delegation, the United States
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs,
Wendy Sherman; an Assistant Secretary in the
US Department of Defence, high ranking
Deputy Assistant Secretaries of States from
the State Department, and officials from the
US-Africa Command among others.