Breaking News: Scores Killed, Houses Burnt as Boko Haram Storms Benishiek

Suspected Boko Haram militants dressed in military uniforms set up checkpoints in an attack in Nigeria’s northeast, killing an unclear number of people and burning dozens of buildings, residents and authorities claimed on September 18, 2013, Wednesday.

The attack reportedly occurred in the evening of September 17, 2013, Tuesday, when  saw suspected members of the Islamist sect invaded the area, and assaulted residents and motorists in the Benishiek community of Borno state.

According to Borno state government official, Garba Ngamdu, at least five local residents were killed in addition to an unclear number of motorists travelling through the area, while about 50 buildings – housing shops and homes – were burnt.

“A large chunk of the victims were motorists travelling on the highway, although we do not have a tentative

figure yet,” the official stated.

An army spokesman confirmed the attack and said a number of residents and tanker drivers had been killed, but declined to provide further details.

Residents recounted seeing bodies along the roadside and said the attackers were singling out those from Borno state.

One of the main reasons for the attack is Boko Haram revenge on residents over the emergence of vigilante groups that have formed to assist the military.

“The militants arrived in military vans and uniforms around 6.00 p.m. (17.00 GMT),” Mallam Isa Manu, a motorist who escaped unhurt, told the newsmen in the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

“They set up checkpoints on the Damaturu-Maiduguri highway and ordered motorists to park and identify themselves.”

It would be recalled that Benishiek was also the scene of clashes on September 8, 2013, between suspected Boko Haram gunmen and vigilantes. Five Islamists and 13 vigilantes were reported to have been killed.

In another statement on Wednesday, the military claimed a strike on a Boko Haram camp in the northeast last week left about 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers dead, amid reports of dozens of troops killed.