Death toll in the latest Boko Haram attack on Borno State rose to eighty-one on Wednesday, with authorities stating that 13 persons are still critically injured from the invasion.
Earlier reports suggested that sixty-nine persons died on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 after Boko Haram fighters attacked Zowo, a village in Gubio town of Borno State, however, the latest figures show that more deaths were recorded in the early hours of Wednesday.
Seven individuals were also reportedly kidnapped in the onslaught which took place late in the night.
The insurgents stormed the village in large numbers shooting sporadically and killing who ever they could see.
The terrorists also set the village ablaze on their way out.
Over a thousand cows were reportedly rustled while hundreds of other livestock were either shot or burnt alive.
The villagers who are mostly farmers and cattle breeders had shown resilience in an earlier attack in April, killing two suspected Boko Haram members, however, the latest attack took them by storm as the insurgents came at the dead of night.
Local sources claim that last night’s attack appears to be a reprisal.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum on Wednesday visited the scenes of the deadly attack.
At the village, a survivor told Zulum that 81 residents were killed during the attack on Tuesday with 13 persons injured and seven others, including the village head were abducted.
While sympathizing with the people over the attack, Governor Zulum urged the Nigerian military to undertake a final onslaught that would put an end to the insurgency within the shore of the Lake Chad.
Zulum described the attack as barbaric and unfortunate. He evacuated five injured persons in his convoy, for treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
“Last year, about the same number of people were killed in Gajiram. This is barbaric. It is very unfortunate.
“The only solution to end this massacre is by dislodging the insurgents in the shores of Lake Chad. Doing so will require collaborative regional efforts,” Zulum said.
