President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an immediate military action against Boko Haram for killing 65 mourners during a funeral procession in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The president directed the air force and army to begin air patrols and ground operations to hunt down the attackers. The media reports that no fewer than 65 persons were killed in the attacks, which happened on Saturday. The disclosure was made by the Chairman of Nganzai Local Government Area (LGA), Muhammad Bulama.
He spoke just as efforts at finding a solution to the intractable security crisis in Nigeria suffered a setback at the weekend as the leadership of the southern Nigeria under the aegis of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) rejected an invitation from a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, to a roundtable on security with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as one of the participants. The two-day discussion held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
According to Bulama, the insurgents who were pushed back by the villagers two weeks ago, returned on a reprisal on Saturday, killing some 65 persons and injuring 10 others when they attacked Badu village. He said, “Two weeks ago, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Badu village but the attack was repelled by the villagers and members of the vigilante group.” He said in the first attack, the villagers resisted the attackers, killed 11 insurgents and recovered 10 AK-47 rifles from them.
“On Saturday at about 11.40 a.m., the insurgents came on a reprisal mission, attacking mourners at a graveyard in the area, killing over 65 persons and injuring 11 others,” he stated. He said the wounded were taken to the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, for treatment. Meanwhile the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara, during a visit to Gajiram, headquarters of Nganzai LGA, to commiserate with the people over the killing of the mourners, reiterated his commitment to supporting security agencies to protect lives and property. He said the state government would not relent until permanent peace was restored to the state.
