Death Toll Rises to 161 in Benishiek Massacre by Boko Haram 20 September, 2013

 
Death toll of Boko Haram attack on Beneshiek on September 17, 2013, Tuesday, has risen to 161, some 100 buildings burnt.

First reports revealed that the insurgents, who disguised in military uniforms, killed 23 persons, while several others were declared missing. However, an official of Borno State Environment Protection Agency, Mallam Saidu Yakubu, confirmed on September 19, 2013 that “87 bodies were recovered in the bush and our people are still searching for more.”

Officials of the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) confirmed this was in addition to 55 bodies earlier picked up on Wednesday.

The current death toll is 142 travellers, 2 soldiers, 3 policemen and 14 villagers which brings the number of victims to 161.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima visited Benisheik where he condoled with the people and offered compensation to victims of the violence. Shettima, who was visibly shaken by the carnage, urged the residents to persevere and stop fleeing.

“What happened is barbaric and un-Islamic,” said the Governor.

“No one in his right senses will destroy the houses of the poor and their source of livelihood. God is with you, the people of Benisheik, and will liberate you from the hands of the wicked.”

Governor Shettima announced the release of N50 million for the rebuilding of over 100 houses and shops burnt in the town. He also approved N3.5 million to be shared among the families of the 14 people killed in the town.

He said in addition to the cash donation, assorted food items would be distributed to them to cushion the effect of the attacks. He also announced the setting up of a 5-member committee to carry out an in-depth assessment and recommend measures to enhance surveillance.

Governor Shettima said government appreciated the efforts of vigilantes known as ‘Civilian JTF’ and announced the release of two Hilux patrol vehicles for them.

Wednesday’s Yobe Assault

In a parallel development, suspected Islamist insurgents have rampaged through a town in Yobe State with heavy weapons, setting public buildings on fire and killing a soldier and the wife of a senior policeman. The local authorities confirmed it on September 19, 2013, Thursday.

The attack in Yobe was the latest carnage to hit the region, which has seen the rising wave of violence in recent days.

Armed with Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers and homemade bombs, the terrorists stormed Yadi Buni in Yobe State around 10.00 p.m., leading to a shootout with troops in which a soldier was killed, state Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufa’i said.

They set fire to a makeshift police station, the fire service, a local education office and the home of the divisional police head in the town, whose wife was burnt to death, Rufa’i said.

He said: “Buni Yadi was attacked last night by Boko Haram insurgents. A soldier was killed in a shootout and the wife of the Divisional Police Officer was burnt to death in her home.”

Telecom towers in the town were also burnt by the Islamists, the police commissioner said. It was the second time Buni Yadi was attacked by Boko Haram in as many months.

Scores of people have been left dead in recent days from military raids or Boko Haram attacks.

It would be recalled that the military claimed last Wednesday that a strike on a Boko Haram camp in the north-east last week left about 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers dead, amid reports of dozens of troops killed. 

culled  from naij.com

culled
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