56 killed by Boko Haram in mosque, village attacks

extremists have stormed a mosque and
shot dead 44 worshippers as well as 12
other people in a nearby village in
Nigeria’s restive northeast, officials
said on Monday.
The attacks at the weekend were
believed to be in revenge over citizen
vigilante groups forming to help the
military battle Islamist extremist
group Boko Haram, which has been
waging an insurgency since 2009.
“Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram
members entered the mosque and
opened fire on Muslim worshippers,
killing 44,” a senior government
official said on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorised to speak
publicly of the attack in Konduga on
Sunday.
“We believe the attack was not
unconnected with the cooperation
residents are giving to security
operatives in identifying and arresting
Boko Haram members in their midst.”
A local official said suspected Boko
Haram members also raided Ngom
village in the nearby Mafa district and
shot dead 12 people on Saturday night.
“Boko Haram members came into
Ngom village … and shot dead 12 people
on Saturday night,” the official said,
also on condition of anonymity. He said
they were shot at their homes.
Some residents spoke of the attackers
in Konduga arriving wearing army
camouflage, a tactic they have used in
the past to disguise themselves, though
those details had not been officially
confirmed.
The violence came as Nigeria’s military
pursues an offensive in the country’s
northeast aimed at ending the
insurgency, with a state of emergency
declared in the region in May.
In recent weeks, the military has
encouraged the formation of vigilante
groups to help authorities locate and
arrest members of Boko Haram.
The vigilante groups have been credited
with reducing the number of attacks,
but some have warned that the
situation could spiral out of control
and lead to further violence.
Boko Haram’s insurgency has left at
least 3,600 people dead since 2009,
including killings by the security forces,
who have been accused of major abuses.
The military has claimed major
successes with its offensive, but its
version of events is difficult to verify
with authorities having cut phone lines
in many areas and access to remote
locations restricted.
While the number of attacks appears to
have declined, violence has nonetheless
continued, including three recent
deadly school attacks.
In a video obtained by AFP on Monday,
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau
claimed a series of recent deadly
attacks on security forces in the
northeast and insisted that he was in
“good health” despite the offensive.
The video contained what Shekau
claimed was footage of Boko Haram
gunmen opening fire on the military in
the town of Bama, using heavy weapons
mounted on flat-bed trucks.
Shekau also referred to fighting in the
towns Baga and Gamboru Ngala near
the border with Cameroon.
The Boko Haram leader has been
declared a global terrorist by the
United States, which in March put a $7
million (5.3 million euros) bounty on
his head.
“I’m challenging Obama,” Shekau said
in the video. He voiced similar
challenges to French President Francois
Hollande and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
“They are no match for me,” he
proclaimed.
Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting
for the creation of an Islamic state in
Africa’s most populous nation and
largest oil producer, though it is
believed to have various factions with
differing aims.
Nigeria’s 160 million population is
roughly divided between a mainly
Muslim north and predominately
Christian south