Militant Islamists Kill 37 in Coordinated Attacks in Nigeria

Militant Islamists Kill 37 in Coordinated Attacks in Nigeria

Militant Islamist group Boko Haram are being blamed for killing at least 37 people in a series of attacks in northeastern Nigeria, according to a report from the BBC’s Hausa service. The attacks in the Adamawa province on late Wednesday came just a day after 43 students were killed by Islamists in Yobe state.

The attacks took place in the town of Michika and the villages of Shuwa and Kirchinga.

The attacks consisted of the burning and looting of various shops, banks and houses by militants with rocket-propelled grenades.

The Nigerian army say that six of the militants were later killed in a counter-offensive.

The BBC’s Hausa service report that witnesses saw people being shot dead, having their throats slit or being burnt alive in their homes. They also said that security forces initially fled because they were unable to confront the highly-armed militants. The army had to be called in to restore order.

Residents now say that nearly every shop in Michika has been destroyed, and three banks have been raided.

The chairman of the Madagali local government area within Adamawa told AFP that a Christian theological college had also been targeted, with three seminarians among the dead.

Last year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, to try to curb the activities of Boko Haram.

He has appealed for help from the international community, saying that “an act of terror against one nation is an act of terror against all nations.”

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