At least 150 people including 38 policemen have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram Takfiri militants in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Damaturu.
The attack was carried out on December 1.
The Damaturu morgue received 115 bodies, although authorities failed to identify if they belonged to civilians or militants, a senior rescue official and a medical source at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital confirmed on Wednesday.
Among the dead were two medical doctors and a staff member of the federal polytechnic in the Yobe state capital as well as his two children.
A senior medical official claimed that the majority of the 115 bodies were Boko Haram militants.
Authorities said six Nigerian soldiers and 38 policemen were also killed in the assault. Most of the police were from the mobile police base in the Gujba Road area on the outskirts of Damaturu.
The Nigerian army says it has repelled Boko Haram’s offensive in Damaturu.
The heavy loss of life follows an upsurge in mass casualty attacks blamed on Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009.
More than 10,000 people have been killed and over 1.6 million have been displaced in Boko Haram attacks so far.
Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden.” The group says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
GMA/HSN/HRB
No comments:
Post a Comment