At least 19 people were reported killed and no fewer than 40 houses burned when suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mailari village in Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Damian Chukwu, confirmed the attack and the number of houses destroyed by the insurgents.
Mr Chukwu who addressed reporters on Monday, however, said he has yet to confirm the death toll, but some of the residents told Channels Television in an interview that at least 19 people were killed in the attack.
“At 8pm on Sunday night, Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mailari village in Guzamala Local Government,” Chukwu said.
The police commissioner said security operatives on the ground promptly responded to the attack, stressing that the Command had deployed a full unit of police personnel in the community last week.
According to him, the attack was a reprisal and it comes two weeks after the vigilante group in the village arrested a suspected member of the terrorist group with an AK47 rifle.
Mr Chukwu said the insurgents were determined to destroy the entire community if not for the presence and prompt action of the security operatives on the ground.
Residents who spoke to Channels Television claimed that the militants had been spotted grouping around the village for some days before they eventually launched the attack.
Mailari is one of the villages in Guzamala LGA where civil authority has been restored and where locals have continued returning home following the assurance of their safety by the security agencies.
Meanwhile, the police commissioner confirmed another attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Alau Dam on Saturday, where a heavy pipe was damaged.
He said, “Boko Haram terrorists found their way to Alau general area and blew up one of the water control channels, resulting in flooding in two neighbouring villages.”
“We visited that place for on the spot assessment and discovered the damage has been done and rapid measures are in place to ensure that repairs are effected and normalcy is restored. As of yesterday, we discovered the villages were deserted.”
