Hundreds of people have been found dead in the northeast Nigerian town of Damasak, apparently victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, as details emerged on Monday of fresh attacks by the militants.
Reports of decomposing bodies littering the streets of Damasak came as Nigerian president-elect Muhammadu Buhari denounced the insurgents as a bogus religious group and vowed a hard line against them when he comes to power at the end of next month.
Northeast Nigeria has been relentlessly targeted throughout the jihadists’ six-year uprising, but there had been a lull in violence in recent weeks.
The discovery of hundreds of bodies, including women and children, and the latest attacks underlined both the brutality of the conflict and the continuing threat posed by the extremists.
The grim find in Damasak “far outnumbered” that of about 100 bodies found in a mass grave under a bridge after the town was liberated early last month by Chadian forces, resident Kaumi Kusur said.
“Dead bodies were found in houses, streets and many more in the Damasak River which has dried up,” he said, adding the victims were buried in 20 mass graves at the weekend,” Kusur said.
Mohammed Sadiq, another local who helped in the burials on Saturday, put the death toll at more than 400 but the Borno state government did not state a precise figure, giving a toll of “hundreds.”
The victims had been covered by sand from the encroaching desert, with the burial ordered by the state authorities, which are looking at the return of thousands of people displaced by the violence.
Buhari, who takes office on May 29, said in a statement issued by his All Progressives Congress party: “No religion allows for the killing of children in school dormitories, in markets and places of worship.
“They have nothing to do with religion. They are terrorists and we are going to deal with them as we deal with terrorists,” he said.
Buhari was speaking after Boko Haram fighters stormed the island of Karamga on Lake Chad in motorized canoes before sunrise on Saturday last week. Troops from Niger stationed on the island “were caught off guard” and suffered heavy losses, locals said.
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