2 killed in Boko Haram raid on army chief's village

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have raided the village of Nigeria's army chief in northeast Borno state, killing two residents and setting fire to several homes, residents said.

Dozens of Boko Haram fighters stormed Buratai, the native village of chief of army staff Major General ‎Tukur Yusuf Buratai, ‎around 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday night, shooting indiscriminately and forcing residents to flee into the bush.

The assault was followed by a failed suicide attack at a military checkpoint in the town of Biu, 25 kilometres (15 miles) away, residents and vigilantes assisting the military in fighting Boko Haram said.

The raid in Buratai follows a similar Boko Haram attack in April where 20 people were killed and more than half of the village was razed to the ground, including the army chief's own home.

In Monday's attack, witnesses said the insurgents seized two male residents and slit their throats before setting fire to homes.

"They slaughtered two people they apprehended while trying to flee the village and burnt more than 30 homes," Buratai resident Tanimu Mudi told AFP.

Yuram Bura, a vigilante working with the Nigerian military, confirmed the raid, saying: "There was a an attack on Buratai yesterday (Monday) night by Boko Haram gunmen where they cut the throats of two people and burnt several homes."

On Tuesday, a failed suicide bomber injured a a female member of a local vigilante group that has been fighting Boko Haram alongside the military when he attempted to set off his vest at a security checkpoint outside Biu.

"The bomber's gait gave him away as he walked towards the security post because it was evident he was carrying something under his dress which raised our suspicion‎," local vigilante Babagana Maina told AFP.

"When he realised he had been exposed he detonated the explosives before reaching the security post, slightly injuring a female vigilante on her shoulder."

Biu, the largest town in southern Borno, 180 kilometres from Borno state capital Maiduguri, has been hit by several deadly suicide and bomb attacks ‎targeting markets and bus stations blamed on Boko Haram.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more than 15,000 people in Nigeria since 2009.
Source: AFP