Despite Jonathan’s vows, Boko Haram continues killing villagers

President Goodluck Jonathan may dominate the airwaves with vows to rein in the Boko Haram insurgency and restore peace to Nigeria, but the rebels continue to leave no one in doubt as to the emptiness of the President’s speeches, as they continued to kill Nigerians with impunity.

In the latest report, Boko Haram gunmen killed 35 people in attacks on three villages in Nigeria’s restive northeast Borno state near the border with Cameroon, a military source and residents said Thursday.
Dozens of Boko Haram gunmen dressed in military uniform stormed Gumushi, Amuda and Arbokko in all-terrain trucks and motorcycles, opening fire on residents and torching homes with petrol bombs, they said.
“Boko Haram attacked the three villages Wednesday morning in which 35 people were killed, including 26 in Gumushi,” a military officer in the state capital Maiduguri told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“The insurgents hurled petrol bombs into homes, setting them ablaze and shot residents as they tried to escape,” he said.
He said the gunmen raided Gumushi around 6:00 am (0500 GMT) where they killed 26 residents.
Local media however put the death toll in Gumushi at 42.
Witnesses said the gunmen also launched coordinated attacks on the neighbouring farming villages of Amuda and Arbokko, 125 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing nine people and destroying scores of houses.
“The attackers came at 2:00am (01:00 GMT) when people were asleep and went about throwing Molotov cocktails into homes which exploded and set fire,” resident Pirda Takweshe told AFP.
“They then opened fire on people as they ran out of their homes, killing nine and injuring 13 others”.
Boko Haram which means “Western education is forbidden”, has stepped up deadly raids in northeast Nigeria in recent months, pillaging and burning entire villages and killing residents as part of its five-year-old campaign to establish an Islamic state in the north.
Violence blamed on the Islamist group has killed over 5,000 people since 2009, with close to 2,000 killed this year alone. On 14 April, the gunmen stormed Chibok Girls Secondary School, in Borno State and kidnapped 276 girls. About 219 of the schoolgirls are still in the captivity of the militants, 45 days after, with no visible sign of a rescue plan by Nigeria’s military.
News of the latest deadly raids came on the same day as Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan vowed a “total war against terrorism”.
“I am determined to protect our democracy, our national unity and our political stability by waging a total war against terrorism,” Jonathan said in an address marking 15 years since the return to civilian rule in Africa’s most populous country and largest economy.
“The unity and stability of our country, and the protection of lives and property are non-negotiable,” he said.

A young man, named, Ibrahim Tilitili was said to have been paid the sum of two thousand Naira (N2,000), to burn down few houses at Mandara Girau village in Biu local government area of Borno state. Ibrahim, Chibok by tribe and resident of Mandara Girau village confessed that one Mallam Sani also a resident of the Village gave him the amount and instructed him to set some of the houses in the village on fire. According to residents of the village, Ibrahim had succeeded in setting ablaze three houses and scare the people of the village who started running for their lives to safe heaven before some brave young men pounce on him, when they realized, it was a lone attack. On realizing that, he was somebody they know in the village, they wanted to killed him, but some elders intervene and he was arrested and taken to Sarkin Baka- renown hunter in Biu town, where he made confession that, he was actually paid by Mallam Sani who is also resident of the village to set those houses ablaze. Our Correspondent learnt that, after he was interrogated by Vigilantee leader (Sarkin Baka) in Hausa langauge and made the confession, he led the men who arrested him to his paid master, who was also arrested and handed over to police in Biu town.

Read more at: Boko Haram: Boy confessed he burnt houses for N2,000 | LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES