Abuja: Militants of a radical Islamic sect
attacked a market in a northern Nigerian city with gunfire and
a series of explosions, leaving at least 30 people dead, in
what is believed to be a revenge attack.
The market in Maiduguri city came under attack this
afternoon and at least eight militants were also killed in the
ensuing gunbattle with security forces.
Militants of Boko Haram launched a revenge attack on the
market where one of their members was killed by an irate mob
seven days ago, locals said.
The militants threw several explosives into the market and
some other parts of the city and launched gunfire, killing and
wounding indiscriminately before the military intervened.
Hospital workers said the number of dead people could be
up to 30.
While a resident said that at least 15 persons were killed
in the ensuing gun battle with the military, the Joint Task
Force (JTF) said it had killed only eight members of the sect.
"We saw about three pick up vans loaded with people in
front of Ibrahim Taiwo Police Station, opposite the Baga
Market this afternoon shortly after the gun battle with
members of the sect, but we cannot tell whether they were
corpses or those wounded," a source at the market said.
The spokesman of the JTF, Lt Col Hassan Mohammed said the
military killed eight members of the sect during a gun battle
at the Baga Market.
"Our men who arrived at the market engaged members of the
Boko Haram sect in gun battle and we successfully killed eight
of the sect members where we recovered weapons as well as
detonated some IEDs," Lt Col Hassan Mohammed said.
PTI
