File Photo: Boko Haram fighters

About 150 people either drowned in a river in Kukuwa-Gari in Yobe State, or were shot dead by Boko Haram terrorists who arrived in the area last week.

The AFP reported that the terrorists arrived mainly on motorcycles and a car late last week and opened fire, scattering terrified residents of the area.

A spokesman said some of the fleeing residents died in the river, or were killed by the bullets. He estimated the drowned and the killed to be about 150, including a fisherman who tried to save some of the drowning residents but was shot in the process.

The report explained that the news of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants had destroyed telecom masts around the village, which is 50 kilometers from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, since the insurgency began in 2009.

Bukar Tijjani, another villager, told AFP “Boko Haram gunmen attacked our village on Thursday which led to the deaths of around 150 people. Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape. The gunmen opened fire on the village forcing people to run to safety.”

“Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion. They were pursued by the gunmen, who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river, which was full to the brim.”

According to AFP, a local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.

*Reported by AFP