Suspected Boko Haram members who were riding on camels have beheaded eleven local wood loggers in Borno State.
The killing occurred near Bale, a remote village in Damboa Local Government Area of the state.
A reliable source who works as a member of the vigilante group in the area confirmed the incident to Punch on Tuesday, November 28.
According to the local vigilante source, the dismembered bodies of the victims were recovered at the scene around 5 pm.
“We found six bodies of the wood loggers who were butchered by the Boko Haram people from the location on Monday evening,” the source said.
“We do not think any of them survived the attack. Their bodies were badly dismembered, and we found them in a pool of blood as all parts of their bodies were cut into pieces.
“We immediately organised ourselves to bury what remains of them in the evening according to Islamic rites. Although five people are still missing, we are praying that those five should escape, and maybe when tension calms down, they will return to us to narrate what really happened. But for now, we don’t know if they escaped or were abducted too,” the source added.
Another member of the vigilante group said that, “the loggers were working at their charcoal site when they were suddenly rounded up by the terrorists who refused all pleas for mercy from their victims but went ahead to kill the six persons instantly,”
“We learnt that they came on camels and surrounded the victims. We saw the footprints of the camels. We counted about 15 camel foot prints.
“Although we learnt that some of the lucky loggers ran as fast as they could, though they were pursued by the l Boko Haram members.
“Why we also believe the others escaped is because camels don’t run as fast as horses, and more importantly, the victims are familiar with the terrain; that’s why we’re praying that they escape.
“It was later, we were informed about the situation of things there that we mobilized and went to the scene only to find the six bodies dismembered and abandoned at the site but we haven’t heard from the other five persons.
“This morning, additional five bodies were recovered, so we have a total of 11 corpses so far. But the soldiers, alongside the vigilantes, are currently in the area and also combing the woods.”
