Boko Haram Militants Leave 70 Dead in Northeast Nigeria Attack

(Bloomberg) -- At least 70 people were killed and dozens are still missing after suspected Boko Haram Islamist insurgents attacked a village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, residents said.

The assailants invaded Foduma Kolomaiya village in the Gubio district, about 96 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the state capital, Maiduguri, on Tuesday and opened fire on people and livestock, according to Abba Habu, a resident who spoke by phone from Gubio town.

“They came in and started shooting indiscriminately at us, killed old and young, women, men and children,” said Habu . “Even our animals were shot at.”

Nigerian military spokesman, Sagir Musa, didn’t immediately respond to calls and messages left on his mobile phone seeking comment.

Boko Haram has waged a violent campaign since 2009 to impose their version of Islamic law on Africa’s most populous country of more than 200 million. In recent years factions of the group have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, including one that identifies as the Islamic State West Africa Province.

More than 300 cows were killed and about 1,000 were stolen as they left, and many people are still unaccounted for, said Hassan Mohammed, a member of the local vigilante group in the area.

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