Hundreds of villagers fled their homes in Borno State late Saturday after an attack by the deadly Islamist militant sect, Boko Haram.
According to a militia leader in Maiduguri, Musa Ari, the militants arrived in trucks in Jimmi, 5 km (3 miles) from the state capital, and opened fire, setting homes ablaze and attacking an informal refugee camp.
“Boko Haram terrorists this evening attacked Jimmi village.
“They burnt homes in Jimmi and tents in the camp,” Musa was quoted by the AFP as saying.
Panicked villagers from the area were reported to have fled to nearby Maiduguri, which along with neighbouring Yobe State, has been at the centre of the jihadist insurgency.
“We left our village to escape Boko Haram who attacked our neighbours in Jimmi,” said Bale-Shuwa village resident, Suleiman Balarabe.
He said villagers saw military jets flying overhead towards Jimmi.
“The sounds of guns coming from Jimmi terrified us and made us leave our homes because we were afraid they were going to attack our neighbourhood,” said Sanda Gini, a resident of Jiddari-Polo area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Although no casualties were reported, the raid highlighted fragile security in Nigeria’s northeast, where the army is still battling to end a conflict that started in 2009.
In April this year, scores of Boko Haram fighters launched a gun and suicide attack on Jiddari-Polo when they advanced on Giwa barracks where hundreds of their militant comrades are being detained.
Insurgents fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at troops before they were repelled with aerial support.
Despite government insistence that Boko Haram jihadists are near defeat, the militant group has carried out major attacks on military targets, killing dozens in recent months.
