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Militants Kidnap 97 People in Borno

August 14, 2014

A 42-year-old mother of seven, Halima Adamu, lost six family members in the attack.

Insurgents belonging to the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, struck last Sunday at Doron Baga in Kukuwa local government area of Borno State, kidnapping at least 97 people.

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Victims of the Boko Haram attack

The escaped villagers recounted their dreadful experience to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. A source from the besieged village disclosed that the militants stormed the village on Sunday, forcing people to flee to the bush, where many spent several days.

A 42-year-old mother of seven, Halima Adamu, lost six family members in the attack. "The attack happened on Sunday in our village Doron Baga. The Boko Haram fighters came at 5:30 p.m. They opened fire, shooting into our houses and killed more than 30 people. There was confusion everywhere, and they started taking our boys away. 97 of our husbands and boys were forcefully taken away.”

Another resident, Fatima Suleiman, said her husband was among those taken away. "They were shooting at everybody, even children. They were shouting ‘Allah akbar!’ They were many of them," she told reporters at the Borno motor park.

Last year the militant group stormed Baga town, where more than 300 people were killed in separate attacks between May and August 2013.

These massacres sparked outrage in both the local and international media.

A military source confirmed Sunday’s attack. He added, however, that he was unaware of the abductions.