Boko Haram militants attacked the northern Nigerian town of Buni Yadi during the early hours of Friday, killing nine people and torching several houses and shops.
Witnesses said that gunmen stormed into the town and set ablaze several houses and shops after killing nine people, reported Guardian Nigeria. The Nigerian army, however, repelled the attack on the town of Buni Yadi close to Damaturu in Yobe state.
"Those boys (Boko Haram) came to Buni Yadi yesterday and attacked our people. They came in about nine Hilux (pick-up trucks) and opened fire ... Our people have mobilized for reinforcement," Nigerian military sources told Reuters. Buni Yadi was reclaimed by the Nigerian army in March this year from Boko Haram.
"It was God that saved my life with my rickety pickup van because the gunmen stormed the town when I was departing to Damaturu to transport and deliver firewood and charcoal. They used explosives and petrol bombs in burning some of our houses here in Buni/Yadi," local resident Hamidu Isa told Guardian Nigeria.
"These gunmen have been attacking us severally with the torching of our property for the last two years. And yesterday, they also burst into the town with explosives and killed our people," he further said.
Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram has recently stepped up its attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to Daily Post. Boko Haram has grown significant recently due to withdrawal of military from checkpoints on major roads across the country.
