Wednesday’s incident took place in Maiduguri, which is a stronghold of the Boko Haram militants. The area has been protected by federal troops for months in an effort to end violence there.
The military has tried to downplay the attack, which seemed to target Igbo traders working in Maiduguri’s central market.
According to witnesses, the gunmen first shot an electronics salesman and then they attacked other Igbo traders who sell mosquito nets and other wares.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but the Boko Haram is suspected to organize the attack.
Troops standing on guard fired violently in the air to disperse civilians, but failed to stop the fleeing gunmen, witnesses said.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa claimed that only one person died. However, Borno state police spokesman Samuel Tizhe stated that seven civilians had been killed in the attack.
Excluding the fatalities of Wednesday’s incident, the militant group has killed more than 380 people this year, including at least 185, who died in the country’s second largest city of Kano on January 20 in its deadliest strike so far.
GJH/AS/HN
Views: 0