Suspected Islamist extremists
have stormed a mosque and shot dead 44
worshippers as well as 12 other people in a
nearby village in Nigeria's restive northeast,
officials said on Monday.
The attacks at the weekend were believed
to be in revenge over citizen vigilante
groups forming to help the military battle
Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which
has been waging an insurgency since 2009.
"Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram
members entered the mosque and opened
fire on Muslim worshippers, killing 44," a
senior government official said on
condition of anonymity because he was not
authorised to speak publicly of the attack in
Konduga on Sunday.
"We believe the attack was not unconnected
with the cooperation residents are giving to
security operatives in identifying and
arresting Boko Haram members in their
midst."
A local official said suspected Boko Haram
members also raided Ngom village in the
nearby Mafa district and shot dead 12
people on Saturday night.
"Boko Haram members came into Ngom
village … and shot dead 12 people on
Saturday night," the official said, also on
condition of anonymity. He said they were
shot at their homes.
Some residents spoke of the attackers in
Konduga arriving wearing army
camouflage, a tactic they have used in the
past to disguise themselves, though those
details had not been officially confirmed.
The violence came as Nigeria's military
pursues an offensive in the country's
northeast aimed at ending the insurgency,
with a state of emergency declared in the
region in May.
In recent weeks, the military has
encouraged the formation of vigilante
groups to help authorities locate and arrest
members of Boko Haram.
The vigilante groups have been credited
with reducing the number of attacks, but
some have warned that the situation could
spiral out of control and lead to further
violence.
Boko Haram's insurgency has left at least
3,600 people dead since 2009, including
killings by the security forces, who have
been accused of major abuses.
The military has claimed major successes
with its offensive, but its version of events
is difficult to verify with authorities having
cut phone lines in many areas and access to
remote locations restricted.
While the number of attacks appears to
have declined, violence has nonetheless
continued, including three recent deadly
school attacks.
In a video obtained by AFP on Monday,
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau
claimed a series of recent deadly attacks on
security forces in the northeast and insisted
that he was in "good health" despite the
offensive.
The video contained what Shekau claimed
was footage of Boko Haram gunmen
opening fire on the military in the town of
Bama, using heavy weapons mounted on
flat-bed trucks.
Shekau also referred to fighting in the
towns Baga and Gamboru Ngala near the
border with Cameroon.
The Boko Haram leader has been declared a
global terrorist by the United States, which
in March put a $7 million (5.3 million euros)
bounty on his head.
"I'm challenging Obama," Shekau said in the
video. He voiced similar challenges to
French President Francois Hollande and
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"They are no match for me," he proclaimed.
Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for
the creation of an Islamic state in Africa's
most populous nation and largest oil
producer, though it is believed to have
various factions with differing aims.
Nigeria's 160 million population is roughly
divided between a mainly Muslim north and
predominately Christian south.
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