Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram and disguised as military officers descended on the highway near the town of Logumani, 30 kilometres from the Nigeria-Cameroon border and killed 19 people.
The gunmen who arrived the scene on motorcycles shot and hacked 19 people to death and burnt three trucks.
“We have recovered 19 dead bodies from the scene of the attack by Boko Haram gunmen,” Musa Abur, leader of a civilian vigilante group in the area told French News Agency (AFP).
“Five of the victims, who included two truck drivers and their assistants, were shot dead while the rest were slaughtered,” he said.
A passenger who survived the attack gave a similar account.
“We were asked to get out of our vehicles and lie face down by nine men dressed as soldiers who blocked the road around 5:00am,” the man who gave his name as Buba told AFP.
“They shot dead five people and went about slaughtering 14 others before someone called them on the phone that soldiers were heading their way,” he said.
“They abandoned the rest of us and sped into the bush on their motorcycles,” added Buba who was shot in the leg.
The army confirmed the attack but said the casualties were 4 and not 19.
Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, said“They killed four people on the spot. Our men went after them and killed a couple of them. Our men are still going after some of them that are on the run. Apprehending them is just a matter of time.”
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