Boko Haram kills nine IDPs in Borno

Boko Haram fighters killed nine people from a camp that was mistakenly bombed by the military earlier this year, an aid worker and a resident said on Friday.

The aid worker, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media, said the attack happened near Rann, in northeastern Borno state, on Wednesday.

“Nine people were killed while working on their farms about three kilometres (just under two miles) from Rann,” he told AFP.

“They were all IDPs (internally displaced persons) living in the camp but used the opportunity provided by the relative calm in the area to tend to their farms for the rainy season.

“The attackers were no doubt Boko Haram and used the cover provided by the crops to lay ambush to the farmers… They attacked them with machetes and knives.

“They seized nine and slit their throats while others escaped and returned to the camp with cuts on their bodies. Some, however, fled to neighbouring Cameroon.”

Usman Wumbi, an IDP who fled to the border village of Wumbi, confirmed the account, adding: “These attacks have become frequent, especially in the rainy season.