Authorities in Nigerian say at least 54 people have been killed in two separate attacks carried out by Boko Haram Takfiri militants in northeastern Nigeria.According to police, the militants killed 24 soldiers and 21 policemen in an attack on Monday evening on Buni Yadi town in the state of Yobe.
Boko Haram militants destroyed a military base and adjacent police barracks in the fatal assault.
When we started running they asked us not to panic as they will not harm the civilians this time; we locked our doors and we started hearing gunshots and explosions, a resident of Buni Yadi said.
In the other attack, suspected Boko Haram militants stormed two remote villages in Borno state on Monday night, and killed nine people. The gunmen are said to have shot at villagers and burned their homes.
The attacks occurred as Nigeria is struggling to deal with the abduction of about 300 female students by the group. The militants have threatened to sell the girls into slavery.
The kidnapping, which took place in the remote northeastern town of Chibok, has triggered an international outcry and protests in Nigeria, piling pressure on the government to free the girls.
The African countrys military said on Monday the hideout of the militants has been located. The good news for the parents is that we know where they are, but we cannot tell you, Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh noted.
Boko Haram -- whose name means Western education is forbidden -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.
It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.
Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africas most populous country has claimed the lives of more than 3,600 people.
By Press TV
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