Boko Haram militants raid Nigerian village, hack 10 to death

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Dozens of attackers armed with machetes stormed Pambula-Kwamda village before dawn, a local government official says

Boko Haram militants were pushed out of the area in March, but raids persist

Kano, Nigeria CNN  — 

Boko Haram militants hacked 10 people to death in a Friday raid on a village in northeast Nigeria’s Adamawa state, a local government administrator said Monday.

Dozens of Boko Haram insurgents stormed Pambula-Kwamda village in Madagali district, which the military recently declared free of the militant group, and killed 10 residents, Madagali local government Chairman Maina Ularamu said.

“Boko Haram insurgents on Friday attacked Pambula-Kwamda village, which is 5 kilometers from Gulak, the local government headquarters, where they hacked to death 10 people,” Ularamu said.

The attackers, armed with machetes, stormed the village shortly before dawn, while residents were still asleep, he said.

“According to residents of the village, the attackers didn’t have much weapons, and many of them carried no arms at all. They only fired a few shots when they were leaving after the attack.

“We believe the attackers are the same people raiding villages in the area recently and are hiding in nearby bushes and mountains,” Ularamu said.

In ‎August, Boko Haram seized Madagali district in a deadly offensive that pushed troops and thousands of residents out of the area. The military reclaimed the area in March in a counteroffensive, and many residents returned to their homes after assurances that the area had been cleared of insurgents, but deadly raids persist.

On May 17, scores of Boko Haram insurgents attacked nearby Sabon Garin Hyembula village, killing three people and abducting seven women as part of frequent deadly attacks in the district.

“We are mobilizing local hunters and vigilantes to go into the bushes and mountains hunt them down,” Ularamu said.