NIGERIA: Residents in the northeastern city of Maiduguri say government forces opened fire on civilians and burned houses in the city

Record ID: 235786

  • Title: NIGERIA: Residents in the northeastern city of Maiduguri say government forces opened fire on civilians and burned houses in the city
  • Date: 12th October 2012
  • Summary: MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA (RECENT - OCTOBER 8, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) INJURED PEOPLE ON THE GROUND CRATER IN THE GROUND, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND SECURITY OPERATIVES AT SITE OF BOMB BLAST EMPTY STREET, SMOKE RISING FROM BURNING HOUSE ARMED SECURITY WALKING DOWN ROAD ON PATROL BURNT SHOPS DESERTED STREET VARIOUS OF BURNING HOUSES AND ARMED SECURITY PATROLLING THE AREA RESIDENTS MOVING WITH BELONGINGS ON CART
  • Embargoed: 27th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA9NSQBYCJS1YBWKHG7PCTVI6MZ
  • Story Text: At least 35 people were killed on Monday (October 8) when Nigerian forces opened fire on civilians and burned houses in the city - the headquarters of Islamist rebel group Boko Haram - after an explosion hit a military convoy there, residents told Reuters.
    Nurses in the Umaru Shehu hospital said they had seen 35 bodies, five in army uniform and the rest wearing civilian clothes, after the shooting.
    The military and police Joint Task Force (JTF) in northeastern Borno state dismissed the reports.
    "No civilian or terrorist was killed by the JTF troops," Task Force Spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.
    There was "no established or recorded case of extra-judicial killing, torture, arson or arbitrary arrest by the JTF in Borno state," he added.
    Musa said the houses had been burnt in the explosion that targeted the military convoy. Residents had told Reuters the buildings were set alight hours later.
    Nigerian forces have launched a crackdown on Boko Haram, an insurgent group that wants to carve an Islamic state out of northern Nigeria.
    Analysts say the military campaign has had some success - limiting Boko Haram's ability to carry out large scale attacks. But the army's heavy-handed tactics have angered some locals.
    Boko Haram's fighters have killed more than 1,000 people in bomb or gun attacks since they intensified their struggle in 2010, rights groups say. Campaign groups have also accused the military of killing scores of civilians during raids.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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