Suspected members of Nigeria’s Islamic fundamentalist group ‘Boko Haram’ have killed a soldier in Maiduguri, capital of northern Borno state, in continuation of their attack on security agents and political leaders.
The local press reported Monday that the soldier, identified as Bshir Mohammed, was shot by gunmen riding on a motorcycle when he went to a restaurant with his friend on Saturday.
The soldier was attached to the 231 battalion of the Nigerian Army, located in Biu. Borno State.
‘It was around 2:30pm on Saturday while I was lying down on a mat together with my friends. Then we saw two men on motorcycle and the one at the back brought out a gun and opened fire on the sold ier and his friend,’ the report quoted an eyewitness as saying. The friend, who was shot in the leg, survived.
The authorities have deployed a joint military patrol to the city to check the activities of the Boko Haram (Western education is sacrilege) group.
In July 2009, the Boko Haram sect launched a series of attacks across several states in the predominantly-Muslim north, leaving about 800 dead as the government deployed troops to quell the insurrection.