Nigeria: Jihadists take hundreds of people hostage during raid in Kukawa town
Jihadists in the restive north-east of Nigeria have taken hundreds of people hostage who had only recently returned home from refugee camps, after local government officials claimed their town was safe.
More than 20 trucks of militants stormed into Kukawa town, in Borno state on Tuesday night. The jihadists captured hundreds of fleeing residents and attacked a nearby military base protecting the town.
1,200 residents had only recently returned to Kukawa in early August, from refugee camps 180km (120 miles) south in the state capital, Maiduguri, a local chief who escaped the attack told AFP.
The victims had returned, hopeful of restarting their lives and cultivating their farmlands “only to end up in the hands of the insurgents,” he said.