Suspected Boko Haram members have killed six people and burnt down the EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria) also known as Church of the Brethren in Nigeria in Pemi, a ward under Chibok local government area of Borno state.
The insurgents attacked on Thursday — on Christmas eve when most of the villagers were preparing for the celebrations.
About six cars and five other houses of the church were brunt.
“Boko Haram came in around 5:30 pm through Gogombi. They came in batches of two. The first came in with a motorcycle while the other came in heavy vehicles. As soon as they entered the village, they started shooting sporadically and towards the EYN church ,” one of the villagers said.
“Then they set it on fire.
They also torched six cars and five other buildings around the church. Some of us ran to the bush, but unfortunately six people were killed in the attack. Christians were to observe Christmas prayers in the church this morning.”
The military later arrived at the scene hours after Boko Haram had left.
“Soldiers from 117 task force battalion in Chibok were mobilised, but they got here around 8pm, probably because of the distance as Pemi is about 17 kilometres away from Chibok,” another source said.
He added that things are now under control as the military is putting in effort to secure the Chibok general area.
On Tuesday, the Department of State Services (DSS) had raised the alarm over the “plot to bomb some places” during Yuletide.
“The planned dastardly acts are to be executed through the use of explosives, suicide bombing and other dangerous weapons. The objective is to create a general sense of fear among the people and subsequently undermine the Government.
The secret service had called on Nigerians to be extra vigilant, adding that they should report strange movements and suspicions to the relevant security agencies.
“Against this backdrop, citizens are called upon to be extra vigilant and report strange movements and indeed, all suspicions around them to security and law enforcement agencies.”
The service also assured Nigerians that it is collaborating with other security agencies to adequately protect lives and properties.