In Kwari, located in Yobe State’s Geidam Local Government Area, suspected Boko Haram insurgents tragically killed Pastor Luka Levong of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN) and five others. According to residents who reported to Channels Television, the assailants entered the community around 2:00 am on Friday. They shot Pastor Levong and Maina Abdullahi, the church treasurer, and killed the other victims in their homes before security forces arrived. The attackers also burned down houses, a church, and vehicles.
As of now, there has been no comment from either the military or the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) regarding the attack, and attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful. Geidam is situated 177 kilometers from Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, and is approximately 40 kilometers from the Nigeria/Niger Republic border.
This incident follows closely on the heels of another Boko Haram attack in a neighboring Yobe State community, where 12 people were killed and two others injured. The attack occurred in the Gartamawa community of Chibok Local Government Area, 125 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. According to a source, the terrorists stormed the community around 5 pm on Monday during the New Year celebration, heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, came on motorcycles and Hilux vans, and opened fire on mourners returning from Gatamarwa. They later attacked another Tsiha community near Shikarkir, killed three people, abducted a young lady, and burned houses while looting foodstuffs.
Since the hardline group launched a rebellion in 2009, at least 40,000 people have been killed, and more than two million others displaced. The insurgency has spread into neighboring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, prompting a regional military force to be set up to fight the militants.