ABUJA, Nigeria — Islamic extremist militants killed three Christians in an attack on a village of Chibok County, northeast Nigeria, that wounded dozens of others and burned homes, sources said.
The terrorists attacked Njilang village, Borno state, on Oct. 4 in the latest of many acts of terrorism over several years targeting the Chibok area. An area resident identified the assailants as members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), though local news reports attributed the assault to Boko Haram. A faction of Boko Haram in 2016 aligned with the Islamic State and changed its name to ISWAP, but many Nigerians still refer to the group as Boko Haram.
Area resident Daniel Musa said ISWAP militants attacked after 2:30 a.m. armed with high-powered weapons, surrounding the village about four kilometers from Chibok town and shooting at Christian villagers who tried to flee after waking to the sound of gunshots.
“The ISWAP terrorists also set fire to six houses and looted five shops belonging to Christians in the village, and afterward burned down the shops,” Musa told Morning Star News in a text message.
Musa said ISWAP has attacked three other predominantly Christian communities in the area in the past two weeks.
Umar Ibrahim, chairman of the Chibok Local Government Council, confirmed the attack on Njilang community.
