Boko Haram suspected in reported kidnapping of 200

Abuja, Nigeria, Dec 19, 2014 / 11:52 am

Nigerian gunmen suspected to be with the militant Islamist group Boko Haram reportedly killed 35 people and kidnapped about 200 young men, women and children in northeast Nigeria on Sunday.

"They gathered the people, shot dead over 30 people and took away more than 100 women and children in two open-top trucks, said villager Maina Chibok, who visited the remote village of Gumsuri shortly after the attack.

She added that the attackers burned down a government medical center, houses and shops in the Dec. 14 attack, Reuters reports.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Boko Haram, a Nigerian group whose name means "Western education is sinful," has been blamed for the deaths of more than 10,000 people. It has displaced thousands more since its uprising began in 2009. Seeking to overthrow the Nigerian government, and impose a strict version of Shariah law throughout the country, it has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on Christians and is reportedly involved with rebels and terrorist groups in the region.

News of the attack on Gumsuri took several days to reach Maiduguri, the largest city of Borno state. Initial reports put the number of the kidnapped at over 100, though other survivors said close to 185 were taken.

Agence Presse France said that the militants overpowered a vigilante group which had protected the village.

Boko Haram kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls from a school in Borno state in April, prompting an international outcry. Most of the girls are still missing.