Suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed a senior pastor and four other residents during an attack on Tarfa community in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, officials and residents said Friday.
The victims included a senior pastor of the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria church, identified as Musa Umaru, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria in Borno State.
Residents said the insurgents stormed the community on motorcycles around 7 p.m. Thursday, firing sporadically into the air, burning houses and shops and forcing dozens of people to flee.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the attackers operated for about two hours without resistance from security forces in the area.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview in Maiduguri, the Borno State Chairman of CAN, the Most Rev. John Bakeni, said at least five people were killed in the evening attack, including the pastor.
Bakeni said the pastor had lived in the community for more than a decade, adding that the entire village was razed during the assault, with several vehicles belonging to residents also burned.
Another resident said the attackers set fire to homes, shops and a church, describing the incident as devastating.
The resident appealed to the military and other security agencies to step up protection for communities around the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, warning that residents remain under constant threat.
Many villagers were said to have fled Tarfa following the attack, as calls mounted for urgent intervention by federal and state authorities to prevent further loss of lives and property.
