Boko Haram Islamists behead village chief and his son in latest strike near Chibok

Amid an ongoing offensive by Nigerian forces against Boko Haram, the militants beheaded a village chief and his son in the northeastern Borno State on Monday (19 September), the latest in a series of attacks on innocent villagers. The same day, the Islamic State (Isis)-linked terrorist group also killed six civilians travelling in a military-protected convoy near Maiduguri.

The two attacks came a day after an attack on Christians returning from their Sunday church service in Kwamjilari village. At least eight Christians were reported to have been killed in the incident, survivors of the attack who fled to the nearby town of Chibok said.

The first Monday attack took place in the wee hours when the militants came to the village of Tallari and brutally beheaded village chief Ba' Lawan and his son. They then set ablaze several homes in the village, including the village chief's, Abbas Gavi, spokesman of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Gavi added that the Boko Haram terrorists also killed two villagers and injured some others when they opened fire on fleeing villagers.

In the other attack the same day, the Islamic militant group targeted a convoy travelling through the highway south of Maiduguri, a Boko Haram stronghold. Apart from killing six civilians, the attack left three soldiers who were part of the military protection injured, army spokesman Col Sani Kukasheka Usman said.

Recently, the Nigerian Air Force said they had launched massive air strikes in Borno State, badly damaging militant hideouts and causing several casualties. The authorities are trying to drive out the militants from the region that has borne the brunt of Boko Haram brutalities.

The terrorists are known for their ruthless killings and abduction of villagers as well as young women, whom they often hold as ransom for the release of their arrested fighters. The terror created by the group in the region has led to the displacement of millions of people over the past seven years.