REPORTS reaching the sharpedgenews.com newsroom reveal that no less than 10 commuters, mostly traders, who had traveled to Maiduguri in Borno State on a business trip were killed earlier on Tuesday by suspected religious extremists.
Although the identity of the killers has yet to be identified, it is suspected that elements of the murderous religious group, Boko Haram, were behind the killing.
The commuters, mostly traders from Ibadan in Oyo State, were said to have been slaughtered in a brutish fashion that involved slashing their throats with matchetes.
At least one of the victims was also shot to death by the killers.
Attempts to reach security operatives in the area for confirmation of the incident proved abortive as of press time.
Boko Haram has been actively engaged in a brutal onslaught against the government authority and perceived enemies of its ideologies in the north of Nigeria for the last 3 years, killing and maiming hundreds of Nigerians in the process.
Recent attempts by northern leaders and politicians to intercede on Boko Haram’s behalf through notorious suggestions of amnesty have been spurned by the group.
President Goodluck Jonathan recently constituted a committee to look into the possibility of securing amnesty for Boko Haram, which the group rejected in a recent message that it made available on the internet.
According to the group, the president should be the one asking for amnesty from Boko Haram. The group has said it would continue its operations against state authority.
Maiduguri, in the north eastern state of Borno, is the hotbed of the groups insurgency.