Watch above: Nigerian police offer more than $300,000 for information on the whereabouts of 276 kidnapped schoolgirls
Latest developments:
- As many as 300 people reportedly killed in attack on town near Cameroon border
- Nigerian vice president asked Canada for “surveillance” and “vital hardware” to take on Boko Haram
- International Development Minister Christian Paradis visited Nigerian vice president on Tuesday
- Nigerian police offer more 50 million naira (CDN $337,000) reward to help find kidnapped girls
Militants open fire on night market, officials say hundreds killed
Nigerian officials said Wednesday that Islamic militants killed hundreds of people in a northeastern Nigeria town Monday night.
The attack in Gamboru Ngala, in Borno state near the border with Cameroon, went on for 12 hours, during which time assailants believed to be members of Boko Haramopened fire on residents in a busy night market and set fire to homes and shops.
Local newspaper ThisDay reported as many as 300 people were killed, many of them trying to escape the fires.
The attack is the latest incident attributed to Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Borno state on Apr. 14.
Under mounting pressure, the government has agreed to international help. Jennifer Tryon reports.
In a video made public on Monday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau not only admitted the the group kidnapped the girls, but also threatened to sell them.
Leader of Boko Haram vows to sell abducted girls in a market
Police in Borno state said 276 girls are still missing.
Another group of eight teenage girls was reportedly kidnapped Monday night from the town of Warabe.
READ MORE: Nigeria kidnappings: Can online campaigning #BringBackOurGirls?
Federal Senator Ahmed Zannah blamed Boko Haram for the attack, ThisDayreported.
According to Zannah, whose brother was at the scene of the attack, “dead bodies littered the market.”
Zannah told ThisDay Nigerian security forces had been in Gamboru Ngala to protect the area from a possible attack, but left a short time before the assault to follow up on reports Boko Haram militants were moving towards the border region with captive girls.
“Upon receiving information over the movement of insurgents with kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls towards Lake Chad area, they withdrew and moved to confront the gunmen,” he said.
“It was just an hour after their withdrawal that the terrorists invaded the town, shooting everyone in sight and setting buildings on fire.”
Nigeria asks Canada for help fighting Boko Haram insurgency
Vice President Namadi Sambo has asked Canada for assistance taking on the militant group, which has been fighting a deadly campaign to establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia law for the past five years.
READ MORE: Canada offers to help Nigeria secure release of Chibok schoolgirls
Nigerian media reported Wednesday Canada’s International Development Minister Christian Paradis met with Sambo on Tuesday, at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“Sambo called for support and assistance from Canada in areas of surveillance equipment and other vital security hardware which would enhance Nigeria’s capacity in addressing insurgency,” a statement from the vice president’s office read.
Global News contacted the Dept. of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development to confirm the details of Paradis’s visit with Sambo. A response was not received in time for publication.
WATCH: Baird pledges support for Nigeria in search for abducted school girls
Boko Haram has been fighting to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, governed by Sharia law, for the past five years and has been responsible for a string of deadly attacks.
According to The Associated Press, there have been at least 1,500 deaths as a result of Boko Haram-related violence this year alone. It’s estimated Boko Haram has killed as many as 10,000 people since its formation in 2002.
The name loosely translates from the Hausa language to mean “Western education is forbidden” or “Western education is a sin.”
The Canadian government listed Boko Haram as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code of Canada in December 2013.
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